The view from La Grande Rochette

“Holy crap, I’m going to die.”

It’s minus 4, I’m at the top of my first red run and I’m fairly certain my brother is about to push me over the edge.

This thought set the tone for a majority of my January adventure. It’s important you understand me, however. “Holy crap I’m going to die” may sound like the thoughts of a woman who would rather be under a tartan blanket with a good Jane Austin and roaring fire but that couldn’t be further from the truth. That, my friend, is the thought of adrenaline replacing blood and more importantly, adventure.

We’re in France, La Plagne to be exact, in a group of 7. My brother announced he was taking me three days previously and ever since then it had been one, ridiculously over-excited journey to the Alps. Facebook bore the brunt of a lot of the giddiness.

I conquered that first red run with just one fall (more a gentle slide into a snow bank as my brother screamed ‘TURN’ from behind) and only slightly risking the life of another skier as he attempted to ski around, through and eventually over me.

You see, I may be a competent skier but it was a La Plagne red, which we quickly discovered on venturing to nearby and much gentler Les Arcs is more like black and black is more like death.

La Plagne is not, as one of the group discovered, a resort for beginners. There are two greens. Our beginner did some impressive acrobats coming down her first ever run and on her first blue was presented with a slope that seemed daunting to us, although obviously we told her nothing of the sort.

After that initial fear, things looked up (alright, if you’re being pernickerty, they looked down). I skied reds, I got cocky, I learnt how to spray snow in people’s faces (unfortunately not how to aim and nowhere near as effectively as others in the group learnt to push me over) and developed my own trade mark, extremely annoying ‘Rrrrrrowwww’ which would appear as my adrenaline peaked. We straight-lined the blues and threw abuse at the ones who didn’t and learnt how to navigate moguls (and how not to), had coffee on a glacier (below) and found an ice cave complete with carvings (below). It was essentially perfect.

Some of the boys have a casual coffee on top of a glacier

The glacial ice-cave; I found a rhino, Bee grabbed a boob and Tim baited a giant frog

Off the slopes, we got into the perfect apres-ski routine of drinks at the Toboggan Pub, outdoor pool and sauna, food and then the rest of the night would be spent putting the world to rights. When you’ve got company that good, its surprising how quickly you forget your thighs are on fire and that your feet stopped having feeling a long time ago.

Thus, funding myself on top of he highest peak Les Arcs had to offer with only a red or black route down, I was terrified but happy and quietly confident that I wouldn’t die. That soon changed.

The other three disappeared down a black.

I practiced yoga breath to stop myself hyperventilating.

We reached the next slope alive. They disappeared down a run that looked remarkably similar to a sheet of ice, mostly because it was.

I practiced yoga breath to stop myself hyperventilating.

The next slope was more interesting. By this point, my brother had realised I was about to pass out with fear and so skied behind, shouting encouraging things such as “Turn!!”,  ”Just do it, stop being a wimp” and “Go or I’m pushing you”. I went.

He neglected to tell me I’d gone the wrong way and ended up on a black run until we reached the bottom, apparently because I would’ve refused to go down.

He was completely wrong; I would’ve definitely gone down, had I known!

In a helicopter.

For a couple of hours after that, everything was fine; the knowledge that I had survived a black buoyed me on to the point that I talked a petrified French man down a slope (by this point, the others were off on some death slope and there was no way I was being the wuss that couldn’t get down a red) and looked on pityingly as a woman in exactly the same position I was an hour previously struggled to stay upright without fainting from fear.

Jubilant was not the word (masked, crippling fear might be)

Then something flicked. You know when something flicks? I was suddenly cold, hungry and feeling extremely sorry for myself. I was suddenly more scared than I had been for the entire holiday (even more scared than when I tried to straight-line over 2 sets of unexpected jumps and only made 1 1/2). I know I was scared because the most sarcastic member of the group told me to not worry, to go at my own pace and just get home safe. That was from a man who would video my slow progress down death-slopes cackling with laughter.

What made it worse was the realisation that skiers are like dogs; they smell fear. On those last few slopes, my brother tried to take me out by slicing over my skis; some twerp straight-lining down aimed for my head and a snowboarder for my legs. On the last slope the holiday, as if some grand-finale, a woman who was clearly jealous of my ability to assume one rigor-mortis position down any fear-inducing slope (a skill that earned me the nick-name ‘Lego Man’) took me out completely and skied off in a jubilant haze of snow, cackles and flying monkeys.

But you know what? That was the best day. Sure it hurt, I nearly weed myself a couple of times and my heart is probably significantly weaker but that’s adventure.

A nearly complete group, bar Ronak, at the top of Les Verdons

That was La Plagne with 3 days notice and 4 strangers, a brother, a sister in law and a wonderful Scottish girl I had met once.

That was January.

Ruka

As one of the largest ski resorts in Finland, Ruka is located in Kuusamo, only an hour’s flight from Helsinki and easily accessible by road (albeit a long one). At the resort there are as many as 21 ski lifts, 2 ski shops, a bowling alley, 28 restaurants and bars and miles of the stunning Finnish countryside. This place has it all. As well as a variety of skiing and snowboarding routes there are also opportunities for cross-country skiing, husky safaris, ice karting and snow shoe walking. You’re really spoilt for choice here and it’s not restricted to the winter season – there’s plenty to do in the summer. You can read more about what Ruka has to offer here.

Learning to Ski

If you’ve never gone skiing before I would recommend that you let go of your fear, inhale the fresh air and go for it. And maybe get some lessons too. That’s what I did on our first morning; I joined three other students who had never skied before and met Pekka, my wise but friendly instructor. He took us away from all the professional adults and overconfident teenagers chasing each other down the mountain and led us to the slightly more relaxed children’s area. Comical penguins and elves lined the slopes, cheering us on.

It was fairly easy to get the hang of skiing – keep your feet straight, make the ‘plow’ shape when you want to stop, hold a good posture. I thought I had my technique down and was feeling cold but confident. I ran back for a peanut butter sandwich lunch, keen to get onto a real slope. A proper slope.

Now, had I been smart I might have opted for the ‘in-betweeny’, middle-sized slope for people just starting out, but instead I eagerly hopped into a ski lift and zoomed up the mountainside. The view, by the way, was incredible, but sadly I didn’t take my camera for fear of crushing it. I alighted at the top, gazed around in awe, and then felt my heart jump into my mouth. I had to go down. The only way down was to ski. Down. A hill. A really big hill. After some dithering and panicking I went for it and pushed away with my poles – it was great, I was flying!

The only problem was that I couldn’t find the brakes! All my lessons in stopping fell from my head as I panicked and tried to avoid swerving into innocent children and happy couples enjoying their day. There I was zooming down a mountain like a train with no driver! After an age I reached the bottom and a flat surface but my legs wouldn’t stop shaking!

On my second attempt I had a big fall and thought that it was the end of my skiing career – which was unlucky, because I was still midway down a slope, but luckily two friendly French guys helped me down and I passed the rest of the afternoon on the nice steady easy slopes with some friends.

Beaten, Bruised and Ready to Snowboard

The next day, sore and battered, I was ready to try my hand at snowboarding – another first. Although I fell many more times than the previous day I enjoyed it so much more and felt a lot more confident than with skis. This time, however, I stuck to the nice ‘in-betweeny’ slopes and didn’t have any major disasters. Only minor squabbles with the ski lift to take me up – instead of sitting in a car I had to hold onto a pole and let it drag me up whilst I was standing on my snowboard. I can’t tell you how many times I was knocked off my feet by it. But it was worth the perseverance and although I was stiff as a piece of metal by the end of the day, I was satisfied with my new skill.

Equipment and Accommodation

If you’re going to Ruka to ski or snowboard you can rent everything need (apart from clothes) from the ski shop – even goggles. The guys in there were great – super friendly and helpful, especially when I told them that I was a beginner. They even helped me get the shoes on and taught me how to fasten them. Look out for discounts when you go – everything we did was half price on this particular weekend, making it a lot cheaper than it should have been. You can also change your equipment once for free – so if you don’t like skiing you can give snowboarding a go instead.

There are plenty of cabins in the surrounding area and ours was only a five minute walk from two restaurants and the ski lift. They’re cosy and great for a group of friends, with a nice big living area, dining table and kitchen. This is compensated for by quite small bedrooms, but they’re manageable for a weekend trip. And as a word of warning most of them have a ‘walk-in’ bathroom – there’s a shower curtain, but no door, so make sure you trust the people who you’re staying with!

While the ESN students partied at night and nursed hangovers in the morning I had an exciting but relaxing weekend. With no internet, no assignments to worry about and beautiful surroundings I spent my days in good company and my nights chilling out with a good book (Ken Kesey’s ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, which I would highly recommend).  The ESN leaders had arranged some activities and games but I was too tired to join in and the most social activity I managed was a game of Jenga. Even so, I met some new people and had a blast. I would happily return to Ruka with some friends in tow and do it all over again – and who knows, one day I might even manage an intermediate slope!

For more info on Ruka and Kuusamo check out the website: http://www.ruka.fi/

Winter sports generally are not for me. Once I tried, or rather tried to try ice skating, but was too scared to step away from the fence. I said the ice was too slippery and I was dead serious about it.

I had difficulties to put on my ski boots. I didn’t manage it by myself and I didn’t like that they were so extremely uncomfortable. When I tried to walk in them I felt like I was Arnold Schwarzenegger from The Terminator. But it was only the beginning. I was told to put on the skis and try to move in them, not down the hill yet, but it was already a big challenge. The snow was just as well slippery as the ice (okay, almost). This torture went on and on until two days later I could get down the hill (without ever falling), taking turns and stopping when I wished. I could do it but I still didn’t like it. It was still like a scary movie.

After the third day I said no. I wouldn’t do it any longer. I didn’t care. I didn’t want to die so young. Of course everyone was picking on me, why I stopped when it went so well.

After a day I started to doubt that I made the right decision, but then I agreed  with myself that it was not worth doing if I was scared, if I was not enjoying it.

After the second day I was told that I had a “cool snowboard face” why I didn’t want to try snowboarding?

Third day in the morning I was told that everyone from our apartment was going to try snowboarding and I was strongly recommended to join them so I did. I couldn’t leave the place without giving this winter sport thing another shot.

We didn’t really get far in one day but I already felt safer on the board than on the skis (probably it was a false sense of safety), I could stand up by myself and slide down without falling or I fell only if I wanted to avoid bumping into someone, because I still didn’t know how to turn properly or how to stop, or anything actually, just balancing down. But it felt good that I still had some hope that next year when my boyfriend would want to make me go skiing again I wouldn’t be so against it.

What do you do when you get an ice storm and everything is covered in ice?  These guys did something you should not do at home!  Early Saturday in Roxboro, NC, these guys took advantage of this little slice of winter.  They hooked up two sleds to a back of an ATV and did some skiing on the icy road.  This is like skiing on the water!  This is how you go sledding when all you got was ice, not snow.  Do not try this at home!

Related articles

• Sledding, Take Two (houseofestrogen.typepad.com)

第一次滑雪经验！这次学生协会举办的第二次滑雪周末位于Saint Sorlin d’Arves，法国东南部。其实，从出发到抵达那里，我根本没有任何期待或是兴奋的感觉。真不知道什么回事，但始终还是一个一级棒的周末！哈哈

We spent Saturday learning how to put on our skis, how to do the snow plow and how to turn left and right. It certainly wasn’t easy to move with the ski boots wrapped soooo tightly around your shin and ankle and with the skis extended so long front and back, but they serve their purpose well, so no complains about that.

我们花了星期六学习如何装上滑雪板、放慢速度或停下来及转左右。小腿和脚踝被滑雪鞋紧紧地包扎住，再加上长长的滑雪板，行动起来真的极度不方便，但因着它们自己的功用，还是不能抱怨。

By Sunday, we could ski down slopes while learning to control our speed and turns better. It wasn’t smooth run each time, though. I fell so many times that I lost count. The most difficult part for me was trying to stand up on a steep slope while ‘braking’ and trying even harder not to fall again. And each fall comes with a new pose, so I guess it was also a new discovery — the discovery of falling poses! haha…

到了星期天，我们都能够自己滑下坡时练习控制速度和转弯。每一次滑下坡都不是很顺利，总是会跌倒。跌倒的次数根本来不及算了。最困难的事情就是在斜坡跌倒了要站起来的同时又要试着停住不让自己滑下来而又不让自己在同个时候不再跌倒。真是复杂呀！每次跌倒都有不同的姿势 — 简直是一个跌倒姿势的新发现！嘿嘿

By the end of the weekend, the knees felt sore, as well as the buttocks, arms and everywhere!!! Still, it was an incredible weekend with great experience and great view!

这个周末留下来的，就是腰酸背痛，包括膝盖和屁股！尽管如此，还是一个富有新鲜经历和美景、非常精彩的周末！

A beautiful view of St Sorlin d’Arves

Sunny Saturday on the ski slope

‘Chilling out’ during lunch

Trying to make a snow angel

Funny snowmen…

A ski lift chair

Ice breaking teeth of a snow removal machine

Conversation between two ski helmets…

What? A sand bucket?!

A warm bath?

See you next time – it’ll be your turn on the ski, baby… so say goodbye to your camera!!!

Previous: Nature & Places, People, Freestyle & Children

One winter morning in the Huron Hills Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It’s close from my home.

Nobody (can) plays golf there in winter. It transforms into a park.

In the mid-January, Michigan is in deep winter.

It does not snow much in the southeastern Michigan, but sometimes snows heavily and accumulates pretty deep.

If the temperature is about 35 – 40F on the next day after a heavy snowfall, it’s perfect for winter outdoor sports.  If it is sunny, it’s even better.

A family with their pet dog, enjoying sledding.

I am from southern Japan where it rarely snows. You can’t imagine how exotic it is for somebody like me to be able to sled and ski casually in a nearby park.

I notice traces of cross-country skiing.

This is a public golf course, but in winter you can cross-country ski all over the place freely (this is amazing to me).

The golf course has gentle hills. You can go down the hills with cross country skis and feel as if you were donwhill skiing – on bunny hills (laugh).

Cross-country skiing is not spectacular like downhill skiing, but is fun to do and addictive.

At one time, I quite liked it and got into it.

(I never tried snowboarding, however, because I was too old when it became a known sport (laugh).

What’s great about cross-country skiing is that you can do it in a park in your neighborhood.  There are so many beautiful and spacious parks in Michigan – no comparison to my hometown in Japan.

It’s also great that it does not cost a lot of money like downhill skiing.  You don’t need to buy or rent expensive ski boots. You don’t need to buy lift tickets. You don’t need to drive far away and stay in a hotel.

If you get into winter sports, you will start looking forward to snowfalls.

You will jump for joy if snow accumulates, especially on Thursday or Friday – perfect for skiing on Saturday morning.

In about half an hour, you will be very warm. You may be sweaty.

Hot chocolate with marshmallow in after skiing tastes so good.

If you grew up in the U.S., probably none of this is interesting to you, but all of this experience was new and fascinating to me who grew up in a warm place abroad.

This week would have been too frigid for me – the temperature dipped as far as -2F  (-19C) (*o*)!!   I have never been tough enough to be outside when that cold.

Many places in Michigan are hilly – great for sledding and cross-country skiing.

A view from Huron Parkway

When I started getting into cross-country skiing, I wanted to buy my own skis and carry them on the roof of my car. I always thought it’s cool to drive around with your own skis on the roof your car – just like surfers drive with their surf boards on the roof of their (junky) cars.

If you are new to cross-country skiing, rent skis. In Ann Arbor where I live, there are at least three places you can rent skis just for a day.

If you are new to downhill skiing, you will probably want to take lessons first, but for cross-country skiing you won’t need any lessons. It’s very intuitive. I did it on my first try, just like power-walking.

And don’t worry about whether you are doing it in the right forms. In Japan, people make a big deal of if you are doing whatever sport in the right forms (maybe not now – they did when I lived there). In fact they pay too much attention to the right forms.  Same for sport gear – too much attention is paid to wearing the right sport gear from head to toe. It’s lot more casual here in the U.S. (which I like). You can downhill ski wearing just ordinary ski pants and jackets. Same for tennis – you can play it very casually in a public tennis court wearing a worn-out T-shirt. In Japan, tennis had the very classy image that I used to feel I would have to wear the “right” tennis wear to enter a tennis court.

There is an article which lists good places in the county for cross-country skiing and the places for renting skis:  annarbor.com

One of the places listed in the article for ski rent hosts a ski swap four times a year. A ski swap!  That’s a good idea. I don’t know if any sport shop in Japan does that.  Americans certainly come up with all kinds of interesting ideas.

Related articles

• Winter Sports Benefits: Skiing, Snowboarding, Hockey, Ice Skating, and More (webmd.com)
• Cross Country Skiing! (luckytiff.wordpress.com)

Regardless, the Winter X Games has a lot of super cool events that involve snowboards, skis, or motorized vehicles (snowmobiles, dirt bikes, etc.) going really fast, doing flips, and/or achieving “big air”.  To make it seem extra cool, an “X” is usually attached to the name.  The result is some glorious high-def television, some overly excited commentators, and a lot of epic crashes.

But the folks who run the X Games are always looking for new, exciting events to liven things up.  Being such a huge proponent of the X lifestyle, as well as a huge fan of snow, I was happy to contribute.  Unfortunately, these events were rejected by rad hipsters and the ESPN suits in Bristol, CT.

• Snow Angel X
• Starting a Snow Thrower at 5:30 am
• Saucer Sled X
• Dressing in Layers
• Walking Across An Icy Wal-Mart Parking Lot
• Overuse The Word Snow In A Blog (current record holder:  Me)
• Dog Sled Big Air
• Passing a Drug Test
• Yellow Snow Eating Contest
• My Daily Commute After A Snowstorm
• Ultimate Snowman
• Synchronized Shoveling
• Shot-Ski (sponsored by Red Bull and UV vodka)

Gallery HERE!

Skier jumping over a jump on a way to finish area at Red Bull ski cross race on Kronplatz, Italia.

]]> http://draggedalongalaska.com/2013/01/25/cross-country-skiing/ Fri, 25 Jan 2013 20:00:01 +0000 steviefrench http://draggedalongalaska.com/2013/01/25/cross-country-skiing/

What a blast this was!

My first experience skiing came at age 10 when I went to Lake Tahoe with my Dad. He rented a snow board (should’ve known that was a bad idea), I rented skis and we set off for the day to our separate slopes.

At age 10 I, of course, headed to the bunny slopes and by lunch time was catching the ski lift and pizza slicing my way down the middle slope with ease!

Fast forward an extra 10+ years and my enthusiam and fearlessness are somewhat absent. So after the first real snow fall we got since we have been here, we rented some cross-country skis and took off on the coastal trail!

And let me tell you…..I am SO good at this sport! Aside from the fact that I fell 4 times (in a 2 hour period that is not the WORST that could have happened), I think I really got the hang of it. We took the trail to the Westchester Lagoon and played around in the fresh and untouched snow….

When I got home that afternoon I was well and truly buggered! The day was so fun and as the trail is quite flat I was able to experiment with technique and pace.

Plus with views like this…what’s not to like?

Xx

After Bavaria’s warmest Christmas on record, we finally have a decent dumping of snow. And a great thing to do with all this white stuff is to sledge on it. So this weekend we took to one of the local hills for some winter fun. Well, I say fun. That’s what sledging is right? NOT IN GERMANY. Turns out even sledging is taken deadly seriously in the country renowned for its deadly seriousness. In England we have the best fun ever sledging on hills the size of road humps only lightly dusted with snow because we are that desperate to sledge. But Bavarians are spoilt. Not only do they have big hills, they also have lots of snow (most years). They even have the German Alps with special sledging tracks to play with. However, for the Germans there is no use going sledging unless the conditions are absolutely perfect. And that means the right type of snow and a hill almost the size of a mountain. Yes that’s right. A few snowflakes definitely won’t do for this hard-to-please bunch!

As we arrived at the bottom of a perfectly snow-covered hill for our first sledge this weekend, my Bavarian boyfriend took one look and announced: “The snow isn’t the right consistency.” “But the hill is covered in snow!” I correctly observed. “Yes but it’s too powdery and there isn’t enough of it,” Markus replied. “Looks fine to me,” I quipped back, getting annoyed. “And besides this is just for fun -we’re not participating in the bloody Olympics!” But apparently the slope didn’t slope right either, so we “had” to move on. Three seemingly adequate hills later we finally found one suitable for sledging, with the right type of snowflakes and the correct amount of ice that had compacted in the required direction and at the correct temperature and at a 60 degree angle to the sun. With the number of people there it was clear everyone else had also spent their Saturday afternoon seeking out The Most Perfect Sledging Hill in Bavaria. Now there was only one other aspect to tackle before successfully completing our German sledging experience. SERIOUS CLOTHING.

In England we sledge in whatever we happen to be wearing that day. Then we deal with clothes soaked in freezing ice patches after. It’s part of the fun. But in Germany the words clothes and fun are never to be uttered in the same sentence. So here sledging calls for salopettes. Yes, those unflattering waterproof trousers most sane people only wear for skiing and snowboarding. “Can’t I just go in my leggings?” I pleaded with Markus as he changed into full on waterproofs in the back of our car. “You’ll get them all wet!” he exclaimed. “And everyone else is wearing them,” he correctly pointed out. Word of The Most Perfect Sledging Hill in Bavaria was clearly spreading. BMWs full of Germans decked out in serious ski wear kept pulling up. Some even had goggles on. We didn’t have time to waste. So I conceded defeat, put on the salopettes, and trudged up to the top of the hill, adjacent to a forest of tall trees.

Of course I didn’t just trudge up any part of the mound. Some clever clogs had marked out a track with twigs running up the right side of the hill, which everyone diligently stuck to. But admittedly it was my best sledging experience ever. The hill, snow, and that all-important compaction of the ice were 20 times better than what we have back in my home town in Essex. Plus I didn’t have a soggy wet bum afterwards! I may laugh at the Germans, but annoyingly there is always a method to their madness. Just don’t tell my mates back home about the salopettes.

The cold weather that winter brings is much more bearable if you can find outdoor activities that you enjoy that are appropriate for the season.  There are many options; skiing and snowboarding are among the most popular.  Both of these have many benefits.  First and foremost, they are a great way to stay active and get some healthy exercise in the cold months when your initial thought is probably to curl up on the couch in front of a warm fireplace.  Secondly, they are a great way to bond with friends and family, as they can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

One of the biggest problems with these sports is finding a place to engage in them.  There are a limited number of mountains that offer excellent skiing and snowboarding.  It may take a little time, but if you are willing to travel a bit, you will be able to find a mountain that is fun and fits your skill level.

Another major impediment for some families is cost.  Between equipment and passes, skiing and snowboarding can get quite expensive.  Lift tickets are an essential expense for skiers and snowboarders, but their cost can really add up if you go the mountains multiple times.

Luckily, there are ways to save a little money. For example, you may consider buying a season pass if you have a favorite mountain. Such passes may seem expensive up front, but can save you a great deal of money in the end if you make frequent trips to the mountain. You can also check if the mountain runs any specials; many offer special discounts on certain days for state residents, students, senior citizens, or children.  By making the most of such discounts, you can save a little money and still enjoy the sport that you love!

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Members of the Essex Bobsleigh Team practising at the Playa

Excellent snow conditions for skiing at the Playa guaranteed!

We would like to invite you to join us and sign up for our exclusive Winter Sports programme.  Membership will allow you to use the facilities, which include a state of the art ski slope and tobogganing facility, as well as automatic invites to all the Apres Ski events, which we anticipate will be very popular.

Members of the Playa Winter Sports Club enjoy one of the regular apres ski parties

Do come along soon and introduce yourself and sign up to be a member.  Special rates apply until the end of this month and, if you say you know Flossie, you’ll get a free pair of ski goggles and a muff.

This video is about “Seb Toots doing a top to bottom run from the Mt.Royal (downtown Montreal mountain)”. He literally snowboards from the top of a mountain, down into the city — vaulting off cliffs, sliding down rails, and jumping over staircases. He ends the video snowboarding down a sidewalk along a city-street. I didn’t even know you could snowboard down a sidewalk. Cool stuff!!!

The video also has some beautiful close-up shots of animals in the snow and Montreal. It was really well-done. Great editing… Thanks Bilafond!!!

Interestingly, earlier today I came across this article that said snowboarding is on a decline while traditional skiing is increasing in popularity. Ever since I saw the movie Chalet Girl (which I totally recommend if you’re looking for a hilarious chick-flick), I’ve wanted to learn how to snowboard. So, the article kind of bummed me out. But watching this video, renewed my interest. So, now I REALLY need a wintry vacation… 

Seb Toots Montreal snowboarding run from Seb Toots on Vimeo.

Film made with Red Scarlet camera during 2 days of shooting !
Film and edit by : Sunset Films (Mathieu Cowan)
Twitter/Instagram: @sebtoots @sunsetfilms

I survived a long tiring week. A week with so much going on it was hard to keep up. It was my birthday on Thursday. I reached the ripe old age of 56. Hard to believe as I feel at least twenty years younger. Maybe I got the dates wrong. I had a lovely day, made special by friends and family. Beautiful roses from my daughter.

The week ended with a relaxing day in Keystone. After riding two gondola’s to get to the highest mountain peak, we arrived at the AlpenGlow Stube, where we shared a very special lunch with friends and family. After sipping champagne, I felt my troubles slip away.

We all enjoyed a gourmet meal in wonderful surroundings. You can’t beat a glass of Champagne at 12,000 feet.

The views from the top of the mountain are breath-taking and I didn’t want to leave, but all good things have to come to and end.

Next time I visit Keystone, I will take my snowboard and enjoy the beautiful mountain the way it should be enjoyed. I am NOT the fastest snowboarder on the mountain, but I certainly enjoy the ride.

I wish this was me, but it’s not. I am NOT quite that agile.

Monday tomorrow! Not ready for it, but the money has to be earned so I can enjoy my little weekend trips. I intend to visit the mountains a lot more in 2013. We don’t have the Ocean here in Colorado, but I think the mountains are the next best thing.

Keystone Ski Resort |Colorado Ski Vacations | http://www …

Winter is in full swing.  Who needs snow?!

As you can see there IS snow.  Christmas storms were moderately generous.  ’More’ ski runs are open and skiing is ‘better’ though still fairly hard-packed.  Open runs without snowmaking are marginal with grass, seedlings, and rocks here and there.

That is Jacque Peak in the background (below).  The top of Storm King lift is about as high as you can get at this time.

Copper Mt. 9 Jan. Top of Storm King lift.

Copper Mt. 16 Jan. Top of Super Bee lift.

16 Jan.  We had a massive snow dump of 3.5″ at Copper the previous weekend.  (!?!?)   ’More’ ski runs are open and skiing is ‘better’.  Open runs without snowmaking are mostly covered.  Caution is always wise.  THINK/LOVE/PRAY SNOWWW!!!

All pictures in this group, as noted, were taken near the top of the Super Bee and Excelerator chairlifts.

Copper Mt. 16 Jan. Top of Super Bee lift. Looking north.

Copper Mt. 16 Jan. Top of Super Bee lift. Looking north.

Copper Mt. 16 Jan. Top of Super Bee lift. Looking north.

Copper Mt. 16 Jan. Top of Super Bee lift. Looking east at Ten Mile Range.

Copper Mt. 16 Jan. Top of Super Bee lift. Looking east at Ten Mile Range.

Copper Mt. 16 Jan. Top of Super Bee lift. Looking east at Ten Mile Range.

Copper Mt. 16 Jan. Top of Super Bee lift. Looking east at Ten Mile Range.

Winter Park 17 Jan. Looking up at Sunspot Restaurant on top of the hill from the top of Prospector and Looking Glass lifts.

My first trip to Winter Park this season was 17 Jan.  It received 6.5″ of snow when Copper received 3.5″.  A lot of runs and terrain are open.  There are a lot of bump runs to ski if you are so inclined.  There are a lot of ROCKS to ski around on those bump runs.  It is do-able.  Don’t wreck your skis.

Winter Park 17 Jan. Top of Panoramic Express lift. Looking SE.  My ski bud notes that the pink ribbons are not blowing due to lack of wind, highly unusual here at 12,060′.

Winter Park 17 Jan. Top of Panoramic Express lift. Looking SE.

Winter Park 17 Jan. Top of Panoramic Express lift. Looking SE.

THINK MORE SNOW!

[Click the skiing tag or category on the right to see my other posts on the subject.]

UPDATE, same afternoon:  Good day at Copper Mountain today.  The snow is holding up well.  The following pictures are from my coffee break at Solitude Station at the top of the American Eagle chairlift:

Enjoying the exhilarating ride of ‘snow tubing’ at the Lecht Ski Centre, Moray (Photo credit: P. Tomkins / VisitScotland/Scottish Viewpoint).

The annual snow festival is a global celebration and in Scotland there will be events and activities across the country’s five ski resorts.

In addition to snow sports such as skiing and snowboarding there is a wealth of surprising outdoor adventure and activity options during the winter season in Scotland. Highlights include:

Winter Walking and Mountaineering

Scotland’s mountains offer spectacular, dramatic scenes transformed by snow and ice throughout the winter months. Hill walking and winter mountaineering are two of Scotland’s most popular winter sports. Wilderness Scotland offers a fantastic winter walking four night package to the Knoydart Peninsula, an area often described as “the last wilderness” in Scotland.

Snow Tubing

Snow tubes are large inflatable rings used on dedicated slopes or outdoors where there’s a hill and snow. Tubing requires no expert skill, just a short walk to the top of the slope then sit back and enjoy whizzing downhill either forwards, backwards or spinning in circles.

It’s safe and fun for children and adults alike. The Lecht Ski Centre offers one hour tubing sessions on a dedicated tubing slope.

Ice and Snow Climbing

An exhilarating activity for the adventurous. The Ice Factor at Kinlochlenven holds an indoor ice climbing wall made of 500 tonnes of real snow and ice to a height of 50ft. Half and full day adventure packages are offered, as well as four day winter mountaineering and ice climbing courses.

Sled Dog Racing

Sled Dog racing is one of the world’s fastest growing winter sports. The Cairngorm Sleddog Centre offers the chance to get out on the snow with a team of dogs for a truly memorable experience. Situated in Aviemore, at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountain Range, The Cairngorm Sleddog Centre offers a wide range of activities for the whole family from kennel and museum tours to sleddog trips and safaris.

Considering everything that I have going on right now, I know there is no time and I have minimal energy to put into my quest, but that is why it is part of my Bucket List rather than something I feel I have to do.

I want to learn to snowboard.

I’ve tried skiing, it wasn’t my thing. Yet, when I see snowboarding competitions on tv, I get butterflies in my gut and I think to myself, “I could totally do that!” Whether or not I would be good at it is another blog post altogether.

Not only do I want to learn how to snowboard, I want my son to learn with me. I think it would be fun for the two of us to learn something like this together. We are two of a kind and we usually react the same way when faced with something new – and we rely on each other for support and encouragement.

It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, not just for my son, but for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the risks involved when learning something new at my age, but the benefits seem to out-weight any of the possible negatives, in my mind.

Whether or not this will ever happen, I don’t know. But if the door of opportunity ever opened, you can bet the farm that I’m walking through it!

I want my two dollars!!

January is a cold, fickle bitch. I don’t mean that in a derogatory sense. Or maybe I do. See, the thing is, I don’t care for snow. When I was a younger boy, full of childlike wonder and stupidity, I loved when we got a snowstorm. I would spend the whole day building forts and whatnot. Maybe engage in a snowball fight or three. Or we would go sledding. There is nothing more invigorating to a child than hurtling uncontrollably down a sheet of ice on a thin piece of plastic towards inanimate objects such as trees, parked cars and lazy people. Well, maybe cocaine or pixie stix.

During a snowstorm, I would breathlessly watch the school cancellation notices on the news hoping to get the next day off. One thing you should know, the town I grew up in, Hingham Mass, was notoriously stingy with snow days. I can’t count the times that neighboring towns had a snow day and we didn’t. So I wouldn’t normally find out until the morning whether or not the school principal gave a shit about my safety. He usually didn’t. It is terrible on a child’s morale when you have to go to school and learn shit while there is a winter wonderland right outside the window. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened to Hitler.

We used to have this old pair of wooden skis at my house. When I say “old” wooden skis, I mean they were old back then, thirty years ago. I don’t know where they came from, or whose they were, or why they were covered in dried blood, but they were there. They always reminded me of Little House on the Prairie for some reason. I can’t remember if Pa and Half-Pint ever hit the slopes in an episode or not. They seemed more like snow shoe people. I think skiing was probably more up Nellie Oleson‘s alley. That spoiled bitch. Every once in a while we would take those skis and go use them on the hill in the woods behind our house. There were no poles with them so we would use chopped up broomsticks for balance. I got so good on them that I only fell down most of the time. Yeah, I’m a natural athlete.

When I was in seventh grade, my school had an annual ski trip. I decided to go because I knew how well I handled myself in the back yard, so a mountain wouldn’t pose too much of a challenge to me. We took a charter bus from the school to the ski resort, which is much more exciting to a 12-year-old than to a 42-year-old. When we arrived, I went in to rent some skis and all the proper accoutrements. These things were nothing like the two pieces of pine that I had previously used. They were long and made of some type of non-wood material, and you didn’t secure them to your feet with duct tape. The older boy in charge of doling out the equipment used some type of mathematical equation to figure out which skis to give me. I think it was age divided by height plus the square root of him not giving a fuck about my wellbeing.

I went out to the slope and they were offering a free beginners lesson to anyone who wanted to take it. Obviously I didn’t take them as I was way to cool for that. I didn’t want to get made fun of for taking the time to learn something. So I just headed over to the ski lift and said, “Let’s fuckin’ do this”. Now, in retrospect, a free lesson would have been awesome. Nowadays, a free lesson would fall right in my wheelhouse. If I had to do it all over again, I would be the first one to ask, “How do I stop? Or turn? Or not fall repeatedly?” But not the twelve-year old me. That kid was ready for action.

I psyched myself up on the ski lift, thinking about how impressed everybody on the mountain would be by my crazy freestyle routines. I considered my style to be a cross between James Bond and Suzy Chapstick if she was a dude. As I got to the top of the lift, I prepared to dismount. Then I realized I didn’t know how to do that. It seems like it would have been second nature to me by now. I got on the lift with no problems, so getting back off should be easy. But it was a very difficult procedure. So I fell down. Heres a tip for any prospective skiers out there: apparently it is frowned upon in ski society when you grab the people getting off of the lift with you, even if you only did it to save yourself from dying. After the obligatory curse words and dirty looks, I was left to fend for myself. In the wild. Alone. Except for all those other people there.

After picking myself up off the ground, I skied twenty feet and fell again. Then I skied eighteen feet and fell. The ten feet. I got to a point where there was a sharp turn at a cliff, and I wisely decided that I would take my skis off and walk past that section. I’ve always been a take charge kinda guy. After I had cleared the precipitous drop, I went to put my skis back on. As I was clamping into a ski, I looked up and saw my other ski racing down the hill without me. I picked up the one ski I still possessed and beat feet after the other one, slipping and sliding all the way. I was motivated by the gentle encouragement of dozens of people skiing past me and saying helpful things like, “Get out-of-the-way, asshole”, and, “Hit him in the balls!!”. It’s nice to have motivation. I watched the runaway ski go off the trail into the woods, and spent the next hour or so walking around in waist deep snow looking for that stupid thing.

By the time I located it, I decided that skiing was a stupid sport and I would just walk down the rest of the hill to the lodge. I placed my skis in one of the racks inside the front door and immediately ordered three fingers of hot chocolate in a dirty paper cup. I actually requested a clean cup, but they said clean cups are for big boys who don’t walk down the fucking mountain. I then spent the rest of the day drinking dirty hot chocolate, playing Tron (I was badass at the Light Cycles), and letting my jeans dry. I did mention that I was wearing jeans, right?

Yeah, I was that kid.

Learning to snowboard

Together is better

Help needed?

Yes, we had hot temperatures on that day!

Hard life… Ok, now let’s go for a drink…

Or maybe let’s take a nap and go sunbathing… (I think she was the most photographed subject of the day)[to be continued...]
To previous post A day on the snow 1 – Nature & Places

In a tomfoolery kind of way, they would bolt together the sleds of delivery boys in St Moritz while on holiday and so created bobsleighing (or tobogganing).  And it was on this day in 1885 that the notorious Cresta Run opened.  It is a 1,212m long stretch of ice, is one of the few tracks that is dedicted to skeleton sledging and is owned and operated by the ‘Cresta Club’, which is largly made up of British Gentleman.

Coooool runnings!

MrTheKidd

When we finally arrived I suggested a parking spot – and sure enough, we got stuck in the snow… boyfriend wasn’t too happy about that but we got out and parked in another spot where we could actually get out of when the time came. I went in to register and pay for my rental and the people were SO FRIENDLY! I hadn’t cross country skied since I was in high school so two fellow skiers waited for us at th

e beginning of the trail, gave us a quick run through of the trails and which would be best for beginners like us and taught me how to tackle the hills (I’ve never downhill skied in my life so this was the most challenging of the course). We made our way through the trails, which were so picturesque and calming, and when it came to the hills, I would either attempt and fall straight on my ass (which hurts today) or I would take the skis off and walk down the bigger hills. Boyfriend had a bit of an advantage as he’s an avid downhill skier, but I did see him wipe out once which brought a lot of joy to my heart. Either way it was so much fun and I’m now in love with the sport… Mega thanks to North Highlands Nordic Trails/Club for being so accommodating and welcoming. I will definitely be recommending you guys to everyone I know!

To finish our drive back to the city, I directed boyfriend to drive the rest of the trail, through my hometown. We stopped in at Wabo’s Pizza in Cheticamp (BEST pizza on the island) and a quick stop to pee at my best friend’s house and then we were back on the highway towards Sydney. By th

e time we got on the highway, both of us were exhausted. We decided to skip our movie plans and order Chinese food and settle in for some Netflix. The day was awesome and now cross country skiing is our new winter sport! Also in the new things department, Marty got a new carrier for his travels and I’m getting a new blender today! Yay for new things!

Clearing part of the trails… beauty

And Marty’s new carrier!!