On top of the hill

Skiing downhill, as against cross-country skiing, seems a fairly easy activity in some ways. Lifts carry you up the mountains, and the prepared slopes allow you to ski down fairly easily. However, the wilderness is not far away when you look away from those prepared slopes.
We had a good day's skiing. The air was very clear and we could see many miles across the forest. The sun shone through the thin cloud most of the day, providing enough light and shadow on the snow to make seeing the slope easy, there was no wind and the temperature was just a few degrees below freezing - very nice conditions. We finished up about an hour before the slopes closed because we were both feeling our tired muscles protesting gently. It's best not to push things too hard at the end of the day.
As we prepared dinner we were treated to a wonderful sunset. It was a great finish to a good day!