The arrival of spring, with sunshine and daffodils, sends hearts aflutter in Oregon. But a segment of the population reacts to the warmer weather with a certain degree of melancholy. The end of ski season is fast approaching, the snow swiftly melting away.
This winter, set amidst a pandemic and heavy snowfalls, has been a particularly weird and wonderful time to hit the slopes.
There have been annoying moments, to be sure. Masks can make cheap goggles fog up, for example.
But more than anything, each trip to the mountain seemed like an opportunity to be cherished, perhaps because last yearâs ski season ended so abruptly. Resorts shuttered in mid-March 2020 due to government restrictions. When they reopened this winter, residents returned with a renewed focus.