Hand and Feet then Knees and ...

Holly cold on the Hill last night.  Heading across Beaver valley enroute to Blue it dipped as low as -24C and it was breezy.   Much to our delight when we arrived at the top of the Southern Chair it was a balmy -20C and snowing heavily.   I love it when the only place its snowing is on the Ski Hill!     Had Noah and Blake the 13 year olds with me again.  These two are hard core eat , breath sleep boarding!   Now we started out heading to the Terrain Park.   I headed that way with Frozen Fingers from fumbling around getting ready at the car!   Wiggled the hands all the way up the lift and things improved greatly and was reasonable comfortable.   Did a half dozen runs,   Happy Valley ,  Calamity  then my toes were just too cold so I headed to the Terrain Parks and told the boys to come in  for dinner!   I had two pairs of socks on ,  the Injinjii Toes socks with Marks Work Warehouse wool thermal!   The Toes were numb and took a good 10-15 minutes to warm up.  Having the toes separated wasn't very bright.  I took off the Toe Socks and went to the single thermal sock and was much better … will not do toe socks again ,  that’s for sure.   After dinner the boys headed to the Orchard and I followed.   Did a few runs down Cruiser ,  loved it.  The few cm of fresh snow was on top of machine groomed powder and it was about as good as it gets ,  95% anyway just as good as before our January Thaw.    Meet up with the boys around 8:30 at the Orchard.    Did one run down Butternut which was fantastic.  I was comfortable going down the hills but the ride up was brutally cold.   Now my Knees felt like someone was beating on them with a meat tenderizer…YIKEs!  So I headed down the Ski out taking a second warming break in the Southern Lodge.   After consoling myself with a Creemore Logger I headed back up the Southern Chair and called it a night.    At 09:30 pm I drove down the Hill to the base of the Orchard lift and waited for Blake and Noah to close down the hill at 10:00 pm.  

It was a pretty amazing night ,  no one on the hill.   When I headed to the Orchard I was the only one on Waterfall the entire way …I owned the Hill.   I wished I could handle the extreme cold like the boys ..must be an age thing.  

Just for the record I was wearing at the start ….

Helmet over  Nylon Hoody ( attached to coat ) over Balaclava over Running Compression Cap over Buff that  covered neck….yup  5 things on head!!!!  I had to adjust my Helmet so it would fit.     I had two long sleeve Mizuno Compression Shorts with a Columbia Sweat Shirt topped with my very warm Columbia 3 in 1!    Down below was my Sugoi Running Tights topped with my  new Ski Pants and of course the Toe Socks under the Wool Socks.  

No plans to head out this weekend or early next week.  A week from today all the Kids are off so I booked the day off to head to the Hill.  Told Noah and Blake next week its Fri/Sat/Sun ,  they were very pleased!   

December 1,2013 - First Run 2013-2014 Ski Season

Robin, Noah and their friend Landon hit Blue Sunday morning.   I was up at 5:00 am ,  hot tub for an hour then took the boys Tim's for Breakfast.   The drive was a bit tenuous ,  slushy wet heavy snow on the road!  Made it just in time to make first tracks parking at the top of the hill.  Skied down picked up five 5X7's.  Usually we don't ski during the day on Sunday only during the Eve. They were advertising "Snow Go" prices ,  19.75.  It was a pleasant surprise when they knocked $10.00 off for 5X7 holders!   The snow was pretty good ,  stuck mostly to Smart Alec.   Visibility was an issue from time to time with wet snow or dropping through low hanging clouds.... yup goo at the top ,  socked in half way down and clear again at the bottom.   We only stuck around until noon as Robin had to work in the afternoon.  3 hours was enough for the first day!  

February 2013 Blue Mountain Video Compilation

Family Day Video

Family Day, Feb 18, 2013

Had a fantastic Family Day at Blue.   Managed to get Ryan ,  Robin , Noah and his friend Blake to the Hill.

They opened things up at 07:30 . We tried to be there for the first run but were a bit late arriving at 08:00 am.   The conditions were fantastic ,  clear sky, -13C and the  amazingly perfect groomed trails.   For the first 2 hours there were almost no lift lines up down and a ton a fun.   Wait times really started to ramp up around 10:00 am.   At 10:30 we went in for lunch and were back out on the hill before 11:00 am.   Robin headed off to join some friends,  Blake and Noah headed to the Badlands and Ryan and I started on the L Hill .... the triple lift was running that day and the lines were pretty reasonable.       Plan was to all meet up at the Village at 2pm.    Ryan and I hit the Patio at Rusty's and enjoyed a pitcher of Canadian.   Robin, Blake and Noah meet us at we headed to Waterfall and the South end of the resort spending the last couple of hours of the day.    I was parked in the small lot next to the Beaver Tail Shack and when we left at 4:30 we ended the  day with some hot fresh fried doe.  

Last Night at Blue

Christmas

Managed to fit in a couple of hours on the Hill last night.   Had Ryan out for his first time this season.  Parked at the top of the hill  again.   Crowds were thin and one more run was open ,  Memory Lane!   Skied mostly on Tranquility and Memory Lane ,  snow was pretty good ... icy at the top where it was narrow and steep otherwise better snow then last week.  I was happy to be able to go top to bottom without stopping.

And there was Snow!

Freezing rain and warm temps at home late this afternoon.  Braved the not so perfect Ski weather heading to Blue hoping it would be OK and were weren't dissapointed.  Arrived to -2C and Snow Making going ninety!  As a matter of fact they had been making snow all day on Smart Alec and Tranquility and it was rather deep and only a few icy spots.   They no sooner turned off the snow making and the natural stuff started to fall ,  and fall and then really fall.    Had Robin my son and his friend with me this eve.  First night for both of them and they were having a blast.  Last ride up was at 9:45 .... we were the only car parked the top of the Hill.  It was snowing hard as we left and I almost didn't make it up the Hill!    The drive back was slow , snow all the way to Priceville and by the time we hot Durham there was green lawns ... go figure.

Spring Skiing in December

Sunny Sky's and temperatures in the low single digits made for a rather pleasant day of Skiing.  Noah , Blake and I headed out just before lunch today.   Smart Alex and Tranquility we really icy ,  not at all soft like last night.   Made our way to the Badlands  chair and spent some time in the Terrain Park.  The boys had a blast on the features and I found a good line with some soft snow.

2012-2013 Ski Season Start

Tuesday December 18th ...opened the 2012-2013 Ski Season last night.

Hit the slopes around 6pm with Mason 16, Noah and Blake 12 and Moi!     Skied Smart Alec, Tranquility and Graduate    The snow was wet and heavy but everyone managed quite well and really enjoyed the start of the season.   Best part was that we had the hill to ourselves.... that will change!!!!   After 3 hours of  up/down we called it a night.  Noah and Blake are off school due to a teachers strike so we are heading back to Blue today.   They are looking forward to getting into the Terrain Park.

Ski not Run

Way too nice today not to take in some more Spring Skiing. Noah was keen so we packed up the Corolla and were on the Hill by 11:00 am. I was going to head out in my Ski pants but quickly realized that I was way over dressed. So it was a quick change to Shorts , and a Tech T. The following picture is that of my 12 year old expressing how he felt about my Shorts...

Noah never really got over the idea of Shorts but I was very comfortable soaking up the Sun...

With the exception of a 20 minute break for Lunch we Skied until 5pm enjoying the spring conditions.

Spring Skiing

March 13 wasn't quite Spring but the 13C temp and Sunshine sure made it feel that way. Took Robin, Mason and his friend to Blue today. Mason opted not to have a membership for Christmas and opted for a tablet instead. I told him I would put him on the hill one day so today was it. $73.00 later we had a lift ticket, snow board and boots.

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I love Spring Skiing , hands down. I like the snow ...really love the snow and to be out in the warm sunshine is simply amazing. Masons friend was pretty new so Robin and I took off for the first hour and got a bunch of runs in. There was no one on the hill and most of the time we rode up by ourselves. We got together with Mason and friend and did a few runs on the freshly groomed Happy Vally ...love the corduroy trail. We broke for dinner around 7:00 and pigged out on some Bamboozle Burgers , pretty reasonable dinner .... $41.00 to stuff 3 16 year olds and myself. Day tuned to nigh while we ate and we returned to the hill under darkness. Headed up to Water Fall then made out way back to Tranquility before calling it a night just before they shut down the hill at 10:00 pm.

Great night

Was on the hill a little after 6pm after working today. Tried to meet up with Lisa and Martin at 6:30 at the clock tower but they were a no show. I had the right skis for the right conditions on the right night! It was fast and it felt natural and I was flying and feeling good. Very few were on the hill, no waits and no traffic but that is part of what made it so good this evening. Skied my heart out to cranked tunes for a couple of hours then headed home.

Leap Day at Blue

Its only once every 4 years that you get a chance to Ski at Blue on February 29th so I hit the slopes today. I was really excited heading out with all the fresh snow this morning. Picked Ryan up in Durham then we headed down 4 to Grey Rd 2. It was blowing and snowing so heavy I didn't jump on the Rd 19 to Blue at Ravena instead I headed on 2 until 40 then loop back around....an extra 20 minutes but I was sure if the little Corolla would have made it!

Parked beside Patrick Rose's truck at the base of Graduate ...no sign of Patrick! Headed north and hung out there for the morning

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Hit the Wing place for lunch .....

We watched a Hockey game on the pond as we enjoyed out Hot Honey Garlic Wings ...

We Skied Waterfall for a bit then headed over towards Smart Alec and Tranquility. The snow changed to ice pellets then freezing rain. A trip up the mountain was a journey into the clouds...

We soon had iced up Goggles and looked like Glazed Donuts so we decided to call it a day and headed home.

Just another great day at Blue.

Night Skiing

Robin and I almost didn't make it! Was 5min from the hill when I realized I forgot my Boots .... yup my Boots. Add 1 hour of extra driving to the eve...what a d'oh head. There was lots of snow on the hill but it was in desperate need of grooming, variable conditions for sure. Was having fun until I wiped out under the Silver Bullet Chair. I was going full tilt and caught an edge. Fell downhill breaking my fall with my left arm and then head. As I was tumbling two thoughts crossed my mind , God please don't let me get hurt and why the F are my bindings not releasing. For close to a minute after the wipe out I couldn't hear ... really freaky. I am very glad that I had my Helmet on.

Monday Night

Robin twisted my arm , sent me an email " what about Blue tonight". Well that was enough to rush home after work do this that and the other thing then hurry out to the hill!

Noah tagged along for his third outing of the year and was thoroughly in love with the corn snow when we made our first run around 5:30. We made our first appearance in the Super Pipe , Robin Blew a Ski on his way up ... his 170lbs and bindings set for a beginner was a recipe for disaster. Fortunately he didn't hurt himself ... next move was to the work bench at the Century lift. Bindings are now set more appropriately.

Most fun was in the Enchanted Forest and Waterfall jumps...




Called it a night at 8:30 pm ... in spite of going back to Blue with JDSS Snow Dogs on Tuesday Robin said " can we do one more run" . He truly is loving it!

Another day at Blue

The line ups were terrible...



It was overcrowded ...


We couldn't keep our Skis on the ground...

and the Beaver Tails were way too big....



but I did manage to get a few runs in ...




Great weather , great snow, great company and we had the place to ourselves. It was a perfect day to be on the slopes!

Ski Team

Rounded up the Ski Team and hit the slopes last night.

Getting to the Hill was a bit of a challenge. Working 6am to 4pm all week I didn't want it to be a late night so it was a rush to get on the Hill. So it was off at 4pm and home at 4:20 .... did the fire , grabbed Noah and 2 Snowboards and boots, 2 Skis and Boots , Poles , Helmets , Goggles , Passes .... and so on and so forth . Loaded up the Corolla and headed to Durham to trade cars. I can only manage 3+ gear in the Corolla , Camry is 4+ gear and the Durango is 6+ gear but I blew the rear brakes last week. So car trade was done by 5:15 then it was off to pick up Ryan and Robin. Robins Skis were at his buddy's a little West of Durham .... add another 20 minutes and we are finally heading in the right direction! Now the car is 1/4 tank .... so its a stop in Flesherton for fuel. Finally made it to the top of the Hill around 6:20pm... not bad considering what it took to get there!!!!!

We headed across the trail to hit Happy Valley for the first run. Conditions were fantastic , soft s now and little ice. Ryan had to pick up his pass so I waited for him while Robin and Noah headed back up again. Once Ryan could get on the lift we headed out Skiing towards the South end of the resort. Robin went off to meet his friends with instructions to meet back at the car at 9:00 pm. Ryan and Noah and I stuck together heading on the crossover trails to get to the Silver Bullet then South Chair. These trails were really icy and Noah had a tough go of it and was getting a little frustrated. All was well when we made it to Waterfall and eventually the Enchanted Forest where it wasn't too busy or icy and the snow was soft. Skied the South end then headed back and grabbed a bite at the Village Cafe before making out way back up to the parking lot.

Pulled out of Blue at 09:30. In keeping with the start of the day the 40min drive home turned into 90 minutes. Ryan wanted dropped off near Homestead then Robin in Durham and of course when I got home I had to unload the Ski teams equipment. After all was said and done I rolled into bed and reset the alarm from 4am to 5am for that extra hour of sleep.

Busier night ....

Busier night tonight. Went with Robin and his friend Logan..... we hit the hill st 6:30 and I said to the boys "see ya at 10pm". It was a good night to be single....almost no more then a few minutes wait to get up ....mostly less then a minute, sweet.

Conditions were no as good as last weekend . With the cold temperatures they were making tons of snow. Surfaces were unpredictable from icy to soft to bumpy...had to be careful. Started with the long Skies but they didn't handle well so I tried the shorter ones but they didn't fare much better. Tried to get some dinner at the newly opened South Lodge , the cafeteria had one cashier and a line up 20 deep so I headed back out to the hill. With the exception of the almost dinner break and the walk to the car to swap equipment I pretty much Skied no-stop for 3.5 hours.

All and all a great night on the slopes in spite of some so-so conditions.

Better yet ...

Robin was in , Ryan was out and so was Noah until he got caught up in the moment and decided to come along.

Headed out with Robin and Noah. Arrived at Blues a around 7pm, snow at the top with rain at the bottom and temps hovering around freezing. Started on Graduate , three runs for Robin and Noah to get use to their new equipment then it was off to Happy Valley. Snow was wet but soft with no icy sections. It was actually pretty good skiing considering it hasn't snowed and its been unusually warm. One pleasant surprise was how few folks were on the hills.... another night of up/down no wait. We had a great time and ended our night near 10pm getting the last run up the Century Express.