Aspen again

50 years ago today, I first skied Aspen Mountain. Snow started falling on December 7, and it kept falling for three days, a huge dump. The lifts opened on December 10, but we could only ski the top, because the patrol was setting off avalanches, and we had to ride the lift down at the end of the day. Half a century later, I can still make turns on Ajax, as the locals call it. And again I'm skiing the top third of the mountain, but riding the gondola up and down, instead of a single chair with a blanket to keep off the chill. There is no other mountain like it. And the equipment is better now. And the grooming. Hooh hah!