It was noon on a Friday, and over 125 SKI BUMS had
miraculously said goodbye to their workplaces. On March
3rd, we hoisted our ski bags from our office closets,
hailed cabs to midtown, and took a deep breath for a
much-needed weekend escape to the mountains. While
half of us boarded a bus for Vermont, the other half
carpooled our way in mountain-bound SUV's. This was
the largest SKI BUMS trip to date, and I think all of us
wondered exactly what we were in for...
Especially the SKI BUMS staff & volunteers, who set up a
"command station" upon our arrival for the
mass-distribution of lift tickets, equipment rental forms,
and weekend info. The snow had already been falling for
a few hours on Friday night, and as the windswept New
Yorkers poured into the welcome center, we'd heard it
would continue to snow throughout the next day.
That night, we took over the 3rd floor of the local
watering hole, The Wobbly Barn, where members of
Washington D.C.'s new group, GetOut Board & Ski, had
come to meet us for a combined weekend. Big props to
the Wobbly Barn staff -- who managed to make a bunch
of gay New Yorkers feel completely at home -- and a big
shout out to all our new friends from DC! We easily hit it
off, and before long, we found ourselves mixing it up on
the dance floor with all the Killington locals.
The next morning, as the snow continued falling, we met
outside the lifts for a quick morning group up, then began
tackling the runs. Our weekend on the slopes was
fantastic; our day of snow on Saturday led to a gorgeous
bluebird Sunday, which put all the BUMS into a marvelous
mood. At our lunches, après skis, and parties back at our
condos, we had the chance to make new buds and
connect with old ones, and with so many people up at
Killington, we couldn't help but wonder what next year's
trips will be like! We're already planning our return!
Click here to view a slide show of pics from this trip!
Copyright 2006, SKI BUMS.