4th Ski Day

　　The first picture was shot from the terrace of the condominium early in the morning. Our room was situated over the entrance of the condominium and this picture shows the entrance. You see that it's snowing. Snow had already accumulated an inch. The next picture was taken with the shutter kept open for a few seconds. Don't you think it's beautiful or romantic? I love seeing such scenes over a cup of hot chocolate.

　　My condition was perfect due to the rest for a day, but the snow was too much. We were going down on the compacted snow, but lost our way in the heavy fog. I'll explain the sixth picture. The left side of the orange markers was the compacted trail for beginners and intermediates. I was going to lead my friends there, but looking back, there was no one behind me. Additionally I couldn't find our leader who was a good skier. I wondered if she might be ahead of us, but actually she was almost buried halfway down the hill. I really regret that I didn't take a snapshot. The second person from the right was the leader in the last picture.

　　Let me explain the sign of the ski area. All trails or areas are classified into three groups by the challenge level. A green circle means the easiest route. A blue square is likewise intermediate. A black rhomboid (usually called a Black Diamond) stands for the most difficult. We were entering the intermediate level of Jersey Cream Trail just now in the last picture.

(Vocabulary)
compact …を圧縮する, 固める
compacted 圧縮された, 固められた
intermediate 中級者
challenge level 難易度
rhomboid 長斜方形 (隣り合う辺が平行四辺形の方形); ひし形の, 斜方形の