Beautiful, sunny, December days in CO without much snow to work with usually mean one thing amongst our group: park laps. While I would undoubtedly rather be waist deep in fluff, with the right attitude and a good group of freeheel comrades, a day devoted to shredding the air gnar never feels second-rate.

 Mountain towns all over the country are coping with the lack of snow in their own ways these days, and it’s easy to be jaded after having a year like the last one. It is unfortunate, however, how quickly we can forget that a bad day on the mountain is better than a good day doing most anything else. That said, the group of knee-dropping gents that were a part of the recent days’ silliness were worlds away from complaint.

There is a sense of camaraderie in telemark skiing the likes of which I have not even caught glimpses in other sports. Beyond our common affinity for the turn and the particularities of our gear, we, freeheelers, share camaraderie of spirit. And that spirit has been flying high this week in Summit County, CO.

With a few freeheeling friends home from college and others just doing what they do day in and day out, we were quick to make the most of our time together on the hill. Tricks were stomped, mustache envy was rampant and there were more high-fives thrown that you can shake your pole at.

-AP