Skiing #4

Yeah, the novelty is wearing out, once again. This time I was dragging till I got on the lift. Maybe the detour to Judah lot deflated me. The Village gondola went kaput while I was on the line and I had to drive to Judah side on my boots, and then walk a quarter mile to the lift. I was grumpy enough to be swearing. Not to mention that it took a lot out of me even before the skiing began. But all was well once I got on the Judah lift and took in the view of the white hills, with cold air on my face.

It was Gerome that I was supposed be on; Judah is blue/black lift. So, right off the bat, my plan for repeating the last week was out the window. I did get a kick out of it though. It was a much more interesting blue run than Christmas Tree and a sign of things to come for the day. I went on Gerome a few times and then moved to Village side to do Nob Hill.

After Judah, Nob Hill couldn't hold me in. I did a few runs on it and then I went on Disney Express. But I still managed to reminded me of the aftermath a week before and took the second break right after that. I realized I was getting out of control and I decided to cut short and go back home via Judah after the break.

Christmas Tree was the way back to Judah. But the lift was closed and the dufus employee at Nob Hill told me I had to walk back. A mile on my boots? I was furious.  He then consulted map and said I could get back via Mt. Lincoln.

All good except that Mt. Lincoln was an advanced lift. But I had no choice but  to get on it. I actually got excited at the prospect of skiing down Mt. Lincoln after so many years. It was a long slope, just like I used ski. I get excited just thinking about it the day after.

I squeezed one more run on Gerome and then came back home.

So I hit 5 different lifts: Judah, Gerome, Nob Hill, Disney Express and Lincoln. It's as if I'm back to normal. Will I kneel over for a week the day after tomorrow when this post-exercise high wears out? We'll see.

Skiing #3

I don't know what it is about excitement. I was pretty fatigued out from hauling the 15 lbs laundry the day before, on top of the aftermath from the skiing the intermediate runs 11 times a week before. I was dragging myself all the way to the parking lot of Village condola. Then the sight of the slopes perked me up and I was no longer dragging around. I was ready to charge up the mountain.

Last time I was perked up at the sight of white capped mountains while still on the freeway. So the novelty may be slowly wearing out.

So I went on to ski on Monday as planned despite the hangover. This time I reined on in my enthusiasm a little better and stuck mostly with the bunny slopes, except for 2 runs on intermediate ones, for the total of 8 Nob Hill + 2 Christmas Tree + 4 Nob Hill. This time I didn't suffer from the aftermath. For 2 days, I was up and running and then settled back to the steady state. A soft landing without funk or crap-out. I think I have found my base that I can return for safety.

Season Begins

Actually, it began 2 weeks ago at the end of November. An early storm dumped 5 feet of snow in the mountains and Sugar Bowl opened on 11/30. I already squeezed in 2 days of skiing.

The first day went fine. I spent most of time on Nob Hill, the beginners run. It was shorter than Soda Springs' and I got quickly bored. I went on to Christmas Tree, but the run was too long and the lift was too fast. It was a double whammy: you exert more/longer and you get to rest less. I did 2 runs and then came back to Nob Hill. No PEM aftermath afterwards though. It was a typical gradual descent over 3 days: post-exercise high, funk and then crap-out. Then I recovered mostly. More than usual fatigue persisted throughout the week, but I was able to take care of ADL fine.

6 days after the first trip, I went for the second time. I was still under a bit of weather from the first time, but I went on as I planned. Been there, done that -- Nob Hill was no longer fun. By the time I took the morning break, I was tired and ready to pack up and go home. But I went to Christmas Tree after the break and then I came alive. I was having much more fun than the first day there, I ended up doing 11 runs. Then I wrapped up the day with 4 more runs on Nob Hill.

Now I'm paying price for it. The usual 3-day descent is over, but I'm still struggling during the daytime and suffering that quaking ache at night. I hope I won't end up paying the price for 2 months like I did after 6 mile hiking. I was planning to go back up to Sugar Bowl on Monday, but I may have to postpone it depending on how I feel tomorrow.  Skiing every week seems out of question for now unless I stay away from intermediate slopes.

Meanwhile, the used pair of skis that I picked up on Craigslist for $40 is working out well. I originally leased the package for the season from Clark's Snow Sports for $189. It came with a shitty pair that retailed for $100 brand-new. I returned it after the first day and applied the refund to the purchase of Nordica Cruise 70 boots, a light and super comfortable beginners boots.  Paired with old Dynastar Outland skis, they are just what I needed till I fully recover.