Sunday Valley Serenade

Snowboarding on Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sunday morning arrived and I had planned to explore Dollar Mountain on my Burton Method snowboard. I drove the 2 or so miles, parked right at the lodge and joined into the multigenerational swarms that were enjoying their Sunday morning on the slopes and around Carol’s Dollar Mountain Lodge. Dollar is the family mountain of the two that comprise Sun Valley. Oddly, Dollar Mountain is completely tree-less and was where the original ski trails were built in Sun Valley in the 30’s. Dollar is also adorned by a few SPT terrain parks, built by Chris Gunnarson of X-Games feature-building fame. I wish Parker were with me to truly evaluate the scene, but to my untrained eye, these parks appeared to have great flow and I noticed one of the features at the bottom had the ability to be lit from within for nighttime fun. On this morning it was clear, somewhat windy and quite cold, temperatures certainly below 10 degrees F. I took maybe 6 or 7 runs, explored the face and the flanks and then headed to Baldy (the treed mountain with little above treeline) to ride for the afternoon.  

Roundhouse Restaurant @ 1936

After a few long runs (and I mean lo-o-ong) on Baldy it was getting well past lunchtime, so I took the stairs up to the Roundhouse, the original on-mountain lodge at Sun Valley, and likely the original on-mountain lodge anywhere in that day. Built in 1936, the inside, much like the people, was rustic, yet well-preserved. The center fireplace is warm and inviting. There was an older gentleman dressed in lederhosen playing the accordion with snippets of tunes from the Sound of Music. Lunch is Bavarian style, specializing in fondue, racclette, with steak and salads adorning the menu choices. This was probably the first time I have 'dined' in snowboard boots. Quite nice, actually. I was as comfortable as my surrounds. It was nice to relax and watch the multi-generational families come in for some fun. Many were not skiers, but rather rode the gondola up from River Run base for a special treat at 8,200 feet overlooking all of Sun Valley's expanse below.

River Run Lodge

My late afternoon was spent on Baldy, riding the long (did I say long?) vertical runs up and down from the Warm Springs side. True to the name, there is a river or creek running through this base area fed by warm, sulphur springs that give off that eau de rotten eggs smell. To the uninitiated, I'm sure the septic systems for the condos around the base are suspect!

The late afternoon on the Warm Springs patio was delightful as the sun dropped below Baldy. A live band played some contemporary folk-rock tunes and families and couples gradually dissipated back to their hovels or their cars. Once the warm sun drops behind Baldy, it's a whole new feeling. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr. 

A late afternoon snack of Salmon at Warm Springs Lodge was just the ticket after a long day on the mountains of Sun Valley. On food, they do it right. Quite a special treat, very complete and satisfying for just $11. It made me wonder why more ski resorts don't offer this type of healthy fare.  I realize it helps to have an executive chef with  passion and desire to produce a plate like this, and it probably takes special preparation that most resorts are not equipped to handle, but this was quite a value, one I won't soon forget. See, I'm already telling others! 

Chilled Salmon fillet, dill sauce, green beans, grape tomatoes, fresh berries, hot cocoa - $11 

And as I was leaving, I ran into Picabo Street!

I headed to the original Sun Valley Lodge and the Opera House to catch the 4:30 showing of Sun Valley Serenade. Very timely and appropriate. Following the film, I headed to my room in the Lodge to catch up on this blog. While of very high quality, just like the fit and finish of Sun Valley's day lodges, the furnishings are a bit too formal to engage today’s traveler. Fine quality, but frumpy and austere, as if grandma decorated in her taste. Queen Anne, I dunno. Perhaps for a year-round resort such as Sun Valley, this is fine, but as a skier I had that feeling that I might accidentally break something. There was a flat screen 1080p mounted to the wall above a credenza that hosted a gaming station, coffee maker, safe, and some cabinets for personal belongings. While all very comfortable, I don’t think the thirtysomething family with small kids from Seattle or the Bay Area would be all too comfortable staying here. Their parents maybe… 

When you're ready to treat yourself, head for Sun Valley, Idaho. You won't be disappointed... I sure wasn't!

“It happened in Sun Valley”

Skiing on Saturday, February 26, 2011

Mt. Baldy from Dollar Mountain

I’ve always wanted to visit Sun Valley. The allure of a resort with so much history and heritage beckoned me. Sun Valley has been on my dance card for 20 years and as I get another year older the dance card is becoming a bucket list. I can hear Warren Miller shouting out to me from his old Airstream trailer in the parking lot at Sun Valley, “Ski it now Scott, because if you don’t, you’ll be another year older when you do.” 

From Park City to Sun Valley is about a 5-1/2 hour trek west on I-84 to north on I-15 to Highway 75. I hit the road about 5:45 am on Saturday. Once down from Parley’s Canyon on I-80 traveling around Salt Lake was fairly easy but for tractor trailers and the single cleared lane on I-15. These two factors probably added 45 minutes to the trip. Once off the interstate I travelled through farm land, prairies and changing landscapes, often wondering if I was approaching mountains or not. It was cloudy and therefore long-range visibility was limited to maybe a mile. Eventually the foothills up into the Sawtooth range appeared to the west, along with highway signs mentioning Sun Valley at various mileage intervals. The first town coming into the valley was Bellevue, fairly unremarkable. Then Hailey which has a population of about 6,500. Cute homes, neighborhoods and a long view of the mountain ridge immediately to the west. Once in Hailey, the sun was shining brightly. I had entered 'the donut' as I was later to learn. 

Sun Valley's iconic barn

From there into Ketchum and Sun Valley was just a dozen miles. There’s a certain excitement about snow-covered mountains on a sunny day, promising recreation opportunities and experiences to get me salivating. Once in Ketchum, the lifts at Bald Mtn. were clearly visible with long bump runs plunging into the river. How to reach them was not very clear. Soon I found myself at the junction of Main and Sun Valley Road. A right turn brought me the two miles into Sun Valley. Another intersection at Saddle, and a chose a left to head out to Warm Springs, the furthest outreaches of Bald Mountain and the entry to Sawtooth National Recreation Area (USFS). Now having looped the town, I headed back to the River Run base on the southern end of the resort where I parked and opted for a little skiing. It was a perfect afternoon, not too cold, not too warm. Just right for scooting around and learning a new ski area. I stayed with my policy of sticking to groomers and getting the lay of the land, spanning River Run to Warm Springs, stopping into each lodge, taking in the view, and summing up the place. The facilities are fairly unbelievable, way over the top for what one would expect. Almost to the point where you’re not sure that ski boots are welcomed in the ski lodges. Oriental carpets grace the floors, gilded wall sconces, and furniture that’s on the formal side for ski area dining. 

Soon the day ended and it was time to explore the town of Ketchum. Going on a recommendation, I had dinner at The Sawtooth Club, a steak house very similar to the Sirloin Saloon restaurants of Vermont. Enjoyable, nice surrounds, average steak. From there to the Best Western Tyrolienne lodge for a solid 9 hours of sleep. 

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.