Because you were brave enough to get out of bed in the dark and cold.  And because you dressed and drove to the base of the ski hill before anyone else arrived.  You slid your feet into cold ski boots, pulled skis with skins from the car, and turned on a headlamp.  Because you started placing one foot in front of another and step by step ascended from the base area.  Cold hands and frosty breath gave way to exertion and perspiration.  Slowly, the stars receded from their celestial perch and a sunrise foreshadowed on the horizon.  Eventually, you saw the summit but it remained fixed, no closer and seemingly still rising.  Not until the final fifty meters did the slope surrender its grade.  There, you turn and celebrated sunrise, the valley below obscured by clouds.  You replaced fear with inspiration and let it ripple into your actions for the rest of the day.