My dad who thinks he’s 20, has always said, “You are only as old as you feel.” As I’m aging in years and especially this past year I’ve grown a complex with how old I am. Maybe it’s because all of my high school and college friends are married, have kids and a house. All of which, I have none, thus the complex.
 

Driving home last night and contemplating Warren Millers ‘Playground’ ski movie which I just watched, I realized the mountains we ski in are one big playground. Whether you are five or fifty-five, there are places for all ages to play. At the end of the movie the commentator said, “We’ve yet to find the fountain of youth, but maybe there’s such a thing as a mountain of youth.” I believe the mountains are what keep us youthful. On a powder day you can hear people hooting and hollering with excitement, just as a kid would. Or you may catch someone at the bottom of a run which they just conquered for the first time with a big grin on their face. Or it could be your friend finally nailing that “big” cliff, or a jibber in the park hitting the rail or doing a trick and sticking it, finally. Whatever it is we feel like a kid who just conquered the world and nothing can stop us.
 

The mountains are one big playground for all to enjoy regardless of age. Although I am aging in years and don’t have all the things the world thinks I should have at my age, I do have my youth and vigor for life. I’d never trade that morning at the top of the Baldy chutes pre-season watching the sun rise or standing atop Alta’s High Rustler watching the alpenglow on the mountains as the sun sets. There will always be the “real” life to participate in. I prefer my life. I’m happy, I’m healthy and I know the secret to staying young, the mountains.