Picked Shannondale for a New Year’s Day ski to start 2025. The temperature was a bit crisper than out west but the hills were just as thrilling as skiing in the Rockies. A great gray owl, likely hunting for voles in the snow, greeted me on a section of the yellow trail. As always I made a pit stop for a snack and some wood stove time in the Chalet in The Valley. Love the quote on the warm up hut: “Maximize Your Skills.”