Snowbird
Saturday 4 March 1989

Weather

Bright sun, blue skies all day.

Conditions

Perfect. Sun shining, a little fresh snow on the nursery slope.

Overall

So, if the first attept was such a disaster, how come I was back at a ski resort just one week on?

Well, thus time, the complete business group (Peter Griffiths, Geoff Morris, Steve Lowen - X/Open's CMO, and Steve's SO) did get together, at the University Park hotel in Salt Lake City.

I managed to put off the skiing for one day by finding something to do in San Francisco rather than travel to Salt Lake on Thursday, but I did fly to Salt Lake on Friday and joined the rest of the group for dinner.

It had been snowing. In fact, the route up Little Cottonwood Canyon was blocked, so the group skied at Park City, instead of Snowbird, their first choice.

Saturday came and I was pursuaded to try again.

What a difference! Weather and snow conditions were absolutely perfect. The sun was shining and the sky was cloudless and that deep blue that you only get at high altitude. Yet the temperature was not sufficiently high to soften the snow.

The surface was perfectly groomed, flat but sufficiently soft to provide grip and feedback through the boots. Maybe the equipment was better, maybe the tuition was better. For whatever reason, things just worked.

After only a short time on a flat area near the center, we migrated to the Chickadee slope. I managed to get off the lift under control the very first time and that contributed to the confidence for the rest of the day.

By lunch-time, I has mastered the basic wedge turn. After the end of the morning lesson, I took run after run off the Chickadee lift (yes, a really short baby slope, but to me it seemed a mile long).

I met the others for lunch feeling pretty good. (They, of course, were talking about the big moguls on Regulator and face plants into deep powder).

The afternoon was even better and by the time I got back to the hotel in Salt Lake City, I was eager to try again.

As we ventured out for dinner there was about a foot of snow on the ground. Sleep was diffcult. I had used muscles that I didn't realise I had and I suffered excruciating cramp. Even so, I got up keen to ski again.

Easy Runs

Chickadee

Runs

Lift

Vertical