I have very fond childhood memories of my father waking me up on cold winter mornings, helping me into my snowpants and puffy jacket and driving me up to Mount St. Louis/Moonstone, two ski hills (and by “hills” I mean bumps, really) an hour and a half’s drive north of Toronto, in Barrie.
I remember that cold, damp rental area where we’d get fitted for boots, skis and poles, the collection of lift tickets I’d amass on my zipper and wear like a badge of honour to school, and the Snickers bar my dad would buy for me (he always got a Mars bar) for the drive back home.
But I also remember those days when we’d have to check to see if there was actual snow on the hills or man-made snow, those days when the traffic on the highway was unbearable, those days when there’d be endless lines to get on the chairlift.
These aspects of skiing are less than green, of course — making snow requires tons of energy, as does running a lift or even those dreaded T-bars, and the drive there and back emits even more carbon dioxide.
So from now on, I’ll be cross-country skiing and show-shoeing only, preferably as close to home as possible.
Posted by gettinggreen
