On the mountain at Okemo

After yesterday's injury to my finger, I was a little apprehensive about going back to ski today just because I didn't want to hurt it any more if I fell.

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wearing a mitten

I decided to wrap the finger with both fingers around it in order to immobilize it and give it a try.  Unfortunately, I had no mittens, so I had to borrow a mitten from my wife. No points for fashion, but I'm married and don't need to impress anyone on the slopes.

I also went without poles for the first time because I couldn't grip the pole with my left hand. It was strange, but after 2 runs, I had it down.

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Okemo 2023 day two
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Okemo 2023 day two

Back on the slopes, I was taking things extra cautiously because my confidence was shot after the fall.  I'm not afraid of falling, but I'm worried I'd aggravate it further so I wanted to take it easy.

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Okemo 2023 day two

The weather today was expected to be warmer than usual, with highs in the upper 30s. Sure enough, after a couple of runs, I was feeling warm.

Lines in the morning for the lifts were minimal, but longer than yesterday.  I never waited more than 3 or so minutes, but being a single really helps in getting in faster.

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Okemo 2023 day two
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Okemo 2023 day two

With the slightly higher temperatures and increased wind, conditions seemed a bit worse than yesterday. Okemo said it snowed an inch last night, but it didn't make much of a difference.

My morning runs felt great, and as I skied more, I gained more confidence.

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Okemo 2023 day two

Around 11am I decided to head in for an early lunch. My left knee started to bark, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to fall from being tired. Plus, our rental is right on the slope, so it's easy to get back out after a rest.

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Okemo 2023 day two

I had lunch and a short nap before heading back out again at 2pm.

This time, conditions were worse with more icy spots than in the morning. Whereas yesterday there was barely any ice, I found more icy patches along the trails. Not a big deal, but something different from yesterday.

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Okemo 2023 day two
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Okemo 2023 day two

 

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Okemo 2023 day two

I had hoped to get more runs in, but I had some work that needed my attention, so I went back in at 3pm.

After taking care of work, we drove down to Ludlow to check out the downtown scene.

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Ludlow

There isn't much to see and do in Ludlow, especially compared to other ski towns. The apres-ski scene is definitely not impressive.

We did some window shopping and then headed to the next town over to a brewery.

Outer Limits brewery came highly recommended online and for good reason. They had a great selection of brews and good energy.

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Outer limits brewery
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Outer limits brewery

We had a couple beers and pretzels, and it was a nice way to wind down.

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