So I have finally officially arrived in the PNW. A major reason for me moving to this area of the country was so that I could be closer to the mountains and ski better stuff with less drive time. Yesterday, I went night skiing.

How is this possible, I hear you cry... Well, there are mountains 40 mins from my condo that have about 10 runs that are lit by very powerful lamps until 10pm. Now, "lit" in this case, is a very relative term. If, for example, you felt like referring to your trail map at somepoint, you could find that a little difficult. You can see well enough to identify other skiers, trees, lift poles, etc, but you definitely need to be paying attention to what is in front of you. If only to make sure you know exactly what you are skiing on. (as in, is that a flat bit of snow there or is it a bump?) And if you are skiing this mountain for the first time, as I was, said concentration becomes very important.

There were several really cool things about skiing last night:

1. I didn't have to take off from work to ski in powder conditions.
2. It was dumping snow (as in sheets and sheets) the whole time we were skiing.
3. There was absolutely NOBODY there. THIS I found astounding. If it were a powder day on the East (espeically within 40 mins of a major city), and there was night skiing, I can promise you there would be endless queues.
4. The ratio of men to women (which is always skewed in the women's favor on a ski hill) was ludicrous. I think I saw ONE woman the whole time I was there. And she was a liftee.

There is definitely a learning curve to night skiing. Your depth perception is off. I know I am no rocket on skis, but last night I felt as if I was on turbo. The shadows are a little freaky too. At times, you think there are skiers on either side of you, when really, your shadows are following you down the mountain. Several times I actually stopped to let these very annoying tailgaters go past me and was shocked to realize they were me. And when night skiing with friends, unlike during the day when you look for specific outfits to recognize people on the hill, you better know your companion's ski styles very well because colors are no good in the dark. Yelling also works.