Good, old fashioned fun

I'm really digging cross country skiing this winter. The simplicity of it really appeals to me. I still love a good downhill day but its kinda nice not to worry about parabolic this and foam-filled that, $75 lift tickets, chair lift companions you could live without and snowboarders' blind spots. Its nice too that my gear probably weighs less than 5 lbs total so I don't mind walking through the parking lot carrying it. And I can almost walk like a normal human in my xc ski boots, rather than looking like Gene Simmons in his KISS boots. 

Most cross country ski centers operate on the honour system (or the honor system to my US friends). You are supposed to buy a trail pass but no one is out there policing you. Nobody scans your ticket before you enter the trail. There are a few signs posted here and there reminding you that if you ski on the groomed trail you need to pay a fee. I bought a season's pass at Great Brook Farm, the ski center close to our house. For $60 I can ski as much as I want. Funny thing is though that all I have to do to verify that I am a season's pass holder is walk into the ski lodge (well, that is a stretch, it is actually an old barn), sign my name on a piece of paper and someone hands me a trail pass. No one asks for my ID or even looks at my name in fact. Its refreshing!  

Last night I tried out night skiing at GBF. I've night skied before, both downhill and cross country, but last night was a new experience. Keeping to the old fashioned theme, the ski trails at GBF are lit twice a week by oil lamp. It is pretty but not very effective. Essentially, you are skiing by candlelight, being careful not to hit any of the shadows in the night skiing past you in either direction. You can't really see what is below your skis, snow or ice, so you just have to ski loose and hope for the best. It is a really neat feeling to glide along through the wintery night in virtual darkness, the trees huge shadows on either side of you.