A Day at the Beech… in Winter
Okay, so by a day at the Beech, I mean a day of skiing at Beech Mountain. It has now become a yearly tradition that once inclement weather is in the forecast, Casey, my good friend and coworker, and I always anxiously await a snow day so we can hit the slopes. Our first snowfall arrived on Wednesday. The roads were relatively clear on Thursday, so we decided to take full advantage of having another snow day and fresh powder. After a couple of trips to ski in Park City, Utah, I have become a bit of a ski snob. Fresh powder only for me.
The slopes opened at 9:00 a.m., so Casey and I had made plans for her to pick me up at Nathan’s around 7:30 a.m. Thankfully, Casey has 4WD and she just lives down the road from Nathan. She arrived with Pal’s infamous cheddar rounds, a butter biscuit, and a tea for me. We loaded up the Rav4 and we were excitedly on our way.
The roads were a little bit slick, but passable for the most part. Beech Mountain is approximately 65 miles from Nathan’s house. Normally it takes about an hour and a half to reach Beech Mountain. We decided that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ and to proceed driving the roads with caution. I was in awe of the beauty that surrounded us during our drive. The white blanket of snow that covered the ground and glistening trees were nothing short of a winter wonderland. I immediately thought of Isaiah 1:18. What a beautiful reminder!
We reached our destination around 9:45 a.m. Casey began to gather her snowboard and gear. I, on the other hand, had to rent my gear. I did a little research before our trip and found that K-12 students and teachers can purchase an all-day (9–5) lift ticket on snow days for only $15 with a valid ID. I was also able to rent my skis, boots, and poles for only $15 as well. I wish I had known this last year. Last year I paid $37 alone for just an all-day lift ticket.
After a restroom break, purchasing lift tickets, ski rentals, and placing my backpack in a locker, we were ready to embrace the powdery slopes. The sky was somewhat overcast, the wind was subtle, and the crowd population was to a minimum. This created a perfect setting for the slopes.
After a few (unscathed for me) runs down the mountain, we decided to take a break. The 5506' Sky Bar sounded like a great place to find a beverage to quench my thirst. I went with the blonde beer brewed by Beech Mountain Brewing Company. ‘Don’t drink and ski’ has become a new motto I’m beginning to adopt. No, nothing happened or has happened. I’m just not as young (or crazy) as I used to be. While sipping on my one beer for the day, I enjoyed the breathtaking views that surrounded us.
We did about 4 or 5 more runs and then we decided to head to the lodge for lunch. While the earlier part of my day had been reasonably priced, the food, however, was not. I bought Casey’s lunch in return for my Pal’s and her driving. For two cheeseburgers, two fries, and two small cokes, it was $26! Every ski trip I always say I’m going to pack my own food. But for mere convenience, I always end up purchasing my meals at the lodge.
Once we sat down to eat, I think we both realized how tired we were. We decided to make about 3 more runs and then call it a day. We figured since our lift tickets were discounted, we had already gotten our money’s worth. The sun had also decided to make an appearance, which caused the slopes to become slick.
On our wait for the lift to go down our last run, we saw an interesting skier. The following picture of this skier makes for the perfect conclusion to this story. Enjoy! :)
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