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By David O. Williams
Headline RSS FeedThe anatomy of the hour-and-a-half ski day
January 9, 2008 —
Day 22 of my ’07-08 ski season sort of epitomizes why I live in a ski town.
With a foot and a half of new snow in the past 48 hours, on top of another foot and a half over the weekend, I knew Vail Mountain on Wednesday was something that needed to be pursued the way Britney Spears gobbles up “unidentified substances.”
No mistaking what substance was on Vail Mountain Wednesday morning. It was an absolute whiteout of cold, fluffy flakes – and way more addictive than anything fading pop divas are into.
Witness the lengths I’ll go to to make turns in the midst of an epic January storm cycle:
9:15 a.m. – drop my son Max at daycare.
9:20 a.m. – pull into the Vail Parking Structure (the clock starts ticking on my hour and a half of free parking).
9:25 a.m. – sprint through Vail Village in ski boots, hurdling shorter tourists and weaving between the bigger ones.
9:30 a.m. – no line at the Vista Bahn – jump on solo.
9:36 a.m. – ditto on Chair 3.
9:40 a.m. – plunge into Sun Down Bowl, breathing in facefuls of fluff with each bottomless, bouncing turn down Ricky’s Ridge.
9:45 a.m. – no line at Chair 5 (incredible) – jump on with one other person, who makes the comment on the ride up that the conditions at Vail right now are “like in-bounds, lift-served heli-skiing.” Can’t really argue that point.
9:55 a.m. – arrive at the top of 5, take a hard left, screaming down Wow, busting through the trees and copping copious powder the whole way back to the bottom of 5.
10 a.m. – a few more people in the Chair 5 maze, but still only a three or four minute wait.
10:15 a.m. – arrive at the top of 5, power pole under Chair 4 to grab the trees skier’s left on Zot (absolutely untouched). Then Spruce Face over to Chair 2 and down Giant Steps to 38 (also untouched) to the Village.
10:30 a.m. – sprint back through Vail Village, slipping in my ski boots in front of the parking structure (skis and poles go flying – knee gets slightly tweaked), and jump back in the car at about 10:38 (10 minutes to spare).
So as you can see, calling this a ski “day” is a bit of a stretch. But if I click into my bindings and ride a chairlift, I count it. And besides, I took a much-needed day off from alpine on Tuesday and went for a 45-minute cross-country ski behind my house. Twice the cardio of four hours of alpine, but I don’t count Nordic days.
Anyway, we’re expecting another 5 to 7 inches overnight, and snow is in the forecast through Sunday, so see what lengths you’re willing to go to get in some of the best turns of your life.
1 Comment on "The anatomy of the hour-and-a-half ski day"
bobby goshorn — January 11, 2008
I cannot begin to tell you how much we enjoy your entire website. We live on Hilton Head island in S.C. and come once a year with our four sons and daughter in laws. Feb.25 th week this year. Your articles are read everyday and just keeps the juices flowing till we get there in 6 weeks. Thank you for all your efforts. Bobby
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By Jack Afflect/Vail Resorts
Epic conditions on Vail Mountain
January 8, 2008 —
I don’t bandy about the word “epic” too often. It’s ski-town hyperbole that’s become so commonplace it’s lost its true meaning.
But Monday on Vail Mountain – Day 21 of my ’07-08 season – was indeed epic. After consistent snowfall all day Saturday and Sunday and another 6 to 8 inches overnight Sunday, Monday was the day. The best conditions so far in this young ski season.
And the good news is the snow is still falling. Skies were clear in the a.m. Monday, lending impeccable visibility to Back Bowls loaded with 16 inches of new snow in the previous 48 hours.
But by about 1 p.m. the clouds rolled back in and light snow started falling until around 8 p.m. Monday, when the heavens opened up once again and deposited another 4 inches or so as of this writing at 11 p.m. A winter storm watch was in effect for another hour or so.
So Tuesday could be equally as epic as Monday, and forecasters are calling for light snow off and on the rest of the week. Get up here or out here if you can, because you never know when Mother Nature is going to close the spigot.
I started my epic day on Monday by busting up Chair 3 and charging out the traverse to Seldom in Sun Down Bowl. I usually hit the tree line on Seldom but opted for the cliff bands between Seldom and Widge’s and did not regret the choice.
It was knee to thigh deep, cold and fluffy.
The next run I was hooking up with a friend at Mid-Vail, so I rode Chair 5 and dashed down Zot, which was virtually untouched right down the middle of the run (I actually recorded my first legit face shot of the season). Once I joined my buddy we jumped on Chair 4 and hit Head Wall into Sun Up Bowl, then Chair 17 to a tree run that shall remain unnamed for unstated reasons.
After that it was two or three Genghis Khans a couple of Rasputins and a Blue Ox to the bottom. Seriously good stuff, folks, and I hope you’re able get up and sample a bit of it. The holiday crowds have dissipated and the snow just keeps sifting down. Come get it.
1 Comment on "Epic conditions on Vail Mountain"
G. Block — January 8, 2008
It's snowing again tonight down valley in Avon, so maybe those forecasters are getting right this time around. Great photos by the way!
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Snow keeps coming in wet wave after wave
January 6, 2008 —
The Energizer Bunny of snowstorms just keeps going and going in the Vail Valley.
Starting Saturday morning around 9 a.m., a warm, wet Pacific storm has been sending band after band of moisture our way. Sixteen inches has fallen since then, with about 6 of those coming overnight Sunday into Monday morning.
Skies were clearing as of 8 a.m. Monday, but Vail Pass was undergoing avalanche control, and you should expect delays if you're trying to make it up.
I got Day 20 in Sunday at Vail and found plenty of freshies (about 10 new at that point) all over the mountain - again, the kind of day where your tracks fill in behind you after each run - but then the skies cleared and the snow tapered off right after the lifts shut down and I thought that was it.
But as of about 9:30 p.m., the clouds rolled back in and the skies opened back up. I was hoping an overnight dumping would catch us up with Silverton (50 inches in the past 24 hours) but not quite. Still, the ski area there was shut down Sunday, so maybe there is such a thing as too much snow.
I’ve heard some complaints about how heavy the snow is but I found it light enough and manageable both Saturday and Sunday and the warm air and relative lack of wind was a nice changeup from the previous weekend’s brutal temps and howling winds.
Vail Pass did shut down for a couple of hours on Saturday, but at least it wasn’t the 24-hour closure of last weekend.
Anyway, if you can get up here or if you’re already here, Monday should be the best ski day of the season so far. The holiday crowds who’ve held over for the rest of the New Year’s week will likely be heading out, and the mountain should be steep, deep and largely deserted.
Hope to see you on the hill.
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Storm dumps a half foot, with more on the way
January 6, 2008 —
After hitting Vail fairly hard all day Saturday (Day 19), I can personally attest to the fact that Vail Mountain is in stellar mid-season form. While we maybe didn’t get quite as much out of this storm as expected (Vail was reporting 6 new as of 5 a.m. Sunday and the Beav’ 9), it was still an amazing day.
One of those days where the snow just keeps falling, the visibility is next to nothing (same as the lift lines) and your tracks fill in from run to run. I personally think Vail is underreporting as of Sunday morning because there were at least 6 new inches on my West Vail deck, and I know the mountain always gets more.
Also, it’s still snowing as I write this at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, so I’m not giving up on this system, which was supposed to produce 1 to 2 feet. One good thing is this storm, unlike the one last weekend, did not pack nearly as much wind, and the temps were much more reasonable (mid to upper 20s).
I’m heading up now for another look at the Back Bowls, so check back later this afternoon for a full report.
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