The biggest highlight from last week can be summed up with one four-letter word.

And, surprisingly, it’s not even a dirty word. It’s actually quite clean and pristine, that is, unless it’s yellow.



Snow, snow, SNOW!



All week long I’d been getting the Crystal Mountain snow reports via e-mail, which had me dreaming and staring out the window at work like the surfer girl Pam from “Back to School.”

Alas, I’m a woman of my word, and I had responsibilities to take care of here on the lowland.

I didn’t make it to Crystal until Sunday, but it was more than worth the wait.



I was up way before the rooster community to pick up Natasha and Suzy Stump for the road trip to the mountain.



I don’t want you to think for a second that we three are anything like those fur-lined coat-wearin’, tight pants-havin’, prissy, wussy, ski bunny types.



We’re more like “Charlie’s Angels,” or rather Pappi’s Angels. Natasha’s the brunette, I’m the blonde, and Suzy, well, sh’s just plain hot. When Natasha gets back down to the base, she even takes her helmet off and waves her hair around in slow motion. That cracks me up every time.



I’ve been skiing with that Natasha for nearly all of my life, and even when she’s hungover, she can conquer any mountain large or small. She’s about five seconds faster than I am, but I don’t mind letting her lead the pack because her form is so graceful that it’s nice to have in sight.

But I can tell you this: speed demon Suzy gave Natasha a complete run for her money.



On the ride up we found out that Suzy grew up in Greenwater, the cozy little town just outside of Crystal — the place where I’ve ALWAYS wanted to own a cabin. Accordingly, Suzy is a legit ski bum and a woman with the skills to pay the bills!



Not only was the company incredible, so were the conditions — six inches of fresh powder love with a forgiving base that had accumulated all week. Every turn was infallible, even on runs such as Iceberg Gulch and the grueling Exterminator.



After five nonstop hours of cruisers and moguls alike, we drew our visit — and our tired bodies — to a close with a race from the top of the mountain to the bottom, and the loser (Natasha, HA!) bought the first round of drinks at the Bull Wheel.



There we saddled up at the bar — a trifecta of danger — and automatically ordered drinks that said more about our personalities than anyone could’ve imagined: Me with the peppermint schnapps and cocoa, Natasha with her straight shots of Jäger, and Suzy with the Crystal Mountain Amber.



We raised those three distinguished glasses to an amazing day, the camaraderie and power of female athletes, and the “Charlie’s Angels” turns we took in unison on that hill that made the boys’ heads spin.



“Girl I didn’t know you could get down like that. Pappi, how your angels get down like that?”

Sound Transit Saturday

Another convivial event that occurred over the weekend was the second ever Link & Drink where more than 40 of us hipsters packed onto the Link Light Rail and partook in libations at one drinking establishment per stop: Alfred’s Bubble Room, The Swiss, The Pacific Grill and Paddy Coyne’s. Several T-town celebrities rallied including the maestro himself, Bennett Thurmon, artists Mindy Barker, Dave R. Davison, James Hume, Jeff Olson, and two of my favorite Tacoma socialites — Tam Tam Tammi and the picturesque Vicki Venes.



Early reports indicated that everyone had a great time. We got to know one another; we shot cool photos of the whole group on and off the Link; we tested our Light Rail balance, and we enjoyed the ambiance and the hospitality of the four establishments that overextended their service to take care of all of us at once.



These gatherings keep growing and growing, and it’s good, clean fun. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next one, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll score a wink from my very own baby blues.