Black diamond boy

Miles is not content skiing anymore unless he can go down at least some black diamond runs. Last Friday he took me down 'Wintergreen' at Brighton. Wintergreen sounds like a nice easy run but it is not; it is a steep, narrow, bumpy, ski run of terror! He easily goes around the steep moguls with his short skis, while I try to go down without breaking my neck.

So this week I let him take Melinda skiing instead of me. He, he he! They went with Kevin, and it sounds like they had a good time. I started to get worried last week because Miles told me he was getting 'bored' of the same runs. So he took Melinda on 'Wintergreen', 'My o My' and 'Wren Hollow'. It sounds like she did pretty well on those black runs. When did everyone get better than me?

My little ski buddy is going to be way too advanced for me in a few years. I can see him now; weaving in and out of the trees and going down steep chutes with powder blowing all around him while his old man putters down the bunny hill.

March is for skiing

Yesterday Miles, Ian and Saffron helped me do some garden cleanup in the front yard. We cut down all the dead stems and leaves from the flowers and grasses to make way for the crocuses and the other spring blooming bulbs that will be coming up.

I love it when the kids come and help me in the garden. I think the boys especially love using the pruners and grass shearers. It's so nice to be outside and out in the garden again.

Miles and I went night skiing at Brighton Saturday night. It was a most excellent skiing trip. We got there right at 4:00 and I realized I left my ski pants home. Doh! I didn't think I could ski all night in my shorts, so Miles and I went to the pro shop to see what they had. Luckily everything was half off, so that wasn't too bad. I needed new pants anyway; my old ones are about 13 years old and were getting several rips.

I think March is one of the best times for night skiing. The slopes aren't crowded, the snow is still very good, it's warmer, and the days are longer. We didn't have to wait at all to get on the lift.


Miles and I skied really hard. We got in 10 runs before we packed it in. We were trying to get in an even dozen, but we got a little tired. Miles even talked me into trying the half pipe. I thought I could just go up the sides a little bit, but I was wrong. I ended up going almost all the way up the wall! The first time I slid down on my back, but after that I did pretty well. I was surprised how much momentum you get on it.

I'm so glad Melinda took Miles for lessons when she did a couple of years ago. It's so much fun to have a little ski buddy to hit the slopes with.

Night skiing on leap day

Tonight Melinda, Miles and I went night skiing at Brighton. They went without me twice in February because my back was bothering me. I was jealous, but tonight was a great ski night so I don't feel so bad. It wasn't very cold and the snow was still quite nice. The sky was clear and we could see the constellation Orion in the sky as we went up on the lift.

It was especially fun tonight because we were all skiing right together. Miles are getting to be quite the speedy little skier. He kept right up with us, and even passed me a few times. Melinda was pretty fearless tonight, too. She seems to have really enjoyed skiing this year.


I forgot my poles, but I didn't miss them. Last year I didn't ski without them most of the year, out of solidarity with Miles, since poles mostly just get in the way for kids. I forgot how fun it is to just turn by shifting your weight around.

We never seem to bring the camera when we go skiing, but here's a picture of Melinda and Miles during a snowy night in February 2006.

Solitude skiing

Miles and I went skiing today. I took the day off from work because Brighton had Quad Wednesday which gets you a pass for $14 if you bring a sack of food for the Utah Food Bank. Unfortunately, I slept in and we didn't get to the resort until after 11:00. By that time the lot was full and people were parking on the road more than a mile away from the resort. I don't like skiing when it's packed, and I didn't want to lug all of our gear uphill so far. So we headed down the road to Solitude.

Solitude is a great little resort. They're not kidding by calling it solitude; there were no crowds. It was great to have so much room to ski and we never had to wait in line. Last year when I went to Park City it was mobbed. A few years ago they started building up the base of Solitude so it is more of a ski destination instead of just a lodge with lifts. They have a very nice little European style village with restaurants, lodgings and other après-ski activities.

Of course, since I'm a local (and not a big spender) I don't really care about the amenities. But this is a resort has a really classy vibe without all the pretentiousness. You don't see any fashionistas on the slopes, but you see hordes of rowdy post -adolescent snowboarders, either.

Their are a few things a didn't like, though. They have older lifts and only one high-speed quad. I have to admit that I am spoiled by the detachable lifts and the old fixed-grip lifts seem painful for me now. That wouldn't be so bad, but Solitude has two bases and the transition between the two is kind of awkward. There north base is really flat and you have to huff it a lot to get between the lifts. I'd have to say the layout problem was the biggest drawback. Also, the mountain is really nice but I on the lift you can hear the highway down below, which kind of spoils the remote mountain feel.

But the snow was good; really good. Since I'm not the greatest skier I usually liked the groomed trails but today there was lots of powdery stuff on top. Miles and I did pretty well, and we're learning to appreciate the finer points of powder. It was a very good ski day, but of course a bad ski day is better than a good day at work.