Powder Mountain

I skied Powder Mountain resort yesterday. It's huge - 5,000 skiable acres - supposedly the largest in the US. The weather was bright and sunny, and there was still spots of untouched powder, even close to some of the lifts! I ran a few blacks, then moved into the trees and hit some knee and waist deep powder. The resort is great, not very comercialized, and even offers Cat tows for $10 to a reserved canyon. You can check it out here: http://www.powdermountain.net/

Toys & Projects

I'm finally getting ready to go enjoy Utah. Last weekend I hit the slopes at Wolf Mountain - a dinky little 3 lift ski area, but cheap and all I needed to get some runs under my legs. Took an hour or so before I was linking turns on blue slopes, then a bit more before I could straight shoot some of the easy blacks. I definatly need a lot more work, but it has been 13 years since I skied!

Last week I picked up a used Alpine Touring setup - older Powder Cruises with Fritschi Freeride bindings and Garmont G-fit boots. I'll probably junk the skies after this season, but the bindings and boots are in good shape.


2 Feb I have my Avalanche I course, followed by an Intro to Mountaineering trip the 16th through 18th and a Winter Skills Yurt trip the 22nd thru 24th. I'm hoping I can get 1 or 2 AT days between those. I picked up a nice pair of Asolos from Sierra Trading Post dirt cheap, and got a Suunto X9 GPS for a present (thanks Ty!).
Unfortunatly, there are 2 things holding up all this fun. I have a promotion test the end of Feb, and the GRE next week, so this weekend has been a wash.
Ian enjoys the studying about as much as I do.

Sledding with Ian

Utah

There's no real way to describe what I'm feeling here. I left Utah in September 1996 on an adventure that has taken me through 15 countries. Coming back has been a return to reality that I was not prepared for. The one thing I am sure of is that I want more adventure. I want to learn something new everyday, to meet new people, to see new things.

The main things I have noticed are not the chain stores - you see them everywhere. Shopping centers are going up like mushrooms around the world. Instead it's the billboards. Every other one is for a hospital or medical center. The buisness that healthcare has become is ridiculous. People shop for medical procedures, convinced of the care, compassion, and superiority one clinic, while they owe thousands in medical bills for necessary interventions. The non-medical billboards all seem to deal with the housing market, and most show you just how happy your family will be in an oversized house, of course you can afford it.

Last Days in Italy

The "highlight" of our departure from Italy was a farewell party we threw for all of our friends there. I know that sounds backwards, but that's the way it works there. You throw your bachelor party, pay for drinks on your birthday, etc...



Here are some pics of good friends we left behind. We can't wait to see you again. For those not in here - no harm intended. We were too busy talking to take pictures.

I kept my touring bike until the last shipment, so Marie could have the car. Here I am with Ian after my last Italian ride.

Naples was pretty much a filthy hole, so no pics of it. Pompeii is incredible though. Just imagine how terrifying the last moments of their lives were.

OK

We're OK, it's just been a little hectic. Here's how the last few months have gone.

October

week 1 - Flew to France to see Marie's parents - were stranded by Ryanair.

week 2 - Naples for Marie's US visa - Pompeii

week 3 - Back home preping for the movers

week 4 - Shipped everything - moved into the hotel

November

week 1 - Arrived in Utah - checked into the hotel

week 2 - Flew to LA to pick up the car - visited my grandmother

week 3 - Checked back into the hotel for a few days

week 4 - Headed up to Park City for Thanksgiving with my parents

December

week 1 - Checked back into the hotel

week 2 - Moved into the house

week 3 - Flew to Louisiana to spend Christmas with my family

week 4 - Returned to Utah, started unpacking and setting up the house

Busy.