After receiving a two day ‘hall pass’ from Julie I had two days of riding last weekend. I realized a few things:
- Tele skiers are fast, you have to hustle to keep up. Having only ridden by myself or with other boarders for a long time, I really noticed the difference in styles and was not used to lagging behind the group. Tele skis are more ‘all - terrain’ than snowboards. I’m not sure about fixed boot skis though. All that means is that my quads and calves were fiercely burning on my last run down to the car.
- I know my way around Winter Park by landmark, not by trail. In an effort to fix that I will take pictures of the signs for the runs I do.
- There is nothing like being on top of a snow-covered mountain at ~12,000 feet …
- When there has been no new snow for a few days and all the front side powder is fully tracked up, one can still find fresh tracks on the Cirque or Belle Fourche
- It’s Belle Fourche, not Bella Fourche - do’h I’ve been pronouncing it wrong for quite a while. Also, Google says it is french for “Beautiful Fork.”
More on Belle Fourche - Instead of dropping off the catwalk early, ride down the catwalk until it ends. Keep going until you see an outcropping of rock with pine trees on it. If you lose your speed, keep going it’s worth it. Boarders, I recommend that instead of unstrapping, hop up the mountain 10-15 feet and continue the traverse (yes, if the snow is fresh this is a lot of work :) ). On the other side are the ski area boundaries. Beyond that outcropping, just inside the boundary, lie almost untouched glades and nicely spaced trees. The trees don’t get as dense as the runs though the first part of Belle do and getting to the trail that leads to Eagle Wind is much easier. It’s also harder to get to so there will be fewer tracks. I think that the reason I like the Cirque and Belle so much is that the terrain is steep and challenging. It is ‘hidden in plain sight.’ By that I mean that I watch many people blaze by the Belle turnoff because they are so focused on getting as much speed down the last hill before the catwalk flattens out that they never look left. The Cirque is different; while not exactly hidden in plain sight, double black diamonds can be a bit daunting for anyone unless you are sponsored and filming a video with helicopter support. However (in my opinion) if you can find someone to walk you through cornice drops or how to avoid the cornice that develops up there, the terrain is steep but mostly black diamond. If you are comfortable riding single black diamond runs on the Mary Jane side or equivalent, its almost the same without the bumps. Well, almost the same once you get below the cornice. Since I am a visual creature, I took some pictures of the trails I was riding yesterday, hopefully that will help me remember the names better.
