Summit Up

Good morning and welcome to Summit UP, the world’s only daily column proud to say that we were the ones responsible for summoning the snow gods.

No need to thank us, we did it out of the kindness of our hearts and, to be quite honest, we simply could not wait around any longer for Uller to get his act together.

While most in the country focus on having a white Christmas, we up here in Summit County have come to expect a white Thanksgiving (actually we usually expect it around Halloween, but we’ll let that go).

So, with the skies clear all the way up to Turkey Day, we knew we had to take matters into our own hands.

Maybe the thin air got to our heads — we live above 11,000-ft. and sometimes the lack of oxygen and cable television makes us a bit kooky — but we hatched a plan to summon the flakes with the burning of a home made effigy.

The minute the idea was suggested, the crew on hand for Thanksgiving quickly went to work constructing a massive wooden tower in the backyard.

Looking like something out of woodland nightmare, the structure was five feet high with various pine limbs sticking out like jagged arms in search of something to grab.

Various stumps dotted the circle around the effigy and, after awaking from our turkey comas, we gathered round to give thanks and pray for some snow.

The night grew cold as the alpen glow faded into the hills, and a decent amount of cheap whiskey was consumed to create a liquid blanket against the cold.

The bonfire lit everyone’s face a glow, and we all tilted our heads towards the sky to receive the cooling flake on our burning cheeks.

Then, it really got going.

The snow fell lightly at first. Then the flakes began to fall bigger, collecting on the thin pine bows until they began to droop under the added weight of winter.

Suddenly a guitar made its way to the circle and an impromptu freestyle session was born.

The snow was slowly making us all giddy.

It felt like the long uneasiness had been put to rest. Not to say we had any serious doubts about the snow’s arrival, but we’re impatient, and we’ve got new skis to break in this season.

There was dancing, singing, and a whole lot of merry-making happening around the effigy that had miraculously been set on fire at the perfect moment. And obviously, we took great pride in believing our actions were responsible for setting the stratosphere in motion.

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Breaking news! We interrupt this incredibly entertaining Summit Up to bring you an important birthday announcement. Pumpkin pie enthusiast Gina Peters turned 24 on Sunday. As an added birthday bonus she recently found out she is moving to Hawaii, so we are both incredibly jealous and stoked for all her future endeavors.

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Okay, we admit we did have a sneaking suspicion that snow was already in the forecast for Thanksgiving Thursday, and it had been the talk of the town for several days.

Living in Summit County, we admit we have become obsessed with snow. Like addicts, we crave its accumulation, and track its progress with rulers, yard sticks, ski poles and whatever else will stick in the ground.

Snow reports are checked before making coffee in the morning, and the sound of plows running throughout the night is like music to our ears.

Like anything, there are some thing we dread with the onslaught of winter — treacherous driving, ski traffic, and wet socks to name a few — but it always seems worth it.

Where else can you ski powder before heading to work?

That’s right folks, winter is Summit County is officially underway.

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We out on this Monday, starting off the morning right with a run through our very own backyard terrain park. Jealous?