The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — When next Saturday morning rolls around, I will wake up in unfamiliar territory.

I will be faced with the same emotions, the same confusion and the same lack of direction that George Dubya might experience if he woke up one morning and discovered the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan had somehow been replaced by peace. What would he do with all that free time?

I’ve spent nearly every weekend playing in the snow at the Steamboat Ski Area since last November. It’s been great.

But not for the reasons you might expect. Sure the snow was wonderful, but the real rewards came during those long rides up Thunderhead Express with my children, watching my son realize he could ski in the bumps and listening to my 6-year-old daughter hum the sounds of a Hannah Montana tune while carving up Vagabond.

It was hard not to smile watching her ski with her arms pumping in the air like a rock ’n’ roll drummer while trying to imitate a World Cup skier. It was the perfect mixture of Miley Cyrus in concert and Picabo Street on the slopes.

But this weekend, the 2007-08 ski season will make its way into the history books. It will become a fading memory, much like the days when we thought paying two bucks for a gallon of gas was outrageous.

For the first time in several months, I will have to stop and ask the question, “What will I do with my time now?”

Here are my options.

My first choice is take a trip to Florida, where the time I spent in the cold of Steamboat will melt away faster than a snowball in Miami. Unfortunately, I’ve already spent most of the money in my bank account.

My son’s suggestion is to turn on the TV and spend the next few weeks playing video games and watching Cartoon Network. Problem is “Ed, Edd n Eddy” is funny when you’re 10, not so cool when you’re an adult.

My wife says “we” should find a more productive use of “our” newly discovered free time. That’s her way of saying, “Honey, it’s time to clean the garage.”

She always tries to make these little household projects sound like family fun time, but the truth is that when she says “we,” she really means “me.”

I’m sure she has a long list of productive things “we” can accomplish before summer, but personally I’m hoping to find a better way to spend “our” time.

I miss skiing already.

I guess it really doesn’t matter what I do with my newfound free time, as long as I spend it with my family.

I love to ski, but the best moments this season are the ones I spent with my children.

The good news is that in a few short weeks, bikes will have replaced skis, and the most important things in my life will still be there, waiting to play.