gabeanderson.com: life: skiing

Gore Day 1

Yesterday marked the start of my 21st season of skiing (has it really been that long?!) when Nat and I, armed with our Price Chopper Family Mountain Passbooks, headed to Gore Mountain for an impromptu afternoon of awesome skiing. One of my goals this winter is to really make an effort to ski as much as possible. It's one of my favorite things in life; there's really nothing quite like it.

And living so close to good skiing is just wonderful -- and one of the many original reasons we chose Saratoga Springs as our home. When we lived in San Francisco, I and every other Bay Area resident would head east every Friday afternoon to begin the long-ass journey to Lake Tahoe (4 hours without traffic and at least 6 hours with traffic). Sure, there's no place like Tahoe, but you can't beat the convenience factor -- deciding at 11am on a Sunday that you want to ski that afternoon, hitting the road at noon, skiing just after 1pm. Gore is just 54 miles and less than an hour from Saratoga Springs. We were there and back by 5pm.

The mountain wasn't at all crowded, the snow was pretty good -- mostly soft with only a few rough and icy patches -- and the temperature was in the 30s without any wind. All in all, a very good start to the 2005/2006 ski season. Hopefully the first of many more days to come!

Unrelated to yesterday's ski trip, here's a picture of me rolling in my new Windstar, as requested by Megan and other worldwide fans of my new wheels:

Saturday night we hit Sarah and Eric's place for a delicious fish dinner and a fun evening with friends. That afternoon we finally got our kitchen back in order following last week's party.

Gore Mountain

Although I miss skiing at my favorite resorts around Lake Tahoe and am really jealous of the not-in-the-last-100-years 19-foot snowfall record over the past couple weeks, it doesn't suck living in the foothills of the Adirondacks and being at a good ski resort in less than an hour.

Yesterday Jen came along with me for a ski trip to Gore Mountain. Like its more popular and farther north neighbor, White Face, Gore is run by the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority. It's been ranked by Skiing Magazine as one of the top ten best kept secrets.

I live even closer (less than 30 minutes) from the Boreal-like West Mountain, but I haven't even bothered going there to ski yet, though we may go snow tubing there at some point. Regardless, this is the first time in my life I've lived so close to a ski resort (one of the many reasons we moved to Saratoga Springs in the first place), and it's a very cool thing.

We left home yesterday at 11am and were at Gore by noon, on the slopes by 12:30pm. Given that I'm out of shape and it was my first time skiing this season, I only skied until 3pm. We left the resort by 3:30 and were home by 4:30. Pretty amazing to put in a good half day of skiing in so little time, and still have the entire evening left.

Gore itself is a really good mountain. I was impressed. It was very similar to White Face. There was enough challenging terrain and big moguls to give my quads a thorough workout. It won't be my last time skiing there.

Vassar Ski Team

Last night I dreamt that Jen and I were hanging out in downtown Saratoga Springs, as we often do, but unlike most nights, the town wasn't too packed. Many of the bars were actually closed, a rare thing. But one interesting thing about the dream was that many members of my old Vassar Ski Team were there hanging out.

A quick A9 search for "Vassar Ski Team" yields Marist as the number one result. We couldn't have that, now could we? So hopefully this post will soon be the first result, and perhaps a place where members of the VC Ski Team, new and old, can come together and reminisce. Please use the comments form below.

Vassar Ski Team
February 1999

I loved the ski team. Officially, we were the club who competed with other NCAA Division III schools. And we did pretty well, considering our lack of an actual coach. But most of all, we were a group of friends who loved to ski and loved to party. Many of my fondest memories of Vassar were skiing with you guys.

Killington

I went skiing at Killington yesterday with Dan and Lauren, some friends from Vassar. Lauren and I were on the Vassar Ski Team together, so it was fun to have a bit of a ski team reunion (photo from February 1999). It was my second day skiing this season. The first was last month with my bro and Enoch, who is also a VC Ski Team alum. We were representin' the ski team with our matching vests at Northstar.

Dan, Lauren, and I drove up to Vermont (a mere two hours from Saratoga) on Friday morning with plans to ski that day. We were greeted, however, by weather that was 50 below with the wind chill. All the lifts were closed. It was so cold, in fact, that I took off my glove in the parking lot for about 30 seconds to buy a lift ticket voucher from some guy, and I couldn't feel my hand. I ran back to my car, blasted the heater, and defrosted my hand.

We lucked out with the weather on Saturday, though. It was sunny with blue skies and not terribly crowded, despite its being MLK weekend. The snow was mostly good with only occasional spots of ice. We had a really fun time and I can't wait for the next trip, which will likely be to Whiteface.

It's good to have friends with whom I can ski on this coast, too.

Memorial Day Skiing

This rules: There's been so much snow this year that Kirkwood is reopening two lifts over Memorial Day weekend. Skiing at the end of May! Who knew? Since Jen will be in New York that weekend, I just may hit the slopes.

Kirkwood Mountain Resort Winter 2002-2003: News

Run 54

Take a close look at number 54 in this map. It's on the far left. Click on the image for a larger view, if need be. Remember that spot, then read on.

Homewood Trail Map

GabeVC99: ben and i did this crazy run on sunday at homewood.
PmjAjr: yeah..
GabeVC99: we realized afterward - after we hiked across streams and up hills after the run - that it was marked not with a single or double black diamond but with an orange exclamation point!
GabeVC99: and it said, "check with ski patrol."
GabeVC99: ha!
GabeVC99: it ruled.
GabeVC99: it was almost a 90-degree angle run.
PmjAjr: no shit! that rocks!
GabeVC99: in what seemed like an avalanche test zone
PmjAjr: that must have kicked some serious shit
GabeVC99: check it: http://www.skihomewood.com
GabeVC99: the orange exclamation point on far left.
PmjAjr: alright
PmjAjr: oh damn, that looks gangster
GabeVC99: hells yeah!
GabeVC99: it ruled. i so wish i had my camera.
GabeVC99: there were the most incredible views of the lake and all of tahoe - we could see all the way to the south shore.

75-MPH Flying Skis

What do you do when you're minding your own business on your drive to work and suddenly a pair of skis is flying toward you? You think to yourself, "Thank God I saw that coming and hallelujah for all-wheel drive!"

Just now right before exiting from 101 on my way to work, I was tailing a white BMW X5 SUV with a ski rack (trying to pass the vehicle, but not able to do so because of the Subaru Outback to my left). Next thing I know, the ski rack on the Bimmer has shaken loose and the poles fly off into the left lane, forcing the Outback to swerve (good thing that driver had AWD, too). Keeping a close eye on the now-open ski rack and pair of skis, I made my move, attempting to get past the X5 as quickly as possible. Sure enough, just as I was passing, I see a pair of skis flying at me at 75 miles per hour. This is a scary thing. I imagined the worst in that split second, but managed to swerve, avoiding all contact by flying skis. And without a scratch on my WRX.

I honked and pointed at the X5 driver's roof as I passed him, and he began to pull over to collect his now-mangled skis (according to a coworker who arrived a few minutes after I did and saw what was left of the skis).

There was a moment when I wasn't sure I had avoided contact by the skis -- due to the thud I heard -- but it must've been the skis whacking the freeway surface, and thankfully not my skull or my car.

Another Ski Day

It's 4am and time for another ski weekend! For some reason, I'm always able to wake up at least 15 minutes before my alarm on ski days. Call me sick and twisted, but when it comes to skiing, I like being up this early. I'm due to pick up Pete in Sactown by 6:30 or so, and should be there in plenty of time.

The plan is to hit Squaw today then Alpine tomorrow, to take advantage of the $36 POWDR card day (can't beat that).

The only bad thing about this weekend will be missing Jen and the dogs, and that it's time to go back to (gulp) work on Monday. I'd better get the show and the road and enjoy it while I can.

Back-Breaking Fun

I returned from Tahoe this afternoon following 2 days of solo skiing. I skied both days at Sierra and got a dope deal at the stateline Travelodge: $29.99 for the night.

This trip marked the first that I got to break in all my new ski equipment and rack. The skis kicked ass. The poles were too short, but luckily are adjustable, so a quick stop at the mountain's repair shop yesterday fixed that. Either the boots haven't yet broken in or they're just not comfortable. They're Salomon Performa Sensifit 6.0, and apparently they look like the 9.0s, since at least a couple people asked me if that's what they were. I didn't know a whole lot about boots before I bought these. I'm actually a better skier than my boots allow me to be. Apparently they're just intermediate skier boots. Being an expert, I should've bought a stiffer boot. Like I always say, though, I love to ski, but hate everything that surrounds skiing (all the hoopla, getting to the mountain, people who are all talk, knowing the gear, etc.). I don't know the gear. I did research my skis, but not my boots. Now I know better.

But I digress. Sunday was awesome fun on the mountain. I skied everything Sierra has to offer, which isn't a whole lot. I hadn't been there in years, so I forgot how small it was. Overall, it's a pretty easy mountain to ski -- there aren't really any chutes or steep 'n deep that I could find. I did have a good time, though -- until this morning while skiing some powdered moguls.

My shins were already hurting from my boots. I was cold and tired and was hoping to get in at least a few hours of skiing before heading out. Then I took a bad turn or landed wrong or something. However it happened, my left lower back started to kill. (And it continues to hurt like hell.) Ski Patrol wouldn't do anything for me besides offer to strap me in a gurney, throw me in an ambulance, and drive me to the hospital. My back wasn't that bad. It was just my recurring pain flared up. Now I just have to hope the pain subsides in the next couple weeks before hitting the slopes again.

I hope sitting on a plane across the country tomorrow doesn't make it worse.

Head for the Hills

It's just past 4am and I haven't been awake this early in ages. Even most of the times I went skiing last year, I didn't leave from the Bay Area (I started out in Sacramento or Tahoe). It was hard to fall asleep at 9:30pm last night, but I always have this renewed energy on early ski mornings -- especially when it's the first trip of the year. I'm psyched. And I should be on the road before 5. The weather report says the following:

Today: A mix of clouds and sun. High 36F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to considerable cloudiness and fog after midnight. Low 12F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow: Sunshine along with some passing clouds. High 36F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.

I will, of course, miss Jen and the pups the next couple days. Then it's off to NY on Tuesday.

To Ski or Not to Ski?

I'm heading to Sacramento tomorrow to meet up with Mom and Dad at Nana's house. It will likely be the last time I go to Nana's house. I'm sure it will be sad, but will also help with closure.

I'd really like to go skiing Sunday and Monday, so I'm keeping an eye on the Tahoe weather so as to make my decision. I hope the weather clears up a bit.

Winter Driving Tips

I just created a new skiing category for my blog. This is officially the first entry in it, though I may have to go back and re-categorize at least one other entry (Look at Me Now).

SnowBomb has a good article on winter driving tips, which more drivers should follow. Too many people can't drive worth shit, especially in the snow. Yesterday some jerk changed lanes on the freeway right on top of me; my front bumper nearly kissed his rear bumper. Then going to the ferry to pick up Jen, a bunch of jerks just drove into the intersection and blocked it when they had the red -- and people kept on going into the intersection in front of me as I was trying to cross it on my green.

Skiing is on my mind since I'm hoping to go this weekend. I'm still undecided, though, as my friends and usual skiing buddies Ben and Jess are going to be busy with Christmas shopping. I may just go by myself. I sure want to put all my new ski equipment to use, not to mention my AWD.

Look at Me Now

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I bought new bindings: Look Nova 11. They're at my local ski shop now being mounted on my new skis, which will also be getting a new ski tune-up. This is very cool. Come to think of it, this is a pretty big deal. I've only actually bought 1 other pair of skis in my entire 17 or 18 years on the slopes. Wow. This is the first I've stopped to think about that.

Let's take a moment to reflect on that.

OK, moment is over. This is cool. The first pair of skis that I owned were given to me as a gift. They were silver Kastles -- 150cm. Next (in high school, I think), I saved and saved to buy my very own skis for the first time: K2 Gyrators (185cm, I believe). They were hot, especially in the early '90s: Black base with hot pink and neon green graphics. Of course, I later equipped myself with the matching outfit. That jacket and those pants ruled. I wonder where they are now. The top layer of one tip of the Gyrators eventually broke off, so I sent them back to K2. They had stopped making that model, so they sent me a pair of K2 TRCs (or TRComps), which bumped me up to 190cm. I skied on those for a number of years before I got a hand-me-down from my younger (but bigger) brother (as I often did with clothes and other things): his K2 Extremes, like those made famous by Glen Plake. Which brings me to present day. I skied those bad boys until last season, when I demoed the Xscreams that I now own.

So to recap:

• 1985-198?: Kastle
  
• 199?-199?: K2 Gyrator
  
• 199?-199?: K2 TRC
  
• 199?-2002: K2 Extreme
  
• 2002-      : Salomon Xscream Series
  

Now I just have to put my brand new setup to use one of these weekends, especially since I have new boots and poles, too. Woah. A whole new setup. This will be cool.