Human Sacrifice

OK, 'human sacrifice' may be an exaggeration. How about 'ACL sacrifice' or 'season sacrifice'. By the morning on Monday, a big early season Nor'Easter had dropped over a foot of new snow on Okemo (note the weather map above). That was on top of what has already been an astonishingly snowy December by Vermont standards - the longest we've gone between storms has been four days. The skiing has been absolutely fabulous and we're all kicking ourselves, waiting for the other shoe to drop, though the forecast is calling for more snow right up through the holidays.

My friends here in the Okemo Learning Center have all come into the locker room or slid into line-up exclaiming about how good the skiing is, only to see me, feel guilty and then apologize for gloating. My response is that I'm better off, if not happier, knowing exactly how good it is, in detail, with precision. I want the complete and unvarnished truth so that I can keep my focus on getting strong and healthy. It'll also help me stay enthusiastic when speaking with the guests.

My friend Rich, our alpine manager and technical director (meaning he is responsible for the entire training and assessment program for the ski staff) walked into the locker room on Monday afternoon, clearly having skied all day in snow up to his thighs, and announced to all who could hear him (in typical Rich fashion) "Russ, you are the sacrifice." Apparently, I sacrificed my season so that all the rest of you could have all of this amazing snow, particularly on the heals of last year's disastrous start to winter. I'm not sure if I really would have voluntarily sacrificed my body, but I'll certainly take credit for it. Next year, perhaps, it'll be someone else's turn. I, for one, definitely will not feel any shame in taking advantage of it.