“The weather forecast didn’t call for any storms,” he said. “I’ve heard of freak blizzards appearing from out of nowhere in the mountains, but shouldn’t there have been some warning signs?”
The wind bursts increased in intensity, so much so that the chairlift swayed and rocked. They gripped the safety bar. Adam didn’t mention his growing concern to Maddie. He didn’t want to scare her. He watched as small ice particles landed on his goggles and melted. He felt them spray on his face with each gust of wind, as more dark and menacing clouds gathered over the mountaintop. Maddie shivered and moved closer to him. With the wind and the sudden cloud blockage of the sun, it grew darker and colder by the minute. Adam wrapped his arms around her as she quietly stared ahead and bit her lip.
Bewildered, she said, “The forecast certainly didn’t call for snow today. What if we get to the top of the mountain and I don’t have the skills to maneuver the more advanced trail?”
“Well, if it gets that bad, worst-case scenario is that we take our skis off and walk down, or even slide down on our asses if we have to. I’ve seen people do that before. Don’t worry about it. You’ll do fine. Besides, with this storm getting worse, they’ll probably have the trails closed and the Ski Patrol will be up there to tell us what we need to do.”
She furrowed her brow and quietly said, “I hope so.”
The wind continued to grow in intensity, swinging the chairlift even harder. Maddie wrapped her arms around Adam’s waist and gripped him more tightly. He couldn’t help but think of the nursery rhyme lullaby that his mother used to sing to him as a child:
Rock-a-bye baby in the treetop
When the wind blows the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
And down will come baby, cradle and all
He hoped this bough wouldn’t break anytime soon. It was even more unsettling when they noticed that there was nobody else on the lift. They were the only ones who hadn’t disembarked at the intermediate run drop-off because they were too busy making out. Stupid as it was, Adam thought it was worth it—that is, worth it if they made it out of this mess unscathed.
As they approached the drop-off point for the top of the mountain, Maddie shouted over the sound of the wind. “Do you think we should ride the lift back down?”
Adam had been pondering the same question. “I’m not sure. Are you up for the challenge of a black diamond trail today?”
“I’m not sure either,” she said. “I don’t know if I can handle it with the wind and visibility getting worse.”
“We’ll probably get down the mountain quicker if we ski down rather than ride the lift back down. It feels like the wind is getting stronger and I don’t relish the thought of getting whipped around in this thing all the way back down. But on the other hand, like you said, maneuvering down the mountain in these conditions might make it more difficult. I don’t even know for sure if anyone realizes we’re still on the lift. It’s possible we could get halfway and they shut it down, leaving us stuck.”
Maddie looked straight ahead, her face a blank mask as she said, “We left our cell phones in the cabin. What if no one knows we’re up here? Surely the man that was signaling us to get off earlier reported it to someone.”
The snow flurries increased in size and intensity. Visibility grew worse as the wind gusted around them and the dark clouds overhead grew more ominous. The temperature dropped rapidly.
As they debated whether or not they should ride the lift all the way back down or get off at the next drop-off point, the decision was made for them. When they were almost to the exit, the lift slowed and stopped completely a few feet away from the actual drop-off point.
“Great,” they said simultaneously.
Adam leaned over as far as he could without rocking the chairlift to see how far they would have to jump. He estimated it to be a ten-foot drop. There was no way they would make that with their skis on.
He glanced sideways at Maddie. She looked at him, wide-eyed, failing to disguise her fear any longer.
“We’re going to have to jump for it,” he said. “I’ll go first and then maybe I can help you. It’s probably best if we throw our skis and poles aside so that they don’t get in the way of our landing.”
He took Maddie’s ski poles and tossed both sets as far as he could from the landing point, but close enough so that they could retrieve them once they were safely on the ground. Then, they carefully removed their skis and threw them in the same vicinity as the poles. They would certainly need them if they tried to make it down a black diamond trail.
Adam scooted to the edge of his seat and waited for the swaying chairlift to swing in the right direction. When he felt the timing was right, he launched himself off the chairlift with as much force as possible so that he could clear the ten-foot drop without falling backward down the mountain. He managed to land upright on his feet, fell forward, and caught himself with his hands just in time to stop a face-plant.
He looked up at Maddie and said, “Your turn. I’ll stand to the side so I won’t get in the way, but I’ll be able to catch you if you start to fall backward.”
She took a deep breath and launched herself. She landed on her feet, but they slipped out from under her as she fell backward. Adam caught her by
