We arrived Saturday afternoon to generally clear roads and cool temps. First on the agenda was to head to Beech, gear up and prepare for an evening lesson. Since it had been awhile for me I also took the beginner lesson. They were still blowing snow at the time so we were completely covered in ice by the end, but we had both come away with some confidence. Spent the rest of the evening on the easier slopes, enjoying the crisp air and "moonbow" while getting my ski legs back.
Sunday we headed back up to Beech for a twilight session. My bf got a private lesson as he was struggling a bit and after his hour with the cutest girl ever he was MUCH improved. So the moral of this is that private lessons are totally worth it, especially if you need to get someone up to speed quickly. During the break we ate a lackluster dinner and consumed a couple of adult beverages. I thought a little beer buzz might help make my turns more fluid. In turns out that beer makes my legs not work so I wearily skiied and then had my first fall that evening getting off the lift, breaking my fall with my hand. I was done after that, choosing to lay in a heaped up dirty snow pile icing my hand while the bf did about 6-7 more runs.
Monday we headed back to Beech to finally try some of the other harder and longer runs. It was a beautiful day, warming up into the mid 40s and we both had confidence even with the one soft fall I had. As the clouds rolled in over the sun the sky changed in a million different ways and the day felt perfect.
We were unsure if Tuesday would be good since the temps hadn't dropped below freezing for a couple of days, but on the advice of Teledave we finally headed to Sugar. I opted for longer skis and in general the equipment was better so that I could edge more effectively while maintaining a lot of control. Still, these new fangled curvy skis do not turn like I'm used to so pizza wedge happened whether I wanted it to or not. We skiied most of the intermediate slopes finally mustering up the courage to go all the way to the top and run Northridge. I loved the narrow curvieness of this run, but by this point dirt and slush piles were abundant so I skiied more cautiously that I would've liked to. By the time we got to the bottom it was 4:30 so that would be our last run of the trip. Honestly, after 4 days of skiing, my legs were greatful! My soul was crying though.
Other tidbits from the long weekend:
--According to the old guy at the Beech Haus bar, the Pole Cats are programmed to come on as soon as the temp is 28 degrees. While cold weather is the main factor in making snow a drought can also affect things as water is pumped in from a series of holding ponds. The snow melt is directed into these ponds as well. I had thought they used some municipal water source so it was interesting to hear that. I guess more goes into building a ski resort than just clearing trees and adding lifts. Some pre-engineering must also occur so now I want to learn more.
--People that work the resorts during the week are far nicer and more helpful than those on the weekend
--Ski rental/locker rooms should be right by the slopes and not require steps or walking around buildings
--It seems like there are two types of snowboarders - beginners and experts. Where are all the people in the middle? I'm intrigued, but still not sure about trying it out.
--Beech seems like a better set up for snowboarders
--Compression running tights are the best base layer ever!
--My boyfriend is definitely hooked so it looks like I will be out on the slopes a lot more in the future
