Taking advantage of a weekday off, I went with a friend up to the base of Bigelow Road, walked around the barrier, and hooked into my crosscountry skis. This was the first day back to work after the holidays for most folks, so the road up the mountain was clear of all the riff-raff.

It was probably the best snow conditions we've had up on the mountain. For the most part, it was perfect - not too sticky, not too icy - with one exception and that was just about at the summit. And although I fell four times, I didn't have any bruises.