Ski resort guests are frequently very curious about the life led by those of us devoted to our sport. Asking what we do in our off-season is commonplace and when I respond by explaining that I head to New Zealand for the Southern Winter, their curiosity often sky rockets. Even those people who find great joy in playing outdoors in the snowy months find the idea of year-round winter bewildering. I have some stock explanations intended to put off their concern for my well-being – how the New Zealand winter is far milder than ours in New England, how I use the time in between to relax and rejuvenate, how I get to enjoy Spring twice each year, and others. Those explanations are legitimate, but they require one key element at this time of year to maintain their veracity. For those explanations to be legit, for my endless winter to not render me incapacitated by Seasonal Affective Disorder, I require abundant sunshine and warm weather in the spring so I can play outside without ski boots on my feet. That means now. Right now. Yesterday actually. And it’s becoming a problem.
The snow, and with it the winter, continues in Vermont. The remainder of New England is also either snowy or is wet and gray. Willa Cather would find current conditions here worthy of yet another gloomy storyline. Raymond Chandler would seriously consider moving his characters to the Northeast because it’s so gloomy. I can just hear Phillip Marlowe explaining how the bright, spring fashions in the windows of the expensive boutiques of Boston’s Back Bay mock him as he sloshes through the cold, wet streets of the old, gray city.
Wow, that got dark in a hurry. Sorry about that, things are just not that bad. Really. It’s early yet, and I remain optimistic that I’ll enjoy plenty of sunshine and warm weather for my time in between ski seasons. In the meantime, I’m hiding out in the Berkshires to cycle on my favorite roads and watch as the natural world unfurls its limbs, ready to embrace spring. I mean seriously, if I get desperate I can always take a cue from the Finns and buy a UV lamp from the hardware store.
P.S. One day after posting this piece, the sun has come out, the countryside has warmed up and dried out, and I'm feeling much better, thank you very much. I'll spend an extended amount of time on my road bike today and I'll enjoy every minute. Still, I may have to buy a UV lamp just in case ...
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