SkiMoab

I love living where I do, especially when it comes to springtime weather. While most people I know complain about the weather, I fail to see the problem.

On Tuesday I was skiing over 30″ of fresh powder, lap after lap, until my legs couldn’t stand it anymore. Then I did a few more laps:

Then yesterday (Thursday) I rode my road bike 14 miles in 60 degree weather and enjoyed a perfectly sunny springtime day in Utah Valley:

And right now I’m off to hit the dirt trails behind my work. If you’ve been praying for warmer weather, please continue, I’ll take as much of this weather as can be thrown at me.

*Here’s the map from yesterday’s ride, check out the new Fly-By Video option, pretty cool.

You thought I was going to talk about Salomon brand skis, didn’t you? Nope, instead i’m looking to enthrall you with a post about Solomon’s first day on skis. Sol will be turning 2 on April 15th so I thought it would be cool to get him on skis while he was still 1. Last Thursday morning posed the perfect opportunity with some fresh snowfall and a warm, spring day.

We took him to Nyman’s Ski Shop on the way up to sundance where Scott was kind enough to hook us up with some 70cm skis.

There were several steps along the way where I figured he might decide this wasn’t for him, the first being after trying out the boots.

He did tip over once, but caught on pretty quick. He’s always liked shoes so to him this was just a cool new pair of boots.

Sol has watched skiing with me on TV and we talk about it a lot, but he was really fascinated once we got to watch some kids skiing at the base of the hill.

He kept saying “Ski?” and was urging us to get going.

Once we got the actual skis on him he was a little more hesitant. He definitely wanted to go but knew it was a little over his head.

We mostly pulled him along while he tried to balance himself, though he did get a couple of 4-5ft long slides in by himself.

After 20 minutes or so he decided he had learned enough for the first day.

So I took him up the ski lift. I knew it might make him a little nervous but he settled right in and had a blast.

He kept pointing out the trees, snow, and mountains.

We rode up to the midway stop on Ray’s and I held him as we skied down. He loved skiing through the Magic Forest, the spot just under the lift before you get to the midway stop. He kept laughing and saying “fun?” I did set him down and let him ski a little more on his own, then I carried him the rest of the way down.

It turned out to be a beautiful day and a lot of fun. We figured at some point he would have lost it, but he had a great time.

Today I showed him a picture of the trip and he said, “Ski? Fun?” Yes Sol, ski fun.

I always made fun of rednecks for calling their snowmobiles “sleds” (I still make fun of anyone who calls them snowmachines). But now that I’ve been out a few times, it really is a lot easier to say, or maybe I’ve just lowered my IQ a few notches from breathing the 2-cycle exhaust.

Brian and I have been backcountry skiing some this year via snowmobile. A couple of weeks ago our friend Jeff was in town and wanted to join so we just made it a Snowmobile touring day.

Jeff at Trailhead

Brian and I also wanted to scope out some areas for skiing around Ridge 157/Mill Peak behind Timp so we took off from the Soldier Hollow trailhead and headed West toward Cascade Springs.

Me at Trailhead

The trail was beautiful with a few inches of fresh and only a couple of other tracks laid before us. We rode into Cascade Springs and checked it out then continued up the road toward the Alpine Loop Summit. Those of you familiar with the area will recognize these next two shots as the main road coming down from the Summit into Cascade Springs.

Before reaching the Alpine Loop road we made a right turn and headed North up onto the ridgeline. The sledding here was much more fun with narrower, untracked trails and the snow getting deeper as we climbed higher. We got on top of the ridge and played around a while…

Until Jeff mandatorily got stuck as the newbie snowmobiler. Actually, he IS from Boston and did an amazing job handling the sled as the snow got wetter and more cement-like. The sun had come out and within minutes we went from soft, fluffy powder to very dense, wet snow. With a bit of digging we got him out.

Jeff's Victory Salute

The combination of blue skies and thick rolling clouds made for some amazing scenery. Yes, that’s a very small me in the left side of the picture, click to make it larger.

On the way back down we found this awesome ridge with 8-10 rollers up it where we could get air off of each one. We played around on it for an hour or so before we had to head back.

Once back into Heber we ate at Don Pedro Mexican Restaurant, amazing food, perfect for post-snow activity. If you’re ever hungry on the way back from skiing, backpacking in the Uintas, etc., stop by this place.

Should not having a camera be a good excuse for slacking on the blog? Probably not, so I’m sorry. But really, how interesting is a blog without a few fancy photos?

A lot has happened lately although a lack of content on the blog may signify otherwise. Life has been full of trips, holidays, birthdays, health goals, an expectant wife, and a home purchase.

Unfortunately, as much as I’d love to share some wonderful pictures of all these adventures, we both bought and lost a new camera recently so there will be a void in the family photo album for Dec ’09-Feb ’10. We did give in and buy another camera, so we can once again start to document our family history through pictures.

I mentioned my climbing skins in my last post and I have since taken my Level I Avalanche Certification course and gotten out a few times in the backcountry despite the few safe days we’ve had this year. However, with the warm weather lately, most of our focus has been on the search and subsequent purchase of our new house. Other than being a beautiful home and my wife falling in love with it, one of the biggest selling points for me was that it’s located 4.5 miles from the mouth of American Fork canyon with it’s amazing scenery, road/mtn biking, camping, climbing, etc. It does have an great view of the Lone Peak/Pfeifferhorn/AF Canyon skyline, and I WILL post a picture of that as soon as I get one. EDIT: Photo Added

AF Skyline

This summer will be busy with settling in to the new house, working in the new yard, and a new baby on the way in August. With all that however I do still plan on a few races to keep me pushing myself;

With all of that, Solomon continues to grow so fast and seems to find joy in learning new things.

Discovery

Undersea

He will be 2 next month and I’ll be taking him skiing this Saturday. Who knows how it will go, but I’m sure he’ll appreciate it later when he can say he’s been skiing since he was 1. I will make sure to document that adventure with pictures and will post on it later.

Black Diamond STS Skins

I’m so ready to go. Dying to get out of this cold mucky air. Out of the confines of indoor spaces. Last week I had to open one of my Christmas presents early, my climbing skins. Brian came over and helped me cut them to fit my skis. Soon I’ll be as majestic as the fellow on the box at peeling them off while still wearing my skis. But this pining for action will have to wait.

I had planned on attending a Level I Avalanche Certification course last weekend, but it had to be put on hold. My dear “Grumpa” passed away last week.

Me and Grumpa

We were visiting my sister in Connecticut when we got the news, so instead of flying home last Sunday, we flew straight to Portland, OR for the funeral on Monday. On Saturday we headed to Shelley, ID for the interment.

Grumpa and Solomon

Grumpa was the kindest of hearts and souls. He loved his children, grandkids, and great-grandkids dearly. We were everything to him. He was a railroad engineer for over 40 years, his route being one of the most beautiful in the country, running up and down the Columbia River Gorge. Needless to say this was a defining attribute of grandpa. Between the viewing and the funeral on Monday we gathered as a family for a prayer. No sooner did my Uncle start the prayer then a train whistle blew in the distance, letting us know Grumpa was present. At the interment on Saturday, we, as the pallbearers, carried the casket from the hearse to the grave site. As we pulled the casket from the hearse, another train whistle blew. I truly believe in life after death and I know Grumpa was there to comfort us in his loss.

Me, Grumpa and Sol

Grumpa had an amazing resemblance to Elmer Fudd and loved to play the part. He had an “E-FUDD” license plate for 45 years, the first one being on his 1964 Volkswagen bus. This was another defining piece of his life. It was always funny to watch people pass him on the road, trying to get a look at “E-FUDD”, and then seeing them laugh out loud as they saw it really was him driving the car. As we left the funeral service, my sister hung that plate on his casket, knowing that he would absolutely love the joke. The plate stayed with him all the way to Shelley, ID. We left it on and buried Grumpa with his beloved license plate.

Truly rest in peace Grumpa. I miss you and am pinin’ to see you again soon.

First of all, let it never be said that Omniture (an Adobe company) doesn’t know how to celebrate Halloween. Here’s a video of our festivities last Friday.

After dancing to Thriller all day long, Ben and I went on a night ride with Rick and friends for his annual “Hell-o-ween” night ride.

Around 30 of us showed up in costume at 10pm for the ride. There was a dash for some cash which I had no chance for, being the last one up the hill. (It seems that 500 calories a day doesn’t quite cut it in a mountain bike race). Kris knows the trails as well as anyone and he was there to show us the way. He has to be one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, thanks for the pull Kris!

The temperature was outstanding and the costumes were even better. I was still in my full zombie costume from the Omniture party. Ben glued a cowboy hat to his helmet and had custom-made chaps to complete his ensemble. I’m just glad he secured the butt-flap in his one-piece pajamas.

Afterward we all headed to Denny’s for some breakfast at 1am. It was an incredibly good time getting to meet some of the local riders in person. Here’s Rick’s video of the night, check out his post on the trip for additional pictures.

We had so much fun that night, that Ben and I headed back out last night to ride Big Spring in Provo Canyon under the brightest full moon of the year. I’ve probably ridden that trail around 50 times and riding it at night made for a whole new, amazing experience. I did lose my pump right at the junction with the Great Western Trail, so if you happen to see it, please send it my way.

My friends Corey, Wes, and I did the Ogden Xterra race back on Sep. 26th. Wes has done this race for years and I had always wanted to do it. This summer was my first time running some triathlons, so I was tempted to go for it, then Corey talked me into signing up (this would be his first triathlon). The Xterra is an off-road triathlon course run in Ogden, UT starting with an 800 meter swim in Pineview Reservoir, followed by a 12.5 mile Mountain Bike ride to Snowbasin Resort and a 5k Trail Run at the resort itself.

The Swim.

Luckily we have no pictures of this one. I started out this summer in very good shape, having ridden the road bike and a few races, and trained very hard for my first triathlon. Then from April through September I swam once and then raced another triathlon on September 12th. I didn’t swim again until the Xterra. So 3 swims in 5 months probably doesn’t count as “Training”.

I knew the swim would suck, but I couldn’t pass up the Bike or the Run so I bucked up and did it. The starting line was like nothing I’ve ever seen. We were facing the sunrise over the mountains in the Ogden valley, thousands of competitors waiting to take off. Buoys, ski boats, and kayaks were scattered throughout the water while a helicopter hovered above. The canon fired and the pros took off. We waited for them to make one lap then we were off. As I said, it did wear me out, and I was happy to see my family cheering me on as I entered T1.

The Bike.

This bike course is absolutely gorgeous and a perfect X-Country race course. 12.5 mile climbing around 4,000 feet. All uphill except for one 1-mile downhill portion in the middle.

The trail climbs starts up an old double track in steep canyon walls, then opens up into Aspen groves and meadows beneath the peaks of Snowbasin. The race was a month later this year which meant cooler weather and gorgeous fall colors.

The trail then turns into pine forest singletrack just as you reach the end and come in to the Snowbasin parking lot for T2. I finished the bike portion obviously pretty drained, in about 1:45. Because I did so poorly on the swim I was able to pass people the entire climb, which boosted my spirits and kept me hammering hard. That and my new favorite drink, carborocket (thanks Brad). If you haven’t tried this out yet, do it, I really don’t know if I could have finished this race on water alone.

The Run.

Straight up, and straight down, this run course doesn’t mess around. You start out at the base of snowbasin and run straight up the mountain then straight back down. There are a couple of winding trails thrown in on the way up, but overall a pretty tough course. The scenery again was amazing, this time looking down on all the trees we had just ridden through.

Coming in to the finish line I could hear someone gaining on me at a full sprint and I knew I couldn’t let that happen. I’m obviously not the best sprinter at 5’5″ with a 28″ inseam, but I pushed it hard and just nudged him out at the finish line.

Not sure why my arms are out so wide, but it obviously worked. I was glad to see that I beat someone who was wearing aviator glasses.

Crossing the finish line was a pure rush of emotion. I felt proud after finishing my other races this year, but this was completely different. This was an overwhelming sensation of real accomplishment and joy. I was so happy to be done, it was hard, but one of the most fun and exhilarating things I’ve ever done. I think we’ll try to hit even more of these races next year, probably Vegas and Tahoe…

Video.

Here is a video rundown of the race by Xterra TV to give you a taste of the action. Believe it or not I’m in the very last shot of the movie. Just as it ends you can see my and aviator man crossing the finish line WAY off in the distance. So yeah, I’m famous.