Category: Resort Skiing

More Ski Area Shenanigans

Posted by Brittany – May 3, 2012

Some people think I’m crazy. Actually, I think most people think I’m crazy. Even here, in a town full of ski-crazed inhabitants, nearly everyone shake’s their head in wonder and disbelief when they find out I’m still skiing. Thankfully, I have a husband who likes it just as much as me.

On Saturday we set our initial sites on Axtell. Being the day after a storm that came in with a lot of wind, we decided to try to stay below treeline. As we drove out the Kebler Pass road, we quickly realized that the snow-bridge that had given skiers easy access to Axtell the week before was now melted. This doesn’t mean Axtell is impossible to ski. But, it certainly makes it harder to access- more difficult than we wanted to deal with for something like Axtell. So, we decided on a back-up plan– to “backcountry ski” at ski area we would go.

A fox was there to greet us.
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Frank wished the T-bar was still running.
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The scenery was beatified with a touch of the new snow.
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TR: Headwall Hoopla

Posted by Brittany – April 26, 2012

After returning from my spring break, it was back to work. As I slaved away impressing the important concepts of math on to developing minds, Mother Nature decided to grace us with a good dousing of spring snow. Some people thought it was a cruel joke. I just thought it was great. I took time to enjoy the freshly fallen snow throughout the week, skinning up the resort both before and after work. But, on Friday, Frank joined me on an after work outing on the Headwall.

On the road we saw evidence that the bears were awake, and likely starving after a long winter of torpor and little food to eat in the area.
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The Headwall was looking pretty good!
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TR: Touch of Targhee (12 April 2012)

Posted by Brittany – April 17, 2012

Last week was my spring break. For a couple of months now, we realized we probably weren’t going to be spending my break in Colorado due to our poor snow pack. So, we set our sites on the Tetons. Mid-week, we attempted the Grand Teton. Due to a few different situations, we were shut down. Still we had a great time and chalked it up as an opportunity to gather beta for the next try. Frank is currently sifting through photos for a trip report. In the meantime, we’ll move on to our next stop: Grand Targhee.

After our Grand Teton attempt, clouds moved in and unstable weather surrounded the region. While we had hopes of hitting more great Teton lines, it was clear that the weather was not going to cooperate. Rather than fight it, we joined it. We decided to chase the powder. We stopped for an afternoon ski at Grand Targhee which had 5+ inches of fresh.
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A view looking back toward Driggs.
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There were plenty of fresh tracks left, especially on the Sacajawea chair. So, there we went.

Frank.
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120 Days

Posted by Brittany – April 5, 2012

For a few years now, I’ve wanted it. 120 days of skiing in a season. I was on a good track to accomplishing it when I moved here in 2008-09, but a torn ACL in mid-February brought that goal, along with the goal of finishing my 9 remaining fourteeners, to an abrupt halt. 2010-11 was a great season, and I was also on a good track to accomplishing the 120-day goal. But, my plans were thwarted by two weeks of illness, and also interrupted with our June wedding- not a bad way to be interrupted of course :)

So, I began this season once again with the goal of skiing 120 days. With my part-time schedule at the school, I have had a bit more free time this year and I’ve been able to ski 5 days a week on average. A month ago it seemed like accomplishing the goal wouldn’t be a problem, but the continual lack of snow since the beginning of March has put a damper in my plans.

That being said, yesterday I skinned up the mountain after work, a regular routine for me these days, and skied for my 94th day of the season.

The sunset was beautiful.

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TR: Alaska Days 2 & 3

Posted by Brittany – February 22, 2012

Day 2 was a storm day. A good storm day though. We headed out for some turns at Alyeska Resort and, though inhibited somewhat by visibility, we enjoyed laps on the North Face and Christmas Chute.

Frank on the tram.
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A storm day’s view out the tram window.
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Frank in Christmas Chute.
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We knew the day’s storm was dumping snow all around us and were hoping for a weather window to open so we could enjoy some freshies in the backcountry. Day 3′s forecast wasn’t looking promising and we woke up to Girdwood valley being socked in. But, we decided to check things out on Turnagain Pass with a friend of a friend, Brett, and his friend Andy. As we made our way around the Turnagain Arm, the mountains began to reveal themselves.
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And we even began to see blue skies on Turnagain.
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Weekend Powder Stoke (21 & 22 Jan 2012)

Posted by Brittany – January 22, 2012

The town was buzzing on Friday, knowing that the first significant snowfall for months was quickly approaching. NOAA forecasted the storm would hit at 11 am on Saturday morning. Flakes began to fall from the sky at 10:30 that morning, and we were elated. We let the snow accumulate while we worked on a few projects in our apartment. But, when we looked glanced out the window at 11:30, we realized it had already snowed a couple of inches. It was time to grab the skis and go!

It dumped all afternoon, yet the lines were like this.
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The snow continued to fall all day long. When I took a quick break, I came out and my skis had been quickly buried.
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The skiing got better and better throughout the day. And during our last two runs, we decided to grab a few quick shots.

Frank sporting his tele-steeze.
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What we’ve got

Posted by Brittany – January 8, 2012

We’ve been waiting for this. We’ve been waiting for far too long. On Saturday morning, we were awakened by the sound of a snow plow. The building shook as the mighty machine scraped the two inches of snow off the parking lot pavement and dumped it on top of our tiny snow banks. It’s been a bad snow year so far. There’s no debate about it. And while last year two inches of fresh felt like dust on crust, this year’s dry spell has made two inches feel more like two feet. It was declared a powder day.

We grabbed our skis and headed to the ski area. Yelps and smiles and shouts of elation were everywhere. Two inches became three inches and three inches became five as snow continued to fall throughout the day. I felt my edges carving through the newly fallen snow as if they were razor sharp, something I rarely feel on the man-made frozen congealed slop.

We made our way to the East River lift. “Scrape, scrape, brush, brush,” was the sound our skis made as we glazed over rock after rock and blasted through the small trees and bushes. The coverage was thin, but it was natural snow- natural snow with fresh snow on top of it. And that made it fantastic.

Last year we were spoiled. We would have either laughed or cried at the desperation we find ourselves in today, where skiing a black diamond bump run laden with rocks and bushes has been the highlight of our lift-served experience, where two inches of fresh is declared a pow-day. But, no skier on the mountain yesterday could deny that it wasn’t a good day. Because it WAS a good day!

Sometimes the best days are the ones that remind you what you’ve got :)

Guest Blog: Finding the Perfect Ski Resort

Posted by Brittany – October 10, 2011

Snow has fallen and many of us have made our first turns of the year. And for some, now is the time to begin thinking of the escape for a winter ski vacation. A guest blog from FindTheBest gives some advice for finding which ski resort is right for you and your vacation.

With over 1000 resorts across the country, choosing the destination for your next snow filled vacation can be a daunting task. From average snowfall to lift ticket prices to amount of skiable acres, there are tons of factors that can come into play when deciding where to hit the slopes next. Fortunately, this new Ski Resort Comparison helps sift through your options to find what resort fits your own personal preferences.

Looking for a Colorado Ski Resort with a Kid’s Ski School and lift tickets on the cheaper side? Just enter in your location, adjust the price slider to what your budget allows, and let the tool do all the work. Because the resort comparison includes all U.S. ski resorts as well as the major international ones, you can be sure that you’re not missing out on anything. Lastly, if you’re having trouble choosing between a few resorts, view all of the park information in a side-by-side comparison to really get down to the details.

Next time you’re trying to decide where to spend your next ski or snowboard vacation, get all the facts from this free resort comparison, and find the resort that’s truly made for you on FindTheBest.com.

Ski With The Bride (18 June 2011)

Posted by Brittany – June 23, 2011

Skiing is my means of escape. Many of you know that already. But, many of you don’t know to what extent I’ll seek that escape. Like the morning of my wedding. Instead of stressing about last minute decorations and getting my nails done, I went skiing. I invited any girl that I thought would be interested in joining. In the end, there was still just a small troop of seven- many of whom had joined me on my bachelorette outing last month. But, for a little group, we had a lot of fun :)

We began by meeting around 7:30 in the parking lot of my building and all piling into Ann’s truck for the short drive to the ski area. Headwall was our goal. Sonya, Gerlinde, Susan, Me, Pam, Kim.
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Photo courtesy of Ann Driggers

The snow has been gradually melting. As a result, we had to hike about 15 minutes on a dirt road until we reached the snow.
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Photo courtesy of Ann Driggers

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TR: Headwall Happiness

Posted by Brittany – June 7, 2011

This spring has been unreal. The calendar says it’s spring, but most of our “spring” felt like winter. Storm after storm bombarded our weather and our small mountain town. Though frustrating at times because it was hard to venture into the high country, I can’t complain about the snow. I’ll take it, and I’ll assume it’s Mother Nature’s wedding gift to us :)

The snow has been slow to melt. I would estimate we are about 3 weeks behind recent snow melt levels. Because of this, I’ve been able to continue to easily do after work laps at the ski area.

The ski area on the last day of May.
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Runs on the front side of the ski area are interrupted by plowed roads. But, head to the backside, and you’ll find perfect icing on cake. A lap on the Headwall can easily be done in two hours if you park at the ski area boundary on Prospect. Frank and I have taken advantage of this easy access and great skiing a few different times in the last couple of weeks.

May 25
Frank making his way on the road. After parking at the top of Prospect, there is a 5 minute walk on the road to the Teocalli lift.
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The Headwall in the distance. It looks better than it does during the heart of the ski season!
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