Turns All Year: Month 51

I met Theresa at 9,000ft on Mt. Hood on July 28, 2013. At the time I was working on month 21 of turns all year, but she was rocking month 33. That's the problem with having a best ski friend who just happens to be a year ahead of you on turns all year - your number never seems as impressive in comparison. When she told me she was at 33 months, I though "Damn, that is a LOT of months. I wonder if I'll get there someday?"

Catch up to her I did, a year later...but Theresa kept on trucking too, and she celebrated 45 months as I celebrated 33. By then we'd met Nick, who was on 57 months. I settled in for a long journey of always being third fiddle.

Then, last summer, just as I was quitting climbing, Nick discovered  it and turned his back on TAY after 69 months. It was the worst winter we'd had on record, and he got to do lots of spring and summer and fall climbing. I was sad and happy. Sad to lose Nick as a TAY buddy, but happy because now I was only second fiddle.

While I like to think someday I'll catch up to Theresa, the act of catching her would mean she quit chasing TAY. If you've met T-Town, you know this is NOT happening. And I'm fine with that. Because really all of us should have someone in our lives to inspire us - and make us feel just a little bit inadequate.

In January I celebrated 51 months of turns all year, and right next to me was Theresa, 12-months ahead, making me feel like 63 months is so much more impressive than my mere 51. And so I keep trucking.

Here are my favorite pics and from six days of skiing in January 2016:

January 1: Owly, Shasta, and the Yvettes. 

January 1: Snowshoe tracks abound. 

January 1: My tutu. Kurt's man tutu.

January 13: Blower day at Crystal. We were a little excited.

January 13: See, I said it was blower?

January 13: Drink it in ladies. Drink it in.

January 17: Family ski.

January 7: Mama will drink to that!

January 17: Dust on crust in Winthrop.

January 17: Got to see this in action!

January 18: Demonstrating caution at Loup Loup.