“I thought Lake Louise. I went to Sunshine last month. It’s not a long drive.”
“I haven’t been there since I was a kid, and it was summer.”
“I can take you to the Chateau after if you like, if you want to see the glacier and the lake.”
“Maybe. We’ll see how the day goes. I haven’t been skiing for a while.” He put the cups in the cup holders, and then tapped his legs. “These might give out before the end of the day.”
She doubted it. Even though he had ski pants on, she knew the thighs beneath were strong. Like the rest of him. She’d gotten a good look the morning after she’d stayed in his hotel room.
She sipped on her coffee as they reached the highway and headed west. The drive really wasn’t very long, and it was beautiful. He broke off pieces of walnut muffin and handed them to her, and they talked about skiing and other noncontroversial subjects until they reached their destination.
Parking was close to the lodges at the bottom, and Dan hit the pro shop to rent his equipment, while Adele took her skis off the roof rack and slid into her ski boots. They met out front of the main lodge. Dan’s cheeks were rosy from the brisk air, but it was a beautiful day for rushing down the slopes, just a few degrees Celsius below freezing and the barest of breezes.
“You ready?” she asked, flopping her skis down on the snow and then stepping her feet into them with quick snaps.
“I am. I’ll let you pick the run since this is my first time.”
She considered for a moment. There were days that she was brave enough to tackle some black diamonds, but Dan only skied occasionally and she wasn’t sure of his level. “Let’s go up the express and warm up with a green run. Then we’ll see, okay?” One thing she particularly liked about this hill was the abundance of long, leisurely runs. There were lots of beginner and intermediate trails that ran from top to bottom.
They got on the lift and then off again at the top, taking a moment to enjoy the view. “God, it’s gorgeous up here,” he said, letting out a big breath. “Like you’re on top of the world.”
She laughed. “There’s a lift that goes up higher, actually. And another on the back bowl. There’s a green run to go down the back side, but black diamond on this face.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Not sure I want to tackle that today. Anyway, let’s go down this one.” She pointed to the green sign. “I have to find my legs before I get too crazy.”
He laughed, put down his goggles and away they went.
She’d needed this badly, she realized, as she made graceful turns down the groomed trail. There was something about the rush of speed—not too much—that was exhilarating, and the fresh air that made her feel free and strong. Dan was just ahead of her, his form only slightly shaky with his knees a bit wide but firmly planted over his skis. He moved with confidence, and she was glad. A day of blue and green runs would be fun. Maybe an expert level thrown in before the end of the day, before their legs got too tired. Her cough had dwindled to the occasional scratch, and her energy was back. She attributed her recovery to sleep and power smoothies.
They reached the bottom with a final swish and a laugh. “Oh, that was really nice,” she said, putting up her goggles. “A few centimeters of new snow last night made the trail just right.”
“You’re not a powder girl?”
She shook her head. “I always find it too unpredictable. I get a bit of a rhythm going, then hit a puff of powder and the change in speed throws me off. I don’t enjoy it as much.”
They took the lift up again, and took another trail down. Then a different lift and some other trails, until Adele wondered what time it was. She hadn’t brought her phone with her on the hill because she didn’t want to fall and chance breaking it. Dan had left his in the car for the same reason, so on their next trip to the bottom, they took a break at the lodge and went inside to check.
It was twelve thirty, so they each grabbed a bowl of chili at the cafeteria and found a seat. After lunch they went up the backside and down a long, meandering green run. After that they tried a black diamond. Dan managed okay, with a few tense turns on the narrow run, but she found it more challenging than enjoyable, her thighs burning and her heart pounding when she reached the bottom. While she enjoyed speed, there was a fine line between in control and out of it, and she didn’t often enjoy riding that line. The last thing she wanted to do was have a big crash today.
The sun moved around and Adele took off her goggles in favor of sunglasses. They zoomed down some blue runs, just challenging enough to keep it interesting, and as the light started to dim behind the peaks, they met at the bottom and caught the lift up to the top again.
“Tired?” Dan asked.
“Getting there. Last run, maybe? If you’ve had enough.”
He nodded. “It’s been a good day.”
It had. They sat in silence for a bit, listening to the whir of the lift, looking down at the trees and snow below them as their feet dangled in the air.
Adele looked over at Dan, marveling that they’d spent a whole day together without talking about the past. She supposed that was because they’d been busy, always moving, with not much time to talk. There’d been a few laughs and some moments to appreciate the scenery.
But the day was drawing to an end, and there was a drive back to Banff and reality staring them in the face.
“Do you want to do that easy run? Might be a nice cooldown before we go.”
She nodded. Her legs were starting to feel tired, and all the fresh air and exercise told her she’d sleep well tonight. “That sounds good.”
“Ready to put the bar up?”
They lifted the bar as the end of the lift approached. A slight push with her hand had her sliding away from the lift, coming to a stop about twenty feet away, waiting for Dan to come up beside her. Once he did, she smiled and then pushed off with her poles.