Changes in attitude…

These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
Nothing remains quite the same
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands
If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane

—Jimmy Buffett

With the major end of the year holidays falling in the middle of the week, my days are all screwed up. I’m never quite sure what day it is but I am writing this earlier than normal as what appears to be the last snowstorm of 2024 is winding down. Thank goodness for that pop of snow to end the year….

A foot of snow is not only a game changer, but also an attitude changer. We’re fortunate to have received more than the forecast and we returned to some soft snow beneath the skis and fresh white scenery as far as the eye can see. You never know how long a storm in the high country will last, and while it looks sunny in the immediate future there is some possible snow moving into early January. We can only hope…

A foot of fresh over several days brings us into the snow globe world. It is especially snow globey with all the nice holiday lights that sprung up this year after some CB councilmembers were vocally lukewarm about the idea of more lights. It adds a nice atmosphere to the shortest days of the year. It really can feel like walking around in a fairy tale when the snow is falling and downtown looks like a movie set, which it does a lot here. You are in the definition of winter wonderland and that’s always good for the attitude.

Which reminds me, it may not feel like it, but the days are getting longer! That is always a good turn. Another attitude changer. Now of course we are in the depth of winter and if history is any indication, we can expect to experience some chilly days in the next month. The heart of winter can feel a little harsh at 9,000 feet but the long-time local attitude is that a few days of brutally cold weather thins the herd. If you can’t take -20 when walking the dog, you won’t last long up here and that is probably a good thing to find out sooner rather than later. 

Lord knows, a few -20 nights can be an attitude changer. Personally, while I appreciate apricity, I like the kind of cold that stings your cheeks and takes the breath from your lungs. It makes me happy to see the smiles our extreme weather brings to the community. Heck, if you don’t laugh at it, we would all go insane…

The snow and the cold are part of our existence. While a foot of snow shuts down most places, here everything clicks into high gear. Waking up to the sound of a plow at 5 a.m. is actually a good thing if you ski. That means there is fresh pow to enjoy (after dealing with the berm of course) and it might be worth trying to figure out the best time to hit the lift line and where to go first. It’s part of the game in these highlands. Finding a pocket of untouched fresh any time of the day is an attitude changer.

Looking at the Chamber’s prediction for guest numbers, it appears the last week of December was down compared to last year, but January will be up. I have no idea why, but I do know that if those visitors time it right, they will have their attitudes changed just by being in one of the nicest places in the world. 

Reading stories in the paper this week, it seems evident the place itself is consciously changing its attitude as it tries to be more “sustainable”—just don’t think too much about how the visitors or the food get here. I have always contended that you can’t be a strict enviro and live in a place like this. A high mountain valley is cold and isolated. It takes a lot of energy to live and visit here. 

We as a community are choosing to grow our airline flight program and our culinary choices are becoming more exotic. Gas fire pits in the center of town warm empty patios while customers that we market to fill the parking lots after driving hundreds of miles to get here. There aren’t many residents growing all their own food and not heating their house when it’s -20 degrees. Comfortable reality in the winter wonderland trumps environmental idealism at 9,000 feet in January.

You should do what you can of course, both as an individual and a community, but it’s hard to wear the mantle of an environmental warrior or pretend to be the next Greta Thunberg when choosing to live high in the Rockies in January. I’m okay with that choice. I love hearing foreign languages in the base area as people from around the world travel here to experience something different. Being in a winter postcard is good for the soul and that too matters…so perhaps commit to planting a tree or 100 this year (onetreeplanted.org or nationalforests.org). That’s the attitude!

But above all else, be where you are, and you are indeed in a unique winter dream. Embrace the change of attitude that 18 inches of new powder brings. Don’t feel guilty about taking a hot shower after riding a chairlift all day to enjoy that foot of fresh on top of manmade snow that came out of the East River. 

Delight in the snow at 9,000 feet. 

Be part of the snow globe and walk downtown. 

Ride the bus. Plant a tree.

Pray for even more snow — then laugh when you have to snowblow the berm before making it to the slopes. After all, if we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.

Changes in attitude are good things. So are changes in latitude when the going gets rough, but a foot-and-a-half of fresh brings change those living in this valley can appreciate.

—Mark Reaman