A cool poem by a retired ski lift inspector and rope tow construction expert Bill Currier some xc folks would apreciate...

The Convert

As an alpine eager beaver
I rode the lifts with glee.
A carefree mountain schusser
My friends all raced with me.

Somehow my tastes are changing,
The lift lines are a bore,
And bouncing thru the moguls
Really has become a chore.

I dislike to ride a chairlift,
For if the bullwheels don't go around
I would prefer to suffer frostbite
Somewhere closer to the ground.

The T Bar pushes you too slowly
With a slat against your butt,
While a rope tows yank your arms out
And may even strain your gut.

So now I slide on skinny skis
Like they did in days of yore,
Through field and wood I glide with ease, This life I sure adore.

When you ski the forest vastness
Meeting nature along the way,
There's not much this side of heaven
That can match such sport today.

Thanks. I like it.