Many of us have been fortunate to have participated in the early brainstorming phase of a project. It’s an exciting time, everything still seems possible and ideas are flying right and left. Often called ‘Blue Sky Planning,” it’s the time where every idea is welcomed without question. But like Ira Riklis, most of us know that this phase is followed by the more sober process of sorting out those ideas and looking at the realities involved in bring them to life.
The same principles apply to skiing. Avid skiers (or those involved in any other sporting endeavor) like to dream of the big runs, the remote bowls and unspoiled slopes waiting just over the horizon. A case in point is Blue Sky Basin in Vail. This remote spot offers some of the most exciting skiing on the mountain. But Ira Riklis is well aware that it takes a long time and a lot of effort to make it out there, and an equal amount of time and effort to get back. So when idea of Blue Sky pops up, serious considerations follow behind. Is the weather suited to a long, demanding day of skiing? Will the weather hold? How is everybody feeling? If the answers are positive, then off the party goes. If not, then it’s a day for runs closer in. That’s not all bad; it leaves time for enjoying a toast fire and some hot chocolate back at the lodge.