Adventures of 2014/2015

I appear to be really bad at keeping up with my annual Ski Adventure Blog.  Here it is mid Feb. 2015 and I'm just realizing I missed the past few ski seasons of adventures to document.

A really quick review:  March 2014 & March 2013 a group of us (4) went out to Wyoming to ski Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and in short all I can say is WOW!  If you've never skied JH, you have to go.  The Mtn is awesome, it's steep, it's expansive, the lifts are outstanding, the on mtn food is untypical of a ski resort.  The village is quaint and a lot of fun.  The town is something to behold and not to be missed. 

March 2013 - The big trip this year was Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee.  Both had an abundance of snow, great terrain and wonderful staff.   We stayed in the JH village and took a day tour to GT for the day.  We had also hoped to Cat Ski at GT another day but it was cancelled for some unknown reason which was very disappointing.   It was my first time at both JH and GT and I was in for quite the surprise.   I have always wanted to ski Jackson Hole and I have never even heard of Grand Targhee.  Jackson Hole lived up to it's reputation as a hard charging, steep mountain that we explored for 5 whole days and still just scratched the surface.  We even hiked some in-bounds peaks to wonderful, barely tracked terrain.  It was simply an awesome place.  Grand Targhee, just a few hour drive over Teton Pass, located on the other side of Grand Teton should be a stop on everyone's bucket list particularly if you like deep powder.  GT typically gets more snow than JH and 2013 was no exception.  The snow quality and quantity was wonderful and we even had a chance to hike and ski Mary's Nipple a few times.  GT has it all, wide open slopes, bowls, trees, cliffs and a lot of hidden nooks and crannies.  It was worth the drive.   Beyond the "big trip" I skied Loon nearly every weekend from open to close and easily clocked more than 30 days on snow.

March 2014 -  The big trip this year was again you guessed it Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee.  One of our ski buddies couldn't make the 2013 trip due to a last minute (just days before) ski injury which kept him home.  So, we all agreed to head back to JH and GT to allow him to experience the grandeur first hand.    This time though, we had last years experience to fall back on, which meant we already knew some of the terrain and great food stops already which saved us some time.   We stayed in the Village condos which I would recommend.  They're spacious enough for 4 with a full kitchen, multi-bath and even washer and dryer.  There is also a shuttle to get you to the base village easily or you can even walk, it's that close.   JH had way more snow this year than last.  As a matter of fact I think it was the second snowiest season on record.  Everything was open and was good to go.  We skied so many new lines, cliffs, chutes and trails that were totally new to us.  We hiked quite a few times again to some of the best snow and runs I've ever skied.  It was truly an epic experience.  We did have a bit of a scare when one of our ski buddies (Mike) tumbled down Alta chute zero a cliff face which rarely opens.  He was shaken but not broken which we were all grateful for, it was an experience that us all thinking about risk/reward the rest of the trip.   This year ended up going to GT twice which I sort of regretted a bit.  The first trip was absolutely wonderful, great fresh snow, clear bluebird sky and the ski bus back was so much fun, we met a great group of new friends and we drank, danced and sang our way back to JH at the end of the day.   The second trip I really wish we hadn't committed to.  It was Grand Targhee living up to it's reputation as Grand Foggy.  It was really a challenge to even see, let alone ski.  There were quite a few people experiencing vertigo which will ruin your day pretty quickly.  Beyond the "big trip" I skied Loon nearly every weekend from open to close and easily clocked more than 30 days on snow.

Now for 2015 -  The season started a little bit early this year with a cold snap in Nov. that allowed Loon to put those new snow making purchases to good use.  The new and improved snow guns were unleashed and we had skiing and riding at Loon two full weeks before Thanksgiving.   What was open was in really good shape, all things considered for the east.  My son tried out for the high school ski team this year as a freshman and he made the JV team (I knew he would).  This meant that we'd be skiing at some different mtns this year in addition to Loon.  I volunteered as an assistant coach / parent to help at the races which was great.  I got to see my son and his new friends up close racing, giving tips and running jackets.  I was also gate keeper at several of the home races.  The team practiced  a few times a week at Pats Peak a local hill in NH with night skiing and club racing programs.  He also raced at Pats Peak, Gunstock, Crotched Mtn, and Sunapee.   This years big trip which i'm just back from was to Utah, Alta, Snowbird, Solitude and Brighton resorts.   While we've been getting pounded with snow storm after snow storm (blizzards actually) Utah not so much.  I think it was the least amount of snow they've seen in January since records have been kept.  Needless to say they did have a pretty good base 67" and over 200" in total at Alta which did ski quite nicely despite any recent big snow storms.   We skied Solitude day 1 to bluebird and 45 degrees of spring like conditions.   It was fun to explore a brand new mountain, and we stayed right at the base in the Powder Horn Lodge which was really a beautiful three bedroom slope side (room 420, same as hot tub time machine ;-)   Day 2 and 3 we skied at Alta and to our surprise it snowed.  We got a fresh 6 - 9 inches which we were very grateful for it really did give us just enough new snow for fresh tracks and it softened everything up.   I particularly liked point supreme peak, where we hiked Catherine's area a series of tree and chute runs that were just what I was looking for.    Day 4 we skied Snowbird and I could hardly wait, it had been 28 years since I had skied Snowbird and Alta and I remembered Snowbird as one of the best places I'd ever skied.   The last time I skied there was in high school.  It didn't disappoint, it was bigger and better than I recalled.  With the addition of so much new terrain and some familiar slopes and aspects.  Wow, what a truly superb place.  There are only a handful of ski resorts / mountains that have given me a spiritual feeling upon skiing them and Snowbird is one such place.  I felt so honored, challenged and blessed to be able to ski such a place.  It sent goose bumps down my arms when at the end of the day I skied to the Snowbird Center at the base of the tram, knowing that I had skied hard and challenged myself right to the last chair.   The last run was the apex where we skied off of the Peruvian Gulch, down through the key hole, a narrow chute just wide enough for your skies to make some wonderful hop turns in boot deep soft snow with big rock cliff faces on each side.  What a thrill!  I love Snowbird!    Day 5 we skied Brighton which is a Boyne owned resort and my pass from back home at Loon got me discounted skiing which was nice.   What can I say about Brighton, it's a family ski mountain that has great tree skiing.   Day 6 we skied Solitude again and we had a blast again it was upper 40s to even 50 degrees on the slopes and spring like conditions.   The whole trip was a lot of fun with 6 of my best friends.