Chasing Curiosity

February and March: Ice climbing, ski wandering, mounting biking, kayaking, meeting friends, making friends,….

After two weeks of ice climbing with my dear friend Karen in Colorado (who had 49 days and 200 laps on the ice this winter…at age 73!!), and with the Indy ski pass as my guide, I wandered northward driving the Indy highways enroute to the next Indy resort.  You know the ones –  the lonely two lane highways that take you through expanses of wild country and farm land and the occasional rural towns where the speed limit doesn’t slow.  It’s the kind of places that when you step into the cafe the conversations pause, but you also know that if anything ever went wrong on the side of the road, these are the people that you’d want showing up.  

And once in a while in these big expanses, down a side road there is a little ski area.  Sometimes there is just one lift and maybe a rope tow, sometimes a few lifts, occasionally a larger resort boasting more.   The Indy Ski Pass is focused on supporting the small, independently owned ski areas that are becoming more and more rare as corporations gobble up and monopolize the ski industry.  These Indy ski areas are true gems.  Some are multi generational family owned and family run.  Some are volunteer supported.  Some are owned by the town so that everyone has access.  The common experience I’ve had at all of them are the locals – they’re friendly and excitedly prideful of their ski hill.  They tell me they learned to ski here and now their kids are learning, they want to show me their secret stash of powder or invite me to the apres ski with friends.  In a world where skiing has become the sport of the elites, it is heartening to know that skiing can still be (kind of) financially accessible at these small ski areas.  Most heart filling was the town-owned ski area has Ski Free Sunday!  Every Sunday everyone skis for free!!!  (Yay Steamboat Springs!!) 

Keep it local. Keep it Indy. Support the little guys. Be kind. Talk to every person on the ski lift. And fun sunglasses (funglasses?!) make lots of new friends!