I went into the 25/26 season with an Ikon 3-pack of day tickets. December, January and February blew by while I kept mt. biking and focusing on fire stuff. I told people I'd use them when the snow got good. Climate change brought us the lowest snowfall in recorded history, so by the end of March and I needed to use these tickets. I contacted my brother in-law who works at Monarch to see if he was around and he said I should join him at Monarch and he'd have a comp ticket for me. With four days lined out, gear was loaded into my fine German steed and the mountain roads unwound before me. First stop Mary Jane. The parking lot scene was pretty mellow. A few aging campers circled a portable fire pit and shared their thoughts on the snow conditions. They advised going to the Winter Park side. I chatted up a parking lot attendant and thanked him for his service. He too said if I want anything decent, go to WP. I slipped into my boots and looked up at the runs. Brown dirt patches lit...