Park City Mountain Resort 3/24

Another day of spring skiing. Overnight temps were in the mid-twenties. But it warmed up quickly and hit a high near 50. The snow was a little firm at first, but softened up nicely.

I don't get down to the Town Lift very often, so decided to check it out today. Both Quittin' Time and Creole runs were in great shape and there was no line at all for the lift -- that couldn't be said for most other lifts on the mountain.


(Old Town (foreground) from Quittin' Time run.)


(The old and the new.)

I'm surprised at how crowded things still are. I thought the crowds might die down after Easter. But there must be enough schools still on spring break. I guess Park City is just that popular. :)


(Beautiful slopeside living.)

I made a couple of runs off Thaynes (Double Jack and Comstock) and McConkey's (Tycoon and Sunrise) before finishing up on Silver Skis. A short day, but fun nonetheless.

If you go, remember it's a bit firm in the mornings. Maybe better to wait a bit and let the sun soften things up. But keep in mind that those runs that get the sun all morning will be slushy by the afternoon. Move around the mountain and find something you like.

' til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 3/23

Happy Easter!

I spent the day chasing the Easter Bunny around Deer Valley. It was yet another beautiful, sunny day -- great spring skiing.

Expecting crowds in the lodges at lunchtime, we stopped for an early lunch at 11. We had no trouble finding a table that early and the carrot cake was (again) excellent. Easter / Easter Bunny / Bunny Carrots / Carrots Carrot Cake. Therefore Easter == Carrot Cake. :)


(Lunch.)

We started the afternoon on Wasatch but quickly headed over to Northside and eventually Empire. Lots of people on Supreme so we headed down to Lady Morgan. The slopes that had gotten the sun all morning (say Magnet) were pretty slushy. But the snow in Centennial Trees was still pretty firm -- soft enough to get an edge in but not much softer than that.


(Bryan atop Empire.)

After a quick water break at Empire -- gotta stay hydrated when it's warm out -- we worked our way back across the mountain: Ruby, Silver Strike, Quincy, Crown Point -- to get over to Deer Crest. The groomers there were excellent as always, even if the snow on Jordanelle was quite soft.


(Jordanelle gondola.)

We finished the day with apres ski at the Snow Park lodge. Beer and music on the deck in the sun while watching others make their last runs of the day. Not a bad way to spend Easter.

'til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 3/19

The forecast was for cloudy skies with rain in the afternoon. Luckily, they were wrong! It turned out to be a perfect spring skiing day. Wonderful blue skies and moderate temperatures. A perfect day to be on the slopes.


(Skiers on "the beach" at Silver Lake.)

Unfortunately, a lot of other people had the same idea. I guess it's Spring Break for a lot of schools. Combine that with the upcoming Easter weekend, and there are tons of people in town. Fortunately though, the mountain at Deer Valley spreads people out fairly well so the lines weren't very long. And skiing the singles lines helps.


(Starting my afternoon on Sterling.)

I spent the morning on Wasatch and Sultan enjoying the groomers. The snow is a little hard because of the warm days and cold nights we've had. But, with a decent edge, you can still make some nice turns. I left my Rossis at Rennstall for a tune overnight and will leave my Volkls there soon for the same.


(View from top of Silver Strike -- Timp in the distance.)

In the afternoon, I made some runs on Silver Strike, Ruby, and Quincy just for variety. I even made a quick trip over to Deer Crest to enjoy some of those runs that I don't get to very often.

If you go, get there early -- the parking lot has been filling up by mid-morning even on week days. Plus, you'll be able to enjoy the corduroy before everyone else tracks it up.

' til later,
- Jeff

Park City Mountain Resort 3/17

After a shaky start -- gotta watch out for that sun-baked powder! -- things turned out pretty ok. Scott and I quickly made a beeline for McConkey's to get away from the crowds. I was surprised how many people were on the hill -- on a Monday no less. But the line at McConkey's wasn't too bad -- it never is.

The Black Forest trees weren't all that great so we decided to hike Jupiter Peak. I'd never been to the top before. I'd hiked up the shoulder a few times and had some great runs, but never gone all the way to the summit. Today it was well worth it. Great view from the top. And some nice snow on the face.

We repeated a few times, dropping in a bit sooner each time. But the snow almost seemed to get better. Maybe it had gotten less wind. Anyhow, the snow was great. The skies were blue. And overall it was a great day.

I'm learning that the picture quality of the iPhone isn't always so great -- it sometimes gets tripped up by too much bright light and sometimes the color balance seems off. But it's nice just carrying one device - phone, iPod, and camera in one. So you'll just have to deal with it. :) All pictures have been "enhanced" in iPhoto -- i.e. I hit the enhance button instead of tweaking the image manually. I'm just too lazy. But you can still see that it was a really, really nice day.


(Scott.)


(Yours truly resting on the hike up Jupiter.)


(Flagpole at the top of Jupiter.)


(Tree.)


(Scott ripping it up on the east face.)

If you go (and are an expert skier) don't be afraid of the hike from McConkey's. The snow can be well worth it.

'til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 3/15

A weekend storm brought a few inches of snow on Friday and again Saturday making for a nice day of skiing. Some friends were skiing at Deer Valley, so I met them on the hill.


(A beautiful mistake -- not sure what went wrong with this photo.)

There was some nice new snow in the trees, but I had more fun on the groomers. I spent the morning on Sterling, Wasatch, and Sultan -- as usual :) I think Legal Tender in the morning was my favorite run of the day.


(Your host.)

Unfortunately, I wasn't having a great day -- not sure if it was a migraine headache or a cold coming on, but I definitely wasn't on top of my game. So about lunch time I called it a day and headed home for a nap.


(A gorgeous morning.)


(Guests coming up Wasatch Express.)

It's nice having a pass and being able to make as many or as few runs as you feel like without feeling like you wasted a day.

If you go, remember to shoot for an early (before 11am) or a late lunch (after 1:30) if you want to find a place to sit.

'til later,
- Jeff

Park City Mountain Resort 3/9

Did you remember to set your clock forward a hour? Today is the start of daylight savings time! But based on how few cars were in the parking lot at 9am, I'm guessing most people forgot. In fact, the mountain was almost deserted for the first hour.

Too bad for those sleepyheads! They missed out on some perfect corduroy.


(Perfect corduroy awaits.)

I made a few runs off Silverlode to warm up. That and to leave a few perfect arcs on the groomers. I absolutely love my Rossignol Z9s.


(A beautiful morning.)

A short time later, my friend Bryan joined me and we decided to explore a bit more of the mountain. We spent the morning on McConkey's before an early lunch at Mid-Mountain Lodge -- gotta beat the crowds.


(Easter's not for another 2 weeks, but the Easter Bunny was already busy hiding eggs at Park City.)

Then we headed over to Jupiter for the afternoon. I usually spend my days on McConkeys and sadly neglect the awesome terrain on Jupiter. True, I hate slow lifts, but sometimes it's worth it. Indicator wasn't quite as good as last time, but there were still some good turns to be had. Portuguese Gap was probably my favorite run of the day.


(Jupiter through Pioneer.)

Afterwards we headed to Wasatch Brew Pub for dinner. The 30 minute was wait perfect for enjoying a few beers. And the beer cheese soup was a perfect appetizer for the cheesesteak sandwich.

'til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 3/5

Yet another beautiful day at Deer Valley. This was my 32nd day out this year! That's one of every three days for the last three months! With all the snow we got in December and January, the base is deep. And the sun is out and the temps up a bit making for some great skiing.


(Guess who!)

I spent most of the day on groomers, skiing off Wasatch, Sultan, and Sterling. The snow was great, so why go anywhere else?


(Top of Crown Point.)


(Keep tips up.)

If you go, don't try the carrot cake at lunchtime -- cause once you do, you'll never be able to eat there again without getting a piece! At $5 and probably 5000 calories, it's probably not something you should have every day. But it's so good! :)

'til later,
- Jeff

Real Estate 3/2

One of the reasons I didn't post to the blog for a while was that I've been spending a lot of time in real estate. In November 2007, I joined Keller Williams Park City Real Estate. Park City is the greatest place in the world to live so I decided to help others make it their home. :)

While the national media loves a good doomsday story -- Housing Market Tanks Nationwide -- it just isn't true. Real Estate is such a local industry that it isn't fair to make such sweeping generalizations. You wouldn't trust a national weather forecast -- why trust a national housing picture? True, the market is down in some states. But Utah didn't have the same overbuilding that happened in those places. And our job market continues to be very strong. In fact, the housing market in Utah is UP 9.3% in the last year.

And the local market in Park City is even stronger than the Utah market. Check out parkcityhousingfacts.com to get the real scoop. Then, if you're interested in buying or selling in Park City check out jefflorenzen.com. You can search the entire Park City MLS (PCMLS). No obligation. No pressure. I'd just love to help.

'til later,
Jeff

Sorry! 3/1

Hey! Sorry I've been bad about keeping this updated. I've been out skiing lots that last two months, but have been really bad about blogging. I'm back and I promise to be better!

If you haven't heard, it's been an incredible winter in Utah! So much snow! December and January were absolutely insane. Several storms that brought three feet in three days or so. In one ten-day stretch we had 90" of snow! That's 9" a day! Crazy!

The banks of snow at the end of my driveway were 10 feet tall. My snowblower hated me. (It actually quit for a time, but I got it some rehab and it's doing better.) And my road looked more like a bobsled track that a street -- one car wide with huge banks so you could barely see the houses.

It's warmed up a bit and the sun is out, but we've got so much snow that we'll be able to ski into August. Just kidding on the August part, but seriously, skiing will be great right on through closing weekend. If you haven't made it out to Utah yet, there's still time. Deer Valley is open through April 13 and the Cottonwood resorts will be open later than that.

Here are some of my pics from the last two months. Thanks to all my skiing friends for some great days.


(Scott on Pinyon Ridge at Park City Mountain Resort.)


(Scott dropping into P-Zone.)


(Jeff and Bryan at Deer Valley.)


(A deer at Deer Valley. :) )

Cheers! Enjoy the snow and tune in often.

'til later,
- Jeff