Shit Show Season

Each winter, as the resort ski season begins, a wierd phenomona takes over the community: Shit Show Season.

Firstly, the resort begins to open. Whether this day begins a few days before November or a few days after the month begins, the focus of the town shifts from family and daily living to the resort. Instead of all our variable summer activites (paddling, hiking, swimming, climbing), everyone is focused on skiing and snowboarding. With all this enthusiasm aimed in one direction, the amount of energy builds exponentially. We become one community with one goal: playing on snow!

But who is this community? In the summer, the local residents live our lives as do most any other towns. We get dressed, go to work, feed our families and play outside. But as the ski season approaches, our small town is inundated with seasonal workers and second home owners, all focused on the action at the resort. Add the excitement of these winter people to our already enthused population and you can see that something - anything - has to happen.

And what does happen when you have thousands of people amped up to ski and snowboard...and there are only "eight" trails open? All everyone wants to do is ski, but the lack of snow means we all end up with a lot of free time on our hands. For even the most dedicated skier only needs a few runs to satisfy their snow addiction this early in the season. This means we have to find something else to do with the other hours of the day.

So we all fall victim to another ski town addiction: the pre-season party. From the multitude of Halloween parties to the corpoorate rehire meetings to the Annual Opening Parties (the Sushi Yoshi Good Guys Party is tomorrow), every party seems to be a must attend. There are ski buddies and drinking friends who you haven't seen since the resort closed and they ran back to their real world lives. There's not enough snow, so what can you do but spend all your free time and money to help get the season started.

Drinking. Smoking. Other. Whatever your fancy, Killington becomes a town where you can live out your party fantasies...all held up by the anticipation of the greatness that will come the season finally does kick in - if you can make it that long. So many people come flying into town, full of ski bum dreams, and leave just that quickly, unable to keep up with the rampant party standard they have set for themselves. It's the first test of a ski bum - can YOU make it through Shit Show Season?

While you're pondering your answer, pour me a Long Trail and let's raise our glasses to Krom, Ullr, Snow Meiser, Mother Nature and whomever the hell else will bring us a shit ton of snow this winter!

May You Find the Spirit of the Mountains Within You,

FemaleSkiBum