My eyes pop open: It's 6:05 a.m., just five minutes before my alarm is set to go off. I quickly delete the alarm on my phone and slide out of bed in the dark, trying in vain to avoid waking my wife and our dog. Clicking on the small flashlight built into my watch, I navigate to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get dressed.
As quietly as possible, I leave the bedroom and head to the kitchen and main living area where I make a cup of coffee, turn on that day's YouTube ski video (sound on mute), and start stretching. The daily routine involves a variety of stretches and mobility exercises designed to keep my 54-year-old body firing on all cylinders.
About halfway through the routine, I make a second cup of coffee — larger this time — and put it in a travel mug. I go back to stretching and halfheartedly watching the ski film playing on the TV.
Stretching complete. I head downstairs, finish getting dressed, grab my helmet and goggles and boots, and walk into the garage to start packing the car. Because I patrol part-time — one or two days a week — my ski gear gets spread across my patrol pack and my backcountry pack. I take the time to sort the gear, repack my patrol pack — helmet in the carrier, goggles in the felt-lined pocket, extra stuff — work gloves, hat, sunscreen, skins, and so on in the main compartment.
