Page 1 of Christmas With My Ex

ONE

Rives

So this is Christmas / And what have you done?

Saturday, December 23, 2023

Telluride, Colorado

10:12am

The snow is flawless—untouched,sparkling in the light, and stretching out like a blank canvas in front of me. This is nature's perfection on full display. A paradise for a true powder whore like me.

There’s something magical—and yes, I know, risky and dangerous—about skiing alone; this is the kind of solitude that makes you feel like you own the whole mountain. I carve through the fresh powder, each turn sharp and smooth. My body is in sync with the rhythm of the slope.

The cold air bites at my cheeks, but I barely notice. I’m too focused and in the zone. This is what I love—no distractions, just me and the mountain. I was born for this. Every twist and turn, every leap, every second flying through the air, this is where I feel alive.

The world around me is a winter wonderland. Towering pines, their branches heavy with snow, frame the narrow path I’ve carved for myself. The horizon is bright blue…

The clouds haven't started rolling in, but I know they are coming. This is the proverbial calm before the storm.

That's why I had to get out here today. To take advantage of this, even though Bethany's flight was canceled. Despite my love for solitude, I wish she were here with me. She is my favorite ski partner. We’ve been planning this Christmas trip for months. It’s our big holiday getaway to two of our favorite places—the Rocky Mountains and the quaint town of Telluride, Colorado, for après-ski.

The storm is still hours away, so this is my last chance before the dump comes and the temperature drops. Hopefully, it will leave behind several more inches of snow as our Christmas surprise for Bethany and I to attack. But I have to seize this moment now.

Not to mention, I couldn’t wait to don this amazing new ski suit I got for the trip. It’s all white with pink, yellow and blue stripes up the side and a hot pink belt. I feel and look like a million bucks, if I’m being completely honest.

And goddamn, I love this shit! Every bit of it.

We've been all over the country skiing, and Telluride is hands down our favorite spot. When we were at the University of Colorado at Boulder, we would make weekend trips here duringski season and ski the back country for hours. Those were the days.

We were both on the ski team and are alpine skiers. She was number one in slalom and I was number one in the super-G. We’re self-professed ski bunnies to the core. Friends first but still competitors through and through. That is one reason I need her here; she pushes me and always makes the trail that much more fun.

Last I talked to her she was hanging on hope for a flight tonight, but with this storm… And Telluride isn't the easiest airport to fly into, so she might have to rent a car or hire a car service from Grand Junction to get here, if the roads aren’t too bad.

The last resort is Denver Airport, but that is a seven plus hour drive in good weather. I’m pretty sure if that is her only option, no matter how much she says she’s coming come hell or highwater (or blizzard), I know that won’t happen.

Either way, I can’t sit in the hotel waiting for her.

I know I shouldn’t be out here by myself. Backcountry skiing solo is one of the biggest no-nos, but I’ve done this a hundred times, and it’s a perfect day. What could go wrong?

I push off harder, the thrill of the speed rushing through my veins. I catch a small jump, the kind that makes my heart skip as I hover in the air for a brief, weightless moment before landing with a satisfying crunch of snow beneath my skis.

The mountain feels like it’s mine today—no other tracks in sight, no noise but the swoosh of my skis cutting through the powder. The isolation is intoxicating. Just me and the crisp, clean air.

You wouldn't know there was the promise of a storm on the horizon by looking at the beautiful white snow against the bright azure sky.

I breathe in deeply, the fresh smell of pine and snow fill my lungs.

This is what freedom feels like.

Then, in an instant, everything changes as I come down.

I hit a patch of ice hidden beneath the powder. My skis catch, and before I can even process what’s happening, my body is yanked off balance.

I’m flying through the air. But this time I'm not in control, nor am I graceful. I slam into the ground hard. The impact rattles my bones.

Pain shoots through my leg, sharp and immediate. I gasp, the wind knocked out of me. For a moment, I’m stunned, just lying here, blinking up at the sky as tiny, delicate snowflakes start to fall.

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