TelemarkBlog

Sam Skiing Baldy Express at Snowbird

This is a short video of Sam (3 years old) and some friends skiing the Claim Jumper run off of Baldy Express at Snowbird on 3-24-07.  I love how he just books down the run in this video.

Snowbird Tunnel

The snowbird tunnel was a little bit of an enigma to me this year.  I never thought it was a good idea and still think the whole thing is a bit fantastic.  However, I love the new Peruvian lift and the fact that you can get to Mineral Basin so quickly now without riding the Snowbird Tram or the Little Cloud lift.   Kids love doing laps in the tunnel (down to Mineral Express, ski the top of Chips and back into the tunnel) and its conveyor belt.  It has also helped me practice my ski pole golf swing on the chunks of ice sitting on the side of the conveyor.  Although  I hope this is the end of ski tunnels in Utah (probably not), I'm ok with how this one turned out.

Deer Valley 30,000 Vertical Feet Before Lunch

My father has been telling me all year how he has been getting in 30,000 feet of skiing before noon almost every day he has skied this year.  He is a retired 70+ year old university professor, an NCAA skiing champ, and a season pass holder at Deer Valley.  I finally got to go up with him this past week at Deer Valley and it was amazing.  First let me say that Deer Valley is fantastic.  The resort does everything right.  It has grooming down to a science, its restaurants are world class, and the mountain and lifts are fantastic. We were the milkmen on the lift right as the resort opened and immediately stated bombing down the corduroy on the upper mountain.   By 10:30 after doing about 20 nonstop runs, I was getting tired. By Noon, I was ready for some of that famous Deer Valley Chili.  After lunch we took it easy, did some sightseeing, enjoyed the weather, and went home early.

My father has always been my idol.  He is a gentleman, a great father and grandfather, and was wildly successful in his career.  He skis in that amazing old style Stein Ericksen form and can still rip it.  I hope the same thing can be said about me when I am in my 70’s.   

Warm Days

Boy has it been warm in Utah this last week.  It is wreaking havoc on the snowpack.  I have never seen wet slab avalanches like this in my life.  All of Scotts Bowl, an in bounds area of Park City slid along with major in bounds slides on Pioneer Ridge and Jupiter Peak.  Looks like Tahoe is having the same issue. Lets hope that more resorts, businesses, and others "go green."

How to Teach a 3-Year-Old How to Ski

I had a couple of thoughts I wanted to jot down after spending the past year teaching my three-year-old son how to ski.  In no particular order:
1.  Have patience.  If your kid wants to sit down, stop and eat snow, build a snowman, or drink hot chocolate every two to three runs, do it.  If they are tired and want to take a nap, stop and take a nap with them. 
2.  Use a “helper.” My three year old used an Edgie Wedgie up until last Saturday.  The device is essentially a piece of surgical tubing with a clamp on each side that hooks to the tip of each ski.  It makes stopping and turning much less dynamic – instead of needing to push on the front of his boot to be in the wedge, all he had to do was lean back a bit and push out.  This makes a huge difference for little kids.
3. Get a helmet.  The best way to buy kids ski gear is to shop the sales in late March and April, buy something that works for your oldest, and then hand the stuff down.  My son has a great hand-me-down helmet that his older sister used.  He has been on his head a lot this winter and I have been grateful on multiple occasions for his helmet.  Instead of crying after a hard fall, he has been able to laugh at the big wipe outs he took.
4.  Get help.  I am pretty comfortable on skis and can chase my kids around.  My wife and others I see on the hill have a very hard time dealing with the demands of little children on skis.  When teaching a child how to ski you will need to: 1) lift them on the chair lift, 2) help them off the chair, 3) pick them up when they fall, 4) carry them and their skis and your skis across a parking lot, 5) push them across any flat part of the slope, 6) rescue them from bad judgment calls, 7) hold them on the lift so they don’t accidentally fall off, 8) hike uphill to help out when needed, and 9) be able to personally ski while being 95% focused on your child.  If you are not able to do all of these things, often simultaneously, get help.  Snowbird (and other local resorts) has an amazing ski school.  All a parent needs to do is drop off their child in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon.  No hassles, not that expensive, and the kids love meeting new friends. 
5. Don’t strangle your child (please).  I often see well intentioned parents who put their own ski poles under the armpits and across the chests of their children who dangle between their legs.  It looks miserable and the poles often end on or just below their kids necks.  Please, put down your poles, bend over and grab your child’s hips, and guide them down in a way that they can stand up on their own, weight their own skis, and feel the snow.  It took my son three runs this year between my legs (with my hands supporting his hips) for him to be good and confident enough to go on his own. 
Also - if you can, ski backwards just in front of your child when they are just starting out.  That way if they lose control, you are there to catch them.  Twin tip skis help with this.
6. No diapers.  Can you imagine having to change a diaper on the ski hill?  Neither can I.  Use this as motivation for kids who need help using underwear.   
7. Take treats.  Stuff your pockets with them.  There are few things better than sharing a rice crispy treat or M&M’s with a three year old on a chair lift.
8.  Have fun! Go with friends, siblings, family, and tell them how great they are doing.

American Skiing Company is Selling Sunday River and Sugarloaf

It sounds like the American Skiing Co. is trying to sell Sunday River and Sugarloaf according to this article in the Salt Lake based Deseret News.  What an amazing year - the founder resigns, all of its properties but one are sold, and litigation at the Canyons continues.  And I thought my last year in the workplace was rough! 

Skiing with kids

As I was looking up at some of my favorite backcountry lines from Brighton on Saturday, I kept saying to myself, “it’s ok, the kids are having fun.”  And they were, and I was too.  I just can’t wait until the whole crew is old enough to telemark ski with me in the backcountry. 

American Skiing Co. - What's Up?

What is going on at the American Skiing Co?  First they sell Steamboat two months ago, then they sell Mount Snow, Attitash and now Killington within days of each other?  I realize that paying off debt is a good thing to do and all (I obsess over paying off my credit cards too), but selling two huge destination resorts within ~two months?  I just hope that the last three resorts - Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and The Canyons don’t get abused and then whittle away like what appears to be happening with the rest of the company. Though a little overdeveloped and spread out, The Canyons has really seen some great net improvements under ownership of the American Skiing Co.