We got up bright and early and headed up the windy road to the mountain.  It was a brisk day in late fall and old man winter was beginning to come back for another great year of skiing.  In the base area we looked out to the expansive valley floor in the distance.  Excited to get up to the summit i hurriedly put my skins on my new skis and got my gear in my backpack.  We walked through the empty resort parking lot to the base.  The whole area seemed so quiet other than the lucky few who were up enjoying the fresh air and the great skiing to be had.  I then snapped into my bindings and started gliding along up the hill with each turn getting closer to the summit.  It got really hard to continue but the drive to ski powder empowered me and I kept going step by step.  It seemed like forever but i gott to the summit just as the sun rose over the mountains at the other end of the valley.  I pulled my skins off and I quickly put warmer clothes on to escape the cold.  It is finally time to ski the powder.  I begin to turn down the powder field and it felt foreign at first but i quickly got my legs back to normal and I was carving turns in and out of trees all the way to the bottom of the bowl.  When I get to the bottom of the bowl I throw my skins on again anxious to get another run in.  On my second time up I flew up the mountain and arrived at the summit in no time.  My second run down I decided to take the ridge all the way to the bottom and began my turns effortlessly.  Even as I got on the cat track I still enjoyed the sensation of sliding down the mountain.  I continued all the way back to the base and as I walked through the parking lot I thought about all the more great days of skiing to come this year.