Tour Time: Kaylin Checks In From The Mid-West With Warren Miller
I luuuhhh-vvvve me some fall. It has always been my favorite. Some may think this is blasphemous when my passion and livelihood is directly connected (and reliant) on snow, but they misunderstand. The main reason I get so wrapped up in this shoulder season is just that- it ushers in the winter.
There are few places that encourage these feelings more than Minnesota. I had the pleasure of attending the Warren Miller premieres of No Turning Back in Minneapolis and after soaking in the righteous positivity and excitement of the thriving snow sports community there, I stayed a few extra days to catch up with family and check in with the places of my childhood.
Nostalgia is a peculiar thing- simultaneously delightful and slightly bittersweet. It seems like just yesterday that I was a gangly little girl jumping on the rope tow at Hyland Hills, lapping all 175 vertical feet of gate-bashing glory as I honed my ski racing skills. But then again so much has occurred between then and now. The memories of winters past are joyful indeed, but they are also a reminder that change is one of the few constants within our meandering existence. However, the change from fall to winter and the anticipation therein never fails to get me smiling… The day when it still hovers below 40 degrees as I sip my morning cup’o’joe: smile. My nephews’ insistence on a sojourn to the park sans jacket and then after ten minutes reconsidering: smile. Waking to a light dusting of snow on the ground: big ole grin.
The snow has not stuck around yet in Park City, but I feel in my bones that Mother Nature is waiting for the right moment to unveil her wintery bounty on us. Fall is wonderful and beautiful, but I feel like it is kind of the “bridesmaid never the bride” scenario. That girl or guy that you SWORE was the love of your life freshman year of college until you meet the coed that blew your mind. The red herring in your favorite mystery; it definitely was Mr. Menacing in the drawing room—what’s that? It was Ms. White!? In the Parlor!? With the candlestick!!??? I daresay she was biding her time, waiting patiently for the opportunity to strike all along!
I am a fan of the underdog, the opener, the off-Broadways of our world. I love watching things develop and that is fall’s main asset- readying for what’s to come. I am adamant that when I go to the movies that I see the trailers beforehand because it makes the experience more special. More complete. A preview for what’s next: the main event. Fall is still my favorite, but in the chambers of my heart it echoes, “Coming soon to mountains, hills, and valleys near you: Winter!” -Kaylin Richardson
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