Ski season is this special time of year when I go into the mountains to explore. Of course I am exploring new places on the skis, but mostly, it is internal. When I get on the mountain, I am usually in some kind of crazy state over some argument or slight that happened earlier that same week. I go up to the mountain to work it out.

I still really concentrate a lot when I ski and that concentration helps drive the other thoughts out of my head. Who cares about the fight I had with my boss? I have to get to the bottom of this mountain.

To be completely honest, my motivation to ski to the maximum isn’t there every weekend. I love everything about skiing including getting up at 3:45am to leave. That’s insane, but true. But I don’t always want to go down every black trail and do every perfect turn. Some weekends I take it easy. But those are good too.

On Monday I went to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire, which has the best blue trails I have ever skied on. They are challenging but wide and imminently skiable. I always do some black but the blues over there are great places to do turns and go fast. Writing this is making me want to ski right now.

Of course there are photos. I had to stop to take all of these so when I would, I would hear this whoosh of wind going on and then total silence. I was standing still, so no crunch of the snow beneath my skis. Just silence. It was magnificent.

Enjoy the silence: