Matt Duffy
New member
We brought Winter to Smuggs yesterday. Everybody up there loves her. <BR>Winter is 7 weeks old now, and is quite possibly the cutest little puppy <BR>in the world. All shiny black and the size of a small cat, one person <BR>called her "a baby seal". <BR> <BR> After her first intro to the Smuggs parking lot, we put her back in <BR>the car, the backseats down and converted into puppy playhouse. It was <BR>time for us to ski. <BR> <BR> Neither Whit nor I have skied much in the last week or so, and so we <BR>eased back into it with a Rumrunner. My ankle is a lot better, but still <BR>doesn't like a lot of jarring, or too much pressure. It was good just to <BR>be back on skis though, and Whit had no objections to staying away from <BR>places that were much unsmooth. After a few fast carving runs in the mild <BR>temps, we went for a break and to check on our little girl. <BR> <BR> As I held Winter in my arms, a woman walked by, looked, smiled and <BR>said "oh my! what an cutie!" I said thanks, and commented that "isn't my <BR>dog is cute, too" 
<BR> <BR> Hatchback open, we sat with our feet dangling , drinking our liquid <BR>pain killers (phine Vermont microbrews), smiled and watched as countless <BR>people stopped what they were doing to say hello to our roaming little <BR>black dog with her nose to the ground. <BR> <BR> A familiar face strolled by, I said his name and he turned to look. <BR>I could tell he vaguely recognized my face, but he couldn't remember where <BR>from, not to mention my name. On one of the many epic days last year, he <BR>was hitching a ride back to Sugarbush South after skiing SlideBrook. I <BR>stopped and gave him a ride, Billy, and proceeded to ski 3 or 4 <BR>SlideBrook runs with him in vulgar amounts of disgusting, fluffy white <BR>powder up to our waists. <BR> <BR> After a couple seconds, he got it, "Matt, right?..." He, his two <BR>friends & ourselves then hung out with Winter, passing around Vermonts's <BR>finest dog & ski stories. They eventually went on <BR>their way, while we stayed there in a daze. We laughed at our dog trying <BR>to navigate the deep snowbanks, ears pulled back, legs postholing up to <BR>her torso while sniffing out the perfect spot to do her business. Coaxing <BR>her to climb down the steep bank on her own was quite an event, too. She <BR>eventually did it, with all the careful plotting and movements of <BR>Spiderman scaling down a vertical wall. <BR> <BR> We eventually got back on or big yellow skis, smiles from ear to <BR>ear. It had <BR>begun snowing pretty hard when we stood in line at M1, maybe that's what <BR>had us so giddy. <BR> <BR> We passed the time in line by staring straight up at the gray sky, big <BR>fluffy flakes spun and plummeted at us. It was dizzying and fun. We were <BR>in a better mood than anyone around us, which was apparent when we'd catch <BR>glimpses of people staring at us while we jostled for position, both <BR>trying to catch the same snowflakes in our mouths. <BR> <BR> Soon, it was our turn to ride the lift. On it, Whitney got a look at <BR>the Three Mtn Glades, and impulsively wanted to ski some woods. Sore ankle <BR>or not, I was not about to hinder that desire. We did it, and I needed <BR>that. The ankle was feeling pretty good, as was I, while making quicker, <BR>snappier turns than before. It did aggervate the sprain, but not too bad. <BR>I needed a run like that, and thanked Whit for dragging ME into the woods <BR>for a change. <BR> <BR> The rest of the day went by in a blur; a fun, fun day up at Smuggs. It was a nice <BR>reminder that you don't need the best possible snow conditions, nor even <BR>the best possible physical condition to have a great time at the mountain. <BR>As they say, get out and ski. And bring your dog.
<BR> <BR> Hatchback open, we sat with our feet dangling , drinking our liquid <BR>pain killers (phine Vermont microbrews), smiled and watched as countless <BR>people stopped what they were doing to say hello to our roaming little <BR>black dog with her nose to the ground. <BR> <BR> A familiar face strolled by, I said his name and he turned to look. <BR>I could tell he vaguely recognized my face, but he couldn't remember where <BR>from, not to mention my name. On one of the many epic days last year, he <BR>was hitching a ride back to Sugarbush South after skiing SlideBrook. I <BR>stopped and gave him a ride, Billy, and proceeded to ski 3 or 4 <BR>SlideBrook runs with him in vulgar amounts of disgusting, fluffy white <BR>powder up to our waists. <BR> <BR> After a couple seconds, he got it, "Matt, right?..." He, his two <BR>friends & ourselves then hung out with Winter, passing around Vermonts's <BR>finest dog & ski stories. They eventually went on <BR>their way, while we stayed there in a daze. We laughed at our dog trying <BR>to navigate the deep snowbanks, ears pulled back, legs postholing up to <BR>her torso while sniffing out the perfect spot to do her business. Coaxing <BR>her to climb down the steep bank on her own was quite an event, too. She <BR>eventually did it, with all the careful plotting and movements of <BR>Spiderman scaling down a vertical wall. <BR> <BR> We eventually got back on or big yellow skis, smiles from ear to <BR>ear. It had <BR>begun snowing pretty hard when we stood in line at M1, maybe that's what <BR>had us so giddy. <BR> <BR> We passed the time in line by staring straight up at the gray sky, big <BR>fluffy flakes spun and plummeted at us. It was dizzying and fun. We were <BR>in a better mood than anyone around us, which was apparent when we'd catch <BR>glimpses of people staring at us while we jostled for position, both <BR>trying to catch the same snowflakes in our mouths. <BR> <BR> Soon, it was our turn to ride the lift. On it, Whitney got a look at <BR>the Three Mtn Glades, and impulsively wanted to ski some woods. Sore ankle <BR>or not, I was not about to hinder that desire. We did it, and I needed <BR>that. The ankle was feeling pretty good, as was I, while making quicker, <BR>snappier turns than before. It did aggervate the sprain, but not too bad. <BR>I needed a run like that, and thanked Whit for dragging ME into the woods <BR>for a change. <BR> <BR> The rest of the day went by in a blur; a fun, fun day up at Smuggs. It was a nice <BR>reminder that you don't need the best possible snow conditions, nor even <BR>the best possible physical condition to have a great time at the mountain. <BR>As they say, get out and ski. And bring your dog.