cold start to 2019

When the alarm went off on New Year's Day morning, I checked the current temperatures and almost just went right back to bed.  It was going to be COLD.  I rallied, however, because skipping a ski day is not the best way to start a new year.  It turned out to be a beautiful day on the hill and, because it was so cold, the crowds were way, way down; if it had been twenty degrees warmer, it would have been a zoo out there.

There were plenty of empty seats on the ski bus up to Alta.  When we got there, it was -4 F at the summit and 6F at the base.  I had my warmest everything on but even so, as we loaded the first chair, I could feel the cold already seeping in.  I suggested to H that we head straight to Supreme for a run in Catherine's Area, figuring that the hike would help keep us warm.  We didn't go in too far, just to the So Long meadow, but that was enough.  The snow was much stiffer than we expected (and grippy even on the groomers because it was so cold) and two turns in, I was somersaulting into my first fall of the year.  I was sweating by the time we finished that one run so it accomplished what I had hoped, but the snow was tough enough that we wouldn't go back.

That just looks cold there, doesn't it?

I actually managed five runs before I got so cold that I had to go thaw my feet.  One of those runs brought me my second fall of the day: I came over a rise to a short, steep pitch on Rollercoaster, skidded on some scraped-off hardpack, almost went off the groomed trail into choppy snow (where I knew I would go flying), veered back onto the groomer and went down, sliding on my side a ways before coming to a stop.  I popped back up, brushed myself off and continued on.  Two falls in one morning?  Sometimes I don't fall but two times all season!

What a pretty, pretty day

H and I took our time over an early-ish lunch and when we got back out at 12:30, it had warmed up to 8F at the summit and 14F at the base.  It felt great!  We stayed on Supreme and Sugarloaf for the next couple of hours, finding that when we went into the trees off Devil's Elbow and 3 Bears, or did Cabin Runs, or went into the last gate on Rock N Roll, that the snow was very soft and fluffy, having been protected from the wind.  The only time we skied Collins was to ski on out after 2 p.m., grabbing a quick beer before grabbing the 3 p.m. bus.

It was pretty cold at home too, definitely below freezing, but it felt like springtime after what we'd been skiing in.  The cold air would eventually result in an inversion in the valley but the sky stayed clear as the sun went down on the first day of the new year.