A Christmas glory
Twas’ the night before skiing when all across the resort,
skiers were sleeping, their jackets hanging by the door.
The children had been excited, and hard to put to bed.
But they had to rest up for tomorrow’s skiing, their parents said!
As skiers dreamt about the next day’s first tracks,
the groomers and snowmakers loaded up their backpacks,
to head out on the slopes for their long night of work.
They fired up the groomers and were off with a jerk.
With stars, the moon and headlamps as their only light,
snowmakers went out into the cold dark night.
It would be a long haul of hard work on the hill,
checking snow guns and water lines, they know the drill.
As the night turned into the wee hours,
snow piled up under each snowmaking tower.
The groomers drove up and down each trail,
making perfect corduroy, here and there a snow whale.
The terrain parks were smoothed between each box and rail,
paying careful attention to the approach and landing on the trail.
The halfpipe was buffed from the base to the walls,
so the transition would be right for riders big and small.
Along with the first rays of sun,
the patrol and ski reporters arrived to for their milk run,
to report the conditions that improved overnight.
The trails and lifts open must be posted to websites.
It’s serious work prepping the ski mountain each day
for the hundreds of skiers that come out to play.
They arrive with their kids, and tons of gear in tow,
excited to ski and ride on last night’s fresh snow.
As the snowcats and snowmakers come down off the mountain,
the first eager skiers turns on like a fountain.
These are dedicated early birds ready to ride and ski.
As they load the first chair, through their goggles they see
the groomers returning their machines to the base.
They show their gratitude with mitten waves and smiles on their faces.
As the hard working snow men finish their shift,
they know they have given skiers the very best gift.
They might even hear the skiers cheer
“Thanks for making this the best ski day of the year!”
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