We just had a weekend of fantastic sunny weather in the mountains. The skiing was great. For the first time this winter, we could ski in the high zone, above timber line. The wind chill was still like -20 degrees (-5 Fahrenheit) at the top, but in the sun it was quite pleasant.
Little boy and I was mostly skiing in the off-piste area. I've realized that I'm getting older, so I need to be somewhat careful. So, this is what I do: When we take a new route, I first send little boy alone. When he comes down (I hope), he can tell me if the route is recommended for me. Then we ski it together.
I needed something to read in the evenings. So, on the way to the slopes I stopped by a bookstore, and picked a book at random: Siberian Education by Nicolai Lilin, an amazing book. It's an autobiographic novel about a boy of the Urka people, born and raised to become a criminal, in a traditional Siberian society.
(The Urka people was deported from Siberia to Transnistria, on the border between Moldova and Ukraine, in the Stalin era.)
The philosophy of the Urka people reminds me of Jean Genet (Thief's Journal, The Miracle of the Rose), in the sense that everything is turned upside down, compared to the "normal" society. Police and authorities are the enemies. Thieves and robbers, so-called "honest criminals", are heroic role models. Spending half a lifetime in jail is normal.
Nicolai Lilin doesn't quite match Jean Genet, though. But who does?
(I took the picture above this weekend. It's little boy, my main ski buddy, surrounded by the white gold, under the blue sky.)
White gold! What a lovely way to put it. That book sounds fascinating, too. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting book. Recommended.
DeleteAre you telemarking, or just cross country?
ReplyDeleteMostly alpine skiing with kids, some cross-country with wife. I enjoy both
DeleteRaised to be a criminal - twisted.
ReplyDeleteYeah, at some point we realize we just can't do everything we did when we were younger. And that sucks.
Yes, sad but true. We're getting older. Falling over hurts more than it used to do
DeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteBut, as for the skiing, that's a bit cold for my liking. Even though I was raised in Canada, I'm not fond of the cold.
That's why you moved to Mexico?
DeleteOh, and Genet has quite a life story, too.
ReplyDeleteMy, my, this looks like Heaven. Cold as Heaven, too. We sure don't have skiing like that in New England. How lucky you are! ;)
Just like Lilin, Genet is mixing fiction and autobiography. It's not always easy to know what's true.
DeleteYes, we have good skiing. Mountains are not very high (typically 1000-1500m), but timber line comes lower as you go north.
Be careful with off piste skiing! Whatever does that mean? (ignorant beach junkie here)
ReplyDeleteThe Spinster’s Vow
Off-piste skiing is like off-beach tanning; getting away from the crowds in the groomed areas >:)
DeleteVigorously nodding my head in agreement!
ReplyDeleteGoodigood >:)
Delete