do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is?

Bone-chilling weather that began one week ago has subsided for the time being. But now I've got the itch. Roy Stalin, you're going down.

Twice-daily checking of the ski reports has begun in earnest. Granted, it's early yet, but don't judge me. If you lived a mere 4 1/2 hours from Taos Ski Valley, you'd be checking too. Taos only has a couple runs open right now, but soon, baby, soon...

Only six hours to Ski Apache in Ruidoso, but they're not open yet anyway. Too early.

Fortunately, greatness did not escape me today. The High Lift at the greatest mountain/town/resort/place I will move when I hit the lottery, Crested Butte, CO, opened today. Which of course means that as soon as I can get away from the office for a few days, I will be free to take many mucus-hardening trips up that lift in an attempt to ski down and break my legs on the Paradise Cliffs. Maybe I'll do what I've been telling myself I would do for years and make a trip up to the peak. Anyone have snowshoes I can borrow?

Let's just hope I don't take a 250-yard, seven feet in the air, hospital trip-mandating, 8-inch leg bruising spill down International while traveling at 50 mph. That sort of mucked up the trip last year...glad it was just my ski partner. But I was delayed for like 90 minutes before they took him to the hospital so I could start skiing again. Such inconvenience.

Ahhh ski trips...I feel like a little kid on Christmas right now. Who's coming with me? I'm buying at Buckaroo Beanery and Wooden Nickel.