It was 5: 30 a.m. when I awoke to the annoying sound of my alarm clock. iAlthough my eyes were open, my body was still asleep, fighting to remain in my warm, cozy bed. As I gazed out my window, I saw the trees and the ground below blanketed with newly fallen snow, perfect conditions for our trip. I heard the voices of my parents and my sister. I realized then that if I didn't get up, I would be the last one ready, which is not unusual, for I am not a morning person. I knew it would be a frigid day with a wind that would stir up the fresh snow on the ground and send snow on the tree branches hurtling in every direction. I decided to dress warmly.

After eating a hearty breakfast, we loaded up the car. When I stepped outside, I immediately felt the cold air as it stung my face and sent me retreating into the house. It was 7 a.m. when we managed to pull out of the driveway. We were off to Mount Sunapee with everything we needed to enjoy the day! With the car toasty warm, my sister and I nodded off and before we knew it, we were there.

As I got out of the car, I once again felt the cold air as it wrapped around me. I asked myself why I was skiing on such a freezing day when all I could think about was the cold numbing feeling that had already started in my fingers.

Surprisingly, the mountain was not crowded and the line for the lift tickets was nearly empty. My sister and I put our skis on and approached the lift. The chair swung around to pick us up and off we went for the first run of the day. We watched the skiers below, some looking like experts, others falling head over heels with their skis going in every direction. As we got closer to the summit, the wind began to increase, causing us to burrow further down in our jackets. I turned to look behind me and the beautiful view caught my eye. It seemed as though you could see forever. Lake Sunapee was frozen and snowmobiles occasionally zigzagged across the frozen water. We could see Killington and Okemo and much more. It felt as if we were seeing the whole state of New Hampshire.

My sister and I skied off the chairlift and checked the map to determine the difficulty of the slopes. We picked an intermediate trail and down we went. The conditions were fair with a thin coat of powder covering the ice. The wind fought against me as I traversed the mountain. I felt excited and exhilarated as I flew down the winding trail. When I came to a stop at the end of the run, I realized why I was skiing on this freezing day: I no longer felt the cold numbing feeling, only the thrill of the sport! n