Ullr has finally broken loose the grip that Indian Summer has held upon Summit County, and the flakes of white are flying.

Can you still call unseasonably warm fall temperatures Indian Summer, or does the political correctness revolution forbid it? Or maybe it falls under the umbrella of global warming nowadays? I don’t know, but regardless, the call of the white ribbon of doom can finally be heard in the chilling air at higher elevations. You know what the white ribbon of doom is, right? It’s that single run that resorts initially open for those of us hungering for the season to start but who are too excited to wait for more terrain to open.

What can be better than flying down a solitary open run at your favorite early opening ski resort, sharing that double lane width of snow with everyone from abject beginners to reckless hotshots? This time of year is when your defensive skiing must be at its best because on every run you’ll be dodging preschoolers as they zig-zag down the slopes, their every turn a whim one must learn to predict from 10 yards away. You must also be alert for the “experts” who dash down the slope at breakneck speeds, dodging in and out of traffic with inches to spare between themselves and the rest of the pack. And then there’s folks like me, good competent skiers who may laugh in the face of danger while threading the trees at the Outback or weaving through the bumps on North Peak but will also readily acknowledge the foolhardiness of braving the white ribbon of doom. Regular folk who only want to get some turns in, a little altitude to improve the attitude, but have no patience for waiting till there’s enough terrain open to spread out the crowd and reduce the peril.

White ribbon of doom veterans have learned ways to make doing laps on that solitary open run seem nearly as fun as skiing a fully open resort. This includes riding along the left side on your first time down and schussing down the right side the next, imagining in your head that they’re different runs. And you can work on tight slalom turns, then spread those S’s out a little to giant slalom turns. If you’re lucky enough to be there before the crowd has amassed or after it has dissipated, you can turn the board’s nose downhill and descend in a downhill racer fantasy, doing your best to avoid the occasional late day skier or well scraped patch of ice. Each of these methods unleashes its own unique brand of exuberance within a person and reminds us that taking risks and experiencing the exhilaration of speed is part of what makes life so interesting.

It helps to have a friend to occasionally dare the white ribbon of doom with, as shared danger engenders a bond, companionship based on exhilaration and adventure. For me, that person is Bob, who makes a show at the top of the run of clipping in his boots and tightening every strap on the backpack and adjusting the goggles, while I sit on the snow waiting ever so patiently. Bob, who, 10 or more years my senior, will ask that I wait for him, but once fully buckled in takes off like a jet from the top leaving me breathing his snow particles the whole way down. We should all have a Bob in our lives, a ski buddy with commensurate skills who will hem and haw about whether we should risk that black diamond so late in the day, but then quickly be lost amongst the pine trees and bare aspen branches below, eventually showing up at the bottom with a broad grin on his face commenting, “Well, that didn’t suck!” And while I’m not adverse to riding a lift alone or chatting with strangers on the way up, it’s nice to have someone that you can safely dig into current events with while solving the problems of the world in the space of time it takes for the Montezuma Express to make it to the top.

Skiing also helps to put some distance and perspective on what’s going on in the world. Whether it be conflicted town councils and constituencies, the miserable state of housing and the constant search for the villains responsible for it, or an election the likes of which I’ve never seen in my forty plus years of voting, we’re all constantly bombarded with negative news that can leave one wondering if end times have come. And the addiction to those articles and soundbites is a heavy monkey on many backs, train wrecks that we know we shouldn’t watch but are unable to turn our eyes away from. So, all praise Ullr for the opening of the slopes! It’ll be great to once again scan my newsfeed looking for when the next dump of powder is gonna refresh the ski runs instead of doomscrolling over wars and seeking some glimmer of hope in the latest polls.

Tony Jones' column "Everything in Moderation" publishes biweekly on Thursdays in the Summit Daily News. Jones is a veteran of the IT industry and has worked in the public and private sectors. He lives part-time in Summit County and Denver. Contact him at eimsummit@gmail.com.