So, how did your first runs of the season go?

[sibhusky]

Re-evaluation day

My first day was a re-evaluation day. Different skis, new sox, new longjohns, new pants, new jacket, new helmet, new goggles, new neckgaiter, new mittens, NEW WRISTS... Hard to feel normal. Nevertheless survived, didn't fall, feel I was skiing smoothly even if I was talking to myself the whole time (instructions to self about my technique, speed, balance, etc.)

Pics follow. These are all of the backside of Big Mountain (it'll be a while before I agree to call it by its new name). Conditions are nice, that's as far as I'll go. I can feel some underlying crunchiness that needs to be covered better.

 

[Pequenita]

Beautiful, sibhusky!

 

[ski diva]

Nice pix! Got to get there, one of these days!

 

[ski now work later]

Oh yeah, that looks like the Montana snow I have learned to love

Sibhusky, congrats on getting back on snow with your season ending accident. Best wishes for a safe and confident season!

 

[chaletlaforet]

Those pictures made me really smile - thanks for posting them!!! Those high altitude pine trees totally covered with snow (I remember they called them "White Ghosts" in Canada) are a very rare sight round here....one of the things I really liked about the US is the gladed runs and tree skiing. They just don't seem to grow at quite that altitude here. Or is there another reason?
It's funny how the first sensation is so ofen one of relief ("Phew, I can still do it")....
We've had amazing early season conditions and our first day was the weekend before last - Saturday at Les Grands Montets (Chamonix, France) and then half an hour through the Mont Blanc Tunnel for Sunday in Courmayeur, Italy! Great pizza and the best cappucinos. We found some little powder stashes too. No photos of the days unfortunately, but I do have a lovely one of the chalet in the first snow so maybe that will do instead

 

[pinto]

....one of the things I really liked about the US is the gladed runs and tree skiing. They just don't seem to grow at quite that altitude here. Or is there another reason?

No, that's the reason. It has to do with more than just altitude, but that is the demarcation used. I think aspect and latitude have a lot to do with it -- they determine the amount of sun exposure.

I did notice how much lower timberline was when we were in Switzerland. I think it was about 7,000 ft, whereas in Colorado, it's somewhere around 11,000 ft, give or take a few hundred.

Gladed skiing is beautiful, but of course I thought it was so cool in the Alps because you could ski almost EVERYWHERE, without those trees getting in the $&#* way. ;)

Beautiful photo of the chalet. I want to go there!

 

[sibhusky]

We call the trees "Snow Ghosts" here. I've never heard them called White Ghosts and we're just an hour south of Canada.

 

[Jilly]

First time I ever heard of "snow ghosts" was a Big (foggy) Mountain. Since then we now have them at Tremblant too!

 

[SueNJ]

sibhusky, I'm drooling over those pix!! One of these days, I hope to get out to MT to ski.

 

[SueNJ]

As a little history, I was a so-so skier back in the 80s until my son was born in 1983 (have long since split from my ex). Didn't ski again until 2003/04, when I met a man who is an avid skier and who re-introduced me to the sport. I had 2 great seasons--was able to easily ski blues and some black diamond runs by the end of the 04/05 season. Since then, I've had a rough couple of years--working full time + attending college starting in August 2005 left me little time to work out (resulting in gaining 30 pounds). Ski season for 05/06 was not so great, due to my lack of fitness and lack of time. In summer 2006, my left knee gave out and I had surgery in September to repair cartilage. I've got osteoarthritis in both knees. So last winter, between the extra weight, lack of fitness, and recovery from surgery, skiing wasn't in the picture for me.

Fast-forward to December 2007. I've lost a good amount of the extra weight, have been working out fairly regularly, and my knees are finally cooperating. We headed up to VT this past weekend and I tentatively donned my boots and skis and tested the waters (er... snow). Success! We were at Okemo on Saturday and I stuck to greens for the day, which for me lasted less than 3 hours. At Stratton on Sunday, I lasted a bit longer and ventured onto a couple of easier blues. Needless to say, I'm back, I'm ecstatic, and I'm looking forward to getting back to the level I was at.


So, to make a long story short, my first runs of the season went quite well!

 

[Ski Spirit]

Two ski days so far...unfortunately I felt a bit like an alien, as though I had forgotten most of what I had learned. Luckily there were several runs where the body took over for the mind and I skied more similarly to the way I could last season. So, Saturday, is the next ski day out and I will try to stay out of my head as much as possible and just let the body do what it knows to do. Looking forward to adding mileage..........

 

[chaletlaforet]

Snow Ghosts! That was it....Thanks sibhusky

Pinto, thanks!! We have a lot more snow now, it's much thicker...

Thanks for clearing that up about the trees - I guess a change from what you're used to is part of what's great about skiing somewhere different!

 

[HotChocolate]

I have been in such a funk :( since it's been snowing up north and I haven't been able to go home (upstate NY). Finally I just sucked it up and headed to Liberty on Saturday, 12/15. There wasn't much available but I didn't care, I had a blast. It was great being outside in the fresh air away from the city. The drive up Route 15 reminded me of my many trips to Vermont. Cows and pastures for miles I feel much better now! Skiing is therapy for me.

Snow: man made
Trails: 2 runs, 1 terrain park and learning area were open
Pictures: Not really worth taking any!

 

[Native Vail Gal]

I started skiing a bit late this year (December 2nd), but I had a blast! The snow was fresh powder and it was on my home Mountain in Vail.....and.....it was the first time I skiied as a Mrs! :D (man....I can't get used to that Mrs. thingy!)

 

[marta]

Fell on the first turn of the first run. Way to go!! I blame it on my sharp edges. So embarassing!

The rest of the day went great, although I was skiing the same one trail over and over. But I take what I can get.

 

[LadyLes]

Thanks for the beautiful pics, sibhusky!! I have many fond memories of Big Mountain...we took 3 family vacations there growing up. Big Mountain (yep, I'll still call it that) will always have a special (and big!) place in my heart! I hope to take the hubby there someday..maybe even my own family someday!

My days: I've had 4 so far...all very different, but good overall. The last day we were at Crested Butte I was forced down a run I didn't feel up too (giant moguls) and surprisingly, after that I feel like I got my skiing confidence back! Sometimes I just need a kick in the pants to get going again I guess! :D

 

[Kano]

Sibhusky, your snow ghosts look much like some of the ones I saw today! We have lots of gnarly ones too -- OLD looking snow ghosts, individuals, tromping their way up the hills. Some of them look mighty spooky!

Our first trip up was Sunday. Since it was the first day of the season and we want to ski five times in ten days, we planned a kind short day. Don't want to miss any opportunities by over-doing! We both figure we need to build endurance for the weekend trip we've got coming up mid-January, and the season has gotten off to a late start here in Boise.

It was foggy on Sunday, and while the snow was pretty nice (for skied on by several thousand people in three days - 0ver 4000 on Thursday alone!), not seeing where we were going made it a bit on the scary side. (did I mention that I'm a "spooky" skier?) I ended up fighting myself most of the time, and only had a few runs that really felt good. Still, it was GREAT to get out!

Lots of expected sore muscles, which feels good, in a weird way. DH and I laughed that there just must not be anything that REALLY prepares you for skiing!

On the other hand, we went out today (Christmas day) to a bluebird day! Since my body's still complaining about Sunday, I expected to wear out quickly, and planned to just take it easy and enjoy. Enjoy I did! Must have let my body do its thing, because it was all so much easier today! A short break that included a walk to the car for a snack revived me when I started dragging my tail. I skied several more runs after that, much more easily and happily than Sunday's.

The camera came out of my pocket often, skiing was easy and fun, even though, as someone else mentioned, the bad habits didn't magically disappear over the summer. New boots had me feeling more connected to the snow, less weight had me feeling more agile, and I just plain had a blast!

Speaking of new boots -- they're delightfully lighter than the old ones that always made me feel like my knees were coming apart while sitting on the lift. And they hug my feet just right!

Kano

 

[Kimmyt]

OK I had to bump this because FINALLY I got some freaking runs in! w00t! And what runs they were! I still have one more day to go, but I'll update now since I have the time.

Where: Jay Peak, VT

Day 1
Conditions: Packed powder with some treacherous icy underspots on some of the regularly travelled connector trails. Low wind and pleasant temps (mid-20s?)
How it went: It went fast! The Boy was on skis so all day I was trying to lose him or wear him out. I started getting frustrated when he showed no signs of wear (the next day he told me he thought he was gonna collapse at the end of the day, so I feel better) and my quads were screaming. The first runs of the day were fast, furious, and on mostly empty slopes. I had my new Fischer Vi70s and my new Nordica Beasties, so there were some unknown factors.
First off, the skis rocked. The boots fit like gloves (at first) and the skis edged on everything. I haven't ever carved as much or as hard as I did that day. By run 3 my legs were letting me know they weren't ready for it. We rode the whole mountain, barring the black glades, all day. By the end I could barely lift a leg and my tired muscles were causing me to get into the backseat. The dreaded toe bang occurred, which is odd because my boots were so tight I couldn't wear socks, just stockings. Now I really think it's just my poor technique.

Day 2
Conditions: Powder baby! Overcast skis with mild temps again, but with 4" of the fresh stuff. (note: to a PA gal, 4" feels like a whole lot!)
How it went: Well, we made sure to get there for first lift, in fact we were probably the 4th people in the lot by Lift B. We started things off by heading straight over from the top of the lift to Lift A to ride the blacks and blues over there, thinking they'd be less tracked. We started on a easy black and immediately there was problems. I had no clue how to ski this stuff. My skis were going every which way, but finally I made it down. After a run or two, I started getting the hang of it, then Voila! Click! If you point the skis DOWNHILL they don't get hung up on all the piles of powder! We were set, the rest of the day (The Boy on his board) we rocked it, charging hard and I tried to dial my powder turns. Again, very tiring. We skiied literally first lift to last. My skis did it all. It was awesome. I even managed some soft powdery moguls! My boots were better too, though still need a bit of work (I wore thin socks this time to reduce extra toe room), but I can still walk!

Well, I can walk on my feet, my legs are not so sure. I'm not quite sure why I'm forgetting that it's my second day of the season and trying to ski so hard, but heck, it sure was fun! Another 4-6" predicted tomorrow, so The Boy and I will try and get in early before the crowds, and get our fill of real snow before heading back to PA where I'm sure our grass will still be just as green as when we left. :(

K.

 

[abc]

Thanks for bring the thread back to life!

I never wrote about my first day, even though it was 2 weeks ago!

I feel better I wasn't the only one who had trouble with boots that seem to fit well last season but not so great first day of THIS season. :( In short, my first day was "painfully short". Probably 5-6 runs before my toes forced me off the mountain.

I've since skied 4 days this season. And the boot issue seems to quiet down a bit now. Planning to squeeze another day or two in next weekend or so (this weekend is forecast to rain much of northeast, AGAIN!) to sort out whatever remaining minor issues. Beyond that, looking forward to Aspen.