Day Two: Another day, another Utah opening.
This time, for me it was Park City Mountain Resort, although I'll note that Snowbird and Brian Head both opened today, too. PCMR had set a 10 a.m. opening for Payday, and another person and I were the first to enter the singles line at 9:30 a.m. I was surprised; I'd expected a bigger line-up, but I imagine that the holiday blackout of the Epic Local Pass had a negative effect on attendance.
A DJ cranked tunes, the media shot B-roll and the crowd cheered as the gates opened at 10 a.m. sharp. I think that I was on about the 20th chair. Only one run was open, down in count by two from the Brighton opening on Friday, but this time it was a run of nearly 1,300 vertical feet. With my out-of-shape legs, that was a long enough run to start rebuilding those quads. Surfaces were better than at Brighton, too, at least until they started getting chewed up as the crowds grew.
I used the opportunity to dust the cobwebs off some old skis and take them out for a spin, as I haven't skied anything narrower under foot than 114mm in the past few years (aside from a mid-fat demo or two). The G3 Reverends skied just fine (95mm under foot), other than that they are truly too light to be a resort ski for me. The old Salomon Scream Hots (75mm under foot), however, railed like ice skates but felt about as lively as a pair of 2x4s. Those are headed for the landfill.
By 1 p.m. the crowd had grown to the point where I'd had enough.
Tomorrow the crowd will be dispersed by the opening of Park City's Canyons Village side. Tiny Tim and I will be heading over there as our next storm (and what could well be the big'un) knocks on Utah's door.
This time, for me it was Park City Mountain Resort, although I'll note that Snowbird and Brian Head both opened today, too. PCMR had set a 10 a.m. opening for Payday, and another person and I were the first to enter the singles line at 9:30 a.m. I was surprised; I'd expected a bigger line-up, but I imagine that the holiday blackout of the Epic Local Pass had a negative effect on attendance.
A DJ cranked tunes, the media shot B-roll and the crowd cheered as the gates opened at 10 a.m. sharp. I think that I was on about the 20th chair. Only one run was open, down in count by two from the Brighton opening on Friday, but this time it was a run of nearly 1,300 vertical feet. With my out-of-shape legs, that was a long enough run to start rebuilding those quads. Surfaces were better than at Brighton, too, at least until they started getting chewed up as the crowds grew.
I used the opportunity to dust the cobwebs off some old skis and take them out for a spin, as I haven't skied anything narrower under foot than 114mm in the past few years (aside from a mid-fat demo or two). The G3 Reverends skied just fine (95mm under foot), other than that they are truly too light to be a resort ski for me. The old Salomon Scream Hots (75mm under foot), however, railed like ice skates but felt about as lively as a pair of 2x4s. Those are headed for the landfill.
By 1 p.m. the crowd had grown to the point where I'd had enough.
Tomorrow the crowd will be dispersed by the opening of Park City's Canyons Village side. Tiny Tim and I will be heading over there as our next storm (and what could well be the big'un) knocks on Utah's door.
The National Weather Service":31hiqt9v said:
