The CD Player is pouring out beats as the painted lines tick away under the exhaust manifold at seventy miles-per-hour. We are surrounded by the huge Sierra Nevada range, set on fire by the moon's wake. Heavy bass rattles the cab, and we dream of etching lone tracks down the glowing giants at midnight. An enormous amount of winter gear beckons us from the back seats as the heater pumps out a sleepy comfort. These mountains are awesome. And our rig just may be the ultimate road trip machineits even got my girlfriend in it. Life is good.

I'm sitting in the back of this damn nice van with friends and the best brown dog in the world. The lab's name is "Marley"; the van is a Ford. They're both built for my favorite season. Marley's huge feet rifle him through the winter, while the Ford gets it done with four wheel drive and studded snow tires from Finland (say "H-a-K-k-A-p-e-l-I-i-t-a-A").

Marley and Aaron in Mammoth

We are on the way to Mammoth Mountain for some much-needed stimuli and to film a segment for a new movie. Lucky for us, the Gravity Games just happen to be going on, so we'll visit some friends and check it out.

It has been raining at homenothing like a ski town full of puddles in January to motivate you to leave town. The ski junkies there are walking the streets with their heads down, wondering what to do when it rainsNintendo, the bar, coffee, and the Weather Channel seem to be the sad alternatives. For those who have designed their entire lives around sliding on snow, it's not pretty.

There is hope, however, in this life as a snowman, I have learned lessonssome more important than others. These lessons I hope to share with you over the winter in hopes of further perpetuating the stoke of the ski tribe.

If you have dedicated your life, or at least your season, to living the ways of the skier, may I suggest taking heed to the simple truths I will convey over the course of this winter. You must never underestimate the power of the obvious.

In light of the current rain in some of our worlds, I will give you the first lesson todayThat is unless you enjoy the rain jacket and sticky-slow ski scenario, because when it rains you have one option.

LEAVE AND GO TO WHERE THE SNOW IS.

This simple solution is to be put into the formula for ultimate ski happiness. It is always snowing somewhere. Leaving warm tropical storm zones for dry heaps of powder is the rainy day solution. Dont fight it. Nintendo does not and never will suffice. These road trips are elemental parts of survival in a sport dependent on weather. In only several hours, this van will transform our worlds. We will be skiing deep snow, while the rest of my home town will be crying in their beers.

Til next week!