A Connecticut Yankee Out West

Last Day? (D12K11)

Pete and I headed to Kirkwood on Sunday to enjoy some sunny California spring skiing as the mountain prepares to close this coming weekend.  Neither of us was anywhere near as excited as we normally are to get on the mountain, but we were looking forward to a nice relaxing sunny day with soft snow.  It is interesting to make the drive when there is a lot less snow around.  It seems just a little wrong to see the bottom of the snow stakes on the sides of the road when you are used to *maybe* seeing just a bit of the tops.

Mother Nature had different plans though.  Most of the day was quite cloudy and overcast, with variable precipitation all day and very, very flat light.  The snow took longer to soften then expected as a result, so it was quite reminiscent of an East Coast ski day.  It was a much better day for skiing then snowboarding, but I'm not testing the new knee that much until next season.  Being on the mountain was still way better then most other things I could have been doing, but this was probably my worst snowboarding experience in California to date.  I continue to feel very spoiled when it comes to Tahoe experiences as a result.

It is sad the mountain is closing, there is still plenty of snow left, and from the looks of it, they're due for more snow this week.  They just don't have the attendance now though, everyone has moved on to summer activities, myself included I guess.  I'd probably go again this weekend, but I twisted my knee and ankle well enough that I'm still limping a bit and I'm looking at sailing this weekend.  So, I suspect this was it until next season, unless I attempt something back country or take some vacation and head to the antipode.  What a great season, I hope '05 - '06 comes out similarly.  I'll get back on skis some then too.

Good Friday? Great Friday! (D11K10)

The past week was quite busy, but I was able to fix my schedule at the last minute to take Friday off and work Saturday instead.  This allowed me to take advantage of the few inches that fell on Thursday at Kirkwood.  (You can click on the pictures for larger versions, if you want.)

Now, those couple inches fell on top of 7-10 *feet* that piled up from Saturday through Wednesday, so I was well positioned to have a great powder day.  With all the fresh snow sticking in the trees, no clouds in the sky, and the bright sun high thanks to the late season, the drive up was particularly beautiful.  Fortunately the roads were mostly dry as well.

We hit the Wall lift right at 9am and dropped straight into Eagle Bowl underneath the Cirque.  Then it was up lift #2 to go check out the backside of the mountain, where we were met with a portion of the mountain that had seen no tracks that day, and only one or two the day previous.

Pete and I decide that a hike is in order, neither of us having tried this spot before.

About 15 minutes of huffing and puffing get us to the top where we recover for a few minutes and then head down through some fantastically light powder.  Pete says it was like skiing with warm bath water splashing up and around. A fantastic, fantastic run.

Up chair 4, spying from the lift that 99 steps is virtually untracked, we decide we'll go for another hike.  My  first 99 step hike.  It's never seemed worth it before, but today it is almost audibly screaming out to be taken advantage of, especially after the joyous hiking experience we just had.  This hike turns out to be fairly steep in a few sections,  and certainly more then 99 steps (took us about 3o minutes with a few breaks), but ohhhhh so worth it.  I have one of my best rides *ever*, getting to crank some massive carves along an untracked expanse.   The snow is lightly wind packed, but not just at the surface, so the board gets to sink in a little while still giving enough support, such that I get the lean forward hand drag carve on my toe side and the flirt with the hip on the slope heelside carve as well.   Total zen ride.  If I never snowboarded again after that ride, I'd be content.  But, as luck would have it, I got to continue with a great day.  We dropped into Thunder Saddle, right underneath the Cirque (being good boys and not ducking the line like we were originally thinking), continuing to find nice fresh fluffy powder under the blue sky.

We head back over to the backside and enjoy a lift ride up with an interesting semi-retired couple from the Santa Cruz hills.  It seems the missus is an artist, and the husband is learning all about Unix by running the web site that showcases her work.  You *have* to check this out:  www.animalhead.com , no joke.  I think I might get the goat for the office.

Anyway, we take the mini hike to get over to Two Man Chute, where we continue scarfing down fresh tracks.   Getting tired and needing food, we decide to have lunch at Red Cliffs Lodge, taking High Whiskey for, get this, more fresh powder to get there.   We sit outside, soaking up the sun, having one of the standard Kirkwood lunches, chili cheese fries and Gatorade.  It seems like Red Cliffs serves a larger portion size of the delicacy then the others; I couldn't finish all mine.  We had wanted the jambalaya, but the cafe was closed.  There was a Subaru ad next to us with a quote something along the lines of "the only way you get fresh powder is to be the first person there".

After lunch we took things a bit slower, hitting Sentinel Bowl, Palisades, a great bump run down Look Out Janek, Saddle Bowl, a little bit of a hike to drop in through one of the Sisters into Sister Chute and then one last easy bump run down Monte  Wolfe and into Red Cliffs.  These afternoon runs weren't as powderlicious as the morning, but they were still terrific.  They involved Pete's fourth call from the SOC (work), documented here:

and a lift ride with a tele-skiing grandfather who learned to tele four years ago at the young and tender age of 72.  We never saw a monoski, but there was a guy attempting to use his split decision on 99 steps with climbing skins and then later as a snowboard.  I always thought the contraption was kinda cool, but never quite functional enough.  This guy's troubled efforts didn't make me think any different.

Lift lines were almost nonexistent and there was never much of a crowd anywhere we went.  I have plans for the next three weekends in a row, so I suspect this was my last powder day (quite possibly my last day period) of the season.  What a great way to close it out!

Kirkwood and Mother Nature seem to still be going strong, with another 20-26" falling Sunday and Monday.  It has been a banner snowfall year at "The Wood", right now clocking in at 547" - 710" (46 to 59 feet).  The average mid-mountain season total for the resort is 500", so this is a heavy year.  It is a totally different story up in Washington, where a warm rain spell back in January was followed by an unusual dry stretch.  This has pretty much completely trashed the season there.  Kirkwood actually hired about a dozen people from Crystal Mountain, which sounds like it has been closed more then it has been open this year.  They average 380" a year, so I'm left feeling sad for my Washington coworkers.

D9K8, the ski weekend that almost wasn't

Original plan:  Leave work Friday afternoon, drive ~320 miles to Mammoth, pray we make it through the forecasted snowstorm without too much delay… nixed for various reasons, so shift to:

Plan #2:  Leave work at 4pm on Friday, crapshoot if the drive will involve snow squalls, stay in South Lake, ski / snowboard Kirkwood Saturday and Sunday.

I was able to leave work just before 4, buzzed home, grabbed a shower, saw that the roads were going to be clear and that no snow was going to fall and then met Pete at his house at 5, loaded up his STI, and we drove up.  I napped on and off for some part of an hour, mostly between Dublin and Jackson.  Wait a minute… Jackson?  Why were we driving through Jackson to get to South Lake you might ask?  That's certainly not the fastest way to get there you'd correctly surmise.

I should have added an "am" next to that "4".  4pm, 4am, what's the difference?  Well yes, 12 hours, smarty pants, but the delay in my departure was thanks to an emergency 18.5 hour work day, resulting in a cancelled hotel reservation, and no sleep.  The best way to start a ski weekend, ev-ah.  That makes 3 times in the last 4 months that I've pulled an all nighter for work, two of them on Friday nights.  It was worse for some of my coworkers though, as they ended up slogging it out through much of the weekend as well, and had been involved earlier in the week as well.  It is *deeply* frustrating when you have to manage the prevention of burn out in people on such a consistent basis, both in the short term (rotate people through so they get sleep and maybe some time off) and the longer term (job satisfaction and the perception of work/life balance being a myth).  We're hiring, and I swear that if we were staffed the way we intend, everyone's lives would be better, and I'm only partly exaggerating when I say "everyone".  We impact enough communication around the world that I could make the case that a better service = a better world.  That also translates into needing smart, quality people, not just "crank turners".

The trip works out great though.  I was reasonably awake while on the mountain, which is starting to show signs of spring like conditions.  Tight corduroy,  firm snow and windy mountain tops met us each morning, but by late morning / early afternoon the snow had softened, the wind had slowed; all without a cloud in the sky.  I'll be content if these were my last days of the season, but would really like to get at least a couple more days in.  The knee is hinting that its getting stronger and is certainly less bothersome, it seems a shame to not see what that will keep translating to on the slopes.

By some of our standard criteria, we had "complete" Kirkwood days:  We saw somebody slide down almost the length of "The Wall", tele-gods pounded away down the bumps, and the monoski's were out.  We even rode the lift with a monoskier from Pennsylvania.  He provided some great beta on board design, ride experience, etc.

D6K5

"And the sun shone forth as they descended like locusts on the fresh, deep snow fields.  They came fast and full of righteous beliefs, complete with various implements of sliding recreation, solid in their conviction that this day would indeed be theirs to plunder that which the mighty bluebird had offered up.

They found themselves  true to the task, squeezing bliss; nay, not just bliss, but verily, nirvana, out of every downhill moment.  Their efforts punctuated only by brief interludes in which mechanized chariots would seek to return them to the heady heights anew.  From such a vantage, they were free once more to sally forth and carve afresh the white heaven sent expanse that blanketed the area known to most as"Kirkwood".  T'is a land of untold bounty and beauty, deserving of much attention on such hallowed days."

Or, less dramatically:

I snowboarded yesterday.  In the ~3 days previous, Kirkwood had received 2-2.5 feet.  The weather had been cold, and the snow slow in falling, resulting in unusually light powder.  Thus, Pete, Schif, and I were met with a bluebird day.  Sun shining, still chilly (upper teens, low 20's).  We could see the tracks made by others the previous day, but there was still plenty to be had.

The snow was just phenomenal.  Pete and I opted for the cliff bars on the lift lunch and didn't stop until 3:15, both tired and cautious of risking injury.  That gave us 6 solid hours on the slopes, having ranged from the backside to the Palisades, poaching underneath the cirque to launching off the rolling hills.

It's hard to believe that I can, and have had, better days there.  I have become a spoiled, greedy, powder hound.  Don't believe the marketing hype, Colorado doesn't have anything on Tahoe.  I believe Utah and BC are probably better, but not by much.   I certainly look forward to testing that theory over time.

Or, the completely abbreviated version:

D6K5 (6th ski day of the season for me, 5th day at Kirkwood)

Any way you look at it, I'm still grinning at the memory of a good day :)

Driven By What's Inside

<scene>   A semi rural, Central Valley bisecting, stretch of California state highway.  The kind that has various farms or orchards on either side of the road, small roadside produce stand signs, the occasional errant palm tree reaching above the small, lived in homes or roadhouses that dot the road in between the small two gas station towns along the way.  Perhaps something like, Hwy. 88, near Lockeford.

It is just past dawn, on a clear "winter" morning.  The grass, where it exists is lush, dewy (almost frosty in places) and green from the winter rains, but the orchards and deciduous trees stand barren and stark.  The roadway, normally two lanes (one in each direction), swells to four for the immediate area just before and after a small light at the  intersection of another state route.

The camera is looking west down the road, with the intersection in the foreground, just high enough to catch the oncoming group of ten vehicles.  It is a mix of cars and SUV's, most of them obviously destined for the Sierras and snow recreation (as noted by ski racks, packed cars, "4snow" type vanity plates, etc).  The vehicles are moving at a reasonable pace, at or near the speed limit towards a green light.

We see the line of cars staying in the left lane as the road widens to two lanes.  The left is the lane that stays constant through the intersection (the right lane merges back and ends perhaps fifty yards later, as indicated by road signs and the standard, large white painted arrows on the road).

The final two cars in the ten vehicle group are somewhat obscured by the oversized SUV's in front of them.  There is a beat or two as these last vehicles enter the added lane area wherein one might assume the drivers are assessing if the right lane will stay clear.  Then, you see the ninth vehicle make its decision, sharply pulling into the right lane and accelerating, hard.

The camera zooms in a hair to see the aggressive front of this ninth car, a black pearl, 2004 Subaru STI, complete with the stock oversized front air intake, rear spoiler and a Thule ski rack with 2 pairs of slightly used expert shaped skis mounted on top.  There are two twenty or thirty something males occupying the front seats, wearing ski jackets.

The camera then switches to an overhead, slightly following view, catching the ninth car as it passes the seventh car, still accelerating hard.  At this time, the last car now is also seen to take the right lane, and almost as quickly as the first begin accelerating past the line of vehicles.  (Think about the overhead view you've seen in Tour de France coverage when the last rider in a sprint group begins moving to the front).  This last car is black pearl as well, although a bit covered in road dirt (its been to the mountains recently, and hasn't been washed), a 2004 Subaru Forester XT, with a long and thin Thule "frontier" model box mounted on its roof rack carrier.  Two thirty-something males occupy these front seats, sporting ski clothing, and the driver has shades on.

This camera angle tracks the two speedy black turbo scoobies through the intersection , after which the STI is seen to pass the leading car and move into the left lane.  The Forester is passing perhaps the fifth car in line.

Switch back to a west facing leading camera view again (note the morning sun glinting off all the vehicles).  The STI is stretching its lead on the pack, as the Forester is seen coming on hard down the right lane (left side of the camera view).  The forester slides into the main lane comfortably ahead of the former "lead" car, and a few car lengths behind the STI *just* as the road narrows back down.  Huge grins can be seen on both Subaru drivers' faces.

Switch to a tailing view, driver level (perhaps from the lead car?), where you can see the two black road demons continuing to pull away, kicking up a bit of swirling dust in their wake.  You see the STI driver raise his left fist out the window in triumph, and perhaps you can make out the Forester driver responding with a raised left hand showing the "rock n' roll horns" inside his vehicle. 

Subaru… "Driven by what's inside"… In this case: enthusiastic, thirty something East Coast transplants, on their way to further plunder epic snowfall at a bad ass ski resort, keeping the drive interesting by counting the cars they pass along the state highway.  That would be eight in one fell swoop.

Kinda cool when you think parts of your life would make a good TV car ad.

Ya Got Devils In Your Drawers, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom

J J I am snowboarding again!!  I spent the day at Kirkwood, eurocarving my way around the mountain from 1^st run to last. J J

I went bouldering a week or two ago with Ryan & Carol, so I’m finally starting to get back to things I’ve used to help keep my sanity in the past.

I didn’t hit the wall lift or the cornice express, cause I didn’t want to push things with no fresh snow, but the corduroy around the other slopes was plenty tasty, the sun was warm, and the slopes empty.  I had no real problems, left early (2:30pm), and only wore a neoprene brace on the knee (doc says the big plastic braces you see really won’t help).  The knee is still obviously weaker, but it works fine for the carving, and handled some small jumps well. Moguls and anything where I really need to swing the board around a lot seem like they will be the hardest and last to get to.  I can’t wait to try powder!

I’m not sure I can express how relieved I was after my first few turns, or how excited I was after my first few runs. Relieved because it has been over *nine months* of wondering if I could ever do this again, and excited to think that its possible I’ll get all the way back to my escapades before the injury.

As quite often happens, I had some music stuck in my head while riding most of the day. Normally, I have something kind of loud and upbeat playing in the car on the way up, to help get the blood flowing and such.  Those tunes can often end up in my head. Today was a little strange though.  As it turns out, I was listening to the late, great, John Lee Hooker as I suited up for the mountain. Two of his songs melded in my mind, and I switched up the lyrics on one, so the title of this post is what ran through my head most of the day. I knew it was kinda wrong, but it all worked for me anyway.  I was too damned happy to care.  I butchered “Dimples” which has the lyrics “You got dimples in your jaw” (“Ya got devils in your drawers” just goes better with “I love the way you walk”, don’t you think?) and then stuck the “boom boom boom boom” from “Boom Boom” in behind it. I was even clapping down the mountain at times.  I’m sure I looked a fool, but I could care less, CAUSE I’M BACK, BABY!!

Boom Boom Boom Boom