Jean-Claude Killy

I was up Saturday before daybreak eager to get the day rolling. It snowed about two inches overnight and was still coming down, however only lightly. The winter weather couldn't have been more timely given that the day's big plans included snow skiing at Mad River. Mindy stayed in bed while I exercised, took care of Ykraps, and completed my run. I ran just three miles knowing I'd be getting one heck of a workout on the slopes later. Mindy was up when I got back. We didn't start preparing for our ski trip until 930am. While Mindy showered and primped, I whipped up scrambled eggs with chunks of ham. The eggs got a little crispy on one side but remained edible. At the same time the eggs cooked, and probably why they were partially burned, I made sandwiches for later and packed them in a small cooler. Too, I baggied chunks of cheese and a selection of chocolate candy (Reese's & Butterfingers). Finally, around 1030am, we left for Bellefountaine. Mindy was very excited. The weather seemed to be holding in a light snowy pattern, and the temperature hovered around 33 degrees. The forecast called for cloudy skies and a high of 34 with snow/rain ending mid-morning. We arrived at Mad River Mt. around 1130am. Just as we pulled in the lot Bob Imber called. He figured himself 20 minutes behind us. We planned to get in a few runs then seek him out. We did a Blue/Green run first, which is always a good idea. We planned to do all green but the trails aren't exactly marked well. Mindy did fine. Next run up we did the black. The snow was once again really nice, a combination of mother nature and man-made stuff. No sign of the old 'ice ball' stuff from days gone by. After 40 minutes or so we celled Bob and then eventually spotted him in his familiar red jacket and gray pants zooming down the main run looking a lot like Jean-Claude Killy (1968 Olympic gold medalist). We met up and skied with Bob & Scott, and eventually Scott's 13 year old son, Zach and his friend Nick, both of whom are excellent skiers. We had a ball skiing without a break for the next 3+ hours. During that time frame we polished off three flasks of 'liquid ski-joy' (two - goldschlager/one - lemon nip). All of the sudden we realized that Mindy was drunk. The first clue was when she fell getting off the lift and then a second time going down the mountain. Her form was gone - caput. I wouldn't let her go up/down again. She needed a break and some food. Bob fetched a pitcher of Sam Adams while I went to the Honda for our food. At the same time we took our break, Scott, Zach, and Nick left for home. After eating a sandwich and a few chunks of cheese, Mindy looked and felt a whole lot better. We must've rested for nearly an hour. Back to the slopes. We probably did another 6 or 7 runs at near full throttle taking in all of the parks terrain. Mindy stopped after 45 minutes. Bob and I did a few more runs including one taking us over by the wooded condos on the parks western edge. We hoped to find rental info for a possible getaway but found none. Bob needed/wanted to be home to meet Mary Ann after work. Mindy & I had no solid plans but did plan to do dinner somewhere. We agreed to call it a day near 545pm after one last balls-to-the-wall run. It's a quick transition from slopes to car. We were on the road five minutes later. As we drove, Mindy phoned my dad to follow-up on our earlier birthday phone call and to arrange breakfast Sunday morning. We agreed to meet at our house at 9am. We also called Lindsey to arrange for Rocky to join us Monday at Mad River Mt. We'd pick him up Sunday evening after dinner at Mindy's mom's. We arrived home just before 7pm, and by the time I got everything situated and Ykraps walked, the house was silent. 15 minutes went by without hearing a peep from Mindy. I found her sound asleep in bed. OK. It was just after 7pm. During our drive home she'd also made tentative arrangements for us to visit Chrissy & Kenny. Chrissy phoned around 8pm. I shared that Mindy was out. I wasn't sure if she'd be waking or not. Mindy got up just before 9pm. By then I was comfy and relaxed, not really up for any action. I was happy just to relax in my PJs. We headed to bed near 10pm - a good night's rest almost a certainty.