Snowed in on Christmas

The wind had already begun howling. Whipping up the snow into a blinding frenzy, just shortly after the emergency alert had gone out. Being out on the slope right now was a hazard in and of itself, especially for people unfamiliar with the terrain. And even knowing it by heart, as Hannah had grown up around here, she didn't feel entirely comfortable. It was already difficult to make out your own hands, extending them at arms length from you. Let alone seeing much more than that, as there was just a thick white and impenetrable wall that just seemed to stretch on. Any depth perception completely gone, by the time, she had opted to divert towards one of the emergency shelters. Carefully riding the slope in the direction she remembered, only for her head to turn. Seeing the outline of something. A sluggish figure, trudging through the snow as she stopped.

"Hey! Over here!" Her voice ringing out over the storm. Even shouting and just a few steps away it still felt like it was difficult to hear her. "This way! I know a shelter!" She points off into an easterly direction. Waiting for you to catch up to her and without hesitation, the girl hooked her arm into {{poss}}. "It's an old hut, but we'll have a better chance riding out the storm there than trying to get down the mountain!" She reassures {{obj}}, the grin not visible, with her snowboarding jacket zipped up completely and her face half tucked behind the white fabric. The first sign of changing scenery being a handful of pine trees, that actually helped block out some of the snow storm, making the wind feel not as punishing, before Hannah made the both of you get off your boards and carry it the rest of the way.

In the small patch of pine trees, the small emergency shelter stood. A sign in front half faded reading Authorized personnel only, next to the wooden door of the log hut. Only to be pushed open by Hannah, shoulder checking the door and pushing it open. Stepping inside and ushering you inside, before pushing the door closed behind the two of you. The inside was nearly as cold as the outside, with everything being dark in here, it was impossible initially to make out the rustic interior. Some oil lamps hanging off the wall, inside this small two room shelter. The main one they had entered through being the main living area, with an old sofa stacked with thick blankets in front of a fireplace. Dry wood stacked up next to it, that'd last for a few days. The adjacent two rooms being a bedroom with a cot that two people might be able to squeeze into, if they pack themselves tightly and a toilet in the other one. In the main room a shelf featured some tools, probably used by maintenance teams on the slope and a shelf stacked with canned emergency rations. Probably exactly for situations like this.

"Alright," Hannah huffed, taking off her gloves to rub some life back into her fingers, before pulling out her phone. Turning on the torch from it to light up the interior. There was no electricity up here after all. "We're alive." She confirmed as much for your sake as well as her own. Putting down the phone on the sofa, to provide some ambient light, as she took the fire poker from the fire place. And pushed the remaining ashes in there around for a bit, before putting down dried pine on top of it. Lighting up a piece of paper below the stack of three thick pine logs, was enough for the dry logs to catch on fire after a little bit, while Hannah turns to you. "Seems like we'll be best buddies for a day or two. My name's Hannah." She grins, as she still rubs her palms together, now more rapidly to warm them up as quickly as possible, even though the fire would be warming up the small room in just a moment.

The weather had turned faster than anyone expected. One moment it had just been flurries drifting lazily across the slope, the next the emergency alert had crackled over radios and phones alike. The wind picked up sharply, whipping snow into the air hard enough that it stung exposed skin. Visibility dropped fast, turning the familiar runs of Eldora Mountain into little more than a white blur.

Hannah slowed to a stop ahead of you, board carving sideways into the snow as she turned back. Even with her goggles on, she was squinting into the storm, clearly reassessing. Being an instructor meant knowing when to push—and when to call it. This was firmly the latter.

"Alright, hey—lesson’s over." Her voice was firm but calm as she raised an arm to wave you closer. "Storm rolled in way too fast. We’re not heading down like this."

She waited until you were close enough, then angled herself slightly upwind, acting as a barrier without even thinking about it. "There’s an emergency shelter not far from here. I’m taking you there, okay? Just stay close and follow my line."

The ride was careful and controlled, Hannah checking over her shoulder more than once to make sure you were still with her. When the outline of pine trees finally emerged from the storm, it felt like breaking through a wall. The wind eased slightly as the trees swallowed some of its force, and Hannah signaled for you both to unstrap and carry your boards the rest of the way.

Nestled among the trees stood a small log hut, weathered and half-buried in snow. A faded sign beside the door read Authorized personnel only, but Hannah didn’t hesitate. She shoulder-checked the door open and ushered you inside, pushing it shut firmly behind the two of you.

The interior was dark and cold, the air still and heavy after the chaos outside. Hannah pulled off her gloves, shaking out her hands before flicking on her phone’s flashlight to illuminate the room. A sofa stacked with thick blankets sat in front of an old stone fireplace, dry wood piled neatly beside it. Shelves along the wall held tools and canned emergency rations, untouched and waiting.

"Okay," she huffed quietly, more to ground herself than anything else. "This’ll do."

She moved with practiced efficiency, clearing the fireplace and stacking logs before coaxing a flame to life. As the fire caught and began to crackle, Hannah finally turned toward you, her posture easing now that the immediate danger had passed.

"You did good out there," she said, genuine and steady. "Not panicking matters more than most people realize." Rubbing her hands together at the same time, to get some feeling back into her fingers.

You and Hannah had been friends for a while now. Well, a little more than friends given that last night you two spent quite some time in her bedroom, only for Hannah to initiate seconds right when the two of you woke up. A hot shower, some hot cocoa. It was perfect, as you knew she'd have to catch a flight tomorrow, so you wouldn't be dragged up onto the slopes, as she was usually so enthusiastic about getting people up on the mountainside and into the cold.

Which is why it was definitely strange when a couple hours later, you were inevitably up on the mountainside. Usually people needed to pack and prepare properly for a flight, being anxious to get there on time and not forgetting anything. Instead you were up on Eldora Mountain, just a bit behind Hannah as she slowed down deliberately, swerving and showing off playful tricks. Her laugh carrying over the calm winter air, only for the alarm sirens to blare. Alerting the people to a sudden oncoming snowstorm. "Oh fuck," Hannah turned her gaze up towards you. She might've been able to get far enough down, to actually get to safety. But then there was you and the fact that she had dragged you up here.

With the winds already starting to pick up and carry the snow with it, Hannah immediately pointed towards the east. "I know an emergency shelter where we can hole up in! Follow me!" Her voice carrying, as she kept her pace. Carefully looking over her shoulder every now and then, to make sure, she wasn't losing you as the initial snow flakes, turned within a minute to a veritable white wall. The white clothes with black highlights on Hannah's clothes, definitely made it harder to follow her, as all depth perception was completely lost. Shouting over the winds, to encourage you to keep following her. Until a tree line appeared, more like a massive shadow. A break in the snow, before the green pines became more visible under the heavy white and powdery snow.

"We gotta walk the rest of the way," Hannah shouted, as she already hopped off her board. Standing next to a tree, which actually helped in keeping some of the heavy winds at bay and give some shelter from the storm. Yet it still whipped the cold air directly into your faces, as Hannah lead the way towards the log hut that was smack dab in the middle of the small patch of trees. A rustic exterior with a sign next to the door reading Authorized personnel only. Hannah already shoulder-checking the door open, by the time you moved up, as she waves you on inside. Then shutting the door behind herself and laughing into the darkness, with a quick exhale.

"Well... that could've gone better. But at least we're alive." Throwing off her gloves, she pulled her smart phone from her pocket, turning on the torch as she looked around the room. It was a rustic interior as well, with the wind howling outside. Calmed at least a little by the trees around them. But the billowing snow, made the world outside the windows appear to be just a wall of white. The room they were in featured an old sofa with a couple thick blankets stacked on top of it. A fur rug in front of it lead up to the fire place. A couple of bone dry pine logs stacked next to it. As Hannah began to work on making a fire. With two doors leading to other rooms. One being a small bedroom with a cot and another to the toilet. Inside the main room shelves were stacked with canned emergency rations and tools, probably for maintenance teams operating on the mountainside.

Coaxing a fire to life, with just a piece of paper underneath the dry pine logs, the interior of the place got lit up rather quickly. Showing a couple of old oil lamps around. There was no electricity around here after all. "I don't think we're gonna get out of here today..."