Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 5, Karma

Wednesday, Feb 18

We got another 8" of snow last night on top of the 6" the night before. Not epic, but enough that we were in line half an hour before the first tram. The kids passed the time by digging a hole in the snow; about 18 down they hit grass. The resort must have thought it was a snowboarder trap, because the asked them to fill it in.
Michelle with her arm down the hole.

Chris excavating.

Michael, Frank, and Melissa all rocked the BROs today. I was left bringing up the rear in my shortie Pocket Rockets.
Michael and Frank modeling the BRO Model skis.

Melissa with her BROs, SISs?, CUZs?

We caught the 2nd tram of the day after a short delay. Frank said, Uh oh, not a good sign when the bucket comes out. Sure enough, the cleaning crew went to work with shovel and mop. Must have been a chain reaction vomit on the guides tram. Usually people rush for both ends of the tram when the doors open, but this time the whole crowd pushed to the front and only the unsuspecting moved to the rear.
Waiting for the tram: Faith, Melissa, Chris, Nick, Michelle.

We had some great powder runs in the morning. I was ripping it and for once got ahead of the crew. I got down the Hobacks ten or fifteen minutes before the rest of them and while waiting at the Union Pass lift back to the main resort called my parents. It was the first time I ever used my cell phone while skiing. My parents were also on vacation; they had just left Julie's parents and were driving to the airport to fly to the Bahamas.

Later we had a great run down Casper's Bowl, knee-deep light powder, so much fun. Michael and I were traversing out of the bowl and I asked if we were headed to the rock above the cat track jump. Michael pointed down and said that looked good. I agreed and made the turns through waist deep snow. When Michael caught up, he was aggravated that I snaked his line and complained that he broke the #1 rule--There's no friends on powder days. A couple runs later I crashed and burned (and sprained my thumb) and all Michael said was, "Karma!"

Before lunch we sent the kids off to play in Casper's Bowl while we had mocha with espresso shots at the Bridger. A poster at the cafe confirmed that the film crew we saw around the resort for the last few days was, in fact, for America's Most Wanted.
Frank, Mimi, Bonnie, and Julie enjoying mochas or tea at the Bridger.

Poster explaining what America's Most Wanted film crew was doing at Jackson Hole.

We skied the trees off Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (the kids' name for the traverse to Casper Bowl). When we got back to the suite for lunch we found that the kids skied the same area and even gave it a name--The Belly--for Mr. Toad's Belly.

After lunch Julie and I skied a few runs with Bubba. Our last run was Elephant Tree and then a low traverse through the woods to enter Toilet Bowl to the far left. This area is plastered with signs that say "Caution. Cliff Area." Bubba was nervous because I was standing next to one of the signs. Julie and I have skied this area many times (and most of the kids did yesterday) and there is no real danger, but Bonnie didn't know that. She wanted me away from the supposed cliff; she was so scared she said "I am literally *****ing my pants." When I jump turned to face the opposite direction, Bubba let loose a puff of fear, which Julie immediately dubbed "nerve gas."
Caution! Nerve Gas! (I mean, Cliff Area!)

Tonight the adults had a fun dinner at Osteria, while the kids hung out at the hot tubs and ate leftover lasagna. Tomorrow Frank, Mimi, Julie, Phillip, and Michael are skinning up Teton Pass. The rest of the crew will enjoy more new snow at the resort.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 4, BROs rule

Tuesday, Feb 17

We got 6 inches of snow last night, so we didn't stop to take many photos today.

Phillip with the disputed skis in front of the Teton Club. This is what a good ski morning looks like. New snow overnight and more snow falling.


The tram passes right by our suite at the Teton Club. A good incentive to finish breakfast and get outside.


Michael, Mimi, Phillip, and John in front of the Bear Flats Snack Shack. I just included this photo because IT'S SNOWING!!!


Yesterday, Frank gave me a pair BROs, his old powder skis. This morning I checked to make sure my boots fit the bindings and then we all headed up the tram. When I tried to step into my new skis at the top of the mountain, my boot wouldn't stay in the binding. Guess I should have double-checked the fit. I was considering taking the tram back down, when Mimi suggested that Michael's boot was a bit bigger and might stay in the binding. Fortunately they fit Michael so we swapped skis and he skied the BROs all morning.

After lunch I adjusted the bindings so they fit my boots, and skied the BROs all afternoon. I was a bit nervous that I didn't adjust them correctly and they wouldn't release in a fall. So on my first run down Rendezvous Bowl I tested them by crashing and doing a somersault; the bindings released just fine.

It snowed all day today and it should snow all night. Tomorrow we are getting around early so we are in line before the lifts open and can get first tracks. The only problem is that both Michael and I want to ski the BROs. Here are all the arguments Michael used to convince me to let him use the skis tomorrow:

1. Michael challenged me to a wrestle off; winner gets the BROs. I think I can take him, so he moved on to other arguments.
   
2. I can use the BROs all next week while Michael is back at school, so he should get to use them tomorrow.
3. I bought my Pocket Rockets new; Michael's skis we bought used from the rental shop. It's only fair he get the BROs.
4. After Frank gave me the BROs, Mimi said he should have given them to Michael.
5. I got new goggles this week and handed down my old goggles to Michael. He should get the good skis.
6. I don't ski well enough to deserve the BROs. Can you say cruising for a bruising? See argument #1.

Anyhow, I am a good Dad and want the best for my children. So I will let him ski the BROs tomorrow. I'll get to use them all next week anyhow. Have fun at school, Michael.

For dinner I made pizza. At lunch I was stressing out because I was worried that the dough wouldn't be good, that we didn't have the right toppings, that people wouldn't like the pizza... Fortunately, it all worked out great and everyone enjoyed homemade pizza for dinner. Whew!

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 3, Four Shadows

Monday, Feb 16

Today we skied Four Shadows on Cody Peak. I've been up there a handful of times, but I still get nervous every time I think about it. We took the tram up soon after 9 AM and had waffles in Corbet's Cabin.

Michael and Frank enjoying waffles at Corbet's Cabin before the hike.

After a quick gear check, we headed out the gate marking the boundary of the Jackson Hole ski resort. We skied down the saddle and then climbed up the ridge to Cody Peak. The climb is a bit sketchy at points, with some nearly vertical pitches where you barely have a toehold.

Frank, Phillip, and Michael after leaving the ski resort boundary. Four Shadows is the chute with the shadows just to the left of the trees.



Phillip and Michael. Time to put the skis on the backpacks and start climbing.



Frank with the difficult climbing in the background.



Julie climbing up the near vertical section on the way to Cody Bowl.



Another shot of Julie.


And another photo of Julie climbing.




Michael climbing on ahead.



After the difficult climb, it is still a long walk up to Cody Peak. You can see the boot track on the right of the photo and Four Shadows just to the right of the cliffs.



We planned to ski No Shadows, but a guide with a group of snowboarders arrived minutes after us, and everyone knows eight's a crowd, so we hiked further up to ski Four Shadows.

Four Shadows is a bit steeper and sometimes has a cornice you have to jump off to get into the couloir, but today's entrance was mellow and we could ski right in. The snow was wind packed, but very skiable. My legs were burning by the time I hit the traverse.

Four Shadows is the chute in the shadows. You can see the boot track to the right of the ridge.



Frank, Julie, Michael after skiing down Four Shadows.



Next we climbed up Cody Bowl, something like 900 steps straight up. Works up a bit of a sweat. At the top, we had to choose whether to continue over to No Name Peak or ski down the Powder 8 Bowl. Partly because Julie's boots were killing her, we decided to ski down the bowl. Frank went first and then Michael. I was last because I could wield a shovel better than Julie. I cratered on my first turn. Then I made some ragged figure 8's crossing Julie's tracks. At the bottom I cratered again. Quite a show for anyone hiking up the bowl.
Julie hiking up the Powder 8 bowl.



The line to the far left is the boot track up the Powder 8 Bowl. To the right are the malformed figure eights layed down by Julie and Phillip. Michael's tracks are the rightmost in the center of the photo, and Frank's are the tracks all the way to the right.



This is a view of No Name Peak. We've skied it in the past, but it is hard to get to, so today we just headed down the Powder 8 Face instead.



After the Powder 8 Bowl, we called it a day and headed home through Rock Springs Canyon. The day was a great adventure; the hiking was strenuous, the views were amazing, and the skiing was way better than in-bounds.

Michael skied great. He is much more confident of his skiing ability this year. Last year, he had to bolster his ego by pointing out all the flaws in my style. This year, he just takes it for granted that he is a better skier than me.




This shot shows the Grand Teton right in the middle. If you look close at the mountain on the right, you can see the tram unloading dock. From there we skied across the top of Rendezvous Bowl and down the saddle. Then we hiked up through the rocks to the left of the photo and along the ridge (out of the photo to the left) to Four Shadows.



After skiing home, we ate a late lunch of minestrone soup and salad then I headed over to Dr. Tom for a blood analysis and acupuncture to treat my achy shoulder, neck, elbow...

Dinner was at Mimi and Frank's, with too much wine and chocolate for dessert. Now I'm ready for bed. Tomorrow I'm going to try skiing the BROs Frank gave me. Once again, Michael is jealous of my ski quiver, so maybe I'll let him try them for a run or two.

While we were OB, the kids were having fun on their own. First waffles at Corbet's.



Then ripping up the slopes when they weren't striking a pose.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 2, New goggles

Sunday, Feb 15

We got 3 or 4 inches of snow last night so the morning runs were a lot of fun. We hit the Study Plots first and then found good snow on Elephant Tree to Paintbrush to Toilet Bowl. Today I skied my Pocket Rockets and the shorter skis and better snow made me feel much better about my skiing. Then I saw the blind skier and his guide doing all the same trails we were doing and I didn't feel like such a BA (i.e., bad ass). Yesterday we saw the same guy skiing the steep bumps in Cheyenne Bowl. I skied down after him and fell, so when I got to the bottom I told Michael that I fell because I was skiing with my eyes closed to experience what blind skiing was like.

Triangle Trees had the best snow of the day and we found enough snow for two runs of fresh tracks, but you had to ski fast and stay in front of the kids or the six cousins would totally snake all the best lines. Chris totally wiped out below Triangle Trees and a few seconds later, in a show of Sellew Solidarity, his brother Eric took a header and lost a ski.

Michael tells me I make too many turns and ski too slow. He challenged me to a race back to the Teton Club for lunch. So I said, ok, and took off skiing about as fast as I comfortably could. Next thing I know Michael rockets past me in a tuck. Michael kept looking back and later told me he thought I gave up, but I dropped into a tuck and slowly overtook him, passing him just yards before the finish line.

The twelve of us ate lunch at our suite at the Teton Club. We had roasted parsnip and butternut squash soup, and broiled flank steak wrapped in tortillas with veggies and guacamole. Yum. And we were back on the slopes skiing less than an hour after we came in for lunch.

The afternoon we skied Casper Bowl and Ranger and watched the cousins get air off the cat track and in the terrain park. This year, Michele and Nicholas are the big air champs.

The kids are all growing up. Several years ago, at Copperas Pond in the Adirondacks, we jumped off a big rock into the water. Michael was afraid to jump and I remember calling up to him, "Come on. Don't be scared. It's fun. You'll like it." Today Michael skied off a rock on Ranger, but I hesitated on top of the rock. Michael called back to me, "Come on. It's easy. You have to do it."


Check out our new goggles. Michael's goggles were all scratched up and my goggles didn't work well with my helmet so Michael helped me pick out these Spy goggles and he inherited my cool Dragon goggles.


Julie says "Nyah, Nyah. I have Dragon goggles and you don't." Julie also says to remind her not to buckle her boots too tight. Yesterday, she suffered from the Burpee "sunk cost" affliction.

Here's a bonus video of Julie skiing down Toilet Bowl. The Ganja Cave is in the background. Toilet Bowl is only moderately steep, but unfortunately this video makes it look as flat as our backyard.

Apres ski we got together with some friends from home. Bob has two sons, Trevor and Zach, who are close friends of our boys. We sat on the balcony sharing a drink and discussing family vacations. Bob is here with two brothers and their kids. Julie is here with two sisters and their kids. One of my favorite vacations was the cross country trip I took with my family when I was in junior high school. The highlight was a three-day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon. I dream of taking my children to the Grand Canyon for a week of white water rafting and hiking the side canyons.

Dinner was tofu chili from the magic fridge. Mimi planned a week of interesting and healthy meals for us; Chef Al prepared delicious food and froze it. Now we can just heat it up and enjoy. Thanks Mimi and Frank! The only sour note at dinner was Mama Mia playing on the DVD in the background (just kidding) after the kids finished eating and the adults were discussing important issues like the face of evil and solutions to the world's economic and ecological problems.


Tomorrow, Frank is taking Julie, Michael, and me out of bounds to ski Cody Peak. So we packed our shovels, probes, and beacons and are ready for adventure. Hope I can get to sleep tonight. This video is of Cody Peak, but we ski a different line, off-camera to the looker's right. OK, so that was just insane, but this video shows Four Shadows which is also on Cody Peak and we skied it last year. (Corbet's Couloir is also shown in the video, and, no, I haven't skied it, but Melissa, my 13-year-old niece, has.) Tomorrow we will probably ski No Shadows, the chute to the right of shadow in the photo above.



I found this photo of No Shadows in the TGR forums. Follow the link for a lot of other good Jackson Hole photos. I'm getting cliffed out just looking. Better get to sleep now.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - Day 1, Let the Fun Begin

Saturday, Valentine's Day

We skied all day and had a great time. We stuck to the groomers in the morning and then skied some bumps before and after lunch. We ate in Bridger Restaurant at the top of the gondola, right next to the windows that got buried by the avalanche in December. The restaurant was closed for repairs all of January. Julie, Bubba, and Mimi stopped early to go grocery shopping and visit Dr. Tom for a blood examination. I skied with the kids until the lifts closed. Now my back is a little sore. My ego is a bit bruised too. I think both Michael and Nicholas are skiing better than me this year. They look very smooth, fluid, and balanced on their skis and I am feeling awkward and struggling to find the line through the trees and in the bumps.

We rode up the chairlift with Peter. Mimi knows him because they have ski lockers next to each other. Turns out he is the owner of AppleCrest Farm Orchards in New Hampshire. Next fall, we may have to skip our annual trip to Shelburne Farm to check out Peter's orchard.

We moved into the Teton Club today, unpacked all our stuff from storage, and settled in. Yesterday we searched for 30 minutes through the storage room for Michael's new ski boots and my old ski boots. I was sure we left them here at the end of last year's trip. Today I was talking with the people at the desk and we suddenly remembered that last year I decided I didn't want those old, stiff Rossignol Race 1 boots anymore, so I gave them to one of the employees who needed boots. I feel much better with that mystery solved. As for Michael's boots, they may be at home in our basement. Sort of aggravating to rent boots for a week because we can't keep track of where all our stuff is, but we aren't letting it detract from our having fun out here.

Getting ready to hit the slopes. From left: Mimi, Michael, Nicholas, Eric, Julie, Melissa, Frank, and, in front, Michelle.


The new 100-person tram.


A rare sighting of Bigfoot at the gondola loading station.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - arrival

Friday the Thirteenth

Despite the ominous date, our flight to Jackson was uneventful. When we landed the temperature was 3F, but in the sun it was comfortable in a light jacket and no hat or gloves.

We spent the night at Mimi and Frank's house. Mimi is Julie's sister and she lives a couple of miles from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. In the evening you can sit in their living room and watch the snowcats grooming the ski trails. On the other side of their house is the Snake River. Before it got dark, we went for a walk along the dike next to the river. The kids did some ski-jouring on cross country skis. Mimi's dogs, Geyser and Willow, have harnesses and can tow the kids on cross country skis through the snow. Willow joined the the family 4 days ago from the dog adoption center. When Mimi met us at the airport, the new dog's name was Gizmo, but by the time we got our gear squared away and got to their house, the dog's name was changed to Gnochi. After a few hours wrangling over dog names, the dog was re-renamed Willow, and that has stuck for over 24 hours now.

This is Mimi and Frank's house, with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in the background.


Mimi and Bonnie in front of the Snake River, with the Sleeping Indian in the background.


Michael and Chris along the Snake River with the Grand Tetons in the background.



Nicholas and Melissa with the Grand in the background.


The 6 cousins had dinner at Mimi's house and the adults drove back to town for a wine tasting. Mimi visits "Dr. Tom" for homeopathy treatments. His wife, Susie, owns a wine shop in Bozeman, MT and invited us a wine tasting at a friend's house in Jackson. Gardner is a transplant from VT and lives on a hill overlooking town--Snow King, the town ski hill, is on the same mountain--with an excellent view of the lights on the buildings in the valley and the snowcovered buttes on the other side. We were greeted with a glass of champagne and then invited to try the 20+ bottles of wine set out on the dining table. We started with whites (Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay) and then turned the corner and tasted the reds. My favorites were a Syrah and a couple of 80% Cabernets from Paragua, a winery in Chile. Susie suggested food to pair with each wine, so we ate chocolate truffles, nuts, salmon, or antelope (hunted by Dr. Tom) depending on which wine we were tasting. At the end of the night, Susie gave us a treat when she opened a $165 bottle of red wine. It really was quite a bit better than the "cheaper" $50 bottles we had tasted up to that point, but I am not sophisticated enough to describe the differences. It was a fun way to spend our first night in Jackson and we met some interesting people, like Sarge whose father's name is Major, and Stella who isn't really a person, but an American Bull Mastiff. On the way out, Paul (our family's oenophile) and Mimi bought some wine for us to drink this week, so we will get to re-experience some of that first night throughout the week.

Julie and Bubba with Stella.

Jackson Hole Ski Trip, 2009 - getting ready

Last night we packed; tonight I take ChiChi to the kennel; and tomorrow, very early, we head out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for our annual ski trip.

As the kids get older, things change. Alexa is in college and doesn't get next week off, so she isn't going this year. Michael and Nicholas are feeling studious this year and don't want to miss a week of school, so they and Julie are only staying the one week of school vacation. Phillip is staying the full two weeks, but he won't be alone. Cousin Greg and ski-master George will join him at the Teton Club for the second week.

Another change this year is that the new tram is up and running. The old tram was decommissioned a couple years ago and we missed the big red box outside our window at the Teton Club. We are anxious to see, "Is the new tram is bigger, better, and redder?"

We don't expect to do much skiing OB this year. New snow is poorly bonded to slick old snow surfaces, raising the avalanche risk. A couple of months ago, during the Christmas vacation, Jackson Hole Ski Resort actually closed for a couple of days because of a rash of in-bounds avalanches. A skier was killed by an avalanche on Paintbrush, an area we skied laps on last year. The restaurant at the top of the gondola was damaged by an avalanche off the Headwall which we usually hike and ski each year. The links below show amazing photos of avalanche crowns in nearly a dozen areas we regularly ski.

So this year is different from other years. But, as always, we will be careful and have a lot of fun.

• In-bounds avalanche kills Wilson skier
• Headwall Avalanche at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
• photos of Bridger Restaurant at the top of the Bridger Gondola (scroll down to see photos)
• photos of crowns observed within JHMR's boundaries (scroll down to see very interesting photos of areas we ski regularly)
• more photos of crowns observed within JHMR's boundaries (scroll down)

Headwall avalanche hits the Bridger Restaurants at the top of the gondola.




Inside the restaurant.




Two snowcats on the track above the avalanche crown in Laramie Bowl.

Wai Kru

I wrestled with Boston Union at Wai Kru in Allston today.  A few guys from the Bentley College Wrestling Club were there (they don't have a varsity wrestling team).  After drilling, we chose teams and had a dual meet, 3 x 30 second periods.  It was a lot of fun; even though I lost my match 2-0.  Tried to stack him with the western hook & 3/4 nelson at the end but he was too strong.

Wai Kru is a MMA training club and one of the guys (that I made sure not to wrestle) was in Las Vegas last weekend fighting in a UFC match.  He was named fighter of the night and got a $65K bonus.  While we wrestled others were kicking and punching heavy bags or jumping rope.  A couple of guys were doing light sparring in the octagonal cage next to the wrestling mat.  Pretty cool.

Michael's first varsity wrestling match

Last night was the Winchester vs. Woburn wrestling meet.  Woburn is an arch-rival and last year's contest was a nail biter, with Winchester winning by a narrow margin.

This year the Woburn match was extra special because the Town of Winchester declared it "Larry Tremblay Day" to honor the coach for 500+ wins and 28 years as head coach of the Winchester Wrestling Team.  Everyone signed a big banner before the meet, and afterwards there was a ceremony with speeches, plaques, and handshakes.  A big crowd was on hand to watch the meet.

Julie, Nick, and I got there after the JV matches were already underway.  We didn't see Michael anywhere, so Nick suggested maybe he was going to wrestle varsity.  There had been no hint of that earlier in the day, and Michael was just expecting to watch an exciting varsity meet.  But when the varsity team ran out to warm up, there was Michael with all the starters.  In the stands, our family and the other wrestlers' parents were excited to see Michael wrestle.  Last week, he cut to weigh in at 152 but didn't wrestle.   Last night we looked for him at 152, but Mike Greco wrestled 152.  Then James Hingston wrestled 160.  So we thought Michael wouldn't be wrestling after all.  But no, there he was, stepping onto the mat to wrestle at 171.

After all the anticipation and excitement, the match was a bit of a let down: Michael got cradled and pinned in the first period.  He has looked real good in his JV matches this year, but he was never really competitive in this match.  Sometimes you get caught in a mistake and it's over before it even begins.  Oh well, baptism by fire.  First varsity match jitters should be behind him if he gets another chance at this weekend's Quad Meet.

Later we learned that Brandon, the first string at 171, injured himself warming up and so Michael was asked to wrestle up a class (or two) to prevent a default.

By the way, Winchester beat Woburn by a score of 62 to 9.

Here's a video of Michael's first varsity wrestling match.  Sorry about the jerkiness at the beginning; I'll use a tripod next time.

Rocketshoeing

The Mad River Rocket has created a following among snowshoers looking for adventure. Lightweight and easy to carry, the Mad River Rocket combined with snowshoes makes it possible to access backcountry terrain. Dubbed "Rocketshoeing," it's a trend waiting to happen.
--from Kidznsnow Article: Rippin' Riders Preview: Mad River Rocket Sleds ...

Since the Mini Cooper has cut my winter bike commuting to almost nil, I needed something else to keep in shape.  So now, whenever we have snow, I go "Rocketshoeing" before or after work.  I put on my snowshoes (or instep crampons or bareboots depending on the conditions) and, towing my sled on a rope attached to my belt by a caribiner, run up Horn Pond Mountain and sled back down.  By "run" I mean jog until my lungs ache, then plod until my legs burn, then walk until my head stops pounding, then jog...  Repeat until I reach the top.  One lap takes about 20 minutes.

Yesterday after work, I ran up Toll Road and sled the Backside Middle.  Then I ran up Falling Waters and sled Electric Avenue.
This morning before work, I ran up Falling Waters three times and sled Backside Middle, Rehab Trail, and Boulder Trail to Lower Yak Trak.

Last week's storm dumped 12 inches of powder.  The conditions were great for sledding, what skiers call "hero snow," and I went down almost anything: hucked boulders, schussed steep slopes, and slalomed through the woods.

What a difference a week makes.  Yesterday's storm put 4 inches on top of nearly unbreakable crust.  Classic "dust on crust" made the sledding super fast (Mad River Rocket, indeed) and turning an iffy proposition.  Last night's Electric Avenue run (in the dark) went something like this:  Jump of the rock at the top; grab some trees to slow down; chicken out and butt slide down the rollover; zigzap down the lower face.  Go home, tail between my legs.  This morning, in the light of day with a couple more inches of snow was better, but steering was still sketchy so I stuck to the tamer trails.

Mad River Rocket Freesledding

My newest winter pastime is freesledding.

Horn Pond Mountain is a short walk from my house. After a recent snowstorm I put in some new lines down Electric Avenue and Rehab Trail, and hucked the Reservoir Boulders. Caution: Hyperbole is to freesledding what oxygen is to life.

Here's how the pros do it:
http://teamsleds.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=44
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfoFFNb6d34

Here's how we do it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTZHWOhC2Ps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKPvCEAeVVo
http://picasaweb.google.com/phillip.stern/HornPondMtnBestLines?authkey=MUFl-9dk7xA#

Pack Monadnock and Temple Mountain adventure
On the way home, we hit black ice at 50 mph. We fishtailed across the road into the oncoming traffic lane, but managed to avoid the cars coming at us and the other cars that hit the ice and were stopped on both shoulders. We did a 180 and stopped inches from the snow bank on our side of the road.
The 180 was definitely the most memorable event of the day, but the sledding was a lot of fun too and, at the time, seemed more risky than driving to and from the mountain. We got to Pack Monadnock about 8:30 and geared up in the 3 degree F parking lot. Fingers numb with cold we began hiking up the summer toll road, now buried by a couple feet of snow. Soon we were sweating and peeled off our coats and hung them from our packs. At the top, we climbed the lookout tower and inspected the trails at Temple Mountain across the highway; we were going there after lunch. Then we unstrapped our sleds and headed down.
The trail was boot packed and not steep enough to be fun on our sleds, so we found short shots through the powder and very dense trees off the side of the trail. Unfortunately, the trail didn't switchback, so after every little run, we had to climb back up to the trail. But we had fun going off some little rocks covered in snow. Back in parking lot, another hiker told us we picked the "bad" trail. The other trail stays in the fall line and is more fun for hiking and, presumably, sledding.
At the Temple Mountain parking lot we ate a quick lunch and queried other hikers/skiers/snowboarders about the trails. Temple Mountain was a ski resort that closed in 1991.
At the top we met more snowboarders and found a short open run with a couple of drops. The boarders and sledders took turns watching each other get some air. I went off a big round boulder with about an 8-foot drop to the powder below. Then we split up and took different routes to the bottom. It was fun to have longer runs than at Pack Monadnock, but the trails just weren't steep enough. First tracks often meant using your hands to push along the flat spots.
From the picnic area at the bottom, we hiked straight up a ski slope, and it would have been tough going without snowshoes. The climb had me huffing and puffing, but it let us scout out a great second run. At the top we met the snowboarders again and took a video of them getting air off a 10-foot rock. I took my sled down the side of the same rock, in a series of 3 step-like drops. I climbed back up and launched off the other side of the rock landing in a tiny clearing between a boulder and a downed tree. These jumps were all seemed pretty scary while sitting at the top trying to get up the nerve to push off, but the snow was so deep and soft that the reality of the jump was a bit anti-climatic. Still, I did get a little rush each time. After playing around up top for awhile, we headed back down to the base. We followed a trail put in by a snowboarder sometime in the past week. On flatter sections we stayed on the packed trail to keep our speed up. On the steeper pitches, we shot into the powder next to the track and carved some turns. It was almost a top to bottom run, prevented only by a couple of wipeouts.

Phillip and John toast the good runs at Temple Mountain

Phillip climbing Mt Cardigan with his Mad River Rocket

Pack Monadnock and Temple Mountain adventure

Sunday (Jan 25) John and I loaded our sleds, crampons, snowshoes, and backpacks into the Mini Cooper and headed up to Pack Monadnock and Temple Mountain for a day of backcountry sledding. It was a great day, not the least because we survived the drive home.

We were heading south on US 202, driving close to the posted limit of 50 mph. It was a sunny, but cold afternoon. Visibility was good and the road was dry. Up ahead I saw a curve and two cars stopped on the shoulder of our lane. Across the road, an SUV was stopped on the shoulder facing the other way. As I entered the curve, we hit a large patch of black ice and started a four wheel slide towards the two stopped cars and the women standing beside them. Then the ice ended and the front wheels grabbed sudden traction; the rear end fishtailed and I countersteered to regain control. Then we were fishtailing the opposite direction but I countersteered again and thought I was about to drive out of it. By now we were across the yellow line into the oncoming traffic lane, and there was a car oncoming. I turned the wheel to get back in my lane and must have overcorrected, because next thing I knew we were 180 degrees around, in the correct lane, but going backwards. We passed the oncoming car by a wide margin, but were heading (backwards) towards the icy snowbank at the edge of our lane. I slammed on the brakes and we stopped inches from the snowbank. John and I just looked at each other and said "Holy Shit!" The smell of burned rubber and maybe burned transmission filled the air. We walked around the car but saw no damage. So I did a u-turn and we continued on our way. In the rear view mirror I saw the women walking across the road to talk to the people in the SUV. My guess is that the SUV also hit the ice, did a 180 and was facing the wrong way but on the other side of the road. Several minutes later a parade of emergency vehicles (ambulance, police car, maybe a firetruck) came flying towards us with lights flashing and sirens blaring heading towards the stopped vehicles. What they really needed was a salt truck. Several times on the drive home, we just broke into laughter, so relieved to have escaped without injury.

John at the base of Pack Monadnock.

The 180 was definitely the most memorable event of the day, but the sledding was a lot of fun too and, at the time, seemed more risky than driving to and from the mountain. We got to Pack Monadnock about 8:30 and geared up in the 3 degree F parking lot. Fingers numb with cold we began hiking up the summer toll road, now buried by a couple feet of snow. Soon we were sweating and peeled off our coats and hung them from our packs. At the top, we climbed the lookout tower and inspected the trails at Temple Mountain across the highway; we were going there after lunch. Then we unstrapped our sleds and headed down the trail to the sledders' left of the toll road.

Looking across at Temple Mtn from the top of Pack Monadnock.

The trail was boot packed and not steep enough to be fun on our sleds, so we found short shots through the powder and very dense trees off the side of the trail. Unfortunately, the trail didn't switchback, so after every little run, we had to climb back up to the trail. But we had fun going off some little rocks covered in snow. Back in parking lot, another hiker told us we picked the "bad" trail. The trail to the right of the toll road stays in the fall line and is more fun for hiking and, presumably, sledding.

At the Temple Mountain parking lot we ate a quick lunch and queried other hikers/skiers/snowboarders about the trails. Temple Mountain was a ski resort that closed in 1991. The only sign of the resort are the trails cut into the forest, which is quickly filling in those same trails with groves of little saplings. A sign in the parking lot says LCHIP, which is The New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, "an independent state authority that makes matching grants to NH communities and non-profits to conserve and preserve New Hampshire's most important natural, cultural and historic resources."

Mario (with snowboard) and John hiking up Temple Mtn.

We met Mario, a snowboarder, and walked up the Wapack trail, which was totally packed down. We had on snowshoes, but could have just as easily walked up in boots. The Wapack trail must have been an old service road. It gradually wound its way up to the top and we didn't even get out of breath on the climb. At the top we met a couple more snowboarders and found a short open run with a couple of drops. The boarders and sledders took turns watching each other get some air. I went off a big round boulder with about an 8-foot drop to the powder below. Then we split up and took different routes to the bottom. It was fun to have longer runs than at Pack Monadnock, but the trails just weren't steep enough. First tracks often meant using your hands to push along the flat spots.

Phillip and John at top of Temple Mtn with Pack Monadnock in the background

From the picnic area at the bottom, we hiked straight up a ski slope, and it would have been tough going without snowshoes. The climb had me huffing and puffing, but it let us scout out a great second run. At the top we met the snowboarders again and took a video of them getting air off a 10-foot rock. I took my sled down the side of the same rock, in a series of 3 step-like drops. I climbed back up and launched off the other side of the rock landing in a tiny clearing between a boulder and a downed tree. These jumps were all seemed pretty scary while sitting at the top trying to get up the nerve to push off, but the snow was so deep and soft that the reality of the jump was a bit anti-climatic. Still, I did get a little rush each time. After playing around up top for awhile, we headed back down to the base. We followed a trail put in by a snowboarder sometime in the past week. On flatter sections we stayed on the packed trail to keep our speed up. On the steeper pitches, we shot into the powder next to the track and carved some turns. It was almost a top to bottom run, prevented only by a couple of wipeouts.

One of the best parts of the day was the people we met. We hiked with Mario the snowboarder and learned he is the Dean of Education at Lesley University and lives in the town next to ours. The two college-age boarders were Norbert and Andrew and it was fun to see what the kids could do on their boards and what we old guys could do on our sleds. We were all united in our desire to play in the snow and mountains without spending $60 to $90 for lift tickets. So we shared some information about potential sledding / boarding sites and exchanged email addresses.

Another happy encounter was with another older guy getting out his sled at the base of Pack Monadnock while we were putting ours away and getting ready to move over to Temple Mountain. He had a HammerHead sled, something like a hightech Flexible Flyer. He sleds headfirst lying on his stomach and says he really gets moving down the packed Toll Road. Probably a lot of fun but I prefer the off trail powder and freesledding made possible by the Mad River Rockets. Of course, if your knees aren't flexible enough to kneel on a Rocket sled, a HammerHead might be a reasonable alternative.

Anyhow, this guy was showing us his sled when he realized that one of the replaceable runners had fallen off his sled. It wasn't in the car so he was going to drive back home to see if it was in his basement. He was just saying that he hoped he didn't lose it last weekend when he was sledding at Pack Monadnock, when he looked across the parking lot and saw the missing runner stuck in a snow bank near the trailhead. I got a great feeling because this fellow was going to be able to enjoy playing in the snow instead of driving home on a fruitless search for a missing runner.

Phillip and John toast the end of a good day sledding.
Temple Mtn in the background.

After the last run of the day, we loaded the gear in the Mini, toasted our adventure with a Harpoon Winter Warmer (totally unrelated to the subsequent 180) and shared Julie's excellent cookies with the snowboarders. Then we drove to Harvard, Mass to hear a lecture by John's friend Richard Higgins, author of As High a Heaven: Meditating on Trees with Thoreau. We were wearing sweaty outdoors clothes and our hair was pretty wild, but when we explained we were just coming from hiking the woods we fit right in with the tree hugging crowd.

Fwd: Wildcat with Alexa

2 Wildcat lift tickets: $18
lunch for two: $17
transportation: $187 (driving at 55 cents per mile)
skiing with my daughter Alexa: priceless

It's been years since we skied in New England and, in the meantime, we have become accustomed to the conditions and terrain at Jackson Hole, WY.  So after the first run down the icy, cold (10F), crowded, gradual pitch slopes at Wildcat Mountain, I was about ready to have an early lunch and head home.  But after a couple more runs, the joy of skiing returned.  Even on less challenging terrain you can work on finding the balance point and holding a good edge.  We even had fun on the green trails, turning only when the trail turned on its serpentine patch through the woods.  An added bonus: the snow was better on these easier trails.  We spent about half the day on the ungroomed trails, relearning how to ski icy bumps.  A reasonable level of competency soon returned, until the added difficulty of thin cover and exposed rocks threw me off balance again.

We drove for 7+ hours to ski for 5+ hours, but it was worth it.  Wildcat was celebrating its 51st anniversary and offering $9 tickets (as opposed to the usual $60) so it was a not-to-be-missed deal.  I took the day off work (Friday), and Alexa was between mid-term exams and classes starting back up (Tuesday).  A nice mini-vacation.

The directions were so easy, I-95 N to 16 N, that I didn't even set the GPS.  Alexa and I were chatting about school and next thing I knew we were at the roundabout in Gloucester.  We flew right past the point where I-95 and 128 separate and ended up driving an extra 30 miles.

Coming home, we had no problems with the directions but we almost didn't get out of the parking lot.  In the morning we parked in a line of cars, bumper to bumper down the middle of the lot.  In the afternoon, we skied down the mountain and right across the snow-covered lot to our car, popped our skis off, loaded everything into the car, and drove straight ahead to what I thought was the exit.  Turned out it was the trail we just skied down and the front wheels sank axle-deep into the snow.  Fortunately, two college-aged boys came and pushed us out, without even commenting on my bonehead driving maneuver.

The trip up was 188 miles at 65 mph avg for 38 mpg.  The return trip was 153 miles at 55 mph avg for 41 mpg.  The Mini Cooper is a great 2-person adventure car, add a third person and it is very difficult to fit all the gear, whether it is skis or sleds or backpacks.

Fwd: Celebrating the Red Sox - 2007 World Series Champions

Like Papelbon, we were too tired to dance, but we still held a small celebration after the Red Sox won the World Series.
--pws

Fwd: Big weekend

Lots going on around here.

Julie and I just got back from a concert at The Real School for Music.  We heard Guggenheim Grotto, a duo that plays "a decidedly upbeat mix of timeless pop, folk and soaring melodies."  Hearing live music in an intimate setting is very special.  We were sitting in the front row about five feet from the musicians.  At one point they asked us to sing the refrain of the next song so they could sing a countermelody.  I whispered, "Uh oh!" to Julie and they heard me and made a joke about it.  Their whole concert was taped and we were told it was for MTV, so we'll keep an eye out for it.

The warm up band was Sev, who plays great guitar.  Mike Abbott, one of the Real School founders, sat in on saxophone and flute.  Sev is a musician and an artist with an interesting web site: www.sevhead.com.

The boys were planning to go with us, but wrestling changed those plans.  Too bad, because they missed an excellent night of music and would have benefitted from hearing what can be done on guitar.  It was really amazing.

But Michael wanted to go to bed early.  He is trying to lose 3 pounds overnight so he can wrestle in a varsity match tomorrow at 155.  He thinks of himself as wrestling in the 160-pound weight class, but I guess the coach thinks of him as a 152-pounder (plus the 3 pound allowance you get late in the season).  We all hope he gets to wrestle varsity tomorrow, but we'll have to wait and see.  He has done real well in his JV matches and wants to test himself at the next level.

Nick had a special wrestling practice tonight.  He is wrestling in his first tournament on Sunday.  It is a sectional and if he does well, he will advance to the regionals next weekend.  In addition to weight divisions, they divide the boys into groups by ability and experience: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Copper.  Since this is Nick's first year he would normally wrestle Copper, but his coach says he is "scrappy" and is going to have him wrestle Bronze.  I dream of him winning the tournament and getting bumped up to Silver for the regionals, but again we'll have to wait and see.

On the academic front, all continue to excell.  Once again Nick got all A's, except for that B in gym.  It astounds me that he is a good athlete, but gets his lowest grade in gym.  He thinks it is because the teacher gets him confused with another Nick that goofs off in gym.  Michael got A's on his exams and expects good grades on his report card next week.  Alexa got her first college scores back and got an A, and two B+, with a Pass in her freshman seminar.  She wrote an excellent book review for her Chinese History class and got an A- on it, so she is settling in to her classes quite nicely.

Julie offered free treatment for anyone on the wrestling team last weekend and Michael acted as her assistant.  Several boys came for treatment of various aches and pains.  At last night's wrestling meet, the parents were effusive in their thanks.  The boys all really liked the treatment and felt much better afterwards.  One mother said her son got up that night and started cleaning house, so maybe that is some kind of weird marketing angle Julie can use.  She is planning to run another clinic for the wresters next weekend.

I went sledding in the rain that followed the big snowstorm on Tuesday.  I'm attaching photos of a couple of my lines.  In the third photo, you can see the ice at the bottom of the reservoir.  I think those are the boot tracks we made the day Michael and I fell through the ice.  There is even a little hole of water that has not completely refrozen next to the tracks.

Fwd: snow day - flexing at least half day

It snowed all day Sunday and most of the night.  This morning we had over 12 inches of fluffy powder, so I decided to take the day off and celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day by playing in the snow (my version of ebony and ivory).

Julie, Michael and I went out for a couple of hours hiking and sledding before breakfast.  Horn Pond Mountain is just a short walk from our house; Horn Pond Mountain isn't as big or steep as the mountains in this Mad River Rocket highlights video, and we don't get crazy air, but we do have the Mad River Rocket Killer-B sleds and deep powder, so it was a good morning.

After breakfast, shoveling the driveway (the only downside of 12+ inches of powder), and Michael's wrestling practice, I went back out with Nicholas.  Nick a bit of a daredevil and coaxed me to go off some small jumps.  That went well, so then we went off some medium size jumps.  Then Nick upped the ante and went off a 12-footer and I decided that I'd rather just take the video.  (The video is from my cell phone so quality is poor, but you get the idea.)  In addition to several shorter runs, we did 5 top to bottom runs.  We are both exhausted now.  Not sure how we'll survive skiing Jackson Hole if we get tired sledding at Horn Pond.

We decided to start naming the trails. 

• Gubba Gully - the site of Nick's daring do.
  
• Yak Trak - the main trail up the front side of the mountain, because Nick found one of the traction devices Julie lost this morning at the bottom of this trail.
• Crossroad - crosses Yak Trak and runs past the Old Stone House.
  
• Backside Bowls - =tThe open face down the back of the mountain, but since the slope goes over steep slabs of rock and ends at the Head Trauma Center we should be able to come up with a better name.
• B&C - the area with the boulder and rock cairn.
• Flat Tire - the trail where we popped a snow tube a couple weeks ago.  The trail near B&C, not to be confused with the Downhill Jump trail, where Eric popped another tube the same day.
• Downhill Jump - a fun run that ends on Crossroad with a crazy jump that some downhill MTB dude must have built.
• Whole Paycheck - the trail we took to Whole Foods for a late lunch (need a better name for this one too)
  

The photos show Nick on the rock before the major drop, the old reservoir where Michael and I fell through the ice a couple of weeks ago, and a hill we sled down today with lots of rocks and trees to avoid.  I included the reservoir photo, because falling through the ice ruined my brand new camera and I had to shoot these photos and the video on my cell phone.

In case you haven't heard it, here is the "fell through the ice" story.

The reservoir is no longer used and we like to hike down into it and clamber over the rock sides.  Usually there is a marshy section at the very bottom; sometimes it collects water, but never more than ankle or knee deep.
So we walked across the ice at the bottom and as we got near the opposite side the ice cracked and Michael and I (who were in the lead) fell through.  A hole opened in the ice, about 6 feet in diameter and suddenly we were standing in water (very cold water) up to our armpits.  I tried to climb out, but the ice kept breaking (just like you read about).  Fortunately, there were tiny trees (maybe sumac bushes) growing in out of the water and we used them to pull ourselves out and back onto solid ice. 
We walked home quickly (about 10 minutes), washed all our clothes, and took hot showers.  No real harm (except to Michael's phone and my camera) and we learned first-hand about the risks of winter hiking, and my desire for an adventure was met.