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! 

Mammoth, Parks & Parker

     Tuesday morning was clear, sunny and windy, with gusts to 50 mph necessitating the additional layers. Parker wanted only parks since his Elan Puzzler skis have edges with the profile of a ski pole! I opted for my K2 Hardsides 188cm 98mm. Even though longer and wider than the firm snow warranted I knew I would find some wind sluff at the top off Chair 23 and would want these beasts underfoot when I did. We spent the morning lapping the Forest Trail intermediate park and then South Park for some jibbing and a nice three-jump line that Parker favored. We brought the GoPros with us and tried a few laps with the Chesty mount. Since I was not comfortable straightlining the park jumps at Parker’s speed, I made a few check turns which sways the camera and makes it hard to focus on Parker, the subject. We opted for the ski pole mount for the GoPro that was much easier to control. I could use this method without my own ski poles and also without turning. After some trial and error, some coaching from Parker, my downloads were actually pretty good, even though Parker needed to edit two or three runs into one flow. It was fun and good to spend time with Parker doing what he loves. 

     After several laps on the South Park, we headed up Chair 5 for what could only be described as a controlled ice-slide down to McCoys for lunch. The view from McCoy's up to the summit was spectacular. Accented by the backlight I noticed that the skiers in the Cornice Bowl off Chair 23 were producing some snowy spray with each turn, much more so than loose granular. Parker and I parted ways and I headed up to check it out. There was a 30-foot wide band of windblown sluff that had accumulated three inches deep on the skier’s right of the bowl. A few skiers had figured this out, but most were struggling with the steep, or missing the band in the flat light and not fully taking advantage of this bonus. I made three laps to hit this line again. The Hardsides were the perfect tool for the trade. By 3:45 my legs had had enough. I headed down to the Thunder Bound Express and arrived at the top terminal just as Parker was getting off the lift with some newfound park buddies. By now the video cameras were put away and we made a few laps on this lift, catching last chair at 4:00 pm. I lapped Broadway and Ralphies cruisers while Parker lapped the adjacent Main Park a few more times. He was enjoying his buddies and I was enjoying the last few high-speed bombers of the day on the Hardsides. 

     After the bullwheels slowed to a stop, we met up with John Urdi and Matt Gebo at the Yodeler at the base of the lifts, right next to the Inn. A few cold ‘root beers,’ an appetizer, and then to the room for an early night as Parker edited the day’s adventures. 

Reno to Northstar to Squaw to Mammoth Mountain

Sunday, February 13 – Monday, February 14, 2011

     On Sunday, Parker's flight arrived in Reno at 1:30 pm. We had planned to ski Northstar for the afternoon but he was pretty tired and a little beat up from a park session at Stratton the day before, and I was feeling my mountain hike up to High Camp at Squaw that morning. So, we hit the Tahoe Burger and then headed to get him a haircut (at his request!)

     We then pointed the van to Northstar to pick up Parker’s Ski Lake Tahoe Ultimate Ski Pass so that we could spend a few days skiing around the lake following Mammoth. After Reno errands it was getting a little late, but we opted for Northstar anyway to find the season pass office still open after 4 pm. Bonus! Once imaged and signed we headed up the gondola just to see the park and pipe area. Then to Squaw for a Mountain House dinner of ravioli and salad prepared by Chef Scott. We decided to load up the Yakima box (courtesy of friend Rob Furtney) and check all the rack fittings. Good thing we did…The next morning we awoke to some snow and blow. We loaded up the Eurovan and once again headed to Mammoth, wanting to get out ahead of the storm. Heading east into Incline Village then down the east shore of Lake Tahoe until Hwy. 50 to Carson City. By this time, we were clear of snow, the sun was out and the temp had reached 55 degrees. Parker commented how on the right (west) side of Route 395 there was snow covered mountain peaks (back side of Heavenly) and yet on the left side, high desert with blowing sand and tumbleweeds. Quite a contrast. The rest of the trip to Mammoth was clear sailing with sunny skies, clear long valley views, amazing mountain vistas of the Sierra. We arrived at the Mammoth Visitor’s Center and popped in to say hello to John Urdi, a former intern of mine at Sugarbush eons ago. 

     Soon we were pulling in to the Mammoth Mountain Inn at the top of Minaret Road. Elevation 9,000 feet. I knew this altitude would result in less-than-fitful sleep, but there was something about staying in one of the original lodgings at Mammoth that made up for this aspect. Plus, we were right at the base of the Broadway Express lift, and next door to the Yodeler, one of the original bar-restaurants from the late 1950’s. Great location!

     I had booked on Priceline and got what I felt was a great rate for two nights midweek, given the slopeside location. The room was very small, but the fit and finish had been redone recently. Marble bathroom, high beds with thick mattresses, down comforters and about 6 pillows per bed! The windows were original and whistled with the mountain wind, but to me this adds character. I was delighted to see an outlet strip by the desk since we had three phones, a laptop, and three video cameras, all requiring nightly feeding. The common areas were still dated and in need of an upgrade, but I don’t spend much time in the hallway. The lobby was part of the recent updating and was nicely warm and well-appointed, big stone fireplace, leather sofas, alpine décor. 

     This was going to be alright.

Demos, Deals and Driving

Sunday, February 6 - Saturday, February 12, 2011

     My first ski bum weekend of February 5 & 6 turned out not-so. A bout of bronchitis sidelined me from the slopes until Sunday afternoon when Tuck Wilson (formerly of So. Londonderry, VT) gave me a call and talked me out onto Headwall and KT for a few late afternoon sun-baked bombers before joining him and Bev for dinner and Super Bowl XLV. This began the week of my most skiing days of the season. Monday afternoon’s sunshine coaxed me out for a few more solo cruisers on Squaw. Tuesday was the WWSRA on-snow demo at Alpine Meadows. I headed out on the Stockli Rotor 72 for some fast eye openers on the groomed loose granular. Then Volkl Bridge, then some Salomon Sentinels.

     On Wednesday, Feb. 9  it was off to Mammoth Mountain with Tom Murphy for some more WWSRA demos. Huge place! Lots to explore. This time K2 Hardside then the Fischer Watea then the Blizzard Bonafide. All amazing skis, 98mm underfoot, perfect for the conditions of the day. Mammoth enjoyed a bit more recent snow than the Tahoe basin and the surface was terrific. On Thursday afternoon it was back to Olympic Valley for some research and job search, then on Friday morning I headed to Northstar-at-Tahoe for some solo snowboarding for the afternoon. Skiing is my preference but on a warm, sunny afternoon, a relatively boring mountain can be a lot of fun when you explore it sideways. Plus there’s something about the more tactical sensations of the snow through the board, through the thinner boot sole to the foot that is more sensational than a DIN sole on a hard plastic ski boot can convey. You feel the G’s of a carved turn to a greater extent. My Burton Method 158cm seems to handle all conditions well, even though it is so lightweight it still performs.

     After a Friday snoozer at Northstar, on Saturday I had succumbed to the steeps of Squaw’s Granite Chief and skied the middle of the day. The snow was firm and dead, but there were a few exceptional lines to the immediate skier’s right of the liftline, along the berm of the groomed/ungroomed where some wind sluff was trapped. And, no one was on it! After a few laps here on my Salomon Lords I headed back to Mountain House to tidy up for Parker’s arrival, hit the laundry and begin packing for the next excursion. 

Ski Test: RAMp Woodpecker & Groundhog

     Another benefit of my Winter of Wanderlust is the ability to test some skis now and again. Here is my test of the RAMp Woodpecker and Groundhog. 

    In the last week I had the opportunity to test ride both the Woodpecker and Groundhog models from RAMp. The setting was Aspen during the X-Games with runs taken at Buttermilk/Tiehack, Ajax and Snowmass. Conditions were firm corduroy, and temperatures were moderate in the 30's. The Woodpecker was first as I headed to Ajax. Generally I like a beefier ski such as Atomic, Volkl, Stockli, however the RAMp Woodpecker was fairly impressive. It was agile in handling both firm groomers and the piles of sluff that build toward the edges of the trail. When I ventured into new snow, slightly off-piste the ski responded well. I did find that as with some French-designed skis the turn initiation begins with toe pressure and follows the foot through heel pressure and finally back cuff pressure to finish off the turn.although somewhat lacking in edge hold, this was the turn style that got the best performance from the Woodpecker.

     Later that evening my wife Martha and our dear friend Jen arrived, so the next day it was time to try Snowmass and change-up models to the RAMp Groundhog in a 179cm. Love at first turn! Like the Woodpecker, initiation began with the toe but as I rolled the pressure back toward my arch, the second straighter-walled section of the sidecut hooked up and lookout! A nice firm mid-turn platform to stand on, great edge hold. Turn completion was easy, and the ski was extremely stable throughout each arc. I expected a bit less honestly, but the 100mm waist and low-rise rocker tips really made this a one-ski-does-all choice. Next day we headed to Breckenridge where the most new snowfall in the front range was forecast. We arrived in time to catch the last 2-1/2 hours of the day as the snowfall began, then steadily increased in intensity. It was the kind of day where the snow piles up on your forearms and thighs as you ride the slower fixed-grips. Soon there was 2 to 3" of fluff over groomers... One of my favorite set-ups from my many years in Vermont. As expected, the Groundhog ripped and floated accordingly, playing in the soft but acknowledging the firm underbelly. The wind that accompanied the storm kept us on the Peak 8 Superchairs, which also meant that the terrain served by these lifts was a bit steep-starved. We decided that given the late hour of the day and the building storm that looping these two lifts would provide enough fun for the Groundhogs and our posse until the bullwheels slowed to a stop at 4 pm. 

     With the incoming storm, the next day would promise some more freshies, sub-zero temperatures, and it would be February 2, Groundhog Day. How appropriate. The snow stopped during the night leaving snowfall projections a little aggressive, nonetheless it was -10 F, not much wind and 4 to 5" of fresh, depending upon aspect. We chose to lap Peak 10 and 6 Chair for a bit more challenge, about as much as you can find at Breck. The one thing about Breckenridge is that the skier ability is on the lower end of the scale. For us, this meant fresh tracks in the trees all day, and soft, snow-filled troughs on the bump runs like Mar's choice 'Spitfire'. 

     Add up the new snow, great company and beautiful location and I was in Groundhog Heaven. If you couldn't tell, the Groundhog was the most enjoyable ski I have skied in quite some time. Not to mention the lift line comments on the cool cord-of-wood top sheet graphics. (Sales pitch: If you are looking for a one-ski-does-all for east to west coast conditions, opt for the RAMp Groundhog. With a street price south of $700, even Punxsutawney Phil himself may want a pair. (Commercial break: Full story at www.rampsports.com)
     Peace.

What Now?

     As my wife often reflects about life: "When you least expect it, expect it." Well, I didn't but I should have. Suddenly at age 51 I found myself unemployed through a rather strange chain of events. I'm a marketing executive in the ski resort industry with 25+ years of experience and success. Back in September, I left a 15 year stint with Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vermont to accept a position as vice president of marketing and sales for Squaw Valley, USA in Olympic Valley, California. On January 20 at 4:00 pm I was informed that my services were no longer required. Wow. I didn't see this coming. While taking a drive along the west shore of Lake Tahoe that evening to absorb, percolate, cogitate, and reflect, I was struck with the notion that this is just what I needed. I needed time to reflect, to explore, to experience what life's circumstances often prevents you from doing. After all this time, I would finally have more than two days off in a row during a snowy winter, and with few obligations. Severance would pay the mortgage for a while. What I needed most was perspective.  A perspective that can only be achieved with road time to think and mountain time to feel.
     I began dreaming of coffee shops in ski resort towns where the knowledgeable locals and dirtbags hang out, sleeping in my van, or in hostels, maintaining a journal of my ski days, and considering which of my 3 pair of skis or 2 snowboards I would ride that day. These decisions I can handle! Snow? Read the forecasts and snow report aggregators, blogs, weather missives and try to stay ahead of the storms with only my notions and GPS to guide me.
     Could I really do this? I called an industry friend and made plans to attend X-Games 15 in Aspen following the SIA trade show in Denver the next week. I then called another friend and ordered a Yakima rack and box. I third call and an online test afforded me 30% off wholesale on a Marmot sleeping bag... this was really starting to come together.