Christmas Eve at Deer Valley 12/24

Conditions: packed powder over machine made
Weather: twenties, sunny
Gear: Volkl 7 24 Pro skis

Sunday Kevin and I headed up to Deer Valley. We met up with Eric for a gorgeous day of skiing. We caught a little soft in the trees off Sultan before heading across the mountain to Empire.

(Kevin in the trees.)

After lunch in Empire Lodge, we met up with James and Dave and headed up Empire lift. Since it only opened last week, there was still some nice snow left. We had a few nice runs down Empire Bowl before heading out to Daly Bowl. The best snow we found was in the trees off the traverse.


(Me at the top of Empire, looking over Heber.)


(Eric skiing Empire Bowl.)

Another of Deer Valley's well-kept secrets is the apres ski at Snow Park Lodge. On the weekends, there's live music while you enjoy drinks and snacks. Check it out if you're ever up there.

'til next time,
- Jeff

Back to Brighton 12/21

Conditions: packed powder
Weather: twenties, sunny
Gear: K2 Recon Riser snowboard

Today I made it back to Brighton for the first time since opening day. There were a lot fewer people there (go figure!) and so it was pretty nice. The snow has definitely improved -- that last storm really helped.



I spent most of my day riding off Snake Creek and Great Western. There is some really great terrain off both those lifts. The groomers were nice but the stuff in the trees was the best. Runs like Lone Star and Thor are really fun.


(Top of Great Western; Timpanogos and American Fork in the background.)

My pet-peeve-of-the-day: people who smoke on the lift! I'm pretty sure it's not allowed to begin with, but don't invited yourself to ride up with someone else, then light up! Rude!



I hear we may get a little snow tomorrow. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

'til next time,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 12/16-17

Conditions: powder!
Weather: twenties, snowy
Gear: Volkl 7 24 Pro skis

So, we finally got some serious snow this weekend! A storm moved in Friday and it snowed about 2 feet between then and Sunday night. This made for some awesome skiing both Saturday and Sunday!

Saturday I headed up to Deer Valley for a great day of skiing. Cars were already parked out to Lot 5 when I got there, but I didn't see any of the crowd on the slopes. The snow (5" as of the morning report) was wonderful.

Sunday was even better. They were reporting another 10" overnight and it was at least that! If you got off the side of the trail or in the trees, you could easily find knee-deep powder with spots where it was even deeper. This was the best day of the year so far!

I had my first face-plant in a long time on Sunday afternoon. It was my last run of the day and started down Success then veered off under the Silver Lake Express lift. There's a nice little pitch there that had only 3 sets of tracks. I was making some nice turns and even caught a little air off the cat track. But right where the hill leveled off and merged with Solid Muldoon, the powder got really deep and my skis stopped cold! Both rear bindings ejected simultaneously and I went face first in the snow. I wound up with my goggles around my mouth and a helmet full of snow! But it was totally worth it! And I'm sure the folks on that chair got a good laugh.

Sorry no pics. On account of the cloudy, snowy weather, I didn't take my camera. But I'll get some shots for you next time I go.

'til next time,
- Jeff

Solitude 12/9

[Sorry ... coupla days behind. I'll get caught up soon. I promise!]

Conditions: packed powder
Weather: sunny, chilly
Gear: Volkl 7 24 Pro skis

Went up to Solitude on Saturday. It was a beautiful day. As usual, Solitude wasn't crowded at all. And the snow was nice, though we could use a little more.

It had been a few years since I had skied Solitude. I used to have a pass there during grad school, but haven't skied there much since then. There is some really nice terrain, especially off the Summit lift.

The terrain in Honeycomb Canyon is also awesome. They didn't have the lift back there last time I was there and it's a welcome addition. That cat track out of there used to be torture on a snowboard! It still takes a few lifts (Sunrise and Summit or the *looonnnggggg* Powderhorn) to make laps in Honeycomb, but it's really worth it.

(Honeycomb Canyon from the top of Summit lift.)

One thing I realized was how spoiled I've become! The last few years I've done most of my skiing and riding at the Park City resorts: Park City and Deer Valley. Almost all the lifts at those resorts are high-speed lifts. Unfortunately, Solitude only has the one high-speed quad and there's so much great terrain that it doesn't service. It means spending a lot of time riding the slower lifts. But your reward is that you usually have the resort to yourself. Tradeoffs! :)

'til next time,

- Jeff

Snowbird 12/5

Conditions: packed powder
Weather: sunny, pleasant (20s)
Gear: K2 Recon Riser snowboard

Today I made it to Snowbird for the first time in years. The weather was nice, the conditions were decent, and the crowds were non-existant.

(Two views of Mineral Basin.)

I spent most of my time on the Gad Valley side of the mountain, making runs off GadZoom and Gad2. But I did venture over to the tram for a run down Regulator.


(Salt Lake City from Hidden Peak.)

There's definitely some great terrain on this mountain, but they could use a little more snow to cover some of the rocks. I think I'll wait to go back until they get the new Peruvian Quad open.

'til next time.
- Jeff

Deer Valley 12/2

Conditions: packed powder
Weather: sunny, low teens (COLD!)
Gear: Volkl 7 24 Pro skis

Saturday, Deer Valley opened for the 2006-07 ski season! The skies were a beautiful blue and the snow wasn't too bad. As always, it was a good day to be out.



(Me. Atop Bald Mtn.)

I tried to hit each of the runs that was open. This included Birdseye off of both Wasatch Express and the newly upgraded Sterling Express (It used to be a SLOW triple. Hooray for the upgrade!)


(Riding up Wasatch Express.)

I then headed down the scenic Sunset to try Ontario off of Quincy Express. It's a bummer they don't have more open over there, but they were working on it and promised to have more (hopefully Northside Express) in the next day or two.


(View from Sunset.)

After a hearty lunch of Deer Valley signature turkey chili (yum) I made a few runs with a friend who is a ski school supervisor. We did Birdseye again before heading back to Bald Eagle Mountain and making a few runs off Carpenter Express. Big Stick was a little slick where it gets real trafficed, but Success was in nice shape.


(Looking out over Park City to the north.)

As I mentioned, snowmaking was in progress and it looked like Deer Valley would have much more terrain open soon. I can't wait!

'til next time,
- Jeff

PS Remember, Deer Valley only allows skiing -- take your snowboards to Park City.

Park City Mountain Resort 11/29

Conditions: packed powder
Weather: teens, sunny
Gear: K2 Recon Riser snowboard

So Utah got hit by a huge snowstorm the beginning of this week. It snowed much of Monday and Tuesday and the mountains picked up a few feet of snow. This morning I blew the 10" of snow out of my driveway and headed to Park City for a little riding.



What a different 12 days can make! The conditions were much improved over my last visit. Park City still didn't have a whole lot of terrain open, but they are working on it. They were making tons of snow on Payday and the cats were smoothing out Silver Queen to get it open tomorrow. Check out the details on their blog available on http://www.pcmr.com.



I made most of my runs off Payday, sticking to the lower mountain. I had the whole place to myself and took advantage to find little stashes of powder off the side of the trails.



The only drawback was the temperature! It was 12 degrees when I left the car and my face was frozen much of the day. But it was a good excuse to stop in the Legacy Lodge and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. With skies this blue, you can't complain.


'til next time,
- Jeff

Alta 11/19

Conditions: packed powder
Weather: 40s, sunny
Gear: Volkl 7 24 Pro skis

Sunday we headed up to Alta for a beautiful day of skiing. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the snow wasn't too bad either!


(Top of Sugarloaf.)

Alta had about half their terrain open, which was better than most of the Utah resorts. While it was a little thin off the beaten track, it really wasn't bad. I didn't do any damage to my skis which is a good thing -- they've got to last a few more weeks until the new ones show up.


(Bill.)

I hadn't been to Alta in years. Since my last visit, they have made Sugarloaf and Collins into quads and rebuilt the Watson Shelter. It was nice to get back and all the improvements make this an even better place to ski. I have many, many fond memories of skiing here during college and grad school. The half day AM ticket is such a great deal -- ski Sunday morning while everyone is still in church and still have time to get your homework done in the afternoon! Patrick, Kevin, Brian, Greg, John -- if you're reading this, drop me a line.

'til next time,
- Jeff

PS Remember, Alta is for skiers! No snowboarders allowed.

Park City Mountain Resort 11/17

Conditions: almost spring-like
Weather: warm, forties
Gear: Volkl 7 24 Pro skis

Park City Mountain Resort opened for the season today with Payday and First Time lifts and a few trails. Home Run and Treasure Hollow were open off Payday. And Turtle Trail was open off First Time.

I mostly skied off of Payday. The weather was beautifully warm, even if the snow was a little soft. It was a great day to be out.



Hopefully the weather will cool off a bit and a nice big storm will blow itself in. Still waiting for that first big powder day ...

'til next time,
- Jeff

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

Conditions: Powder/man-made
Weather: upper twenties and sunny
Gear: K2 Recon Riser snowboard

OK, ok. It may be a littler early for the kids to be jingle-belling, but that time will be here soon enough. No, right now it's time for the resorts to open!



Brighton kicked off the 2006-07 Utah ski season today opening two lifts at 9am. They added another lift (Crest) at noon. I headed up to make a few runs.

The snow wasn't too bad at all. Generally better where they had made snow, but you could still find a little powder off to the side. No complaints for this early in the season.


((My) first chair of the year.)

I'm betting most of the classrooms in SLC were empty today -- all the students were up on the hill! But I'm not gonna tell -- I probably shoulda been at work myself.

The snow guns were running all day along side the half-pipe and they were setting up even more. Hopefully they will have that open soon.



Keep your fingers crossed that we get more snow! Santa needs someplace to land his sleigh.

'til next time (Alta tomorrow),
- Jeff

Octoberfest 9/2

Not that you should need an excuse to go up to the mountains to relax. :) But Snowbird is hosting their annual Octoberfest. This is your chance to enjoy traditional German food (bratwurst, spatzle, apfelstrudel), music, and, of course, beer! Prost!


(The Snowbird tram takes guests up Hidden Peak.)

On your first trip through the beer line, be sure to buy a stein. Then on later visits (later that day or later in the year) bring back your stein for a cheaper refill. The pumkin beer is good, but the apricot hefeweizen is my favorite.


(Bill and Doug.)

Octoberfest continues weekends through October 8th. Check out http://www.snowbird.com/ for more details.

'til later,
- Jeff

Park City Marathon 8/26

On Saturday, a perfect (cool, damp) morning, I toed the line for the 10th annual Park City Marathon.

The beautiful course for this marathon starts at Trailside Elementary and makes a loop around the business park before coming back to the school and through Mountain Ranch Estates. It then heads up Old Ranch Road and along 224 crossing under at the white barn. There's a bit of a hill up Three Kings and Empire Avenue before dropping down and across the Town Bridge. From there you take the Rail Trail back to Promontory and finish where you started.


(Crossing Town Bridge, waving to Mom & Dad.)

I was lucky enough to have my parents join me as spectators. They provided much encouragement and most of the pictures you see. It was nice to have them out.


(Along the Rail Trail.)

As it was my first marathon in 15 years and only my second marathon ever, my primary goal was to finish. I figured if I could run ten-minute miles, I'd be happy. And if I broke 4 hours, I'd be quite pleased. Things were going well the first 18 miles and I was averaging about 9 minutes a mile. But the last 8, especially the last 6 kicked my butt. I made it to the finish and did so in 4:16, so I was happy. But there's room for improvement next year!


(The finish.)

For more on the race and to see race photos and results, click http://www.pcmarathon.com/

'til later,
- Jeff

Lake Powell 5/17-21

May 17 we headed the 5 hours south to Lake Powell. Thirteen people, two dogs, two ski boats, one jetski, one big (59'!) houseboat, and four days of fun in the sun.

We all arrived on Wednesday night to take advantage of the pre-board option, saving time the morning of our departure. We actually took the houseboat out that night and camped near the ferry dock. Early the next morning, we launched the ski boats and took off up the lake.


(Heading up lake on the houseboat.)

There was plenty of water skiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, and bare footing not to mention a little cliff diving, some volleyball, and plenty of sunshine.


(Me wakeboarding.)

The weather couldn't have been much nicer. Daytime temps were near 100 but there was enough breeze to keep it from being too hot. Water temps were close to 70.


(Sunset.)

We ate like kings and queens. Due to some trouble with the generator one day, we had to grill our English Muffins! But the salmon later in the trip was excellent.


(Volleyball.)

As usual, a good time was had by all. I can't wait for out next trip.

'til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 4/16

Conditions: spring skiing
Weather: fifties but windy
Gear: skis

Easter Sunday and closing day at Deer Valley. It was your typical spring skiing -- a little firm in the morning, but softening nicely by noon. A good wind probably helped keep things from getting too warm. No one on the mountain. We stuck mostly to groomers because they were the best snow.


(Eric on Stein's Way.)


(Jeff on Stein's Way.)


(Jordanelle from the top of Sultan.)

That's probably it for my season. It's been great. A personal record of 35 days of skiing or snowboarding. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

'til later,
- Jeff

Deer Valley 3/12

Conditions: powder
Weather: twenties and snowing
Gear: skis

Another incredible day at Deer Valley! I've been very lucky this year and gotten a few awesome powder days there. It absolutely dumped from 10 to noon. Killer powder in the trees. And it kept most of the crowds inside, so no lines! It was great.

I'm not going to give away all my secrets, but there really is some great skiing at Deer Valley. You just have to know where to look for it. If you go, enjoy!

'til later,
- Jeff

PS Thanks to Eric for the ticket. It's great skiing with you guys.

Park City Mountain Resort 2/26

Conditions: hard pack
Weather: forties
Gear: snowboard

Another beautiful day! Not quite as blue sky as yesterday, but a little warmer. A very nice day to be out.


(Porcupine Ridge from the base of Silverlode.)

Pretty much an exact repeat of yesterday. But this time on a snowboard. And with some friends from Atlanta. Thanks guys.


(Trail map.)

Not nearly as crowded as I thought it would be. The President's Week crowd must all be flying home today. Glad I'm not at the airport!

'til later,
- Jeff

Park City Mountain Resort 2/25

Conditions: hard pack
Weather: upper thirties
Gear: skis

What a beautiful day! I've had some pretty good days this year, but many of them have been in snow or under clouds. Today, the weather was *perfect* !!! Beautiful blue skies and nice warm temperatures. Awesome.


(Top station of Silverlode.)

I started with a few runs on Silverlode. All groomers. All out. Plenty of fun.


(Bottom of Silverlode.)

Then I met up with Pete, a former colleague, and we made a few more runs under Silverlode before heading over to McConkey's by way of Single Jack and Thaynes. Comstock was in great shape - groomed overnight and just slightly softened by the warm morning sun.


(Me.)

We had a few nice runs off of McConkey's including a run through the bumps. They were in pretty good shape - not quite as hard as I had feared. We wrapped up the day with a run down Silver Queen and lunch at El Cubasco.

Not a bad day at all.

'til later,
- Jeff

Park City Mountain Resort 2/18

Conditions: hard-pack, dusting of powder
Weather: COLD - near 0 with strong winds
Gear: skis

The word for the day: COLD! It was near 0 degrees with a constant wind -- bitter! Still, it was nice to be out. The weather probably helped keep some of the holiday crowds inside (President's Day is Monday), so the lines weren't bad at all.

I did mostly groomers today. Just laying down some high-speed turns and enjoying it. I did my share of tree skiing in Colorado and figured I'd try something different for a day. Skiing fast can be fun.

Looks like we're in for a pretty good storm tonight. I may try and get up early tomorrow and enjoy the powder.

'til later,
- Jeff

UPDATE: The storm didn't turn out to be so I went back to bed and got some much needed sleep. I'll try again next weekend.

Beaver Creek 2/4

[Updated with pictures.]

Conditions: powder, packed powder
Weather: low twenties
Gear: skis

Day number six in a row for me! I've never skied that many days in a row, but it was worth it. Vail reportedly got 41" the week I was there. And I had to make a few more runs before heading back home.

My goal for the day was to make it over the Birds of Prey downhill and ski that. This was the World Championship course from 1999 and a regular host of a World Cup Downhill each year. And it's steep! The first pitch was awesome and quite icy to boot. I can't even imagine what it must be like to ski at 60 mph. This is the third World Cup/Olympic downhill course I've skied: Lake Placid (1980 Olympics), Snowbasin (2002 Olympics), and Beaver Creek (1999 World Championships). I have a tremendous amount of respect for the athletes that do this for a career.


(Looking down at Avon from Grouse Mtn.)


("Reneglade".)

After a few more runs across the mountain, I loaded the ski gear in the car for the 6 hour drive back home. Not a bad week of vacation at all.


(Parting shot.)

'til later,
- Jeff

Vail 2/3

[Updated with picture.]

Conditions: powder
Weather: 20, snow, wind
Gear: skis

Wow! Even more snow. 13" by some accounts. And it snowed all day. Waist deep powder in spots. Sick! But way fun.

I skipped the gondola and headed up Born Free to Pride to Game Creek to get me to Sun Down Bowl. There was seriously powder up to my waist in spots! Absolutely incredible! One of my best runs of the year.

After lunch, I dropped down Dragon's Teeth on my way to Orient Express and again had waist deep powder. Another best run of the year. Have I ever mentioned that Vail has some of the best terrain in the country?!?


(Sick powder!)

I spent most of the afternoon playing in the back bowls and Blue Sky Basin. There seemed to be shorter lines back there and incredible snow in the trees. I never get tired of this stuff. Well, my legs got a little tired, but still, I didn't let it slow me down!

Warning: Vail gets crowded on powder days. I swear half the city of Denver must have taken the day off and come up to ski. Lines to get off the freeway, to get into the parking garage, for the gondola, and for many of the chairs. I'll forgive them because the snow was so good, but I can't imagine what this place is like on a holiday!

'til later,
- Jeff

Beaver Creek 2/2

[Updated with pictures.]

Conditions: powder, packed powder
Weather: low twenties, snow in the morning, wind in the afternoon
Gear: skis

Another day, another snowstorm. I had to brush a good 6", maybe 8", of snow off the car this morning for the short drive over to Arrowhead. And it kept snowing right up until noon.


(Looking back at my tracks.)

I pretty much repeated my tracks from Monday and Tuesday. I've found the terrain that I like and I'm happy to stick to it. I did get out of bounds a bit off Larkspur where I ran into a nice couple from Washington. Hailey and Mack and I enjoyed a few runs in Royal Elk Glade before my legs were burning for a break and I stopped for an early lunch.


(Traversing to Beaver Creek.)

As the next front came through, it got windy as heck and made for a chilly, low visibility afternoon. But, as always, there was nice snow in the trees to I stayed there as long as I could.

Remind me to do more legs at the gym! You can have bulging biceps, six-pack abs, and gorgeous shoulders but what really matters for skiing is quads! I hereby vow to do more legs when I workout.

'til later,
- Jeff

Vail 2/1

[Updated with pictures.]

Conditions: powder, packed powder
Weather: low twenties
Gear: skis

Wednesday morning, Kyle and I headed over to Vail. Vail is one of the most incredible mountains that I know. There is so much skiable terrain. You really have to ski it to believe it.

I got to the mountain a little bit earlier than Kyle, so made some runs off of Pride Express on the front side. The terrain there isn't really anything special, but there weren't many people there either. It was a good place to get my legs warmed up before heading for the trees.


(The "Parade of Cats" - grooming continues into the day to provide corduroy for everyone.)


(West Wall on our way to Two Elk for lunch.)


(China Bowl - the stuff I dream about.)

When Kyle showed up, we made our way to Northwoods. There are some incredible runs off this lift, but everyone seems to know that and so it attracts too many people. We only did one run there before hitting Two Elk for lunch. I'm sure there are other places to eat on the mountain, but this is the only one I've ever been in. It can be nutty crowded on the weekends, but it wasn't bad at all today.

After lunch we headed to the back bowl and Blue Sky Basin. It was more of a grey sky today -- the tops of the lifts were in the clouds making for lousy visibility. But we had some awesome runs off of Skyline. There was plenty of knee deep powder in the trees and very few other tracks. Blue Sky Basin has some of my favorite terrain anywhere, but it's been discovered so try to hit it on a weekday away from the holidays.


(The base of Skyline, enroute to Blue Sky Basin.)


(Decisions, decisions!.)

My legs are holding up better than I had expected. It's been a while since I skied three days in a row and a very long time since I did three powder days in the trees in a row. Hopefully they'll hold up for a few more days!

'til later,
- Jeff