Solitude, Indeed

Photo by Brad B

   Brett, Rafael, Brad and I spent Monday and half a day today at the aptly-named Solitude. It's a small resort, and since these are weekdays, we REALLY had zero lift lines, and the slopes to ourselves. And the slopes, as it turned out, were fantastic: wide-open rolling groomers and bowls. It was another bluebird day, and there was a great number of fun and fast blue runs. I even hit a couple of blacks. Learning to carve down the steeps still—it's intimidating, but I'm getting better. I've come a long, long way on this trip.
   Many of the lifts were the old-style ones that whip around at the ends, but fortunately I had gotten over my acute fear of those on day 1 at Park City Mountain Resort. You just have to be ready to get off those things FAST. The first time I rode one, at Breck a couple of years ago, I was riding up with a stranger on skis who didn't move quickly, I got tangled, lost my balance and slipped, and the lift grabbed my right arm and nearly tore it off. Fortunately the operator was vigilant. I wasn't clamoring to get on another one like it, but had no such trouble this time. Progress!

   On Monday we rode like crazy from 9-4:15, then hit the Porcupine for a massive pile of gourmet nachos and beers, before we headed back home. Later, Brad picked me up and gave me a tour of downtown SLC. The coolest part was grabbing a coffee to abate the chill, and walking around the Mormon temple, tabernacle, gardens, conference center, reflecting pool, and statuary. It is a stunning complex, right down to the ornate iron gates surrounding the grounds.

Walker Center tells the weather!!!

   Tuesday morning the Tres Amigos loaded up all our things and headed back to Solitude to ride for a half day. Our only option was a full-day lift ticket, so we rode like mad men to get the most out of it. I really dig the Eagle Ridge to Sunshine Bowl to Grumble run. Super long, rolling groomers with long, flat, FAST stretches in between. I've made peace with speed and we are amigos now. And I have the windburn on the exposed areas of my face to prove it.
   Now we're at the airport hoping to catch our flight from SLC through Denver to KC. All three cities got significant snow last night (all my coworkers seem to be working from home!), so it will be interesting to see if we actually make it tonight as planned. I have to admit, it wouldn't break my heart to be stuck in a ski town for an extra day. Have board, will ride.  :)
   You don't see pictures on these last few posts because, apparently, the cold in Utah was too much for my old iPhone 4s. Said a prayer, steeped it in rice, prayed again, didn't work. So I'll have to get some photos from my friends to add in later.

Snowbird, Day 3

   By this morning (4 am to be exact), it was clear that I had more than a cold. Richard graciously offered to take me to urgent care and to pick up my prescription, so the other three boys could get on with their day. Sinus infection confirmed, I got on my meds and debated on whether to take it easy at the condo or head to the 'bird. The decision was easy: fresh powder yesterday, and a gorgeous, sunny, bluebird day today. To the mountain!
   We arrived by 11:00 when the crowd was already thinning for lunch & the Superbowl, so I was able to get a lot of riding in. My head began to feel much better, and much to my relief, I was able to focus 100% on having fun again. By 1:00 the slopes were empty; we nearly had all the runs to ourselves. Thank you, football!!!! We rode until 4:30 when the lifts closed and made a beeline home to the beef stew we'd thrown in the crock pot this morning.
   I was thinking, as crummy as it is that I'm not feeling well, I'm well enough to ride, and THANK GOODNESS it hit me on this trip and not when I was in Roatan. Here in Draper, a great urgent care facility was 2.5 miles away, and the pharmacy next door. I could ride with a head cold. In diving, however, there would be no such luck: congestion means no diving, there was NOTHING else to do at our resort, and good luck finding urgent care on the tiny, remote island of Roatan. So I'm very grateful things worked out the way they did!

Snowbird, Day 2

   Day 2 at the 'bird was a bit more trying... After two hard days of riding, my legs were beginning to talk back, making my form sloppy and falls more eminent. It snowed all day, with visibility greatly reduced for much of it. Thank goodness Brett loaned me his low-light goggles, so I had a snowball's chance of seeing where I was going! Mine are only for sunlight. While we were cold and vis was poor, fresh pow is always welcome.
   I also woke up feeling lousy, and suspected a sinus infection. Huge bummer to be sick on vacation, but I wasn't about to let that stop me. I rode from 9-2:00, until my head was pounding so hard I simply couldn't continue. Then I sat in Creekside Cafe at the base under a warm heater, drinking 50/50 hot chocolate & coffee, and chatted it up with the locals. Had an invitation to join a couple of guys in their hot tub but figured I'd better decline.  ;)
   We all cooked dinner tonight at the condo: Mexican extravaganza! Made chicken enchilada soup, fresh black bean salsa, and fresh guacamole. Big hit. (Thanks to Ginny for the mixes that made it even easier.)

Snowbird, day 1

Los Tres Amigos!

   Snowbird proved to not be as difficult of a mountain as everything I've read... Either that, or I'm becoming a better rider! Spent all day on the blues and some greens. Great day to ride, with the sun and even a little blue sky peeking out at times, near white out at others.

   Met up with Brad & his family briefly and then went back up to kill it some more.

   Traveling with five dudes + others met along the way = awesome

Dinner in Draper

   "Live underwater"?! Of course I'd find the scuba cart at the grocery store on a snowboarding trip to Utah!

   Extensive beer selection at the condo. Thinking of Trish!

   Putting Brett to work. Shopping & cooking for 5 is harder than for 1, it turns out.

Buckeye and Luckyboy

   Greetings from on high #jenandrafael #snowboarding #buckeye #luckyboy

I feel right at home here in Park City. In fact, I love it!!!!!!

Power to the Pow-Pow!!!

   I've already packed my lucky Snow Patrol T-shirt, to ensure we get dumped on. And the forecast is looking good so far… Fingers, toes, and eyes crossed!!!

   Update: 10" of fresh pow waiting for us at Park on Thursday, and it snowed all day long. Friday promises to be epic.

Giddyup!!!!!

   Heavy snow as we touched down... Double-digit fresh pow overnight! Pow all day long. Power to the Pow-Pow! Yesssssssssssssssssssssssss

DM vs. SM

   I finally did my two favorite sports on the same day!!! Now I just have to add eight more crazy things and I'll have my own personal decathlon!

   That's me in the lower center, demonstrating mask-clearing and regulator-recovery techniques with the group. Both very important for a fun and safe dive. The students--and the Divemasters--today were great!

   The only photos I took on the "mountain" are these delightful mascots that someone created for the children ski area. I wish I knew who it was, but Snowcreek's website doesn't give any information… props to you, whomever you are!

I can almost taste the pow-pow

   Got the condo, the lift tickets, the new helmet, & the fellow riders. Countdown to Utah. It can't come soon enough!

   Sitzmark had some sweet used boards for sale. Too many toys with cool graphics. I should have chosen a less-tempting hobby. :)

Snow Cat

   Sketch for David B's thank you card (he procured the Gold Passes for us on our recent ski trip). This is his kitty, Sosa, and I call it "Snow Cat". I'm really excited for him to get it. He loved the card I drew for him last time with Sammy, the dog he hoped to get someday. But he actually has Sosa already! It was such a bummer he was unexpectedly unable to join us on this trip. Here's hoping my body is back to 100% and ready to shred up a storm next season!

Gone Shredding

   Just returned to work from my madcap four days on the mountains! Had left this sketch on my chair... And now that my skills are 10x what they were five days ago, the drawing is more accurate than when I initially drew it!  ;)

POWDER DAY!!!

   The sign on the bus says it all!!! Last day at Breck looks to be a great one!

Powder Day!!!

   Day 1 on the mountain was awesome, and today (day 2) we woke up to TEN INCHES of fresh powder! Off to carve like crazy!!!

My horoscope made me do it

The Radiant 2010 by Salomon

   Today's horoscope says, "Treat yourself to something you want that you didn't get." And I'm sure it meant to say somethingS, so I bought myself an electric-yellow snowboarding coat so I can be easily spotted on the slopes, and an equally-awesome new animal-themed board. (I feel slightly less guilty since they were both heavily-discounted, and will be happily enjoyed.)

   Now, if I were completely out of control, I also would have purchased the following two awesomely-designed boards. (Lord, please grant me the strength to resist...) It is a really, REALLY bad idea for artists to become snowboarders... these things are real works of art!

b
Bataleon Violenza 2012 (maybe it will go on sale in 2013?)

The Coda 2012 by Arbor shows off gorgeous bamboo with a Japanese motif

Tahoe Wrap-Up

3 friends. 6 days. 21.5 hours. 55 lifts. 25 pins.
33 photos. 56,583 vertical feet. 10 miles.
0 broken bones. 100% awesome!

   Epic Mix uses your RF (radio frequency)-enabled season pass to track all your stats so you can challenge your friends, earn badges, and get professional photos on-mountain. (Now, if they could only catch action shots on the slopes!) I'm sure snowboarding was amazing before this technology, but I'm even more sure that it's better now!
   I may still be getting the hang of riding, but I've loved it from day 1, and it gets better every time I hit it. Now that I'm able to link turns and am picking up speed, it is the most amazing feeling... probably the closest I'll ever get to flying!

Lake Tahoe: Day 6

   We aimed to get in another pretty full day at Heavenly today, and we got it: we were on mountain from about 11-4:00, although I only lasted about 3 hours of that. My brain was strong, but my muscles were weak! My first few runs were fantastic, & I'm so glad I went out, but by 3:30 I was making mistakes and slipping up more frequently--due simply to fatigue this time rather than inexperience. That was frustrating, but I had skipped lunch, and this was day 5 of riding for at least 3 hours per day, so I shouldn't be surprised or frustrated! I just wanted to ride as long as possible now  that I was really getting the hang of it. Brett & Rafael were still zooming past me, but I was linking turns and making my way down much more quickly & confidently, if a little slower than everyone else.

   So I hung out and sipped water and ate the clementines and Clif Z-bars I'd stashed in my pockets, and waited for the boys to finish out the last runs of the day. It was nice to relax, taking in the clean air and watching others delight in flying down the slopes and deftly maneuvering back into line again. It was an awesome sight to see the skiers and riders cresting the hills, with the sun high above, illuminating the snow that clouded their feet as they sliced over and through it. Sheer poetry!

   Today was the opposite of yesterday: it was me who had the sleepy eyes and the dreamy look when we met in the lodge, not Brett. Brett even remarked on it, as amused as I was the night before. "I need food to perk me up," I said. So we returned, changed, & headed out to hunt & gather.

   Brett noticed a Hawaiian/Asian fusion place called Kalani right by the ice rink in the village. We still had 20 minutes of happy hour, so we sat at the bar with our gin & tonic, beers, & wine and knocked back a bunch of small plates: spicy edamame, sweet short ribs, a shredded pork quesadilla, spicy tuna rolls, and chicken wings. And the pieces de resistance: creme brulee cheesecake with fresh mango sauce, and fried banana springs rolls with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce. A perfect way to savor our last evening.

   ...Not that we were done savoring. Another romp through freezing temperatures to reach the piping-hot, outdoor spa was in order. And it was the nightcap my aching body needed. By now only my neck tenderness lingered; from supporting the weight of the helmet, rather than from crashes. Improvement!!!

   Every night this week I've slept easily & soundly. It's nice to sleep until I wake up with the sunrise, rather than be jarred awake by an alarm. So what I love about ski trips is this balance of very strenuous (and very fun) physical activity during the day, & very restful sleep at night. Alright! ;)

Lake Tahoe: Day 5

   Today we were on a mission: we got up early, got ready and ate a quick, big breakfast, then dashed out the door to get on the road to Northstar. The lifts opened at 8:30 and we aimed to be on the first gondola up to the skies!
   From 8:30-11:30 I continued riding the Vista Express lift up to the the Skidtrail & Lumberjack trails. Once I felt confident on those, I switched from Lumberjack onto Cascade & Main Street, which were steeper blue runs. I got in a lot of practice linking turns while speeding downhill, which is still a little
scary for me.
   Feeling good and confident, I took a quick break to hit the lodge for a bowl of soup, then set back out on those blue runs. I was doing well enough that I thought I at least needed to take the Tahoe Zephyr Express lift once, to see the new Zephyr lodge that will open next week. I knew all the trails up there were blues, but I had no idea what they'd be like. Only one
way to find out, right?
   I hopped on the Upper, then Lower Pioneer trails, which turned out to be quite steep, narrow blues. I took my time and did okay on them; if the sun were higher and they had better light, it would have been easier to see where I was going. That flat light is trouble! So I only ended up doing them once, but was really glad to have tackled them. It gave me some new confidence to take with me to Heavenly tomorrow...
   All in all, I rode about 6.5 hours, and had very few falls. You'd think I'd be tired after such a long day, but I was so happy and fired up!!! I was SO excited about the progress I'd made. And my fire was stoked by our dinner at Mikuni Sushi, in Northstar Village. I had a couple of rolls, Heath (panko breaded shrimp, spicy tuna, salmon, avocado, masago & scallion, with unagi sauce) and Spicy Johnny (panko breaded shrimp, spicy tuna, unagi, avocado, masago and scallion). Both were very similar and equally delicious. (Can you hear me drooling?)
   Then we drove back "home" to South Lake Tahoe, for another glass of wine and some fancy chocolates (Lindt dark chocolate with chili peppers, and with fleur de sel.) If that isn't the way to end the day, I don't know what is!

Lake Tahoe, Day 4

   This morning we checked the ski report for Heavenly & confirmed that no additional runs had opened up. So we rented a car and headed up to Northstar. We had breakfast (oatmeal and fruit) but I guess I must be burning extra calories by working out several hours a day... I'm ALWAYS hungry! So I ate my leftover pad thai in car on way.

   We got a noon start at Northstar and I spent the majority of my time on Skid Trail, taking it to Lumberjack (both greens). There were some steep spots, but these runs offered great opportunities for me to practice linking my turns. I had to consciously weight my front foot, lean forward over my board, thrust my hip forward, and use my gaze to point my direction, hip and shoulder aligned. When I was able to do all that, I had some great, long stretches of time where I just coasted, then alternately got more aggressive and sped things up. So fun.

   I still had a number of tumbles, but much less today, so I was really pleased with my progress. Fingers crossed that another day at Northstar will set me up for the last day and a half of the trip, at the hellish Heavenly...

   I finished up as the lifts closed at 4:00, coasted down to the gondola base, and dismounted. I had a great conversation with Gary and Anastasia, a Northstar employee and Epic Mix photographer, respectively. I am amazed at how helpful and friendly all the employees are--at Northstar, Heavenly, and even in Breckenridge back in March! The resorts seem to attract the best and brightest consistently, & it makes the experience that much more fun. Kudos to them!

   Along those lines, Brett and Rafael have been great travel companions; very fun and flexible, and we've gotten along great. I feel very lucky to know them!

   So, famished, we had dinner at the Chocolate Bar in the Village. I devoured my share of honey-bbq chicken wings, and then a flatiron steak with broccoli and a heaping helping of sweet potato fries, all drizzled with balsamic glaze. YUM.

   Then we drove home, stopping at the grocery store for some provisions for tomorrow. A couple glasses of wine and again, I was out like a light. Turns out that hours & hours of exercise + good meals + early sunsets makes you tired.

Deja vu

   Eating pad Thai in the car again, on the way up to Northstar. Just like the intermission during my hiking adventure in the Columbia Gorge last week!
   We rented a Ford Escape from Avis this morning and are on the road. I am so thankful to be going to Northstar today & tomorrow, since they have many more open runs that suit my skill level. My big learning from this trip: careful booking early in the season when there may not be much snow, and if you do, go someplace with a ton of green & blue runs on which to play.
   My goal for today is to work on the basics: simple, tight serpentines of toe- & heel-side down the slopes, building up speed and building up to steeper inclines. If I nail that in the next two days, I'll be in good shape o finish out at Heavenly on Tuesday & Wednesday... Wish me luck!