Last ski season, I skied 50 days for my 50th birthday and discovered that you can indeed teach old skiers new tricks. My main takeaway was that I’d been entirely too particular about finding just the right day at just the right resort. “Forcing” myself to head for the hills a couple of days a week made me realize there’s treasure to be found in every day on the slopes, be it the snow, a quality conversation or a gorgeous view. In addition to my philosophical epiphany, I also picked up some practical pointers to squeeze the most out of the season and make slope days go smoothly.