700 Feet of Vert
I learned to ski in the Midwest. I lived in Chicago, and the closest thing to a mountain was a four hour drive north to Wausau, Wisconsin. Four hours there. Four hours back. Every single time.
And it was worth it.
Worth it so I could ski about 700 vertical feet. That's it. That was the mountain. Now, some of you reading this live in Utah, where a single run has more vertical than that whole hill, or Colorado, where you can knock out 10,000 feet in two or three runs before lunch. I get it. I really do. I once had a 12,000 foot day and it took me all day to get there, one chair at a time. In Utah you'd call that a warmup.
But here's the thing about Midwest skiing: nobody was there for the vert. You went because skiing was the point. You squeezed every run. You knew that hill so well you could ski it with your eyes closed, and some days I think I did.
And here's the other thing, now that the season's starting again: the first couple of days back are going to feel like you're learning all over again. Your legs won't remember. Your timing will be off. Getting it back means taking some risks, and that's how you improve. Same on a 700 foot hill as a 12,000 foot day.
That's the whole idea behind Max Vert, our little game on the App Store. You start on a green, you take a risk, you level up to a blue. Then you take another risk and earn your way to the black. It's the same progression you make on real snow, one decision at a time.
The lifts stop running sometimes so people can sleep, and you can't ski 24 hours a day. But the game is here so you can keep thinking about skiing. About the runs you'd pick, the gear you'd bring, the combinations that work together. So as we all shake the rust off this season, install the game. It's a fun way to stay in it when you're off the hill.