Good skiing found today!

As in: rippin’ and linkin’ turns! brah!
M dropped me off in Pattee Canyon, and I headed up and up, eventually arriving at the saddle between Mitten Mountain and the next knob/mountain to the east. Good skiing was found above the road in an open clearcut. Just enough of a base and 2-8″ of fresh powder on its way into corn. Cowder? Powrn? Quality, sez I.

More fun was had dodging stumps and deadfall short-cutting down through the Sam Braxton area, but the surprise of the day was the gasline cut dropping into Crazy Canyon. Much more and better snow than I had expected. Don’t underestimate western aspects this time of year.

I hauled skis for a portion of the traverse over to the Maurice Avenue extension, then thought p-tex be damned and put ’em back on for some fun tight turns down the road and trail onto the golf course, then a final hike home along Higgins in tele boots. The diagonal ski carry works very well.
I got home, quite and pleasingly tired, and drank some beer.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9222690&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=ffffff&fullscreen=1

I also have a new, and simple, recipe to share. Plop the (contents of) one can of beans in a pot. Black beans or black-eyed peas would be my preference. Add one whole bottle of beer. Dark, ideally. Bring to a boil. Watch the foam! Add a heaping tablespoon of chili-garlic sauce, juice and zest of one citrus (lime or orange), and many bountiful fists-full of the green of your choice. I used spinach, but you could get old school here. Stir in the greens until they’re well and wilted, then keep cooking and stirring it until it has been boiled down to your desired viscosity.

Consume as is, with rice or couscous, or spooned onto a cheese and avocado quesadilla, as I did this evening.

Enjoy.