After last week's disappointing showing at Brian Head ski resort, I decided to change tactics and arrive early this morning. Living close to the resort has turned me into a fair weather skier, and with bluebird skies and low winds in today's forecast, I decided to try and beat those with long drives to the parking lots, so far so good as I park in the fourth spot over from the entrance. Of course, I'm in the overflow lot, so the fourth stall is saying little; however, I'm here and want to get a good couple of hours skiing before the crowds arrive.
The air is crisp, and a high layer of thin clouds dampens the sun's exposure; however, the snow is fantastic, with freshly groomed trails below as I ride chair number 1 to the top. I prefer the overflow lot for three reasons. First, it is small, so it became my go-to lot when my knee made it difficult to walk in snow boots; now, I prefer the smaller distance from car to snow. Second, a newly installed restroom facility sits adjacent to the parking lot, making an in-and-out dash simple compared to trekking through the ski lodge, and third the base of chair one is about twenty feet away. Finally, the bottom of chair eight is about 300 feet away, so I generally ride up chair one, ski the terrain, and gain enough speed to carry me across the small flat space between chairs one and eight.
I ride the high-speed quad a few times; however, I spend most of my two hours skiing chair five. The terrain is fun, and the lift lines are generally nil. Nothing compares to a great run and the ability to ski straight onto the lift to rest and enjoy the ride back to the top. I saw a bumper sticker years ago that personifies my skiing technique. "Ride to the top, survive to the bottom, repeat."
Written January 28, 2023