Victory is Mine!

My last two days of Utah powder were the perfect end to my vacation. My aunt and I went skiing on Sat alone because it was too crowded for my uncle to even find a parking spot at the base. Judie continued to show me new runs around the mountain at Park City Mtn Resort. We even found some virgin powder off the run near the top of a lift. Beautiful. Like a hot knife through butter. One of the blue runs, "Keystone", had moguls on the bottom half. So for the first time I learned to manuever them. Not exactly the way you would imagine an olympic skier jumping between bumps. More like, "Turn, cross between and past some more, turn again." Most of the time I was gliding around them. And I say gliding, because I ended up skiing smoothly considering I was just learning. Without ever looking at an instant replay, most athletes can tell if they are making the right moves or not. I wish I had a video camera, but I can tell you it felt right. I met up with Donna for lunch and my aunt went home for the day. In the afternoon I decided to venture out on my own. I really enjoyed a long double blue run called Tycoon and wanted to attempt that again. Also, because of my success once that day, I wanted to go down Keystone again before the day was done. But Keystone was way on the other side of the mountain and could not be reached by one lift alone. So I created a road map for my path from the very bottom to hit the runs I wanted before the sun got too low. Up the main lift, ski over to catch another lift, ski down a blue run called Single Jack, catch the last lift to the top where I could reach Keystone. With my map in my pocket I started off. Now Single Jack was a run I had never been on. In fact, I had not been down that face at all. But I knew I could handle a blue run so when I got to the right place I followed the signs to Single Jack. There are two paths from the top that one can take. I took the first opportunity I saw and headed down the narrow path to the top of the downhill portion. The rest of that mtn face was littered with black diamonds, so I made sure to avoid the path labeled Lower Single Jack--a black. Somewhere along the way I had managed to make a wrong turn and suddenly found myself on a slope that much steeper than a blue run. On top of that, it had moguls. I thought I was on the right run and had no other option so down I went. Took some pictures for the record, although pictures never look the same as the real thing. I made it to the bottom in one piece without falling and turned to look where I had come from. Sure enough. That was NOT a blue run. Oops. Not graceful, but I felt I had accomplished great things. My one fear (other than shear steepness) was a black run with moguls and I now know I can survive it.

Glowing with pride and my newfound confidence, I was talking to a snowboarding on the lift with me and he almost had me convinced that "Blue Slip" was the best way to my next run. "Just ride along on the right and cut over when it looks right." Then I see the sign for Blue Slip Basin--a double black. Almost convinced. Made it one more time down the moguls on Keystone. A little too confidently, I started going faster and almost wiped out when I didn't turn before going directly over the top of two and catching air on both. It was sweet. I landed both and made the turn. Bunny jumping is fun! And unlike mtn biking in Utah 2 years ago, I didn't hit the ground sliding. I ended out my day hitting most of the runs I had planned, including Tycoon again, but had to leave the mtn when they started closing off the runs with rope for the day. Got home at 4 and rested my sore knees. That night Donna and I drove into Salt Lake to visit with a friend from Seattle who just moved to Utah. Sadly, I had to say goodbye to Donna as she was going back with Chris that night and to the airport the next day. It definately won't be two years gap before we see each other next time. I am excited to be a bridesmaid in her wedding this fall!