West Virginia
This past week I had the pleasure of traveling to West Virginia for a little agency retreat/strategy/ski/what-have-you session. Work stuff was really good (learned a lot, shaped what we are doing). But for the purposes of this journal I'm interested in talking ski.
Never done it. Never wanted to. Tried snowboarding a couple times (to little/no success) and this time thought a change would be good. In the end I did the 'trifecta' (as GW put it) and did downhill, telemark and snowshoe in a couple day's time. Other attendees suggested a little journaling on it so...
Quickview: two days traveling, two days in Canaan valley. Snow on the ground and cold temps. Nothing like Wintergreen.
Day 1
Morning temp: -16deg. and instructor says it's -28 with wind chill. Felt it. 10am ski lesson to learn how to start/stop/turn with moderate success. Told that at this temp, snow is sticky. Can turn easily left, but right is not working well. Loop the bunny slope several times and getting cold. 1hr in and bone cold so bail to house.
Eat, warm up and head w/ crew to a former ski resort turned telemark area. Eat really good chili at the rental place / restaurant / store. Meet Chip.
Head out with telemark skis on an no idea what I'm doing. Slowly get the hang of it as we ascend gentle to moderate trails that wind up the mountain. Tight corners are hard. Sometimes I find I'm sliding backwards down the trail (in steep parts). Am almost immediately dropped by crew, although every so often someone waits.
After an hour or two reach the top and descend. With 1hr and 1 lesson under my belt. Fall 4 times in a row, with the last one being a beautiful face-first plow into 12" of powder. Done. Skis off and begin postholing down the mountain. Soon catch up to one, then two others who decide the same.
Great workout, great fun (although my knee still hurts a little from the twist gotten on a fall).
Day 2
Morning temp: -6deg and warms into the 20s. I can go without gloves for 2min! Today, we snowshoe. Back to Wintergrass and Chip's place. Get snowshoes (hey, you have to use your own boots. Uh...) and head out.
Last time, we hiked double track that snaked through switchbacks up the mountain. Today, we walked straight up, sometimes following the trail we descended the day before. Very steep, very nice. Now we're talking! Hike up to an exposed knob where we can look into the valley on the other side.
Descend, sometimes on trail and sometimes crashing through the woods (doesn't matter). Take gentle descents some and then bomb down steep runs straight down. Fun, fun, fun.
Once back, hang out in the shop, drink beer (they were able to thaw the taps) and chill.
This was a good trip.
Never done it. Never wanted to. Tried snowboarding a couple times (to little/no success) and this time thought a change would be good. In the end I did the 'trifecta' (as GW put it) and did downhill, telemark and snowshoe in a couple day's time. Other attendees suggested a little journaling on it so...
Quickview: two days traveling, two days in Canaan valley. Snow on the ground and cold temps. Nothing like Wintergreen.
Day 1
Morning temp: -16deg. and instructor says it's -28 with wind chill. Felt it. 10am ski lesson to learn how to start/stop/turn with moderate success. Told that at this temp, snow is sticky. Can turn easily left, but right is not working well. Loop the bunny slope several times and getting cold. 1hr in and bone cold so bail to house.
Eat, warm up and head w/ crew to a former ski resort turned telemark area. Eat really good chili at the rental place / restaurant / store. Meet Chip.
Head out with telemark skis on an no idea what I'm doing. Slowly get the hang of it as we ascend gentle to moderate trails that wind up the mountain. Tight corners are hard. Sometimes I find I'm sliding backwards down the trail (in steep parts). Am almost immediately dropped by crew, although every so often someone waits.
After an hour or two reach the top and descend. With 1hr and 1 lesson under my belt. Fall 4 times in a row, with the last one being a beautiful face-first plow into 12" of powder. Done. Skis off and begin postholing down the mountain. Soon catch up to one, then two others who decide the same.
Great workout, great fun (although my knee still hurts a little from the twist gotten on a fall).
Day 2
Morning temp: -6deg and warms into the 20s. I can go without gloves for 2min! Today, we snowshoe. Back to Wintergrass and Chip's place. Get snowshoes (hey, you have to use your own boots. Uh...) and head out.
Last time, we hiked double track that snaked through switchbacks up the mountain. Today, we walked straight up, sometimes following the trail we descended the day before. Very steep, very nice. Now we're talking! Hike up to an exposed knob where we can look into the valley on the other side.
Descend, sometimes on trail and sometimes crashing through the woods (doesn't matter). Take gentle descents some and then bomb down steep runs straight down. Fun, fun, fun.
Once back, hang out in the shop, drink beer (they were able to thaw the taps) and chill.
This was a good trip.