I use to be a pretty good skier. Apparently 3 years away from the slopes changes things. Add the fear-factor of getting hurt and delaying IMS training and let’s just say I was skiing very slow and cautious – in other words like a beginner.
Nevertheless, I got talked into skiing a black diamond (something I use to do regularly) and I believe I actually said out loud “this was a piss poor decision” about 100 times. From the lift it looked there were options to avoid moguls. WRONG. My process for surviving the moguls was ski across the tops to one side, sit down, turn, and ski across the tops to the other side. It took close to 10 minutes to get down a very short mogul field. Everyone else was waiting for me, but in their speediness they missed the cut-off to the steep but no mogul section. So on we went until we came to what I’m calling a cliff of moguls. It was steep. And there were huge moguls. I started to hyperventilate and pondered how much it would cost to have ski-patrol come up to rescue me. I then did what any sane terrified skier would do in this situation - I took off my skis and started to walk to the tree line. I knew on the other side was the slope I originally wanted to be on. Finally made it and easily skied down the remainder of the run. Love the steep runs – vow to never ski a mogul again.
So, we skied for 5 hours, which equates to probably 3 once you take out waiting in line, riding the lift, resting on the runs. Heart rate is relatively low considering gravity is doing most of the work (although my heartrate was high Z4 when looking over the mogul cliff). All in all, I decided the day was equivalent to my needed Z2 5 mile run. And the 5 mile snow-shoeing on Monday equates to my Monday 45 min Z2 run.
Optional Rant: The luggage fee was enacted over the summer due to soaring gas prices. Those prices are back to normal yet the fee has not been removed. Add that Continental has a $15 FIRST bag fee, plus $25 for each additional bag. Oversized (and that would include ski bags) are an additional $100. So, to take our gear plus clothes to wear when not on the slopes it would cost $140 PER PERSON EACH WAY! Needless to say we left the gear at home and rented when we got there.
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