Flashback Friday: The other reason we ski

In December 1999, I went skiing for the first time while home from college on Winter break . My sister-in-law Laurel took me to Mt. Hood Meadows with her sister, and although I was the only first-timer, the entire party consisted of beginners. If you ignore the time that I almost skied right past the lift entrance, off a small cliff, and into the parking lot full of cars, it was fun and I picked up the sport reasonably quickly. Oh yes, and you'd also then have to overlook the time that Laurel and I gained undeserved confidence in our newly acquired skills, and attempted a blue run. The slope became so steep that we scooted down most of it on our butts. Other than those two minor details, great fun.

I was attending college in Provo, a small town nestled quaintly at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains in central Utah. The skiing in Utah is tremendous, which even if you don't ski, you probably realize, since the claim is immortalized on official state license plates: "Greatest Snow on Earth." After the holidays, I returned to my new apartment off campus, just down a flight of stairs from my cousin. We were best buds throughout the semester that followed, and since she has been skiing since age 3, I imagine she was pretty glad I finally learned how so we could go together.

And we did, as often as we could afford to spend the money and time away from studying (the latter sacrifice was never much of a debatable predicament for me). We viewed each mountain trip as not only a snowy escape into extreme athletics, but also a prime opportunity for flirting. We always invited guys to come along with us, and usually succeeded in finding willing participants. Whether they were privy to our ulterior motives will forever remain unknown.

Today I am sharing a collection of photos and commentary from skiing with these cute boys from my (currently seeming very distant) past. Well, actually, none of the pictures depict any actual skiing, but they were taken at ski resorts, in the snow. I am upholding my cousin's request not to post any photos of her; it is not vanity that led me to post all these pictures of myself, and I would never dream of cropping out her beautiful face if it were not out of respect for her own wishes.

flirt /flurt'/ vb: 1. to behave amorously without serious intent. 2. to trifle or toy, as with an idea [or person's fragile heart?] 3. the other reason we ski.

ALTA -- January 21, 2000

Dave and Greg

I didn't even know this Greg person. He was a friend of our friend Dave, who was standing on the other side of my cousin in this photo. Greg is pretty cute though, don't you think?

DEER VALLEY -- March 4, 2000

Mike and Pat

Ah, Mike. He remains one of my all-time favorite crushes. I think the feeling was at least somewhat mutual; at least we were pretty good friends. He was so funny!

A dogpile with Mike and Pat. I swear we did, in fact, ski on these trips too.

Aren't we adorable?

SNOWBIRD -- March 10, 2000

Miles and Ben (plus cousins Rachel and Jennifer!)

Miles (top right) and I were beginning to feel romantically toward each other--until this trip. The poor guy could not get the hang of skiing. I wouldn't hold that alone against a person, but it was hard not to feel pity rather than affection when he was so defeated, and let the embarrassment and emotion show. I never felt romantically inclined toward Ben, despite his interest. But he was a good friend, and I'll flirt with anyone for sport. He did kiss me once. And only once.

DEER VALLEY -- April 1, 2000

Ben and Nick

Disgusting picture of me, but Nick looks handsome. He was one of those guys who was very attractive until he opened his mouth. And the same Ben from above was on this trip too. My cousin and I tried out snowblades for the first time on this trip, and it was AWESOME. I think I like snowblades better than both skis and snowboard. The drawback is that they don't perform in powder (and I have some "splat" photos to prove it). They would be perfect for Mt. Hood, though. I've got to get me some.

SHOWDOWN, MONTANA -- March 18, 2000

On our trip to Montana, we went skiing with Ben (the same one) and a female friend of his from high school (we drove up to visit my sister and her new husband, and Ben grew up in the same hometown). Flirting with Ben proved not to be such a great idea, and he brought his own chick along this time anyway. So sometimes you just have to seek flirting opportunities, and create them when necessitated.

Suspended by Jason, Showdown Ski Patrol. Mmmm. The caption in my embarrassing scrapbook reads: "Who's 'patrolling' who?"

Whitewashed by Jeremy, Lift Ops. Notice the exposed skin on my back when you consider the following photo.

It is a sign of interest and affection to wrestle a person in freezing snow, right? Worked on me, obviously.

Lastly, here is a photo which embodies my idea of a perfect day on the slopes:

Forget the jacket--I want a hat, gloves, and a tank top! A very rare day here in the Cascade Range, but I have plenty of memories like this in the Rockies.