Snow Demographics

It's an oft-repeated fact that there are 80 words for snow in Inuit. However, less commonly know is that there are various words for skier and boarder too: park junky, powder hound, speed demon, high flyer, low rider, the list goes on. In fact, to take a tour around the resorts is almost like walking through a zoo. Getting in through the crowded gates with your ticket can be stressfull, but once you're in the crows disperses and you can enjoy the views. From the safety of a chair lift you can look at the park junkies lounging areound like so many seals, grouping above the jumps and occasionally seperating from the herd to perform an astounding athletic feat and then joining the next lethargic group 100 feet farther down. Once you reach the top of the mountain and start down the hill, a pack of racers can whiz by like gazelles, sleek and focused as they blow past in a gust of wind and snow. Also visible dotted around the slopes are the close cousins to the racers, the speed demons. Compared to the strict pattern the racers run as they shoot from race course to lunch to training-grounds, the solitary speed demon can be found wherever the monstrous snow cats have been, It is widely believed that these solitary creatures actually prey on snow cats, because after thorough observation it can be concluded that they follow the cat tracks and so-called "groomers" as fast as is physically possible, abandoning all responsibility and safety in the hunt for the snow machines. If you are lucky in your travels, you may come across the rare powder hound. These creatures tend to stay away from the more populated areas, lurking in the trees or at the peaks. Identifiable by the newest gear, extra fat skis, and, after succesfull hunts, faces and heads covered in snow. They travel in packs, but once the soft, fluffy prey is sighted there is no teamwork or friendship. The creatures go in to a "snow-lust," losing all reasoning and self control until the powder has been thoroughly skiied out. However, all these wonderful specimens, from the powder hounds to the park junkies, are under constant threat from an invasive species that overrruns their habitats and often upsets their feeding habits: the tourist. Noticable by new, unused gear; gaps of an inch or more between helmets and goggles; out-dated or ill-fitting clothing, and especially by the akward gait and tendency to fall.