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Monday, January 25, 2010
SSSSKKKKIIIIIIINNNNGGGG
Skiing this past weekend was fantastic. I know, such an unusual situation for me right? Really newsworthy. But it was absolutely superb. It's funny how our moods are so tied to activities that really serve no intrinsic value in our lives other than to make us happy, and, although I consider this to be of paramount importance in of itself, much of society would disagree with me, I feel. I feel truly blessed to be in a position in life where I can pursue activities like skiing and climbing at a level that transcends recreation and fits closer between a lifestyle and an obsession. In light of this, as much as I like to be cynical and judgemental about the corporations that have transformed a large aspect of skiing culture into something marketable, my recent powder day at Vail yesterday prompted the following letter to Vail Resorts:
"Let me start by saying I ski a lot. 60, 70, sometimes pushing 80 days a season. Skiing is more important to me than almost anything else in life, and thus, choosing a pass that fits my lifestyle is very important. Quite simply, there is not other ski pass I know of in North America that combines the value and versatility of Vail Resort's Epic Pass. In an age where big ski corporations are increasingly taking skiing out of the means of young people like myself, it is refreshing to see a genuinely good deal with gimmicks or catches. Last season is particular was just stellar; from sunny late-season afternoons bashing soft moguls at A-Basin, to incomparable powder days at Vail and Beaver Creek, it was indeed epic. one day, and more specifically, one run stands out in my mind, and is a memory I often turn to during trying times to remind myself how good life can be.
It was an overcast, chilly day in mid-January, and, driving over Vail Pass, I knew it was going to be good, as the trees were sagging low under a foot of fresh powder on top of almost 3 feet in the past week. Driving down intro the Vail valley, the open expanse of Benchmark Bowl, a backcountry gem adjacent to the eastern edge of the resort, peaked out from thick clouds, and thoughts of deep, untracked powder made it hard to concentrate on the road. 20 minutes later my friend, a long tome valley local, and myself were being whisked up the mountain on the Vista Bahn Express, en route to the backside for some fresh tracks. Just as the lift crested the top of the ridge, sunlight lit up my smile as the clouds broke and a bluebird skies filled the Gore Range, as they have a funny way of doing around here, even after the most intense storm. Silently, with a mutual understanding of where we were going and what our destination was, we dove into Sun Up Bowl, and WOW, what snow! It is often said skiing deep powder is akin to flying, and on this morning, I felt like I had grown wings and i sliced through the softest, lightest fluff of the season, sending great clouds of it up in my wake and wearing a smile you could see for miles.
After a few more blissful, uncrowded laps [Vail really is NEVER too crowded, even on the busiest holiday weekend, you just have to no where to go], we set off for our destination for the day; a spectacular and humbling backcountry area adjacent to the resort known as East Vail. Make no mistake, this is not a place for the inexperienced or unequipped skier to ever venture, but for the prepared backcountry traveller, it offers an experience unequalled in this part of Colorado. I had been eying a specific line all season and had a hunch that with the recent snow it had finally filled in enough to be skiable, so we set off for a tough to find slot in the trees leading to a steep, powder-filled chute I had dubbed the "magic forest." Sure enough, I was able to re-trace my path there from last season memories, and soon we stood at the top of a series of perfect "pillows" [large boulders covered in enough snow to hop between them]. Brooding, moss-covered conifers loomed tall and filtered golden shards of sunlight down on the fresh snow,and I shivered with both anticipation for the run and in awe of being in such a beautiful place.
"Let me start by saying I ski a lot. 60, 70, sometimes pushing 80 days a season. Skiing is more important to me than almost anything else in life, and thus, choosing a pass that fits my lifestyle is very important. Quite simply, there is not other ski pass I know of in North America that combines the value and versatility of Vail Resort's Epic Pass. In an age where big ski corporations are increasingly taking skiing out of the means of young people like myself, it is refreshing to see a genuinely good deal with gimmicks or catches. Last season is particular was just stellar; from sunny late-season afternoons bashing soft moguls at A-Basin, to incomparable powder days at Vail and Beaver Creek, it was indeed epic. one day, and more specifically, one run stands out in my mind, and is a memory I often turn to during trying times to remind myself how good life can be.
It was an overcast, chilly day in mid-January, and, driving over Vail Pass, I knew it was going to be good, as the trees were sagging low under a foot of fresh powder on top of almost 3 feet in the past week. Driving down intro the Vail valley, the open expanse of Benchmark Bowl, a backcountry gem adjacent to the eastern edge of the resort, peaked out from thick clouds, and thoughts of deep, untracked powder made it hard to concentrate on the road. 20 minutes later my friend, a long tome valley local, and myself were being whisked up the mountain on the Vista Bahn Express, en route to the backside for some fresh tracks. Just as the lift crested the top of the ridge, sunlight lit up my smile as the clouds broke and a bluebird skies filled the Gore Range, as they have a funny way of doing around here, even after the most intense storm. Silently, with a mutual understanding of where we were going and what our destination was, we dove into Sun Up Bowl, and WOW, what snow! It is often said skiing deep powder is akin to flying, and on this morning, I felt like I had grown wings and i sliced through the softest, lightest fluff of the season, sending great clouds of it up in my wake and wearing a smile you could see for miles.
After a few more blissful, uncrowded laps [Vail really is NEVER too crowded, even on the busiest holiday weekend, you just have to no where to go], we set off for our destination for the day; a spectacular and humbling backcountry area adjacent to the resort known as East Vail. Make no mistake, this is not a place for the inexperienced or unequipped skier to ever venture, but for the prepared backcountry traveller, it offers an experience unequalled in this part of Colorado. I had been eying a specific line all season and had a hunch that with the recent snow it had finally filled in enough to be skiable, so we set off for a tough to find slot in the trees leading to a steep, powder-filled chute I had dubbed the "magic forest." Sure enough, I was able to re-trace my path there from last season memories, and soon we stood at the top of a series of perfect "pillows" [large boulders covered in enough snow to hop between them]. Brooding, moss-covered conifers loomed tall and filtered golden shards of sunlight down on the fresh snow,and I shivered with both anticipation for the run and in awe of being in such a beautiful place.
The slope fell away at a precipitous angle towards the valley below, ragged groups of aspens clinging to cliffs and dark, magic clearings covered in untracked snow appearing through the thick clouds. There is something about being in the backcountry on days like this, a feeling of blissful seperation from the bustle and chaos in the valley below, a singularity of purpose that seems so rare in the world today. I almost felt like a 19th century explorer travelling through the uncharted and mysterious west for the first time, except instead of snowshoes and fur jackets, I was sliding downhill on acomplexly engineered pieces of p-tex, plastic, wax, and metal. Yet something primal and instinctual about the experience still perservered, and I understood the desire to know and see that motivated native Americans to settle this area for the first time thousands of years ago.
I clicked into my bindings and suddenly I was fluid, liquid moving in a carefully controlled cascade down through trees, chutes and wide open powder fields, hooting and hollering the whole way until finally arriving back at the East Vail bus stop, stranding among a dozen of so strangers all covered in snow and grinning ear to ear. There aren't many places like Vail, places that touch your soul and make you forget about all the stress, all the bad stuff in the world, and become completely absorbed in the moment, the experience. I feel blessed for every run I've taken and every run I'll taker in these mountains, and I want to thank Vail Resorts for making my dream a reality. Thank you!!
Best,
Philip Persson.
I clicked into my bindings and suddenly I was fluid, liquid moving in a carefully controlled cascade down through trees, chutes and wide open powder fields, hooting and hollering the whole way until finally arriving back at the East Vail bus stop, stranding among a dozen of so strangers all covered in snow and grinning ear to ear. There aren't many places like Vail, places that touch your soul and make you forget about all the stress, all the bad stuff in the world, and become completely absorbed in the moment, the experience. I feel blessed for every run I've taken and every run I'll taker in these mountains, and I want to thank Vail Resorts for making my dream a reality. Thank you!!
Best,
Philip Persson.
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