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Downhill Skiing, Without the Chair Lift
by Debi Osborne
It is mid April. The mountain has a five-foot base of snow, but the T-bars and chair lifts have all been shut down. They won't run again for another seven long months.

What's a skier to do? Some move on to golf or fishing. Others refuse to give it up and get to the top any way they can. This is the "Free Ski Season." Time to find out just how in-shape you really are!

Going up, to ski down Sweeney Mt.
Photos courtesy of Rick Edwards
There are many ways to do Free Skiing. The first is by covering the base of your downhill skis with removable, non-slip seal "skins" and walking straight up the mountain. Ski poles with wider baskets will help get you better traction in the unpacked snow.

Special touring bindings can be inserted into existing ones so that a climber can glide his feet forward, like with cross-country skis. Once you reach your destination, you remove the insert as well as the skins and stow them in your pack.
A snowmobile has tossed a tow rope for this lucky hiker
Even on the coldest day, this style of touring will make you warm, sweaty, and hopefully proud of yourself for your accomplishment. You will get chilled quickly on your return to the bottom, so pull down your sleeves, zip back up, click on your skis and enjoy the feel of your first "cheap thrill" of the day. If you are at the Sibola Range, chances are, once you reach bottom, you will turn around and do it all over again. Sometimes over five runs in a day!

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