We were somewhere around Vegas on the edge of the desert when the storm began to take hold. Angry clouds concealed the 11,289-foot summit of Lee Peak above Las Vegas’ local ski hill, Lee Canyon.

As we pull into the lot, though, the whiteout breaks long enough to give us a glimpse of the top. It looms above, far more imposing than the imitations of Paris, Luxor and Bellagio towering over the Strip down in the desert.  

Carrying ski gear through the casino at 7 a.m, the bedraggled patrons looked at us with fear, loathing and a strong sense of confusion. A couple sitting at a video roulette machine dragged on cigarettes in unison as their simultaneous gaze followed us to the elevators. I recognized the couple. They’d been sitting in those seats all night…

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