9th annual igloo

Every year for the past 9 winters a group of people (yours truly included) have met in the woods at about 10,000 feet to build an igloo. Its debatable as to whether it is truly an igloo (because we make it by piling up snow and not stacking cut cubes of ice) but we call it an igloo anyway. So the 9th annual igloo was finished last week.

Through the years, the igloo has been different shapes and sizes. The largest sat about 26 people - no kidding. But igloos are warm because of the people in them and when you have 6 people in an igloo built for 26 - its pretty #%$$# COLD. So this year we went back to the quaint size of seating for 14.

Last night was our first party and it was really cold up there, but 8 brave souls showed for our traditional Tai Soup pot luck in the igloo. We straped on snowshoes or put skins on telle skis and started the treck to the igloo hidden in the woods.

Tai soup in an igloo is done by one person bringing the herbs and base for Tai soup and the rest of us bringing ingredients to throw into the wok. So we put the wok on the the camp stove and everyone takes their little bag of whatever from their back packs. We announce what we have and get approval before we throw it in. Broccoli, chicken, snow peas, scallops, rice noodles etc are thrown into the soup and we talk as it cooks.

About an hour into the evening we hear a commotion outside - it is our friend and acclaimed chef, Nick. He drags into the iglloo a large pack that he proceeds to empty with huge amounts of food. He takes over the wok, which is now empty and prepares the most amzaing Tai fired rice. We dubbed it - "Fried Rice your mother wish she could make". No offense to mothers everywhere.

After about 3 hours of being in the igloo, we made our way out joking that we may be too fat to fit through the narrow igloo tunnel to the outside. But make it we did, strapped on the snowshoes and siliently made our way back to civilization.

There is something about being in snow filled woods high up in the mountains on a winter's night. Its magical. Most nights you can see without a flashlight. The stars are BLAZING. The silence is profound. The crunch of each step is freshly audible. Its calming and reminds us all what is really important. ...... HEAT! ha ha.

Skiing on new skis was certainly OK yesterday. The snow was great - scratchy in some places, but lift 5 was awesome. That was the place to be. It wasn't deep powder, but there weren't any rocks and that is something. Lift 9 was not open. Lift 6 was but only the lift - only one run - See Forever was open - not truely a lift 6 run but accessed by lift 6. But you got to go up and look at that awesome view up there. WOW!! I'm always amazed. They will most likely be opening more and more of the mountain as we get to Thanksgiving. So get on up here. Its good.

Wow - lots of snow here. The ski area is reporting 4 feet so far and 20 inches in the past few days. Even though many ski areas measure snow suspiciously, I believe them this time. There is alot of snow out there. If I were you, I'd make plans to come up to ski for Thanksgiving weekend - the ski area opens the day before Thanksgiving. Its going to be good. More snow expected this weekend! I'll keep ya posted.