12-08-2024, 05:48 PM
Kalli had never lived in a place that had snow, so she had always found it fascinating. The cold reminded her of dealing with space, yet it wasn't nearly as dangerous. There were times when she had needed to deal with extreme cold, but more often than not, the temperatures she felt were either annoying, or they felt like a burn from something hot. A liquid that was boiling away at a few hundred negative degrees felt like a tiny bead of molten metal, like from welding. Physics could be strange like that.
Through the joy of holographic programs, she had come to find snow to be entertaining. It was rarely fun to get on you, but there was a sport that she had found very enjoyable called downhill skiing. It could be fun to go down groomed trails that were packed down and you could slalom down in a way that almost felt like a dance. You could control your speed by moving back and forth across a hill, every turn sending up a spray of snow to the side, carved by the edges of the long and thin rails attached to your feet. She had even gone in simulated warmer weather, only dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, which was a very unique experience.
For this simulation, it was a bit too cool for light clothing. Today she was in moderately heavy attire. It was well padded and windproof, keeping her cozy, but not too hot. Her ski goggles covered the upper half of her face and helped filter the light so that she could see the terrain well. This was not simulating a packed and well travelled trail. This time it was a special treat that simulated a thick layer of what was called fresh powder. It offered much less resistance and although you often were anywhere from waist to chest high in it, you felt like you were flying more than skiing, as the skis flew through the snow more than on top of the snow. She wasn't into the acrobatic sort of stunts, but when coming down the side of a mountain, like this, she sometimes would be bold enough to take a jump here or there. She didn't like falling far, but a small one could be exciting.
After finishing an exhilarating run, Kalli slid up to the lodge very smoothly and did a little hockey stop next to a rack of equipment. Using her poles, she took turns popping the bindings loose and stepping out with the heavy boots. After standing the skis up and draping the loops of her poles over one of them to keep it all together, she adjusted the boots to allow her to walk a little more freely. The boots reminded her of a heavy duty variant of an EVA suit. They almost completely immobilized the lower leg and ankle, attaching the long ski to you like a fixed appendage. It was very hard to walk in them unless you released the upper part of the boot to regain some flexibility. She then began to stomp her way over to the lodge.
Kalli had put her goggles up on top of her head after her last run, but now removed them entirely as she unzipped her jacket. She really liked how the fur collar and lining felt against her neck and face. It reminded her of her old boyfriend, but she tried not to think too hard about that. After getting a specially ordered cup of hot chocolate with just a dash of something extra in it, she ent to sit next to the simulated fire. Once she found a nice spot, she took off her boots and set them aside and even removed her jacket, revealing the relatively mundane sweater she wore under it. The final step was to untie her hair and let it fall naturally, as she relaxed for a change. The fire was a good program. It looked and felt very real. She missed having a real fire, but that would require going to a planet, and that never seemed to end well.
Kalli took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she stared into the fire. The spiced (and spiked) dark chocolate was good. She no longer celebrated holidays, but this wasn't bad.
Through the joy of holographic programs, she had come to find snow to be entertaining. It was rarely fun to get on you, but there was a sport that she had found very enjoyable called downhill skiing. It could be fun to go down groomed trails that were packed down and you could slalom down in a way that almost felt like a dance. You could control your speed by moving back and forth across a hill, every turn sending up a spray of snow to the side, carved by the edges of the long and thin rails attached to your feet. She had even gone in simulated warmer weather, only dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, which was a very unique experience.
For this simulation, it was a bit too cool for light clothing. Today she was in moderately heavy attire. It was well padded and windproof, keeping her cozy, but not too hot. Her ski goggles covered the upper half of her face and helped filter the light so that she could see the terrain well. This was not simulating a packed and well travelled trail. This time it was a special treat that simulated a thick layer of what was called fresh powder. It offered much less resistance and although you often were anywhere from waist to chest high in it, you felt like you were flying more than skiing, as the skis flew through the snow more than on top of the snow. She wasn't into the acrobatic sort of stunts, but when coming down the side of a mountain, like this, she sometimes would be bold enough to take a jump here or there. She didn't like falling far, but a small one could be exciting.
After finishing an exhilarating run, Kalli slid up to the lodge very smoothly and did a little hockey stop next to a rack of equipment. Using her poles, she took turns popping the bindings loose and stepping out with the heavy boots. After standing the skis up and draping the loops of her poles over one of them to keep it all together, she adjusted the boots to allow her to walk a little more freely. The boots reminded her of a heavy duty variant of an EVA suit. They almost completely immobilized the lower leg and ankle, attaching the long ski to you like a fixed appendage. It was very hard to walk in them unless you released the upper part of the boot to regain some flexibility. She then began to stomp her way over to the lodge.
Kalli had put her goggles up on top of her head after her last run, but now removed them entirely as she unzipped her jacket. She really liked how the fur collar and lining felt against her neck and face. It reminded her of her old boyfriend, but she tried not to think too hard about that. After getting a specially ordered cup of hot chocolate with just a dash of something extra in it, she ent to sit next to the simulated fire. Once she found a nice spot, she took off her boots and set them aside and even removed her jacket, revealing the relatively mundane sweater she wore under it. The final step was to untie her hair and let it fall naturally, as she relaxed for a change. The fire was a good program. It looked and felt very real. She missed having a real fire, but that would require going to a planet, and that never seemed to end well.
Kalli took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she stared into the fire. The spiced (and spiked) dark chocolate was good. She no longer celebrated holidays, but this wasn't bad.