Day 10: Screamin' down the groomers at sunrise.
Sorry that I'm a little late with this one but this week has been pure hell, with the launch of our Google Currents Edition that had to coincide with the launch of Google Currents itself, and some other things that I'll explain here. I spent a couple of hours at sunrise yesterday buzzing around the groomers at Canyons before the public opening along with about 20 other snowsports journalists, but first I have to explain how I got to that point.
I spent the better part of this week attending various elements of a three-day press trip organized by Columbia Sportswear. They're trying to change the brand's technology and image -- it's not your Mom and Dad's Columbia anymore (remember those neon Bugaboo jackets?!) -- and they flew journalists in from throughout North America for an unveiling of their 2012-13 winter collection. Lucky for me, it was in my back yard.
Monday night started off with a dinner at The Farm, an excellent new restaurant at Canyons, co-sponsored by the Park City Chamber and Visitors Bureau. On Tuesday morning the action moved to nearby Utah Olympic Park, where we started off with the unveiling of the 2002 Olympic Museum's "Hometown Heroes" exhibit, including presentations by athletes and their parents, including 2002 silver and 2010 bronze moguls medalist Shannon Bahrke.
Thereafter, those who were willing were treated to a ride down the bobsled track. UOP is the only track in the entire world where they allow guests to start from the very top of the track, so you're hitting the same speeds (and nearly the same times) as the Olympians hit on that track. It was also very cold on Tuesday morning, barely above zero, so the ice was very fast. Three passengers ride with a professional driver, who uses a sled modified only in that the driver can control the brake as well. So you don't have that running start that you see in competition, which accounts for the slightly longer times.
They start you with a series of safety briefings, one after the other, where they do their best to scare the bejeezuz out of you. They explain how to brace yourself in the sled. They explain how to shrug your shoulders to keep your head from whipping from side to side (which, BTW, is where the term "bobsled" comes from, in case you ever wondered). They explain what happened on the two occasions in the past 10 years that guest bobsleds have flipped. :shock: You start asking yourself if you really, really want to do this.
But before you know it your turn is up, and you don't want to look like a chump and back out in front of all of these people. We hit 81.4 mph, which in seven groups was the second fastest by only 0.1 mph. We also had the third fastest time at 53.something seconds to descend the 0.8-mile track. If you ever get a chance to try this, it's an absolute rush. No, scratch that...it's positively insane. It's intense. It felt like being inside a sci-fi movie running at super fast-forward. You hit 5 G's of gravity in the turns. As one other rider put it, for 20 minutes afterward you feel like you've had 8 cups of coffee. Here's a helmet cam video from a camera that was strapped to our driver's helmet on a different day, but trust me...this video doesn't nearly do the experience justice.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfBpcHYcjHk[/youtube]
After a quick lunch and bobsled "awards ceremony" we went outside to the aerials hill, where we got to watch members of the U.S. and Russian World Cup teams practice. What I thought was really special was that they let us walk up the side of the hill to where the kickers are for an up-close view of the action, hosted by U.S. Ski Team Freestyle Program Director Todd Schirman. Emily Cook, who's rehabbing a strained MCL, was also standing there and graciously offered hints as to what was going on, successful in not appearing annoyed by all of us standing there.
It was then time to return to work for a few hours while the others went to the U.S. Ski Team Center of Excellence, before the festivities resumed with an outdoor cocktail party on the Ski Beach at Canyons complete with fire pits, ice sculptures and a musician. None of it, however, moderated the temperatures which had dropped back down to around zero again, with a nearby snow cannon thrusting moisture into the air just for good measure.
After the cocktail hour we boarded the Red Pine Gondola for the feature event, a dinner, presentation and fashion show in Red Pine Lodge.
"But," you ask, "the skiing? What about the skiing?"
I'm gettin' there.
The others got to stumble back to their rooms at the Grand Summit, while I had to drive back across Parley's Summit to home. And in the morning, while the others got to rub the sleep from their eyes at 7 a.m. and step outside with their ski gear, I had to drive across Parley's Summit again in the dark to rejoin them. Shortly thereafter we were loading the Orange Bubble Express for some high-speed groomers at sunrise before the mountain opened.
Of course, all that we were able to ski were groomers covered with man-made snow. But I've got to say, it was a real hoot to be with a group of 20-25 really good skiers, all in the same Columbia outfits, screaming around a closed ski area en masse. Coverage on open runs was superb and wall to wall, and given that Canyons had barely been open for a week so far this season they had a surprising amount of the mountain open.
We all gathered at 9 a.m. for a sumptuous breakfast at Red Pine Lodge while the unwashed masses began to arrive on the mountain. A guy could get used to this!
But a buckle had broken on my boot on our last run before breakfast. And besides, I had to get back to work.
Sorry that I'm a little late with this one but this week has been pure hell, with the launch of our Google Currents Edition that had to coincide with the launch of Google Currents itself, and some other things that I'll explain here. I spent a couple of hours at sunrise yesterday buzzing around the groomers at Canyons before the public opening along with about 20 other snowsports journalists, but first I have to explain how I got to that point.
I spent the better part of this week attending various elements of a three-day press trip organized by Columbia Sportswear. They're trying to change the brand's technology and image -- it's not your Mom and Dad's Columbia anymore (remember those neon Bugaboo jackets?!) -- and they flew journalists in from throughout North America for an unveiling of their 2012-13 winter collection. Lucky for me, it was in my back yard.
Monday night started off with a dinner at The Farm, an excellent new restaurant at Canyons, co-sponsored by the Park City Chamber and Visitors Bureau. On Tuesday morning the action moved to nearby Utah Olympic Park, where we started off with the unveiling of the 2002 Olympic Museum's "Hometown Heroes" exhibit, including presentations by athletes and their parents, including 2002 silver and 2010 bronze moguls medalist Shannon Bahrke.
Thereafter, those who were willing were treated to a ride down the bobsled track. UOP is the only track in the entire world where they allow guests to start from the very top of the track, so you're hitting the same speeds (and nearly the same times) as the Olympians hit on that track. It was also very cold on Tuesday morning, barely above zero, so the ice was very fast. Three passengers ride with a professional driver, who uses a sled modified only in that the driver can control the brake as well. So you don't have that running start that you see in competition, which accounts for the slightly longer times.
They start you with a series of safety briefings, one after the other, where they do their best to scare the bejeezuz out of you. They explain how to brace yourself in the sled. They explain how to shrug your shoulders to keep your head from whipping from side to side (which, BTW, is where the term "bobsled" comes from, in case you ever wondered). They explain what happened on the two occasions in the past 10 years that guest bobsleds have flipped. :shock: You start asking yourself if you really, really want to do this.
But before you know it your turn is up, and you don't want to look like a chump and back out in front of all of these people. We hit 81.4 mph, which in seven groups was the second fastest by only 0.1 mph. We also had the third fastest time at 53.something seconds to descend the 0.8-mile track. If you ever get a chance to try this, it's an absolute rush. No, scratch that...it's positively insane. It's intense. It felt like being inside a sci-fi movie running at super fast-forward. You hit 5 G's of gravity in the turns. As one other rider put it, for 20 minutes afterward you feel like you've had 8 cups of coffee. Here's a helmet cam video from a camera that was strapped to our driver's helmet on a different day, but trust me...this video doesn't nearly do the experience justice.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfBpcHYcjHk[/youtube]
After a quick lunch and bobsled "awards ceremony" we went outside to the aerials hill, where we got to watch members of the U.S. and Russian World Cup teams practice. What I thought was really special was that they let us walk up the side of the hill to where the kickers are for an up-close view of the action, hosted by U.S. Ski Team Freestyle Program Director Todd Schirman. Emily Cook, who's rehabbing a strained MCL, was also standing there and graciously offered hints as to what was going on, successful in not appearing annoyed by all of us standing there.
It was then time to return to work for a few hours while the others went to the U.S. Ski Team Center of Excellence, before the festivities resumed with an outdoor cocktail party on the Ski Beach at Canyons complete with fire pits, ice sculptures and a musician. None of it, however, moderated the temperatures which had dropped back down to around zero again, with a nearby snow cannon thrusting moisture into the air just for good measure.
After the cocktail hour we boarded the Red Pine Gondola for the feature event, a dinner, presentation and fashion show in Red Pine Lodge.
"But," you ask, "the skiing? What about the skiing?"
I'm gettin' there.
The others got to stumble back to their rooms at the Grand Summit, while I had to drive back across Parley's Summit to home. And in the morning, while the others got to rub the sleep from their eyes at 7 a.m. and step outside with their ski gear, I had to drive across Parley's Summit again in the dark to rejoin them. Shortly thereafter we were loading the Orange Bubble Express for some high-speed groomers at sunrise before the mountain opened.
Of course, all that we were able to ski were groomers covered with man-made snow. But I've got to say, it was a real hoot to be with a group of 20-25 really good skiers, all in the same Columbia outfits, screaming around a closed ski area en masse. Coverage on open runs was superb and wall to wall, and given that Canyons had barely been open for a week so far this season they had a surprising amount of the mountain open.
We all gathered at 9 a.m. for a sumptuous breakfast at Red Pine Lodge while the unwashed masses began to arrive on the mountain. A guy could get used to this!
But a buckle had broken on my boot on our last run before breakfast. And besides, I had to get back to work.
