Snowbasin & Powder Mountain – Day Three

Skiing on Thursday, February 24, 2011

While Rob was undergoing shoulder surgery and in Sandy’s good care,  I headed toward Ogden, Utah to check out Snowbasin. I had not been there since the day of the Men’s downhill of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games based in Salt Lake City. On that day, just a few months following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City, the Snowbasin venue (and the Olympic Games in general) were more of a paramilitary state with extremely high security, and limitations on movement. Skiing Snowbasin during the Olympic events was possible but discouraged due to the routing of traffic and the intensive security check points. Our group didn’t bother trying to ski due to the hassles involved. 

This day was different. I arrived about 9:45 am following the drive in from Park City.  It was snowing lightly and fairly cold and blustery. I was able to score a lift ticket from Kent Lyons, the general manager after he first checked with Squaw. Fortunately the receptionist put him through to a voice mail, and I was able to present a business card which was good enough for him. We talked about the season thus far, lift ticket systems, and soon I was on my way up the Needles Express gondola. Rob had advised me to try the John Paul lift (was there also a George Ringo lift?) I saw this quad flanking the gondola and decided to head in that direction from the top. 

The snow surface had some wind pack to it, and the lines were very funky, lots of double fall line, and the visibility was nil due to the flat light. I made a few runs on John Paul, then headed back u the gondola to try ‘Mens Start’ which required a ride on the canister-like Allen Peak Tram to 9,450 ft. Although no visibility to speak of, I headed down the start of the Olympic downhill and veered left toward Easter Bowl and The Burn. By the time I reached the base, it was nearing noontime. On the trip to Snowbasin, each directional sign also pointed to Wolf Creek and Powder Mountain ski areas. Rob, Sandy and Martha had always recommended Powder as a place to try, so rather than eating lunch, I opted for the 30-minute drive Powder Mountain, in Huntsville. As I made the steep climb up to their lodge, snow was falling and I wasn’t quite sure the Eurovan had enough strength left in the tranny to get me there. I lumbered up the pass and eventually came upon some smaller ski area buildings, a ski school sign, and a small parking lot reminiscent of Mad River Glen’s approach on Route 17 in Fayston, Vermont.

With limited visibility, I pulled in, parked, tossed on my ski boots, grabbed my boards and headed for the old double chair.  I didn’t see any place to pick up a trail map, so I hoped for the best. At the top I saw signs for ‘Powder Country’ through an access gate. Looked inviting to me, so I headed through and began making my way down. The snow was amazing, some untracked and over a foot deep in spots. I followed the fall line, though I could not see a lift in site to mark as a destination. Kind of an odd feeling.... torn between the self-responsibility of knowing where you are and the supreme temptation of the untracked powder that lies ahead. Soon to my right I saw a skier swoop past, although on a different line. I headed his way and soon found myself headed down the flank of the access road up to the ski area. On the way in I had seen skiers and boarders waiting near a shuttle stop sign.  I followed the path down and soon was on a full, steamy-windowed bus heading back up to the lodge. We passed by the lot where I had parked and continued up about another mile. Here I was able to grab a trail map and become better–oriented to Powder and to powder! 

Eventually I made my way down through powdery chutes and treed runs to the Timberline lift, then took that to the Hidden Lake Express. The visibility was poor, so I hugged the trees and found plenty of stashes, even after 3:00 pm! On my last run down Mainline, I got over to the left and saw a drift that appeared perfect to pop. As I crested the top, the backside was an abrupt 6-foot drop into a trough. I wasn’t carrying enough speed and down I went, skewering the base of the next windrow and catapulting over my shovels!  Fortunately I didn’t shatter anything but my confidence. 

Next trip up Hidden Lake was my last, so I again followed a pack through the gate into ‘Powder Country’, but this time on the other side of the ravine. Here it was, 3:45 pm and I was still getting untracked snow, down through the vast expanse of aspen trees. Left side of the ravine was soft and fluffy, the right side was stiffer and crunchy as the aspects changed. Soon I was back at the same shuttle stop, although on the west side of the road this time. 

This was the best lunch-skipping decision I have ever made… Snowbasin was nice, but Powder was heaven. 

Billowing Bookends – Day Two

Snowbird, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, February 23, 2011

This would be Rob’s 66^th and last day of the ski season as surgery for his injured shoulder was scheduled for the next day. We got a decent start on the day and arrived at Snowbird around 9:30 am. We dashed out of the car to catch the parking shuttle, but ended up missing it because I was tinkering and a bit disorganized. As it turned out, I left my Leki ski pole straps attached to my second pair of gloves in the back of the car. Of course, I didn’t realize this until the first chairlift ride up the new Peruvian Express. Next time, no bonehead moves! 

Rob rides thru 600-foot tunnel into Mineral Basin

We then headed to the carpet lift through the 600 ft. long tunnel that connects Peruvian Gulch right through the mountain to Mineral Basin. The tunnel is truly a work of modern engineering. The Snowbird folks did a great job of including interpretive signs about the tunnel construction and some clever word games along the way. Once out into the light of day, we jumped right into Double Down, a steep chute with a narrow mouth leading down into the basin. Nothing like taking a warm up run! Or maybe this was warming up Snowbird style? 

Scott rippin' through the pow off The Bookends

From here we headed up the Mineral Basin Express lift and caught The Bookends Traverse all the way out to just shy of the Flora Cliffs. Here’s where we jumped in… at first turn we knew it was the right call. Only a few skiers had hit this slope before us, so half of our turns were virgin, the others maybe crossing one other track. The snow was 8-10” deep, cold and light, almost blower.  Rob mentioned how he was tempted to bounce his turns, powder retro-style. There was a PowderShots photographer strategically positioned about 10 turns in. He snapped away with a motordrive as we hooted past him. I could tell that he was documenting what would be among the best turns of the day, week, month! 

Next run up the other side we took the Little Cloud lift and down the Road to Provo. Here we found some more really nice side-bowl terrain with another fresh 8 to 10” of powder, almost as light as The Bookends run. Another Little Cloud ride to the flanks of Regulator Johnson, then down Organgrinder through Door #1 and Door #2 as we made our way back to the base. We only put in about 2-1/2 hours, but for the terrain we were able to hit, and for the snow we lucked into, the rest of the day would only be compared to the first half, so we decided to celebrate our good fortune by heading down the canyon at noon to grab lunch below. 

On the way out of the lot we picked up a hitchhiker headed down to one of the commuter lots at the base of the Canyon. Her name was Beverly Reidel and she worked in payroll at Snowbird. After pleasantries were exchanged we asked where she was from originally, to our surprise the response was South Londonderry, Vermont on Winhall Hollow Road! And, her parents had lived in the greater-Philadelphia area. Quite the coincidence. She had been in Utah for 14 years, but among people she knew back there were Scott Howe and builder Steve Moody. How we never had met before is quite amazing in itself. Beverly had worked at Stratton but it was a year or two after I had left there for Sugarbush. 

As comedian Steven Wright once said: “It’s a small word, but I wouldn’t want to paint it.” 

Orange Bubbles - Day One

Canyons, Park City, Utah, February 22, 2011

A "Better Way to Mountain" indeed. My brother-in-law Rob Baker and I arrived at Canyons about 9:15. Todd Burnette, VP Marketing set me up with a ticket for the day (Thanks Todd!). Soon we were up the Cabriolet gondola and headed for the Orange Bubble Express (OBX), a brand new hi-speed quad featuring orange-tinted Plexiglas windscreens and heated bucket seats. Pretty plush! This lift was installed just prior to Thanksgiving, so it’s the latest technological offering by CTEC.  I was eager and ready to try a few runs after pulling my left calf muscle the Friday prior at Squaw. We gingerly eased on down a groomer to the Saddleback Express. I say ‘we’ because Rob was heading in for shoulder surgery in two days, so his pole plants probably felt about as good as my first dozen turns. We lapped the Sun Peak Express lift once, then, checking in that we were both feeling good, we headed toward Saddleback on the next run.

We really covered some ground that day, skiing a run or two on just about every lift... which if you know Canyons, that is saying something. Canyons impressed me this time. I had only been there twice before, once right before catching my flight in April 2001 for about a 90 minute quick on-skis tour with Tim Harris, a former intern of mine from back in our Sugarbush days, then again in 2009 for about 3 hours with the whole family, which was a lot like herding kittens because of the varied abilities and terrain preferences. This time it was different, we were on a mission. My favorite run may have been Grande, a wide open powdery trail with a North facing aspect that has a narrowly screened entrance, thereby keeping out those less informed.  The Pines off Elk Ridge, served by Saddleback was a very nicely-gladed run, powder filled and with the right exposure to keep the snow soft and light. Worst run, for me anyway, was a hike-to where you go out of bounds to ski back in. The aspect was wrong and the slope we had to reenter on had been sun-baked the afternoon before and had a few inches of snow on it. I was concerned about getting under the crust and pulling my leg again, so I made very long traverses, punctuated with kick turns until I reached the groomed run out. 

After this workout we sought some lunch. Being the February holiday week, a quick assessment of the number of skis spilling out of the racks in front of each on-mountain eatery had us thinking otherwise… perhaps a quick bite in Red Stone village on the way home.

We skied pretty hard until about 2:30, then headed into Surefoot for a few quick fixes before heading back to N. Bitner Ranch Road for a hot tub and a quick nap. My idea of ‘A Good Day’, to borrow Northstar’s tag line. That evening we watched ‘Waiting for Superman’, a film about the state of American education, the growing incompetence of teachers in our public school systems and the astounding number of students they pass up and on without requisite mathematics or reading skills. A pretty disturbing story with a sobering ending. But I give it Two Thumbs Up as a well done documentary by Davis Guggenheim that chronicles the efforts of social-activist and educator Geoffrey Canada as he tries to make a difference in the Harlem public schools. 

Pure Prairie Fatigue

Driving to Park City, Utah, February 21, 2011

After morning Yoga class in The Village at Squaw Valley (best stretching ever for an aging but active life) I headed back to Mountain House for some straightening, cleaning, organizing and leaving. I had to wait until 1:00 pm for Squaw to have some paperwork ready for me to sign so my notions of a 9:00 am start were quickly dashed. Finally at 1:15 pm I was on my way to Truckee to pick up I-80 East for my 9-hour trek to Park City. The GPS claimed 11 hours, but as my sister-in-law Sandy often does on cross-country drives, I made a game of beating the GPS! Well, it helps to pass the time anyway.

So off we went, the Eurovan and me. New tires, oil changed, two pair of skis and a snowboard in the Yakima box on the roof. Cooler of food from the fridge, Marmot sleeping bag and a few dress shirts for meetings and interviews. My life inside a few cubic feet of silver steel. 80 on 80. What could be better? 

Upon my announcement of my move to California this fall my brother Todd had given me an iPod Classic stuffed full of his music library, mostly classic rock from the 60’s & 70’s. With Reno 100 miles in the rear view mirror, I put on Neil Young’s ‘Harvest Moon.’ Certainly one of my all-time favorites, and at the same time very appropriate tunage for crossing high desert while to melting some miles. Great thinking music too. I invented two products and created three businesses in the next 250 miles to Elko. Plus there’s nothing quite like a long solo drive for self-therapy. After the last notes of Neil’s ‘Natural Beauty’ faded into the speakers I was in the mood for more folk-rock. A quick scan revealed Pure Prairie League’s ‘Bustin Out’ album. Wow! Blast from the past for sure. I had probably played this vinyl 200 times from high school through college. PPL took me to Bob Seger, and Bob drove me from Mackinaw City into Park City on the back of his Harley. 

I arrived at Sandy & Rob’s a bit after 11:00 pm. 

Score: Scott 1,  GPS 0 

Steez, Trees & Fat Skis

Skiing Squaw on Friday, February 18, 2011

The morning did not disappoint! It was still storming a bit, high winds, and Squaw’s ski patrol was busy with avalanche safety. The website said it would be a down low day, so I finished shoveling out the Eurovan, moving it for the plow guy, then Parker and I headed for the hill. Once geared up we rode Red Dog up for some powdery turns. As Parker plunged the Red Dog liftline toward Far East base, I veered right and found a route down to Squaw Creek lift. On the way down I skied my first pillow line at the base of a chute. This will be great terrain to learn since I had taken just one run in this trail pod prior. Once back atop Squaw Creek, I pointed them toward Far East and a few turns into my run I came across Parker. Funny, no one else was around, and the potential to be separated from view by trees and gullies was high, but there he was, shooting across my line! We followed one another down into Poulson’s Gully and found lots of untracked, treed runs spilling out at the top of the Papoose lift, above Far East base. As of this point, the Funitel to Gold Coast still had not opened to the skiing public yet, so Parker and I continued to lap Far East and sample the tree routes into Poulson’s. 

I had scheduled lunch with Dave Schaefer and Paul from House of Air in San Francisco. HOA is an indoor trampoline park with 67 tramp beds, everything from a bounce house for little ones to adult Dodgeball leagues and a Matrix for aerobatics. Ever since I visited their facility in early November, we’ve been talking about bringing an HOA facility to Tahoe. Following lunch at The Arc at Gold Coast, we headed down Mountain Run and took a detour into Spring Bowl. Big mistake. The bowl was four feet of fresh untracked with zero visibility resulting in a stall out on a flat that required slogging out through the same 4 feet of snow, only wind-packed on top. After a slow-mo fall that plunged my right ski under at a 30-degree angle I finally made it out, slogged under Cornice II and Headwall Express lifts to find a groomed patch linking me back to Mountain Run. Whew! Dave and Paul encountered the same. Only Parker took a right line and had enough pitch to make it down to the groomer. 

Following this episode, we unanimously agreed that Far East was going to be the better skiing for the balance of the day, so onward we aimed, traversing the lower mountain, maintaining a high line, then skiing down through the Red Dog complex to the base of Far East. Once up to the top of the gully, we chose similar routes as before, steep treed runs flanking Poulson’s. Parker filmed most of this afternoon adventure with his GoPro helmet mounted. We lapped Far East for three runs before Dave and Paul had to leave for their trip back to San Francisco. Parker and I went back up for another. This time, Parker took a tree slot with a branch that was low enough to clip the camera from the dome of his helmet. After some digging, Parker found the camera still recording as he cleared the snow from the lens and exclaimed his find. 

On our last run down, I took a slightly different line. Somehow I lost my balance over a rise, fell forward down the steep terrain into the powder and as I did, the tail of my ski caught on some snow or a tree trunk and stretched my calf to e-string tension. Thankfully my knee brace prevented hyperextension, so with just a pulled calf muscle, a few days off the snow and I’ll be good to go again. Parker continued to ski for another hour while I plunked myself on the sofa with a baggie full of snow to aide my ills. By this time, the storm was cycling again and dumping at a rate of nearly two inches an hour. Tomorrow was going to be yet another incredible powder day, at least for Parker!
Meanwhile, I’ll catch up on this blog.

The Last of the Woolly Mammoth

Experiences from Thursday, February 17, 2011

The weather abated somewhat, the winds died down and the majority of the upper mountain lifts opened as scheduled on Thursday morning. I headed out at 8:45 am and boarded the Broadway Express outside the Main Lodge. The much anticipated light powder was instead wind-packed chuff. I decided on the steepest route under the top of the lift only to find myself on rubble left behind by avalanche control. This combined with absolutely no visibility and depth perception made this quite a challenge. Not the powder-filled run I had dreamed about. I then headed back up Broadway, and followed a chain of uniforms heading across the top of the bowl and into some trees. This turned out to be some race program coaches and kids out playing on fat skis. I followed suit and at the last moment left the single track to the right as they headed left. I found myself on top of a wide treed run with only two or three sets of tracks before me. Heaven! I jumped in and made gentle turns, floating my skis, letting the depth of the snow be my brakes. This is the rare experience we snow seekers dream about… and pay dearly for. A freedom so unique it has to be the closest thing for man to flight. 

At the base of this pitch I headed down into Dry Creek, a natural gully, halfpipe in shape, much like Dick’s Ditch at Jackson Hole. My run was flawed by some wedge-turners with no business being in there, but a few turns up higher on the ravine walls and I was past them and aimed my K2’s to the base of the next lift. I headed for Chair 22, which, oddly enough serves steep terrain spotted with cliff bands much like Squaw Valley’s famed KT-22. I’m quite sure this coincidence must have been a bit of one-upsmanship between Mammoth’s founder Dave McCoy and Squaw’s Alex Cushing. Back in the day, this was commonplace. 

Two thigh-deep runs here on the steeps, ducking in and out of trees, dodging some rock exposures and I was ready for a break. Down to Canyon Lodge for a coffee and hot oatmeal I went. Parker and I connected via phone and he was making his way up Chair 22. We agreed to meet back at the Inn to check out of our room, and store our things in the car. Once this task was completed, Parker headed back out to ski with his park buddy River, and I went to the marketing offices to meet Howard Pickett and thank him for the courtesies he had extended to us. 

With an exhilarating morning and a 4-hour drive back to Squaw Valley still ahead, I opted for some down time in the lobby before some garage time to fumble with the tire chains. Once secure I drove out into the drifts to pick up Parker down at the Village where he had taken the gondola down to intercept me. A few minutes later with chains flapping an annoying beat against the inner fender well, I stopped off to pick up some cable ties to affix the loose ends. After a little research and some help from the hardware store clerk, I had the wrong type of chains for the Eurovan entirely. $150 later with the correct chain package installed, Parker and I pointed North on 395 for Carson City. A few miles into the journey we were on dry pavement and the bumpity-bump of our new cable-chains at 30 mph was enough to pull into the shoulder and go it without. 

Fortunately, there were only signs directing us to chain up, no CHP patrol or local sheriffs to enforce the advisory. We continued on to Lee Vining, CA the Jct. to Yosemite Valley. By this point, the roads were dry or just spotted with streaks of snow. While the snow falling intensified, the snow itself just seemed to blow across the surface of the road, never adhering. We pushed on up past Topaz Lake to Minton and Gardnerville, Nevada, then into Carson City for the turn West onto Hwy. 50 toward Tahoe. On this climb out of Carson City, the snow was now two to three inches deep, covering the roadway, but there was no traffic. We sailed along effortlessly, chains in the trunk! When we reached the turn off to Hwy. 28 along the Eastern shore of Lake Tahoe, the snow was really coming down hard. The roadway was down to one and one-half lanes and travel was necessarily slow and cautious. Just one other car ahead of us. The snow banks were so large that if not for the graphic display on the GPS, one would never know there was a lake immediately to the left side of the van. Parker pointed this out as he recalled the absence of guardrails on our trip south a few days before.

The Eurovan Awaits

We made it through Incline Village, NV, then Kings Beach, CA, where we fell in behind an aggressive CHP snowplow truck.  We followed him for 15 miles through a power outage in Tahoe City. Thankfully by the time we passed the Alpine Meadows access road power had been restored and the lights were on. At last, Squaw Valley Road, ¼ mile ahead! Over 5 snowy hours from Mammoth, but we made it to our destination safely. As we pulled into Mountain House there was 3 feet of snow in the parking area. I attempted to back in with the loaded Eurovan and promptly bogged down. Within 3 minutes one of Squaw’s bucket loaders arrived and began clearing a pathway behind us. Parker and I shoveled out the remnants then backed the van in as the loader cleared out the front. Perfect! Now, inside with our luggage, sip some green tea and turn in for a fitful night’s sleep. Powder Day tomorrow!

Down low at Mammoth

Image courtesy of Keoki Flagg/Gallery Keoki

A stretch of weather much like Tuesday’s sunshine and warmish temperatures finally lost its six-week-long grip to winter. Wednesday’s storm came in strong with steady, blustery winds and horizontal snowfall that brought this woolly Mammoth to its knees. Lifts remained still until 10:35 am when Chair 8 came to life low down on the mountain near the Canyon area. While communication from staff about this event was sparse, others picked up on this activity on the web cams. Soon word spread among us faithful iPad and laptop clad lobby dwellers of the Mammoth Mountain Inn. Winds howled incessantly, at times right through the lobby as the automatic sliding doors opened leaving the decision to brave the elements to the few. Parker and I opted for a quick lunch before opting for the deepening powder that was sure to greet us. Our pace getting geared up was sluggish and forgetfulness seemed the game of the afternoon. From ski poles left in the van’s ski box, to lift tickets forgotten, left clinging to yesterday’s ski pants in the room, discovered as we waited to board the shuttle. 

Finally, our act seemingly together, we boarded the 1:30 shuttle to the Village where we could intercept the gondola up to the Canyon Lodge and nearby Chair 8, spinning in the distance through driving snow and wind. Parker met up with his park buddy River and the three of us rode the 7-minute fixed triple to some double fall line powder shots. We then headed to Chair 15 for a cruiser that proved too flat for the snow depth, save for two short, steeper pitches. Back to Chair 8. The chutes that crossed the lift line at sharp angles looked to be the best, while most skiers and riders seemed to be sticking to the wide open trails. Fools! Parker, River and I had some of the best shots, zigging and zagging the lift line and finding plenty of untracked routes through the trees, or on the very edges of trails. After about 6 runs like these, including the bonus round the liftie afforded us at 4:05, the cold and wind had gotten the best of us. With numb toes and wind-burned faces, we caught the gondola back to the Village to await the shuttle back to the Main Lodge and the warm lobby of the MMI for hot cocoa and some game room time. 

With the snowstorm still raging outside, we made it an early night in anticipation of diminishing winds and developing snow depths. Back in the room I watched our DVD of Discovery Channel’s Planet Earth, Pole to Pole. There’s something about the Polar Bear and two cubs belly-sliding down the mountain that felt a lot like this afternoon!