Alta 2/1/08 TR (Words Only)

**Xover** · 02-02-2008, 04:09 PM

2/1/08

That day (yesterday) will forever be burned in my "powder skiing" brain. As BumZ said yesterday, "we are spoiled around here"; so naturally it takes a pretty amazing day to rise to the top of all the other days of any particular season let alone ALL the seasons. Yesterday was one of those days; very memorable even to an old man like myself and had me thinking about and mentioning this day http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4549 more than once.

Day started with a 4:30 am wake up to beat the 5:30 road closure. Hang at GMD waiting for Interlodge to lift so we can go lineup. I think every local that came up early was questioning in the back of their mind if the early start was really necessary and if the wind had jacked the new snow much as it had been doing most other days of the week. The first lift ride up and run down answered both of those questions. And not seeing another car in the lot for 3 laps confirmed the answers.

The following words will most likely not even come close to communicating what I both saw and felt, but I will do my best. The snow was virtual perfection. Find steepest slope. Get in Bus Driver position. Point skis downhill. Prepare to only see half your run. Go!! Gather appropriate amount of speed. Try and see ahead. See in your lower peripheal vision snow slowy, ever so slowy, building against your body - at least the snow that wasn't being blown in all directions - as you were being floated and engulfed at the same time. Watch in anticipation as a few thousand of the "lighter, drier" flakes were pushed ahead and up into the air 50 to 100 feet in front of you knowing full and well that those flakes would be your next face shot. And then feel yourself ski into them as they just hung in the air!?!? Un-freakin' real!!! Turn only when you had to or when you wanted more surreal-ism. In all my previous days at Alta, I don't recall anything like that happening before. I don't know if I have just not noticed such detail before, or if my senses were heighthened or what; but one thing is for sure - I will never, ever forget what I saw or felt when that happened. And it happened ALOT yesterday. Each time I could not hold the giggle in; had to time that giggle though less you suck in a mouthfull and end up choking yourself on it.

This was repeated for 3 solo laps. Then I met up with DTM and BumZ; 2 of my favorite guys to shred with. We caught the opening of Backside and were 4,5, & 6 in there. All I can say is that when we got back onto Sugarloaf, we all just looked at each other and said "I think that is the best Backside I've ever had." We then hit a couple of my favorite little Nug Zones around High Boy; so much fun to show these two lines to these guys and let them have firsts in them - I would've bet my life that we had skiied them together before, but we hadn't.

DTM then left and Z and I went in for lunch. After lunch it took Z and I a couple of laps to get the legs warmed up again and then we met up with Phunk to close the day out with a couple of Rus4's and West Rus's. Faceshots were still had at the Final Bell

Z and I then headed up to the Sitz (my favorite Apre bar in the world) for some beers, boomerangs and commradre with the best Locals anywhere. After Z and I left there at 9 pm, all I could do was smile the whole way down the canyon as I reflected upon the events of the day from the millions of face shots, to good ski buddies (who are also great friends), to great ski bars, to Alta.

Yesterday at Alta was one of those days that you'd trade an awful lot for to have a Big Red Rewind Button so you could re-live it anytime you wanted. It was one of those days to just live in the moment and forget about everthing else in your life and just enjoy being here and be thankful for the events/decisions that got you here.

Long live 2/1/08 at Alta!!!

**Mr. Crab** · 02-02-2008, 04:32 PM

No pix necessary. (they'll be coming) Nice piece of writing- puts us right there...

**funkendrenchman** · 02-02-2008, 04:54 PM

Yea, it was pretty good.

**BigJay** · 02-02-2008, 04:59 PM

Yup, that is a good summation of yesterday.

**Endlessseason** · 02-02-2008, 05:04 PM

Wow. Nice description. I can't believe I've missed this whole storm cycle.
I haven't felt what you're describing since '93.
If I have to wait another 15 years for another convergence like this I might as well hang 'em up now. That would be too depressing to think about.

Nice stoke, Crossover.

**pointedem** · 02-02-2008, 05:08 PM

2 monday's ago was deeper, but yesterday was nothing short of redic.

Walk on trams for 3 laps ( I was going slow w/ the GF)

Baldy deepness, W and N.

Dumping still when I left @ 230.

Huck with impunity status has been achieved.

Ski till July Status is enroute.... hopefully.

Cheers to a SICK January, and the 18"-30" that's enroute starting a noche.

**altachic** · 02-02-2008, 05:28 PM

I so wish I could have been there...DTM was nothing but smiles.

Today wasn't so bad either.

**mojorisin** · 02-02-2008, 05:34 PM

sounds like that wasn't your run of the mill humbolt shit... nice!

**Xover** · 02-02-2008, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by pointedem

2 monday's ago was deeper, but yesterday was nothing short of redic.

Yes; MLK day was very, very good also (especially with the Road Closure in the a.m.) ..... definitely Top 2 or 3 of the year also (at least as far as pow skiing is concerned), but something about how the snow skied, felt, exploded, looked while it was exploding, how long it hung, etc. just hit the right soul-chord with me .... gotta think Dolores would approve

P.S. On another note, 3 bell-to-bells for me this year so far .... haven't done that for 3 or 4 years .... swore to myself that I'd never do that again since I tore my MCL on a Final Bell run then .... oh well; yesterday was just to good to stop and the legs felt good

**BigJay** · 02-02-2008, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by Xover

yesterday was just to good to stop and the legs felt good

How did they feel today? Mine were not happy with me.

**Hutch** · 02-02-2008, 05:53 PM

Worthwhile without pics!

**Trackhead** · 02-02-2008, 06:12 PM

we all just looked at each other and said "I think that is the best Backside I've ever had."

............................

Yup, we don't want any pics.

**Buster Highmen** · 02-02-2008, 09:33 PM

Good on ya M.

**pointedem** · 02-02-2008, 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by Xover

Yes; MLK day was very, very good also (especially with the Road Closure in the a.m.)

The 6 walk on trams is what did it for me on MLK day. Vis was better the past two days though...

**Xover** · 02-03-2008, 12:26 AM

.... I almost forgot until tonight when the wind down here in the valley blew a leave across the sidewalk in front of me .... the snowmink that ran across the High T right in front of me on lap 2 a ski lengths away; shocked me a little .... now that I think about it; there was a similar snow mink on 12/30/03 .... $$$$ says it was the same one that only shows up on Legendary Days and only shows itself to a select few; kinda like Nessie

**Blurred** · 02-03-2008, 12:40 AM

Xover=getting really stoked about the type of snow we ALWAYS get in Colorado=LOL (son)

Was a fucking seriously great day. Wednesday was deep, but Yesterday was the blower day that I love. 3 runs through Keyhole with LoneStar were pretty ridiculous.

Xover-hope to see you posting like this a lot more. Love your vibe of stoke.

**Lloyd Christmas** · 02-03-2008, 12:40 AM

Cool TR. Sometimes words are better than pictures.

**Particle** · 02-03-2008, 10:21 AM

Great writeup X-man. Like endless, a bit painful to miss the insanity back in Utah...but sounds like it's keeping up and I'll catch yall for the next storm cycle, starting Wednesday

**Trackhead** · 02-03-2008, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by Particle

Great writeup X-man. Like endless, a bit painful to miss the insanity back in Utah...but sounds like it's keeping up and I'll catch yall for the next storm cycle, starting Wednesday

Might be a good day to check utilize your hard work near the highway.

**Particle** · 02-03-2008, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by Trackhead

Might be a good day to check utilize your hard work near the highway.

Exactly what I was thinkin...you in?

**Trackhead** · 02-03-2008, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by Particle

Exactly what I was thinkin...you in?

I could go. But I work until 2am the night before, so nothing too early.

**Particle** · 02-03-2008, 11:14 AM

Word. I just have to be up to PC by 11 or so. I'll ping the stash to see what his plans are too.

**Jer** · 02-03-2008, 12:34 PM

Originally Posted by BlurredElevens

Was a fucking seriously great day. Wednesday was deep, but Yesterday was the blower day that I love.

Wednesday was kinda a stoketease - it was really deep but also really thick. Nothing like blasting across a runout and hitting a drift expecting to make it through the other side only to come to a complete stop in about .0024 seconds. Thursday and especially yesterday made up for it. Last year at this time it was about 5 degrees and hadn't snowed for two weeks. Long live 08.

**Lemmiwinks** · 02-03-2008, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by Jer

Wednesday was kinda a stoketease - it was really deep but also really thick. Nothing like blasting across a runout and hitting a drift expecting to make it through the other side only to come to a complete stop in about .0024 seconds. Thursday and especially yesterday made up for it. Last year at this time it was about 5 degrees and hadn't snowed for two weeks. Long live 08.

Dude, you ski? Color me suprised.

**flowtron** · 02-03-2008, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by Xover

.... I almost forgot until tonight when the wind down here in the valley blew a leave across the sidewalk in front of me .... the snowmink that ran across the High T right in front of me on lap 2 a ski lengths away; shocked me a little .... now that I think about it; there was a similar snow mink on 12/30/03 .... $$$$ says it was the same one that only shows up on Legendary Days and only shows itself to a select few; kinda like Nessie

A few years back I was riding up Wildcat solo on a storm skiing afternoon and saw one of those guys rallying across the slope right by the mineshaft. It was cruising in a deep trough, punched into a giant pillow and reappeared 15 ft later on the other side, still pinned, and cruised into the trees.

I had some serious whiteroom-envy.