She does sometimes seem to be just flying over moguls, catching air and sailing on to the next mound of snow and ice for more.She does sometimes seem to be just flying over moguls, catching air and sailing on to the next mound of snow and ice for more. I watched her until she was about halfway down the slope, adjusted my glasses and followed after her. There was a time when I had sworn never to set foot on a pair of skis again. But technology makes all sorts of changes, and although my face felt frostbitten, the rest of me of was comfortably warm, especially the feet. That was the most important thing, the feet. The reflexes were coming back to me now, after a few days on the slopes, and I was actually enjoying myself out here with my granddaughter. Of course, she insisted on doing this in nothing but a pair of skipants, insisting that her dense fur would keep the cold off the rest of her. Which it seemed to be doing quite well; I would have been freezing in her place. Sara has precious little bodyfat. On the other hand, I was wearing an environment jumpsuit that, had I brought a helmet, would have been vacuum-worthy. I don't like the cold and wet, and that was one of the reasons I gave up most snow sports. I still like snow, though, which is why Shardik Castle is situated over such a huge weathervane. I pushed off with my skis, handling the hill easily and joining her at the bottom of the slope. "You have to be careful, kiddo. You could take another fall, like yesterday's." "Oh, Granfa," she said, "You worry too much." "I'm allowed." "And I'm allowed, too. I'm gonna do Ruins tomorrow." A small chill traveled up my spine. "You will do no such thing." "Granfa, it's not that hard." "Sara, The Ruins of Terra is the hardest slope on this entire mountain. It's virtually a cliff! I refuse to permit you to attempt that hill." "The bowl's harder," the said tauntingly. |