You ever heard of “Snow Snake’s” 7/12/08 Day 143

Day 143 (Slide show) (Video)

When I went to the ski shop yesterday I asked for some Telemark skis and boots. I thought if I used this type I would keep it slower and stay under control. It’s been 23 years I think since I have been skiing and I don’t want to jump into it to fast. Yesterday I was trying to remember the last time I went and I had a hard time remembering when it was. I keep thinking I had gone somewhere in Utah or California but I hadn’t. It turns out that the last time I was skiing was in the four corners area of Utah. I was the golf pro in Moab and had a chance to go helicopter skiing in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. That was a great day but it doesn’t seem that long ago. Oh well its hell to get old.

Now back to the Telemark issue. This equipment isn’t like I was hoping for and the boots are very painful on my left foot. So because I can’t get them to work properly I have to ski with them in a downhill mode. The skis are swimming all over the place. But I think the problem is the boots. I’m making them work.

On the first run I traversed across some powder to another run and after a few turns I got my tips crossed and ‘Down I Went” a header. “Damn snow snake.” I was very pretty surprised. It seems I landed on the right side of my face and smashed my sun glasses into my check. At the time I was a little shaken but didn’t know about the blood until I got to the bottom and Andrew saw me. I had a handkerchief but the blood was frozen by then and so the only way to see it was to have Andrew take a picture. The whole thing was a bit funny and so I thought I had better head too the summit. I needed to get to a sink and wash up. By the time I got there, maybe 30 minutes, I was surprised to see the right side of my beard red with blood. No wonder I was getting all these funny looks on the gondola. There was a lot more blood then in the picture by then. It’s just a small scratch but a war wound none the less. The bad thing was I lost a piece of my Jilbo “Glacier Glasses.” I will have to get in touch with them to see if I can secure another one.

The day was great though, the mountain is nice and the snow is great. For a Saturday the lines were non existent. The run selection is all right but there isn’t quite enough black runs. The place is very large though with mountains on both sides of a valley floor. (Trail map) It’s fine with me though because I would be on them and that’s not a good idea until I get my ski legs back. After such a long break it will be better to take it slow and easy.

Andrew says we will get some new snow tomorrow afternoon so I’m going to go back to the ski shop and trade in these skies and boots. I’m not very happy with this equipment. The boots, the ski’s and the bindings are all too sloppy for me.

Hell, it has to be the equipment it can’t be me.

The weather today is -10c and last night it was -16c.