Finally

On Monday I finally got up the courage to venture over below Palmyra Peak to this double black diamond "Mountain Quail" (thanks to Kevin's encouragement). All the other lines are "double black diamond expert," so how bad could it be? It was a bit of a hike to get to it, but worth every step. I was so excited and focused on not getting nervous, that I completely forgot to re-buckle my boots after the hike. As I was exclaiming how much work it took to turn once I was off the steep section, I remembered my boots were still undone. After that, my skies were much more responsive and Kevin and I wooped it up through the powder. The picture below shows just how dorky/excited/proud I was at the top of the slope. Note the skiers continuing on to Palmyra Peak behind me.

"Mountain Quail' is the line about dead center of the photo below. It is just to the right of the rocky cliffs below the peak. The upper part is visible above the trees. The lift dropped us off to the far right of the picture. Monday was also a day of practicing little jumps. Leaving the ground has never been my desire, but it always bothers me when I don't want/can't do something, especially when others make it look so easy. The skiers I ran into along that ridge are definitely more my crowd (I wish) than the spring breakers and older Phoenix couples currently covering the mountain.