If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
TR Utah visit
I'm having lots of fun in my visit to Salt Lake City -- excellent snow cover
and warm weather make a nice change from the Northeast U.S. What I've been doing so far: -- Mill Creek Canyon + Mountain Dell -- cross-country and video at Alta -- backcountry tours in powder snow I arrived on Monday afternoon and headed straight for Mountain Dell -- no single killer climb, but plenty enough hills on this one-time World Cup course to put my flatlander lungs into searing. Track firm by Utah standards, but when I strayed too far from the center, or I poked my pole way down into the snow several times. A fun place, despite being a golf course right next to Interstate 80. Tuesday afternoon: So much snow this year, I was able to start a steep-ish backcountry directly from a normal city street with residential houses. More searing while climbing up on skins, and after half an hour I was half-lost. But then I figured out where I was, and enjoyed some nice turns coming back down in "decent powder" (Northeast terminology) or "old consolidated snow" (Utah terminology). Wednesday: Three hours of skating at Mountain Dell -- with no searing in my lungs any more. Finally learning to skate slow. Tried Vordenberg's Hot Feet drill -- I find I'm liking the Nathan Schultz "slow tempo but immediate leg-push" variation. Thursday: Heard the reports from Chris and others about XC skiing at Alta, so Sharon and I drive up there. Along the way Dave calls my cell phone and invites me to join him and other partners on a "super" big backcountry tour on the weekend to take advantage of the unusual snow conditions. Alta cross-country: Wow these Utah skiers are animals! The Alta trail map says that the Albion area has green novice trails, but they'd be super-expert anywhere else. After a hundred meters of climbing I just gave up. I asked someone wearing an Alta jacket what I should do, and he said I should get up the hill by riding on the lifts -- so that's what I did. Going down, I saw the signs for "Easier Way" and followed them. At first I was tentative on my Madshus Hypersonic 3x3 skate skis and Pilot boots, but then I passed a couple of people with yellow Pilot boots, and I felt more in control when I got back to the bottom. So then I decided to try the "blue" trails, so I rode up the Supreme lift, and made lots of stem christie turns all the way down. My next exploration was the Sugarloaf lift, and I decided the "black" trail was worth a try, so I made a bunch of stem christie turns down the "Sugarloaf Bowl" trail. I was kind of amazed that the plastic(?) edges on my race skate skis worked on that hardpack snow up so close to the windy ridge. (I had been wondering how those Sierra adventurers could do those big backcountry traverses without metal edges, and now I have a clue.) Videos: Sharon took some more videos of my V1 technique at Alta -- I've fixed a couple of things, but still too much up-and-down motion, and not enough push out to the side. Friday morning: Backcountry tour with Eric. Like Chris suggested, the north-facing shady areas still had some fun powder snow. We had a wild time dodging trees and going air-borne off soft snow pillows. Mill Creek Canyon on Friday afternoon: Excellent grooming of a wide snow-covered road that goes up, and up, and up. Great place to fix those V1 mistakes uncovered by Sharon's videos of me at Alta. More on the Hot Feet drill. I'm passing classic striders and walkers, no other skaters. Feels better than I've ever skated before. But I have to stop after 13 minutes, and again after another 5 minutes, and again and again. It feels so powerful that I can't make myself do it slowly. Made it to the top, start skiing back down, and . . . Lots of skaters climbing up -- really good skiers. So every time I reach one, I stop my descent and turn around and follow them up a ways, to see what I can learn. Best politically-incorrect exercise: A woman skating up with her poles held horizontally across her waist, turning from side to side with each leg-push, and seeing her poles turn with her. So I tried it, but not for long. What a mind-blowing idea, skating up Mill Creek Canyon with no poles -- and smiling. (Do not get into a race against her) A few minutes later I come to a guy with a full beard climbing with a quick V2. In my dreams. I did not try to copy him. When I finally got to the bottom of the snow and my car, my face muscles felt nearly frozen. So that's what all those skaters had in those little backpacks: extra clothing for the descent. Ken |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Search Resumes for 3 Utah Snowboarders | i n k | Snowboarding | 0 | December 27th 03 05:55 PM |
Skiing in Utah | BRL | Nordic Skiing | 5 | November 25th 03 06:43 PM |
ADV: Skiing Park City, Utah? | User | Snowboarding | 2 | October 17th 03 05:26 PM |
Park City, Utah skiing & snowboarding | User | Nordic Skiing | 0 | October 11th 03 06:45 PM |
Ski Utah! | [email protected] | North American Ski Resorts | 1 | September 13th 03 01:19 PM |