A peaceful morning skiing has come to an end. I take a sip of the cold coffee I made that morning. As always, Morimoto-san's (←he's a telemark skier) coffee is delicious even when cold. Anyway, KYO-san goes to Hakuba to do some shopping. I go to a nearby BC to check the conditions. I choose XPLORE. There are no traces of foot traffic at the start of the forest road. It's a pleasant snow break, that's for sure. I get carried away and walk along, but I'm out of breath (←it's only natural though...). Well, I used to do slow jogs every day until it started to snow. But when it started to snow, I stopped. For the past month, I've just been carried by the lift and skied. Of course my cardiopulmonary function is declining. That's no good. Anyway, there was enough snow on the slope to ski on. Good, good. I climbed gently with waxless skis and skied down. First touch. Powder firmed by the wind. I managed to do something with XPLORE. Second run. I climbed the same track so this time it was easy. I knew how it would be to ski so I could go for it. Wow, I'm so glad. If it snows and settles down at the beginning of next week, I'll come here at sunrise. December 20, 2024 Postscript: After I got home, I did a light slow jog. Then I searched the internet for shoes that are less likely to slip on frozen roads.