RR in SLC w/pics!

RenegadeRick · 03-09-2007, 09:49 PM

I have been unbelievably tardy with my ride report from SLC. Rather than make excuses, I'll just get on with it.

Our story begins on Monday, Feb 19... President's Day.

Our plane was a bit delayed getting out of O'Hare, possibly due to the dumping that Utah got that day. Some of you may recall some photos from Solitude on Telemark Tips that were taken that day. Anyhow, here is the only photo that I took that day:

RenegadeRick · 03-09-2007, 09:57 PM

Now, you may ask, why post a picture of a Ruth's Chris sign? Well I can assure you that we did not go there for dinner at any point during our trip. All I can say is that it is part of an important precedent for our trip. Let's call this foreshadowing.

Gosh, the suspense is killing me...

Anyhow, the sign was at the airport and after we retrieved our luggage, we went and jammed it all in to the Nissan Armada that Alamo provided us and drove on to the Super 8 in Sandy/South Jordan, where we slumbered peacefully, in anticipation of the next day's adventures.

SkaredShtles · 03-09-2007, 10:01 PM

This trip report sucks. Not a *single* skiing picture.

RenegadeRick · 03-09-2007, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkaredShtles

This trip report sucks. Not a *single* skiing picture.

Just be patient, my good man, there are skiing pictures in this report. Take, for example, this terribly unflattering photo of me on skis at Alta.

It happens to be the only one. Oh, and just so you know, the date on my buddy's camera is off by 1 day, it is really 2/20.

RenegadeRick · 03-09-2007, 10:17 PM

What am I doing? Looking at my buddies Brent and Mike, who took the first gate off the beaten path that they saw and side stepped it up this hill.

Bear in mind, that Brent hadn't been on skis in about 2 weeks and this was Mike's first day of the season. Nothing like starting off with a bang!

RenegadeRick · 03-09-2007, 10:22 PM

Here is my friend Rick standing in front of the slightly easier to get to entrance gate that we decided to take into the gully.

RenegadeRick · 03-09-2007, 10:34 PM

Well on my first run down on skis, that was way too much for me.

I had rode the new skis a few times, but never in powder. I somersaulted twice before I even made it down the first slope, but I did get the opportunity to test the release on both bindings in the process.

Just as I was starting to get the hang of things, the powder ended and we were in a crowded, narrow, gully. Somehow I managed to get down with some sideslipping and only a few more falls. After that I decided I really needed to warm up on some blues before trying that again.

Mike and Brent were off who knows where for the rest of the day, while my buddy and I stuck to tamer slopes, picking through the powder where we could.

By the end of the day, I was starting to feel better on the skis, so we went back and went through that gate again, but this time I stayed high through the pow and managed to avoid the gully.

I really liked Alta. It was incredibly beautiful.

RenegadeRick · 03-09-2007, 10:36 PM

Here is another beautiful shot, this one overlooking the Peruvian Lodge.

RenegadeRick · 03-09-2007, 11:08 PM

It was a gorgeous out and the sun shone all day long. We wrapped up by having a beer or two out on the patio, and looked at all the other B4's at the mountain.

I really think I would have liked Alta better on my snowboard. I almost bought a baseball cap with a pirate skull and crossbones that said, "prepare to be boarded." It was funny and all, but I decided to save my money for a less discriminatory resort.

I used Google Maps on my phone to find a state liquor store and we stopped to pick up some booze and beer on the way back to the Super 8. This was when we realized that all of SLC was under construction, and it took forever to get anywhere. It was good that we had scored booze, because my buddies were unwilling to leave the hotel once we had gotten there, due to the ridiculous traffic. So I had beer, beef jerky and honey BBQ Fritos with nacho cheese dip for dinner. Yum!

RenegadeRick · 03-10-2007, 08:18 AM

I almost forgot to mention that one of the neater things about Alta was the spirit of the riders. Everyone there seemed to be a huge fan. I wasn't super surprised to see this plate in the parking lot.

I bet skiing Alta regularly provides the same kind feeling you get being a Caucasian at a KKK rally.