As a ski instructor I was fortunate enough to be able to slip the World Cup course in Aspen again this Thanksgiving weekend. This means you go down the course sideways in sections between racers to smooth out the ruts they leave. You do this as fast as you can! It is a great way to start the season as nothing can scare you after that!!!! And you see the racers so close as they go by. It is a very early start. The staging area is in a restaurant that has not been used for a few seasons – here is a photo of the dawn from the restaurant deck…

And here is a photo of the slalom winner as she starts from the top…. Aspen looks so beautiful below.