The Beginning.

apexresortGeneral

My office window at twenty to five in the afternoon in early November shows a lot of things. Yep, its cold and kind of dark out. But its a couple of other things too. I spent my Okanagan summer, like many others, under the hot Penticton sun. How far back does that seem now? A lifetime. Or yesterday maybe. But it doesn’t matter, it’s bleak days now. The land of peaches and beaches is a quiet place in autumn. The valley gets chilly and blowy. The clouds start to hang and seem normal. Missing the sun leads to thoughts of warmer climes and we all find ourselves tempted towards hearty eats to keep warm for the coming winter cold.

But my office window shows me something else too. I look out and I see the first snow on the ground in the village that is likely to stick around. Kerissa hiked up this weekend and told a tale of snow nearly knee deep. And I believe her! What is coming is more snow; a few centimeters every few days until it becomes a meter and we look forward to two. The Okanagan Run will be open very soon to get teams from around the world up training for their seasons. The sound of gates slapping snow and the silence of freestyle aerialists owning their little piece of the sky. Then we won’t be alone up here all day and the mountain will come to life. It’s like the blood starts to pump and the heart and soul of Apex begins to light up for a new season. We forget that the valley is grey and cold and windy. Life happens on the mountain when whoops and cheers sound from the trees. Stories rehashed over a cold pint of Big Surf in the Gunbarrel. Friends who haven’t seen much of each other for eight months or so reunite like giddy best buddies. Walking from the village up the road past Strayhorse and the scent is evergreens from the forest and smoke from the cabin woodstoves.

Its palpable and its right around the corner. It’s okay to get excited about the season now; it’s no longer too soon. Bring on winter and bring on a fresh season of play in the snow. See you all very soon.