not without risk

yesterday was my first day of ski season. i don't have the knees or the skills to ski early season in patchy conditions, so i wait until there's good cover everywhere i want to ski. usually this happens right at christmastime, and because of the crowds i will typically put off my skiing therefore until the first monday in january.

i only go for a half dozen runs; early in the season it's all i have the legs for.

and i was talking with someone recently about that point in your ski day when you think you're just about done and you decided to take one more run, and that's when most of your injuries occur.

now, skiing itself is not without risk. i once even broke a hand just getting on the chairlift.

yeah, you know how you sometimes put your hand back to see if the chair is there? well, it was.

anyway.

there's a reason you should wear a helmet and even if you're a great skier there's nothing to keep a less great skier from plowing into you and requiring you to ride in an ambulance. and if you are a very great skier and you ski backcountry there's nothing to keep you from being swallowed up by an avalanche.

but i was thinking about the economics of it,  that end-of-your-ski-day-should-you-take-one-more-run moment.

if you only buy one or two lift tickets a year, you probably want to get in as many runs as possible because when you compare the risk to the cost you're not losing too much (not counting medical expenses) if you go a little longer and then maybe don;t ski again that year.

if you're a passholder, though, you'll want to protect your investment and quit earlier while your legs are still good so you can keep coming out every couple of days.

at least that's the way i play it.

thighs tired? lunchtime.

they'll still be running the lifts tomorrow.