Ships Log: Fat Aircraft carrier war games

[iman29]

Loon

So with the race going on at burke, they only had 2 trails only on at the DH park....I had heard about loon mtn and when I looked, it was only an hour away.

Loon is pretty new as a DH park....whats awesome is that they installed this 8 person monstrosity of a chairlift


This is by far the best lift I have ever seen at a DH park. The ride was 6min long, it was super easy to get the bikes on and off, really comfortable, 0 line all day on a saturday (ok more a function of the park, but still)



The park itself reminded me of killington, maybe without the tech trails. They had a couple, but they are pretty tame But a couple of fun blue trails with tabletops that moderately sized....Like as big as the ones on jump start at killington....which is about where im at....ill do those, but black magic tabletops are too big/steep for me anyway. but the trails were REALLY long. Like a run down cats paw at highland might take 4min, these runs were 10-12min.

After our first run, another kid hopped on the lift with us. By himself....I was waiting for maybe parents to get on the lift too....but no. So I said hi....his name was Chase, he was 11 and he was there riding by himself....his parents were at the park somewhere with his sister....I think zip lining maybe....Anyway...I can't picture sending bob off to ride a DH park alone, but ill revisit this statement when bob is 11.. Anyway, chase was a really nice kid and imo, looking for some people to tour the park with. We decided to join him and this could not have worked out more perfectly. Chase is a GREAT rider, and in no time Robert was super comfortable following him off jumps. Right away robert was clearing the biggest jumps I had ever seen him do. Whatever it was, this kid just gave Robert that boost of confidence he needed.

It started with this step down that was up down....Robert was so stoked to do this one.



Roberts cam the first time he hit it.....the STOKE is awesome lol
https://gopro.com/v/zbbEyrXRwOBBX

after a number of laps on thew blue trail, Chase wanted to hit the black diamond trail called kingpin. the only black diamond trail there....I feel like it was a proper black diamond with jumps that people like @Ryan.P would enjoy.....and again, it was LONG.

Chase is 11 riding a 24in wheeled bike....fucking kids lol


There was at least SOMETHING that I could do that these little shits wouldnt go near. This drop was taller than me...maybe 7ft? Whatever, I did it...it made my ass pucker a bit, but the landing was really perfect. Both boys were like NO WAY...HA! suck it groms! Im going to enjoy that as im sure in another year or two bob will be jumping over my head and laughing at me.

Chase couldnt find his parents so we got lunch

Then we turned lap after lap all afternoon......ending up with ~40miles and like 14-15 runs? What a day



So happy we ran into Chase....I told his parents what a great rider he was and good kid...I dont know that they had ever watched him out on the trails....I didnt get the sense that they did from the conversation I had. Hes supposed to come to Creek in the fall, so we made plans to ride with him again.

i need to chat with you (and Bob) about these places. man his video commentary is hilarious and I like being able to hear when he gets airtime.

Kingdom trails is on my bucket list but not sure if taking my midfat hardtail and a 29r hardtail would be good/bad for my level of experience. I know Zach (16) would also really enjoy the long flowy downhills i see on these videos where his skills are still beginner level they still look manageable.

Hope you and Bob are coming to Cranks so we can chat more these trails just look awesome.

 

[ebarker9]

i need to chat with you (and Bob) about these places. man his video commentary is hilarious and I like being able to hear when he gets airtime.

Kingdom trails is on my bucket list but not sure if taking my midfat hardtail and a 29r hardtail would be good/bad for my level of experience. I know Zach (16) would also really enjoy the long flowy downhills i see on these videos where his skills are still beginner level they still look manageable.

Hope you and Bob are coming to Cranks so we can chat more these trails just look awesome.

Kingdom is a really good place for all riding levels. I'd say that 90% of the trails lean far more towards fitness than technical skills and if you're riding basically anything in northern NJ with a degree of confidence, you'll have a blast at KT.

 

[MadisonDan]

Kingdom is a really good place for all riding levels. I'd say that 90% of the trails lean far more towards fitness than technical skills and if you're riding basically anything in northern NJ with a degree of confidence, you'll have a blast at KT.

100% all of this.

@iman29
That said...... I've ridden up there on a hardtail, and it was great, but the FS made for less physical fatigue from day to day. Definitely go. Maybe look into renting a FS trail bike for a day while there (you, not Zach, kids can suffer) ...

 

[Dave Taylor]

100% all of this.

@iman29
That said...... I've ridden up there on a hardtail, and it was great, but the FS made for less physical fatigue from day to day. Definitely go. Maybe look into renting a FS trail bike for a day while there (you, not Zach, kids can suffer) ...

Singlespeed?

 

[MadisonDan]

Singlespeed?

NFW. Gears > SS because maths

 

[UtahJoe]

i need to chat with you (and Bob) about these places. man his video commentary is hilarious and I like being able to hear when he gets airtime.

Kingdom trails is on my bucket list but not sure if taking my midfat hardtail and a 29r hardtail would be good/bad for my level of experience. I know Zach (16) would also really enjoy the long flowy downhills i see on these videos where his skills are still beginner level they still look manageable.

Hope you and Bob are coming to Cranks so we can chat more these trails just look awesome.

Much like @ebarker9 and @MadisonDan said. Really, the climbing is the most difficult part of riding at kingdom...and even that. Nothing is technically difficult, especially for a NJ rider. Its such a fun place ride, the town is great....love it! HT vs FS....I havent had a HT mtb in over 10 years now....Once I did Single speed apaloosa on my full suspension bike, I realized there was 0 reason for me to own one anymore 🙂

 

[Santapez]

i need to chat with you (and Bob) about these places. man his video commentary is hilarious and I like being able to hear when he gets airtime.

Kingdom trails is on my bucket list but not sure if taking my midfat hardtail and a 29r hardtail would be good/bad for my level of experience. I know Zach (16) would also really enjoy the long flowy downhills i see on these videos where his skills are still beginner level they still look manageable.

Hope you and Bob are coming to Cranks so we can chat more these trails just look awesome.

There's families having a great time riding 90's mountain bikes with kickstands. While I wouldn't suggest that, I'll echo what everyone else is saying that it's fine on a hard tail. FS would be kinder on the body after a ton of riding.

One thing I always say about Kingdom is there's nothing technical and there's never a surprise trail feature. You can hit a trail for the first time and send it because it's all so well built without surprises.

 

[UtahJoe]

Last day....

So after the awesome day at Loon, we woke up Sunday morning, packed/cleaned up the condo and headed out without much of a plan. Well other than I wanted to stop by Burke and see @Meatball Mia before the start of her race. Kinda sad I wasnt joining her in the race but I havent figured out how to race and do the whole parenting thing at the same time.....Enduro takes too much of my mental focus to be worrying about where my son is all day. I thought about entering him in the race, but he didnt want to do it and im not really interested in forcing/arguing with him about it.

Anyway...This was the biggest womens pro class I had ever seen...unlike most races, you dont get a "whose registered" with ESC, so you dont know whose showing up. I had a really good feeling about Mia's chances on this day....As she was rolling out, I told her...."if you don't win, im NEVER speaking to you again" Apparently this worked as she ended up slaying the field!!! Super happy for her...Mia has been killing herself at these races in the pro class...and if you havent done an ESC enduro...they are NOT easy. Well done kid!

While Mia was doing laps of the toll road....Bob just wanted to ride at the skills park behind the bike shop on darling hill. Which was fine with me since we had a 6hr drive home.

Bob was sessioning this jump and really, the difference between how he was jumping on Monday to Sunday was pretty stark

First day at highland


last day playing around at burke

He probably has more style than I do now....fine by me....Way I look at....I didnt start riding bikes until I was 35ish....I feel like I have been able to learn most of the skills I need to do ok racing bikes at that age....Jumping has been the most challenging skill for me learn....Blows my mind how much harder it is to jump a bike than a dirtbike....for me anyway....I figure if he can get comfortable doing jumps now, he'll always have it....The rest of biking skills, you can figure that out at any age with practice.

Anyway....by the numbers.

We rode all 7 days....I had just shy of 20hrs moving...This includes the lift at the bike parks....Robert had to have more because he got to skip the long lines at Highland....My one beef with highland, the lift is AWFUL. If that was a lift at a ski hill, there would be cars flipped over and burning in the parking lot.

4 days at bike parks, 3 days at kingdom. As someone who grew up doing things one on one with my dad...these trips are really special to me.....Some of my best memories in life were just traveling with my dad...skiing, dirtbiking (although he rode a quad...if he was still alive, id be making fun of him right now 🙂 ) Watching bob explain everything we did for a week to my wife when we got home....I guess its hard to explain that feeling if your not a parent...but its pretty awesome. Its makes up for alot of vomiting in cars and aggravation.

 

[iman29]

Last day....

So after the awesome day at Loon, we woke up Sunday morning, packed/cleaned up the condo and headed out without much of a plan. Well other than I wanted to stop by Burke and see @Meatball Mia before the start of her race. Kinda sad I wasnt joining her in the race but I havent figured out how to race and do the whole parenting thing at the same time.....Enduro takes too much of my mental focus to be worrying about where my son is all day. I thought about entering him in the race, but he didnt want to do it and im not really interested in forcing/arguing with him about it.
View attachment 220503

Anyway...This was the biggest womens pro class I had ever seen...unlike most races, you dont get a "whose registered" with ESC, so you dont know whose showing up. I had a really good feeling about Mia's chances on this day....As she was rolling out, I told her...."if you don't win, im NEVER speaking to you again" Apparently this worked as she ended up slaying the field!!! Super happy for her...Mia has been killing herself at these races in the pro class...and if you havent done an ESC enduro...they are NOT easy. Well done kid!

While Mia was doing laps of the toll road....Bob just wanted to ride at the skills park behind the bike shop on darling hill. Which was fine with me since we had a 6hr drive home.

Bob was sessioning this jump and really, the difference between how he was jumping on Monday to Sunday was pretty stark

First day at highland


last day playing around at burke


View attachment 220505

He probably has more style than I do now....fine by me....Way I look at....I didnt start riding bikes until I was 35ish....I feel like I have been able to learn most of the skills I need to do ok racing bikes at that age....Jumping has been the most challenging skill for me learn....Blows my mind how much harder it is to jump a bike than a dirtbike....for me anyway....I figure if he can get comfortable doing jumps now, he'll always have it....The rest of biking skills, you can figure that out at any age with practice.

Anyway....by the numbers.

We rode all 7 days....I had just shy of 20hrs moving...This includes the lift at the bike parks....Robert had to have more because he got to skip the long lines at Highland....My one beef with highland, the lift is AWFUL. If that was a lift at a ski hill, there would be cars flipped over and burning in the parking lot.

4 days at bike parks, 3 days at kingdom. As someone who grew up doing things one on one with my dad...these trips are really special to me.....Some of my best memories in life were just traveling with my dad...skiing, dirtbiking (although he rode a quad...if he was still alive, id be making fun of him right now 🙂 ) Watching bob explain everything we did for a week to my wife when we got home....I guess its hard to explain that feeling if your not a parent...but its pretty awesome. Its makes up for alot of vomiting in cars and aggravation.

so much awesome! well except the vomiting in the car part.

 

[UtahJoe]

Hey its almost the winter....

Some things have been happening, so I figured id write a little update.....

So since august....Bob and I continued to ride all over...many trips to creek, wildcat, Mahlon, mooch, sterling, chimney rock, jungle, DMR, glen park....spent a weekend in Killington....he will ride most local mtb trails at least downhill now....he's getting to the point that he can out jump me on some tabletops now.....for example the ones on dominion....I really dislike these steep ones, but doesnt bother him...he's not quite there yet, but little more weight and I think he'll have it

No worries, ill still whip his ass uphill, downhill, rocks, tech, drops....he's got much to learn yet....but it is blowing my mind how fast he is learning.
It was just so great to see his progress throughout the year....ill have to go add up all the time we spent riding this year...no idea how many hours, but it was a shit ton. Road tripping with him, riding all day, hanging out....brings me back to my childhood with my dad...its truly been the highlight of my 2023.

My ankle...well id love to tell you that it healed perfectly and I have lived happily ever after....but alas, it has not. While I managed to ride all summer at my typical volume, i was never "right".....my right leg was weak and despite my best effort really never came around fully. When I think of myself in terms of biking, I like to think I get better every year and every year....Utah version 2023 will be better than 2022. Outside of the fact that I think I did the most jumps this year and I have felt the most comfortable doing them......I really havent felt like my old self. I havent been able to pedal as well, move as well...my leg tires more easily on downhills.....When i did finally jump into a race in october at glen park...I didnt have my usual power. I have also been having more back and hip pain. All of this is not surprising, but i am determined to fix it for next year. So recently @Santapez recommended me someone near my work who I went to see....Part PT, part trainer.....the did a full evaluation on my and determined that my right hip is rotated back 10 degrees from my left hip.....which is causing me to compensate to my left side....I mean shocker, i walked on 1 leg for 4 months. Anyway, so I started a program to correct this, hopefully it works. Lot of stretching...active and passive, weight lifting, etc. So we'll see

New toy..... So I have been wanting to buy an ebike for a while now....after talking to many people I race with in enduro, I feel like they could make a pretty useful training tool...and of course they are really fun...and added bonus, my wife has been dying for me to get one. So Jay made me an offer I couldnt refuse on a Shuttle LT...essentially the ebike version of my firebird.

I have ridden it a few times now...outside of the stupid fox 38, I really like it. Its fun....I like that I can do a gym leg workout, and still go out and make some downhill runs. Getting from the end of oreland to the top of the hawkwatch in about 5 min was pretty sweet. Today I took this and my firebird to dickerson for a little back to back comparison....rode the firebird for an hour and a solid pace, then grabbed this bike and hammed the same loop in boost mode......while its not the same kind of workout...you do have to spin alot, so your HR still climbs....just not putting out the same leg power obviously. But it does take alot more effort to move it around, especially when you have it wound up near full speed....so its alot more work to throw it around. I havent really been able to give it a fair comparison on a downhill yet as the trails are covered in wet leaves.....and with the extra weight...it gives me that feeling of riding my dirtbikes in the woods...Like be careful because it doesnt stop on a dime like the regular bike does. But compared to some of the older E bikes I have taken out and thrashed....this thing is light years better in terms of handing, stopping and feeling like a bike. Riding in the tech at wildcat took a little getting used to. Two things I really wish it had....a hand throttle on one ride so I could hit the motor in spots where I dont want to pedal.....a clutch lever on the other side so I could fan the clutch like my MX bike coming out of a corner 🙂

Best part of this thing tho....this week while I was at work...my wife just took it by herself...put it on the car and went riding at dickerson with it. And she had a blast...totally worth it for that.

 

[Soundguy]

That thing will be killer at Glen Park. Imagine being able to get a dozen practice runs and not be completely dead on race day…

 

[rick81721]

Hey its almost the winter....

Some things have been happening, so I figured id write a little update.....
New toy..... So I have been wanting to buy an ebike for a while now....after talking to many people I race with in enduro, I feel like they could make a pretty useful training tool...and of course they are really fun...and added bonus, my wife has been dying for me to get one. So Jay made me an offer I couldnt refuse on a Shuttle LT...essentially the ebike version of my firebird.

View attachment 228345

I have ridden it a few times now...outside of the stupid fox 38, I really like it. Its fun....I like that I can do a gym leg workout, and still go out and make some downhill runs. Getting from the end of oreland to the top of the hawkwatch in about 5 min was pretty sweet. Today I took this and my firebird to dickerson for a little back to back comparison....rode the firebird for an hour and a solid pace, then grabbed this bike and hammed the same loop in boost mode......while its not the same kind of workout...you do have to spin alot, so your HR still climbs....just not putting out the same leg power obviously. But it does take alot more effort to move it around, especially when you have it wound up near full speed....so its alot more work to throw it around. I havent really been able to give it a fair comparison on a downhill yet as the trails are covered in wet leaves.....and with the extra weight...it gives me that feeling of riding my dirtbikes in the woods...Like be careful because it doesnt stop on a dime like the regular bike does. But compared to some of the older E bikes I have taken out and thrashed....this thing is light years better in terms of handing, stopping and feeling like a bike. Riding in the tech at wildcat took a little getting used to. Two things I really wish it had....a hand throttle on one ride so I could hit the motor in spots where I dont want to pedal.....a clutch lever on the other side so I could fan the clutch like my MX bike coming out of a corner 🙂

Best part of this thing tho....this week while I was at work...my wife just took it by herself...put it on the car and went riding at dickerson with it. And she had a blast...totally worth it for that.

Utah gets an ebike before me???

 

[UtahJoe]

Utah gets an ebike before me???

View attachment 228399

LOL You already moved to Florida.... RIP

 

[rick81721]

LOL You already moved to Florida.... RIP

Utah's next purchase

 

[Jeremy]

That thing will be killer at Glen Park. Imagine being able to get a dozen practice runs and not be completely dead on race day…

Is it a difficult adjustment to go to a bike that weighs 20lbs Less? I guess it should be easier but it’s got to feel completely different handling wise.

 

[UtahJoe]

Is it a difficult adjustment to go to a bike that weighs 20lbs Less? I guess it should be easier but it’s got to feel completely different handling wise.

So far I have only ridden it in crappy conditions, tons of leaves, or wet leaves.... It's definitely alot more challenging... Especially braking. My firebird feels much easier to turn and lean over... But we'll see when I can ride it on some actual dirt. Initial impressions tho, I can't imagine ever taking any of my downhill koms at wildcat with it.

 

[UtahJoe]

That thing will be killer at Glen Park. Imagine being able to get a dozen practice runs and not be completely dead on race day…

Ya looking forward to some gp laps with it

 

[UtahJoe]

Gym, Bike, Ebike.....

So I have this whole stretching routine that I do to try and get my hip back into its old location....I have been doing that twice a day...Every other day I have been doing my gym workouts. They are what I would say is part PT, part "gym work out that would be useful to a cyclist". Lot of form focus things, static holds, RDLs, bent over rows, pushups, pullups, core work....Its good and i have been enjoying putting the work in. I feel like I have always been good at being accountable and doing the work i was asked to do. Even when @Norm would give me some of the most idiotic workouts....I used to like doing him just to have him say..."you actually did that? wtf is wrong with you?" Anyway....the guy im working with has told me to not go and do any hard mtb rides on the days im lifting....like sit on the trainer and spin, fine...but big climbs, skip that.

This kinda sucks for in that...if I get a free minute to ride, I try to....for whatever the reason...The other day it was because Ryan rebuilt the MRP fork on my tallboy and I was dying to try it out. But after the gym workout, not going to lie, wildcat was a bit of a slog.

So enter the E-bike....last week I did my gym workout, then I took the ebike to Stephens to give it a go. This was an interesting experiment. I hear alot of people tell me how they only use their ebike on low power mode to get more of a workout...I suppose that is fine if its your only means of working your legs, but If im on the ebike, the ONLY thing I want to do is go as fast as I possibly can. Hitting the maze in turbo mode was an absolute blast....so many turns at SSP you never think about bc on your regular bike, you hit them at 5mph.....now all of the turns you are actually working the bike thru. Get over to hally toe...wait...WTF am i climbing 800 switchbacks for??? FAST FORWARD up the fire road! Did a few laps there....hit a few other downhills....then ended with the DBYL...aka...Green/Skeezix/Trestle trail.....

Its interesting did this segment in 7:10 on my firebird....7:00 on the ebike...and it has a fair amount of pedaling. Topped out at 20.9 on the ebike, 25.8 on my regular bike....Yes the ebike is faster on a sustained flat or uphill....but where it really struggles (for me) is coming out of a turn. Flying down a section...15-20mph...hit the brakes, slow to like ~8mph, turn, then get back to 15-20....I can turn my regular bike faster, and i can accelerate harder out of a turn....The motor pulls really hard, but from 0mph....not nearly as well from say 8-10mph....it makes better torque than horsepower obviously.

I rode it for ~2.5 hours on boost mode until the battery was in the red, did over 20miles....REALLY fun, and while my quads weren't tired....my upper body, hips, back were from standing, hinging and throwing this tank around. My Hr was decent, 120s...so like Z2 for me from the spinning. Like GREAT for just going out and working on turns....bc now all of the 9 million turns at SSP you are hitting fast, uphill and downhill. And it was a freaking blast I must say....brought me back to the 90s when I used to ride my old kx125 in the maze.

So, thus far...I feel like I have found a use for this thing....Someone once told me that id never want to ride my old bike again...Like i dont at all have this feeling...I got on the firebird on saturday and it felt like a feather and it was nice to be able to throw it around.

 

[UtahJoe]

Some Utah redemption

So as some of you might remember....I had a trip to Utah planned last year with the family... @Norm @Dominique and family, @2Julianas @MurderBort.....I was SOOOO excited for this trip....to finally ski Utah with everyone and my family....And then like a jackass I go and break my ankle. While it was still a great trip and I had fun, even with a broken ankle....I was bummed I only got to ski on one leg....I really wanted to redo that trip this year.

We booked a place in SLC for 8 days....right in Murray which is really close to the cottonwood canyons....perfect. It had a pool table which was great....Kept bob entertained for hours as he had never seen one before. I had fun teaching him how to play and kicking his ass for 8 days....lucky for him we didnt play for money.

Day 1....We hit up deer valley. Figured this was the easiest start for everyone. Deer Valley has alot of groomed stuff, plus its generally a beautiful place on a bluebird day...my family loves it. I find it a little boring myself...but its certainly beautiful. It was an amazing day, 45 and sunny....like these are the days you just LOVE skiing in the west.

Looking down at the Jordanelle reservoir.....im so old...when I lived here, this was nothing but dirt....in fact one of my best Utah friends from HS....his family moved to Pack city from Colorado bc his dad was helping to build the dam that eventually made this reservoir.

This was the 31st...Also my Dads birthday. My dad loved deer valley....he was that kind of skier...sunday driver, cruising the blue runs mostly. He was a good skier, but he learned as an adult and liked mostly the on piste stuff. ALWAYS stopped for a full meal at lunch. Loved having a nice meal at Steins.....Sitting outside after lunch in the lounge chairs....this is one of my favorite pics of him at deer valley from our trip to Utah in 1989

So as a salute to my dad....35 years later....probably almost to the day...same spot

We had a great day of skiing....then took a ride over to see my dads grave at the PC cemetery. When we moved to PC, my dad used to tell me..."hey when I kick the bucket, put me in a hole up on that hill where I can see the mountain"...and i used to tell him that it looked expensive, we would probably just burn him up and toss him in the lake in the backyard. Anyway, he did get his wish.

One life regret I have always had....I would really like to have thanked him for teaching me how to ski. Anyway....Afterwards we went up to main street, walked around and had dinner at what used to be the Wasatch Brew pub.....they changed the name of it....thankfully you can still get a polygamy porter tho.

Day 2:
Thursday we went to Brighton.....I had actually not been to Brighton in quite sometime....im guessing the mid 90s Pre-ikon days...if I was coming to Utah....I could get free tickets from old friends for PC and deer valley, then I mean...Alta and Snowbird are kinda can't miss...so Brighton had been on the back burner. But last year my family, @Norm and company loved it...so I wanted to go back and see it again. And its great....perfect for the family...really fun woods skiing that is like everywhere....my son cant get enough of it, my like me when I was a kid. My dad would never go into the woods with me and always yell at me to stay out....im like dragging robert to the most remote woods I can find. It was pretty clear for the first half of this day

We had such a great day on thursday....we decided to go back on friday....and it had snowed all night and was still snowing....my best pic for friday lol...not much to see, but goddam the snow was good.

To be continued

 

[UtahJoe]

Bob and I spent most of the day in the woods, Allison would follow along on the groomed runs

when they would go into the lodge, I would make some runs on the harder stuff. Some really fun stuff at Brighton, LOVE the woods there. Really glad we went

So on saturday...well I wasnt able to get a parking reservation for any of the cottonwood mountains for sat/sun so we decided to go to Snowbasin, which I had went to with the family and crew last year, but didnt really ski. I had also not SEEN snowbasin since the day I was there, it was in a heavy storm. Well on this day, I wouldnt be able to see it either......in fact, when we got off the gondola...holy hell, it was some of the worst visibility I have ever skied in.

Having never been on this mountain, this made navigating really hard. Some parts of snowbasin have no trees, so its REALLY hardto navigate in low visibility.....we got down and stayed lower for a while.....I eventually explored some of the other areas for a bit.....Snowbasin has some of the nicest lodges I have ever seen...and thats saying something considering I was at deer valley a couple of days earlier. Ate lunch with the family....then around 2pm, my family decided to call it a day...so I figured I would see everything I could in the last two hours. After checking out some of the John paul lift suff, I made my way over to the strawberry gondola side....along the way I saw what I thought were some people who were "in the know" so I followed them.....at snowbasin there are many areas where you can keep heading out onto these spines and eventually find good snow.....So I followed this crew....and i was rewarded with a huge field on lightly tracked powder.....goddam it was awesome.

Anyway...I got on the gondola with these 3...Maya, Alex and Dan....They were 20 somethings and we had some good conversation about skiing and mountain biking...the only sticker I have on my ski helmet is my MTBNJ sticker....usually this is a good conversation starter. Anyway, they invited me to ski with them....This was awesome, because finding the good lines at snowbasin could take alot of time, and I didnt have much. We did this amazing run....just awesome...perfect snow, amazing view....it was awesome. Sadly, the end of the day was near and I had to get back to the family.....So I said goodbye to my new friends and told them if they ever had to come to the east side, look me up and I would take them mountain biking.

When we got home, we met up with @Chris26er who had come into town to join us for a few days. This was good...it had been 10 years since I skied Colorado with sixer and we had a blast...and we had always talked about skiing Utah. So anyway, bc the next say was sunday, we decided to go back to snowbasin rather than deal with the crowds at the cottonwood mountains....and oh man, were we rewarded!

It had snowed all night....but FINALLY cleared....and FINALLY I got to see what this place looked liked

Wow, this is a really beautiful place....not long after we arrived they opened up the Mt Ogden bowl and we hurried over to get some turns in the fresh snow.
we had to hike here, but it was worth it

I skied with the family for half the day, then maybe at 1, 6er and I went on a mission....We had been eyeing up Noname peak all morning, the snow looked great and we wanted to get to the top of the peak and see the view. To do that, you have to get onto the Allen peak tram for the last 500ft to the top. Then ski down, then hike back up to Noname Peak....then ski down....something like this

the view from the top of the tram did not disappoint

So after skiing down and hiking up to the top of noname peak...we were greeted with this unbelievable view.....So this kind of things really trips my fear of heights....really steep on both sides and that feeling of walking a high tightrope.....once I drop onto the slope im ok


SOOOO glad we went back for a second day and that it was clear....wow is this place beautiful!!!