Global Weirding

     Skiers are funny. Well, it's people in general that are funny, but skiers are the ones that cause me to bring up this topic. You see, we're having  a long dry spell down here in Southwest Colorado. It's been warm too.  Not so good for ski conditions, or the businesses that make money from skiers.  I hear it so many times a day; "We need more snow." "When is it going to snow?"  People bring up the Farmer's Almanac, and what some Old Timer out in Mancos said about the weather patterns way back when. Almost no one seems to bring up that the past is no longer very relevant to weather patterns. That the very lifestyle we lead is screwing up the the lifestyle we want to lead. That coal fired power plant that produces electricity to power the chair lift? The car I drove for an hour each way to go skiing in the back country? All the things we bought that are produced with petrol chemicals, and then shipped from the other side of the world powered by more petrol? It has caused an amazing shift in the climate, and it isn't going away any time soon. Bitching about the weather is kind of like a smoker complaining about air pollution. We are not innocent victims of Mother Nature's wrath. We are spoiled brat children of the Earth that cannot learn to share.
     What to do about it? I don't know, I think we're screwed for the most part. However, I've heard it said that the first step toward recovery is admitting you have a problem. What I'm advocating is that we all start admitting we have a problem with consumption that is changing the world on a very large scale. If skiing is your thing, perhaps consider a move to Montana or Canada.  Mountain biking on dry trails in January might just be the new "norm".  Or, we can stay in denial like any good addict.

The Sleeping Ute

     Enough for the Soapbox. In my little world things are good. The trails are amazing for running right now. I'm heading down to Southern Arizona this weekend to crew and pace for a friend in a hundred miler. This is something I wish I could do more of; go to Ultras and volunteer. I love the atmosphere and community at these events, and I love to witness those mental breakthroughs.