Day 31: Skidog's a weenie, stupid tourist tricks, near collisions with wildlife and more.
As Dale and I were walking in from the Wildcat lot, several topics made it into our conversation. One was that Skidog would be amped up to ski, as usual. Another was that weenies were lined up already for Collins 20 minutes before opening even though there was nothing resembling a powder day out there today.
Then we heard it: "Hey, Guido!!"
Guess who was at the head of the line?
Collins continued its electrical issues today and ran at half speed while staffers worked to find the problem. Good thing that the mountain was once again frighteningly deserted for a holiday weekend. Skidog and I caught the rope drop on Ballroom/Baldy Shoulder, which hasn't opened since the last storm cycle, but I unfortunately found Tombstone to be a bit wind slabbed. Skidog had no such complaints.
On one lift ride, we were joined by a fourth rider from SLC and we spent the extended ride on Collins exchanging stories from observations over the past week. Her story, however, took the prize. Apparently some kid at Alf's this week decided to try out Flick's trick from A Christmas Story and see if your tongue would, in fact, stick to a frozen metal pole. He also apparently didn't wait for a cup of hot water before ripping it off. Ouch!
And please, people...a word to the uninitiated. Do not ever stop in a traverse. Period. That's just plain good etiquette. Step up or step down, but step out of the way of those behind you. Please.
81-year-old Momma Admin's holiday visit is nearing its end, so we gave her a change of scenery today by loading her onto Collins to take in lunch and the view from Watson Shelter.
In doing so, however, I got separated from the boys and spent the next couple of hours zipping around alone. I cruised Collins for a while before I got a bit bored with it and headed to Sugarloaf instead, nearly colliding with some local wildlife along the way.
I arrived atop Sugarloaf at 11:30 a.m. and wasn't due for lunch until 12, so I headed across the border for a couple of laps on Baldy Express in Mineral Basin at Snowbird.
After lunch at Watson Shelter (their Supreme Burger is still the best damned burger in the Wasatch) it was time to get Momma Admin back to the base.
After lunch, however, clouds moved in and the light went flat as a pancake, so we all called it a day around 1:30 p.m.
As Dale and I were walking in from the Wildcat lot, several topics made it into our conversation. One was that Skidog would be amped up to ski, as usual. Another was that weenies were lined up already for Collins 20 minutes before opening even though there was nothing resembling a powder day out there today.
Then we heard it: "Hey, Guido!!"
Guess who was at the head of the line?
Collins continued its electrical issues today and ran at half speed while staffers worked to find the problem. Good thing that the mountain was once again frighteningly deserted for a holiday weekend. Skidog and I caught the rope drop on Ballroom/Baldy Shoulder, which hasn't opened since the last storm cycle, but I unfortunately found Tombstone to be a bit wind slabbed. Skidog had no such complaints.
On one lift ride, we were joined by a fourth rider from SLC and we spent the extended ride on Collins exchanging stories from observations over the past week. Her story, however, took the prize. Apparently some kid at Alf's this week decided to try out Flick's trick from A Christmas Story and see if your tongue would, in fact, stick to a frozen metal pole. He also apparently didn't wait for a cup of hot water before ripping it off. Ouch!
And please, people...a word to the uninitiated. Do not ever stop in a traverse. Period. That's just plain good etiquette. Step up or step down, but step out of the way of those behind you. Please.
81-year-old Momma Admin's holiday visit is nearing its end, so we gave her a change of scenery today by loading her onto Collins to take in lunch and the view from Watson Shelter.
In doing so, however, I got separated from the boys and spent the next couple of hours zipping around alone. I cruised Collins for a while before I got a bit bored with it and headed to Sugarloaf instead, nearly colliding with some local wildlife along the way.
I arrived atop Sugarloaf at 11:30 a.m. and wasn't due for lunch until 12, so I headed across the border for a couple of laps on Baldy Express in Mineral Basin at Snowbird.
After lunch at Watson Shelter (their Supreme Burger is still the best damned burger in the Wasatch) it was time to get Momma Admin back to the base.
After lunch, however, clouds moved in and the light went flat as a pancake, so we all called it a day around 1:30 p.m.