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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#129: Ski Season

For some of us in the Northern hemisphere, the cold wintery months of January and February come with the promise of the ski season — a light at the end of the tunnel of short, dark days. Whether you’re gallivanting around the Alps, or just taking a sledge to your local snowy hillside, there’s definitely adventure to be found at this time of year. 


Whether you find the chill bracing, biting, or something else entirely, let’s thaw any ice that formed over your creative spirit this winter with the help of this week’s prompts!

This week's prompts

Begin your story with a character crashing into something (or someone) while skiing.

Adventure – 30 stories

Write about a skier who accidentally strays off-piste.

Adventure – 30 stories

Set your story in a snowed-in chalet.

Winter – 56 stories

Write your story from the point of view of someone learning or teaching an extreme hobby.

Narrative – 19 stories

Your character runs an inn for resting mountaineers. It’s a calm life, until they encounter a twist of fate.

Winter – 47 stories

Stories

“Snow In Hawaii” by Echo Soto

Submitted to Contest #129

It’s snowing in Hawaii. As we sit by a fire at the base of Mouna Kea watching the mounds of powder build up it never ceases to amaze me how things have changed. It has been five years since the world climates fully realized their shift. The palm trees that once covered these islands have fallen under the weight of a seemingly endless winter and the formerly green mountains now sit covered in a heavy white year-long glaze. Sweat is replaced with shivering, humidity offered up to cold dry air. The iconic beauty has changed but not abandoned us...

2 comments 2
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“Mountain Terror ” by M. M.

Submitted to Contest #129

Somewhere in a peaceful mountain near Denver, Colorado ........Wilbur finished his accounting for the night, the Inn was quiet this time of the year as the guests normally didn't show due to bad weather. He had marked down in red the things that needed immediate attention, such as the repairs on the roof, depilating pipes, as well as other items that needed tending to but not as urgent as the roof and pipes were. He sighed, pondered heavily on the fact that money was tight these days. Unsurmountable taxes continued, and insurance costs. Wi...

2 comments 2
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“Broken Chord Phone” by L.J Sunwing

Submitted to Contest #129

“Crap.” Thomas smacks his thumb against the buttons of the chord phone several times before accepting the soundless drawl on the other end. His heart thumps with agitation and anxiety as he realizes they are most likely stuck in the chalet until morning. All the two could hope for would be that someone would be able to get to the cabin. “What?” Alison narrows her eyes and slides around the corner. Her arms are crossed and the front of her hair falls onto her shoulders, making the young woman look more mature than 26. Thomas thinks about ho...

4 comments 4
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“Back In Time” by Tanya Smith

Submitted to Contest #129

As I headed up the side of the mountain on the ski lift, I couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful view of the sun hitting the fresh patch of snow. I jumped off of the lift at the top of the mountain. I started skiing down and my ski hit something under the snow, I started falling…. The next thing I knew I woke up in a hospital.             Have you ever sat down and thought about your life, where you have gone, what you have done and if you would do anything different? Well I ha...

0 comments 0
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“Summer In Winter” by Malik Coley

Submitted to Contest #129

It was just below 10 degrees, while my legs swiveled side to side as if they were dancing. I — was attempting to ski for the first time ever in my life. I can’t believe I just said that! Trying anything new was never my style, as old and fashioned fitted me perfectly. The idea of just even listening to new music or just experimenting with new television shows even made me hesitate. So what made me decide to ski down the biggest mountain I’ve ever known to exist? My best friend Aaron! Oh boy, what an extrovert could make an introvert do, huh?...

0 comments 0
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“Hatmo Resort” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #129

“Shaney, wait. My phone’s missing. It can’t be that far back. I just checked it on the lift,” said Bruno. His eyes begged an apology and Shanitra completely understood the angst of losing not just important numbers, but also all kinds of personal goo-gas not filed anywhere else.She said, “It’s okay, honey. I’ll wait right here.”Bruno nodded and skied back the way they had come. She lost sight of him around the small but dense copse of fir trees.Once out of sight, Bruno ducked into the trees and came out a few se...

1 comment 1
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“The Lightning Crashes and the Thunder Calls Out” by Patrick Borosky

Submitted to Contest #129

It was there again… It was always there.The weight pressed against his soul as he stood alone in the darkness. He took a deep breath, and lightning shattered the night. Thunder beat out, demanding that the world hear it. The burst of light faded, and the darkness seeped in and pressed against him. It threatened to consume him, but he wouldn’t falter.Blind to everything in the world, he shifted his feet and continued forward. For years, he had roamed this darkness, desperately seeking the faintest remnants of light.His light.His breathing gre...

4 comments 4
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“"You Can Learn To Live With This." ” by FabWritesStuff -

Submitted to Contest #129

“This is a nightmare.”  Victoria felt a heavy weight in her chest as the realization of her current prediction slammed into her like a bag of bricks. She remained motionless on the top step of the stairs, looking down at the man who was standing near the front door of the chalet.  Adam, her sister’s fiancé, gave a sigh and shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Looks like it's just us here tonight.” He said, as he glanced up at her, seemingly unaware of the horror that was written all over her face. “There was a ton of snowfal...

1 comment 1
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“The Hatch” by Kara Beth Baker

Submitted to Contest #129

    “Isn’t this the best thing ever?” said Annie to her husband, “It’s gotta be the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had..like ever. But Rhett didn’t hear her. He was transfixed with the wintry view outside.  He had  been so lost in his head with the wedding plans and wedding itself-the last few weeks in themselves had been such a blur. He was just enjoying the peace and the calmness of not having to do anything at that exact moment. The River Bend B&B was just what he needed.     The newlywe...

1 comment 1
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“A Palace Unexpected” by Cydney Rose

Submitted to Contest #129

Bells chimed as I pushed open the heavy doors to the chalet, shielded from the harsh wind at last. Outside, the plush snow taunted visitors with its welcoming appearance, only to lure them into a hellish storm. “Finally back, Vi?” said my younger sister, Jessa. I scowled at her, fighting the urge to reprimand her for refusing to join me on my trip to the store. I only trudged halfway there before falling victim to the icy cold. Jessa sat with her knees to her chest, the book she had been engrossed in propped on the pillow beside he...

5 comments 5
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“The True Hero” by Rachael Reese

Submitted to Contest #129

Hope Stewart set down the receiver of the phone and sighed. Turning to the laptop on the counter, she opened the weather app, and stared at the screen. “Excuse me,” a smart looking man wearing khaki pants and a wool sweater said, interrupting her thoughts. “My name is Jasper Cooper. I am in town for the night to interview Mr. Marcus Cole. I’m wondering if he has checked in yet? My cell phone died.” Hope’s cheeks grew warm as she studied the gorgeous specimen in front of her. His black hair and baby blue eyes seemed like a contradiction of sw...

3 comments 3
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“Just A Spoonful of Poison” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #129

The year is 1496. The place is Rome, Italy. The snow-capped mountains in the distance are beautiful. The air is crisp with the promise of snowfall. Lucretia Borgia is sitting at a large table in the kitchen of the Vatican thinking about how to get rid of the rats.Her father, Pope Alexander VI, wants her to take a job as a cook at a nearby Inn. Lucretia, with her blonde hair and kind heart, is a cinch for getting the kitchen job.Meanwhile, the snow is falling softly at the Mountainside Inn near Rome. The kitchen is full of black smoke."What k...

0 comments 0
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“The Dragon Hunter’s Keeper” by Alexis W.

Submitted to Contest #129

The Ice Wyrms moved up-mountain during every summer season, retreating into caves left frozen for centuries while the spring frost in the lowlands melted. The Stalkers followed, tracking the scaled flocks to the northernmost points of treacherous mountains. But the Stalkers were only human - albeit slightly magic - so they were forced to take breaks on their treks. As the Ice Wyrms continued to hike upwards, following the instinctual embedded paths in the snow, the Stalkers found shelter at my inn. Devenna Darkm...

2 comments 2
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“You gotta be brave before you can be good.” by Cynthia Olsen

Submitted to Contest #129

You gotta be brave before you can be good. The Golden Gate Bridge loomed high above, as I gazed out at the choppy bay, the likes of which I had never seen. I’d windsurfed in all kinds of conditions and wave types, but this was different. There are two kinds of water here. The Bay water is runoff from the surrounding land. It is warmer and carries silt. But the Pacific Ocean is cold, stirred by upwellings and tides. This creates a perfect storm of sorts, resulting in turbulent, dangerous, ever-changing wave patterns. It is considered one o...

3 comments 3
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“In Coincidental Care” by Susan Whitlock

Submitted to Contest #129

Isaac and Jesse Elder watched proudly as a group of shaggy men approached the guest desk at the newest family adventure, The Coincidental Inn, Mt. Rainier. The youngest of ten children born and raised on a Missouri farm in a small town called Laughlin, they had copied their parents original Coincidental Inn as closely as possible in two other locations. The first had been near Aspen CO, with the help of Sharon and Doug Brewster, who lived there and had been special guests at the Missouri inn the first year it opened. This third family inn ...

3 comments 3
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$250

Prize money

182

Contest entries

92

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jan 21, 2022 EST

Won by Erica Vogel 🏆

Title: At the Whitemare

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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