99% of Life is Just Showing Up

My steep skiing dreams in the Wasatch have been shelved virtually since the season began. They’ve been relegated to mental shelf space between such volumes as This Game of Ghosts by Joe Simpson, and Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard P. Feynman. I like odd characters – that’s no statement on my ski partners – and Simpson and Feynman both qualify in their own ways. Suddenly, I digress.

Swain finds a pocket of soft amongst the affected goods.

Swain in his element.

No matter. Back on track. This is about how 99% of life happens just by showing up. Although Natures’ snow making machinery was broken throughout December for Wasatch riders, Ullr’s strike did not spill over to the union who operate the gravity apparatus. Yep, all season long, you could still head uphill and expect to be pulled downhill by a mysterious force if you were wearing skis and managed to place them on snow. With the recent repair job on the snow making machinery, managing to find snow in the Wasatch front hasn’t been too much of a challenge. Simply point a finger.

Of course, it’s always a sad day when you leave a friend behind as you and others drown in powder for the afternoon. That being the case on Monday, Jon Swain caught wind of what he’d missed, and we headed out to make it right on Tuesday. Although coverage was good on the first lap, the snow was lackluster; temperature affected and not approaching the typical silken fare which Utah license plates proclaim. (Greatest snow on Earth, they hawk.)

Jon throws up a sampling of snow for analysis. It wasn't that light, fluffy, dreamlike stuff that makes for great skiing. We changed aspects and found the goods.

As it turns out, Jon likes to ski with an extended snow snorkel. We changed aspects and the rest, as they say, would qualify as either the 99% part, or the 1% part, depending on your viewpoint. Either way, we put in our 99%, showed up, and the rest is just life. Superb day. It’s hard to complain when there’s snow on the ground. Maybe the phrase ‘99% of life is just showing up’ needs modification. Something like, ‘99% of (ski) life is just (the snow) showing up?’

Heading back up in search of the 5% water snow that we came for.

Throwing the snow cloud up afternoon BBQ smoke style.

A OK snakes a fresh line between old tracks. Photo by Jon Swain.

Jon takes a swipe through Ullr's recent gift.

99% of life is just showing up. Swain smiles ear to ear as he enjoys the reward for doing just that.