Life is getting more and more complicated and hectic these days. The demands of our jobs are increasing. We are all expected to do more and be more efficient with less support. As a result of this increased pressure to perform and accomplish, we often feel life is a treadmill on which we constantly run and never can get off. This can threaten our mental as well as physical health.

   Making matters worse, we often think we are invincible; there is not a task we can't do or take on. This way of thinking and acting turns our lives into a rat race as we try to balance work, chores at home, family, and obligations for recreational organizations. So our lives are filled up leaving little time for enjoyment.

   That is why we must slow down and experience the beauty and tranquility of nature. We must take time to offset our non-stop lives by making the effort to get out and take in the calmness that is found in the world of the mountains. For us, there is skiing to provide this kind of release from our everyday toil.

   With this in mind, we approach the upcoming ski season. Yes, getting to the slopes is not often easy. Once there, savor the experience. Our club song suggests that by feeling "winter wind and winter chill," seeing "winter's sun and snow and the gleaming side of a hill…….where the trial is steep and the powder lies and the pines are clothed in snow underneath the blaze of the light blue skies" we can find "the earth's own glowing soul." This should bring us the respite from the stresses of life and the rejuvenation we need to carry on. So……….sit back and smell the snow!