Pastor, Ski Instructor, What's the Difference?

My original plan for today was to ski with another Boulder County pastor and some of the men from Christchurch. Cultivating relationships and developing ministry partnerships on the mountainside...it was a great idea. Too bad my pastor friend woke up too sick to ski today and one of my men had a rough night at work. Both wigged out. No partnerships developed today. But all was not lost.

My friend Mark and I had the day set aside, so we formulated Plan B which took us to Keystone. Mark attends Christchurch and I've known him for a few years. I gave him some beginner lessons in December 2006. This year, Mark is progressing fast as a skier. He now has his own AT gear and can pretty much ski it all. Which is a great thing, because...

When we got to the top of the outback, there was a snow-cat waiting around for a few more riders. $5 and 15 minutes later, we were traversing our way across the North Outback Ridge above 12,500 feet and staring down a not-yet-tracked-out powder bowl.

Oh, the joy of powder skiing on a sunny day. I haven't hollered like I did today in a long time. But next to one incredible head-plant I made in about 5 feet of snow, the thing I'm most proud of today is how one of my church members was ripping it up, with a little bit of encouragement and a few pointers from the obsessive skier/pastor.

It's a rough job, but somebody's got to do it.