THE FALL LINE: Chapter Five

Thank you for reading The Fall Line. There’s a rhythm to skiing when it’s going well. There’s a rhythm to losing control, too.

Chapter 5 is now live for paid subscribers. This week, the snow’s heavier. The lines are looser. Jamie finds his flow. Cole doesn’t. And the space between them starts to shift in ways none of them are ready to name.

If you’re just joining us, Chapter 1 is still free to read. And if you’ve been here since the beginning—thank you. I promise we’re not done falling yet.

Chapter Five: Switch

They skied The Palisades that day.

Not the bowl—the Palisades. The jagged spines just below the summit, broken up by cornices and drops that looked like movie sets. It was the kind of terrain Jamie had only ever watched from the lift line, studying edits on mute, trying to memorize where the rocks were.

Now he was standing on top of it, heart thudding, watching Mia edge across the goat path. She moved without hesitation, careful but confident, and stopped near the bottom of the apron—far enough back to see the whole line, close enough to catch the landing. She pulled out her phone and aimed it upslope.

He dropped next.