Melting Away
The 2007 ski season is very rapidly coming to an end. The weather for the last week? Highs in the mid to upper 60s. 60s! How hot is that? Today I had a class with clients from Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. They all commented that it's hotter here than it was at home. Fantastic. (A quick aside: I met one guy who was attending college at MTSU (Middle Tennessee State University). A name like begs for a little more research and, sure enough, MTSU is located in Murfreesboro, TN — smack in the middle of Tennessee).
Oh, and 60 degrees is really, really hot when you're wearing snow gear. We're required to wear our jackets to help maintain our professional image, which means we get hot and sweat. A lot. Right now my outfit consists of shorts, a t-shirt, my snowboard jacket and pants. Pretty much everyone else is riding sans jacket. We've even had a few bikini sightings already. :)
So back to Park City. Skiing is strictly limited to the main runs now and even that's not a sure thing; patches of grass, dirt, and rocks are popping up everywhere. And the slush is something else. You basically can't ride after 1:00pm or so because the snow is so wet and so slushy that your board (or skis) get completely stuck. I learned this the hard way by attempting a few jumps in the terrain park in the afternoon a couple of days ago. I landed the jump cleanly but my board hit the ground and didn't move. Sadly I still had forward momentum and continued head first over the board.
It's also a little hard to stay motivated this time of year. Aside from wanting to improve a killer raccoon tan, most instructors are ready to be off the mountain. As one of my friends said, "You know when you're driving on the freeway and you realize you're sick of driving so you hit cruise control, kick back, and tune out? I hit cruise control a few days ago."
But the big question is how long can we stay open? No one really knows the answer, but we're all pretty sure it's not going to be April 18th (as originally planned). So we're all anxiously checking the forecast and watching as the snow continues to disappear.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Shaun White
Park City is home to the world's largest superpipe, which is great for a lot of reasons. Aside from the obvious benefits like attempting to survive a 22 foot drop in one piece (successful so far!), it also means we get to host events like the World Superpipe Championships. Today the best snowboarders from around the world were on hand. I've seen a million halfpipe competitions on TV, but it doesn't come close to capturing the experience. Standing 5 feet from the lip of the pipe as snowboarders uncork huge spins 10 feet above your head is pretty awesome.
Of course, pictures don't can't do the experience justice either. I took a bunch, though. Shaun White (who may be the world's best snowboarder) ended up winning, and deservedly so. He jumped way higher than anyone else, spun more times than I could count, and just looked plain smooth. You can see most riders make small adjustments (especially after they land), getting themselves ready for the next jump. But Shaun lands his tricks so cleanly that he's in perfect position for the next move. I never though a halfpipe rider would be graceful, but he definitely is.
Park City is home to the world's largest superpipe, which is great for a lot of reasons. Aside from the obvious benefits like attempting to survive a 22 foot drop in one piece (successful so far!), it also means we get to host events like the World Superpipe Championships. Today the best snowboarders from around the world were on hand. I've seen a million halfpipe competitions on TV, but it doesn't come close to capturing the experience. Standing 5 feet from the lip of the pipe as snowboarders uncork huge spins 10 feet above your head is pretty awesome.
Of course, pictures don't can't do the experience justice either. I took a bunch, though. Shaun White (who may be the world's best snowboarder) ended up winning, and deservedly so. He jumped way higher than anyone else, spun more times than I could count, and just looked plain smooth. You can see most riders make small adjustments (especially after they land), getting themselves ready for the next jump. But Shaun lands his tricks so cleanly that he's in perfect position for the next move. I never though a halfpipe rider would be graceful, but he definitely is.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
The Bird
I finally made it over to Snowbird today (after calling ahead to make sure the pass was open...). The west side of the Wasatch mountains (where Snowbird is) is surprisingly different compared to the east side. They're steeper, more jagged, and kind of remind me of the Alps (well would remind me of the Alps, if I had been snowboarding in the Alps before...). The resort is divided into three huge bowls and, like The Canyons, insists on trying to service each bowl with as few chairlifts as possible. Which means if you want to go anywhere than right underneath the chair you have to traverse over to it. Not exactly the snowboarder's dream resort it had been made out to be.
It doesn't have some pretty unique features, though. Most notably is the tram that takes you directly from the base to the peak. It was my first time on a tram and I'll admit that it was not the most relaxing trip. For starters, they really pack you in there (max capacity of about 130 people), so you get to become extremely familiar with the people in your immediate proximity. Secondly, you know how a chairlift rocks around a little bit? Well when an enormous people-mover/death-box starts swaying around, things get decidedly uncomfortable. And did I mention we're a few hundred feet in the air? All in all, I was happy that I managed the 8 minute ride without screaming once (out loud, at least).
A short hike from the top of the resort opens up some pretty impressive terrain. I certainly thought twice before dropping in to a couple of the snugger chutes. It wasn't that I didn't feel confident, it was just the realization that if something went wrong I would be falling for a long time. Fortunately I managed to keep my feet under me when it matter. Unfortunately, two days of sun and warm weather have turned 3+ feet of fresh powder into 3+ feet of the thickest, most viscous snow I've ever seen. My leg and foot muscles have never been so sore in my entire life. At one point I had to stop in the middle of the slope and take my boots off so my feet could stretch. It was a bit too intense.
I've been to three resorts in Utah now and I'm still pretty happy that I'm working at Park City Mountain Resort. But I'll give Snowbird a second chance, just as soon as that concrete they're passing off as snow subsides a bit (and when I work up the courage to tackle the tram again...).
I finally made it over to Snowbird today (after calling ahead to make sure the pass was open...). The west side of the Wasatch mountains (where Snowbird is) is surprisingly different compared to the east side. They're steeper, more jagged, and kind of remind me of the Alps (well would remind me of the Alps, if I had been snowboarding in the Alps before...). The resort is divided into three huge bowls and, like The Canyons, insists on trying to service each bowl with as few chairlifts as possible. Which means if you want to go anywhere than right underneath the chair you have to traverse over to it. Not exactly the snowboarder's dream resort it had been made out to be.
It doesn't have some pretty unique features, though. Most notably is the tram that takes you directly from the base to the peak. It was my first time on a tram and I'll admit that it was not the most relaxing trip. For starters, they really pack you in there (max capacity of about 130 people), so you get to become extremely familiar with the people in your immediate proximity. Secondly, you know how a chairlift rocks around a little bit? Well when an enormous people-mover/death-box starts swaying around, things get decidedly uncomfortable. And did I mention we're a few hundred feet in the air? All in all, I was happy that I managed the 8 minute ride without screaming once (out loud, at least).
A short hike from the top of the resort opens up some pretty impressive terrain. I certainly thought twice before dropping in to a couple of the snugger chutes. It wasn't that I didn't feel confident, it was just the realization that if something went wrong I would be falling for a long time. Fortunately I managed to keep my feet under me when it matter. Unfortunately, two days of sun and warm weather have turned 3+ feet of fresh powder into 3+ feet of the thickest, most viscous snow I've ever seen. My leg and foot muscles have never been so sore in my entire life. At one point I had to stop in the middle of the slope and take my boots off so my feet could stretch. It was a bit too intense.
I've been to three resorts in Utah now and I'm still pretty happy that I'm working at Park City Mountain Resort. But I'll give Snowbird a second chance, just as soon as that concrete they're passing off as snow subsides a bit (and when I work up the courage to tackle the tram again...).
Friday, March 02, 2007
Oh, so this is why I'm here
Remember my last post, when I complained that I just missed out on the best powder day ever? Well it turns out that last Tuesday wasn't even the best day of the week. In fact, it's probably the 4th or 5th best day of the week. Let's recap the days since:
Wednesday: The storm on Tuesday lasted well into the night, leaving lots of untracked runs available Wednesday morning. Even better, the sun was out, making everyone happy. I was schedule to work Wednesday but managed to get the morning off. After a few runs I decided that there was almost too much fresh snow (about 11 inches), as I kept getting stuck on any run that wasn't a black or double black. Checking back for work in the afternoon, I got to teach an advanced lesson, which meant the afternoon was pretty much just like the morning. I came home and thought, "That was the best day of riding I've ever had."
Thursday: However, the best day ever was soon replaced. Another storm came in Wednesday night and by Thursday morning we already had 10 more inches of fresh snow. Again, I was scheduled to work but managed to sweet-talk my way out of it. With the entire day off I was free to hang out near Jupiter Peak, way at the top of the mountain. Jupiter Peak is about a 20 minute hike up from the highest chairlift and is always slow to open after a big storm (ski patrol needs to dynamite the area to kill the avalanches). After a couple of fantastic runs down McConkey's Bowl, I saw the gate to the top was finally opened. And I was the first person up it! The downside to being the first person up was that I got to break trail in two feet of fresh powder. The hike up was the longest 30 minutes I've had in a long time, but it was worth every second as I was one of the first down Jupiter Peak. Fresh tracks down a double black diamond really can't be described, but rest assured it was awesome. I was able to get 3 or 4 runs in up there without hitting anyone else's tracks. I think at one point I was yelling incoherently on the way down; I was just so happy. Heading back down the mountain at the end of the day I though (again), "Wow, that was the best day I've ever had."
To top it off, I ran in to my boss (Adrianne -- the best boss ever) and she finally processed my change of schedule request. My new schedule has me working Monday through Thursday instead of Wednesday through Sunday. To transition to the new schedule she suggested giving me Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. I had to think about it for a second (actually that's a lie) and decided to accept her proposal. Which leads me to...
Friday: The storm from Thursday kept up through the night, dropping another 8 inches of snow. That's over 30 inches in the last three days! And I wasn't working! So I headed over to the Canyons, a resort about 3 miles from Park City. It was my first time there and overall I was impressed. The resort is absolutely enormous (in fact, it's the largest resort in Utah). It's also quite beautiful. The lifts are spread out so each area you're in feels very secluded (compared to say Park City, where everything is fairly close together). However, there is a very large down side to a huge, spacious, resort: there is a lot of flat terrain. In fact, every single run ends with a flat cat-track to get back to the lift. Some of them even go back uphill! It's truly a terrible, terrible layout.
But with feet upon feet of fresh snow, everything is perfect. I managed to get stuck a couple of times in snow over my waist and had to take a couple of pictures (yes, I'm actually standing up in those pictures). After the main runs were skied out, it was time to head backcountry. The access gates to the backcountry terrain were a little ominous, but the available terrain was just too tempting.
By the end of the day, I could barely stand on my board. My legs were (and still are) completely spent, a sure sign of a great day. The forecast for tomorrow is more sun and I think it might be time to reattempt a trek down to Snowbird. So for now it's time to sit back, relax, and get my legs ready to do it all over again tomorrow.
Remember my last post, when I complained that I just missed out on the best powder day ever? Well it turns out that last Tuesday wasn't even the best day of the week. In fact, it's probably the 4th or 5th best day of the week. Let's recap the days since:
Wednesday: The storm on Tuesday lasted well into the night, leaving lots of untracked runs available Wednesday morning. Even better, the sun was out, making everyone happy. I was schedule to work Wednesday but managed to get the morning off. After a few runs I decided that there was almost too much fresh snow (about 11 inches), as I kept getting stuck on any run that wasn't a black or double black. Checking back for work in the afternoon, I got to teach an advanced lesson, which meant the afternoon was pretty much just like the morning. I came home and thought, "That was the best day of riding I've ever had."
Thursday: However, the best day ever was soon replaced. Another storm came in Wednesday night and by Thursday morning we already had 10 more inches of fresh snow. Again, I was scheduled to work but managed to sweet-talk my way out of it. With the entire day off I was free to hang out near Jupiter Peak, way at the top of the mountain. Jupiter Peak is about a 20 minute hike up from the highest chairlift and is always slow to open after a big storm (ski patrol needs to dynamite the area to kill the avalanches). After a couple of fantastic runs down McConkey's Bowl, I saw the gate to the top was finally opened. And I was the first person up it! The downside to being the first person up was that I got to break trail in two feet of fresh powder. The hike up was the longest 30 minutes I've had in a long time, but it was worth every second as I was one of the first down Jupiter Peak. Fresh tracks down a double black diamond really can't be described, but rest assured it was awesome. I was able to get 3 or 4 runs in up there without hitting anyone else's tracks. I think at one point I was yelling incoherently on the way down; I was just so happy. Heading back down the mountain at the end of the day I though (again), "Wow, that was the best day I've ever had."
To top it off, I ran in to my boss (Adrianne -- the best boss ever) and she finally processed my change of schedule request. My new schedule has me working Monday through Thursday instead of Wednesday through Sunday. To transition to the new schedule she suggested giving me Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. I had to think about it for a second (actually that's a lie) and decided to accept her proposal. Which leads me to...
Friday: The storm from Thursday kept up through the night, dropping another 8 inches of snow. That's over 30 inches in the last three days! And I wasn't working! So I headed over to the Canyons, a resort about 3 miles from Park City. It was my first time there and overall I was impressed. The resort is absolutely enormous (in fact, it's the largest resort in Utah). It's also quite beautiful. The lifts are spread out so each area you're in feels very secluded (compared to say Park City, where everything is fairly close together). However, there is a very large down side to a huge, spacious, resort: there is a lot of flat terrain. In fact, every single run ends with a flat cat-track to get back to the lift. Some of them even go back uphill! It's truly a terrible, terrible layout.
But with feet upon feet of fresh snow, everything is perfect. I managed to get stuck a couple of times in snow over my waist and had to take a couple of pictures (yes, I'm actually standing up in those pictures). After the main runs were skied out, it was time to head backcountry. The access gates to the backcountry terrain were a little ominous, but the available terrain was just too tempting.
By the end of the day, I could barely stand on my board. My legs were (and still are) completely spent, a sure sign of a great day. The forecast for tomorrow is more sun and I think it might be time to reattempt a trek down to Snowbird. So for now it's time to sit back, relax, and get my legs ready to do it all over again tomorrow.
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