Author Archives: Jill Adler

Brighton Boasts Women’s Only Terrain Park

Making history in the jib department, Brighton Resort will christen Utah’s- and quite possibly the world’s- first and only girl’s snowboard park this Saturday. Krista’s Park opens for business after the official 1 p.m. ribbon cutting. “A number of ladies came to us and said they felt intimidated while trying to learn in the parks,” Brighton’s Jared Winkler told SnoCountry.com. “They wanted a place where they didn’t feel judged and could do their own thing.” The new park was named in honor of Krista Moroge, a Burton and Brighton athlete who died of breast cancer in 2010. There will be a raffle and B4BC event at 3 p.m.

U.S. slopestyle ski team member, Grete Eliassen, offered her input on terrain features to make Krista’s an exclusive and inviting space for women to hone their park riding skills or even try it for the first time. Brighton plans to run workshops and camps in the new park which is located next to the Pee Wee park at the top of the Majestic Chair. Then they can hit the bigger parks like My-o-My with the boys once they progress.


Click here for more information.


The End Is Near

What shall I eat on my first day as a free woman? It’s done! The ‘after’ pictures will be snapped tomorrow and then I’m cut loose.

I had my final weigh-in today. Four weeks, 60 pills, 12 training sessions and I’ve lost 9 pounds. The weight mostly came off my thighs, arms and, as my mother points out, my face. My competitive self is a bit disappointed. I had a goal and a deadline to meet. I was aiming for a nice round 10. But, I remind myself, just because the ‘experiment’ is finished doesn’t necessarily mean I’m done losing. However, there’s Chinese food, cheesecake, French fries and breakfast potatoes with my name on them.

I have lived in depravity long enough that I will feel intense guilt the minute I forget what got me to this place.

I feel good. It’s been decades since I’ve been this little and I want to stay at 115. Maybe go for 112? Yet, as I introduce pasta, bread and potatoes back into my life will everything go to hell? I did cheat a little on my Fairmont Hotels trip to Banff, Canada, last weekend but to my astonishment I still lost weight. Maybe the -32 degree temperatures helped me burn off the baguette and chocolate fondue I caved for. I even had my first glass(es) of wine in three weeks on that trip.

A stay at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise begs for fine dinners and wine. In fact, Executive Chef JW Foster in The Wine Store held a private wine pairing dinner in honor of our final night.


Dessert, well, I would have to be a zombie to resist. Deconstructed s’mores with homemade graham crackers. But I didn’t finish it!

Turns out you can still lose weight through portion control and cardio. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machines in the gyms at both the Banff Springs Hotel and the Chateau. I also hiked two hours through Johnston Ice Canyon with a sore foot.


Jeff Sproul, my nutritionist and trainer from Xcel Fitness in Midvale, weighed me in at 115 and pinched 3 percent less bodyfat. He said the supplement definitely made a difference; that on average his female clients lose one pound a week. So, me losing two could be attributed to the carb blocker. (My competitive inner child cheered). Personally, I think it was the fact that I went to bed starving every night but what do I know? I also lost the most weight out of the other women in the study. (Another cheer rises). Can I still be good in the face of Christmas parties and cookies? My biggest fear is that I take those ‘after’ photos, go out to dinner, have my first full meal in weeks and explode like Violet.


I still haven’t decided what morsel of deliciousness will tickle my tongue first tomorrow. Stay tuned. Hopefully, Basic Research shares the “before and after” pics so I can share them with you. I’m curious to see if you’ll be able to tell a difference.

Pets And “Presents” to Avoid This Xmas

Everyone looks forward to the holiday season, even our furry family members. But what’s good for kids and Santa can kill our best friends. Here are some tips for a petsafe holiday:

COOKIES, CANDY, CHOCOLATE, HOLLY, MISTLETOE AND POINSETTIAS– These things taste great to everyone but in animals they can cause agitation, vomiting, diarrhea, high heart rate, tremors, seizures and even death.


HOLIDAY DECORATIONS – Not only will a pet make a mess if they get into these but eating tinsel, ribbon and similar decorations can cut up the digestive tract and cause intestinal obstruction. Ornaments should be kept off low-lying Christmas tree branches.

ALCOHOL– It’s not funny getting Fido drunk. Alcoholic drinks may cause vomiting, disorientation, diarrhea, lethargy, lack of coordination, difficulty breathing, tremors, coma and seizures.

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS– Sugarless gum and artificially sweetened treats may cause vomiting, lethargy, loss of coordination, seizures and liver failure.

MACADAMIA NUTS AND WALNUTS– These nuts can cause severe lethargy, increased body temperature, vomiting, tremors, joint stiffness and the inability to walk.

GRAPES, RAISINS, AVOCADOS, ONIONS, TOMATOES AND GARLIC–  These foods are deadly to dogs. They can cause lethargy, lack of appetite and vomiting.

FATTY TRIMMINGS AND BONES– Pets may experience vomiting and diarrhea. Fatty foods can also promote pancreatitis. Swallowed bones can cause stomach perforation and painful constipation.

ELECTRICAL CORDS– If chewed, live electrical cords can cause burns in or around a pet’s mouth, difficulty breathing, seizures and cardiac arrest.

LIGHTS AND CANDLES – This is more of a fire hazards that an internal concern. Keep them out of reach of pets (and kids for that matter).

FOR SUSPECTED POISONING, CONTACT THE ASPCA POISON CONTROL HOTLINE: (888) 426-4435.

Canada is Too Darn Cold

I didn’t think it was physically possible to step out into -32 degree temps without crying from pain. The sky was a brilliant blue, clouded only by my breath as I clicked into my bindings. This weekend has been brutally cold. We live right now to watch the outside go by as we stay warm in the gym, with drinks like the Glacier Warmer and down duvets inside the Chateau Lake Louise.

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I skipped cross-country skiing yesterday because 1) I don’t like to xcountry; 2) I didn’t want to put that much torque on my newly healed foot and 3) it was just too damn cold. The Canadian Rockies-and me, personally- are seeing record lows. I thought anything below -10 was reserved for treks to Everest basecamp. I suppose that you hit a point where the cold all feels the same and it’s just the amount of time you survive in it that makes the difference between -10 and -32.

But I had to sack up and go outside. It wasn’t going to get any warmer during my stay and I really wanted to see the mountain.

IMG_0586Lake Louise was recently voted best resort in Canada and one of the top three resorts in the world. I had to make at least one run. Plus, the ladies World Cup downhill was scheduled for today. If they could get after it, so could I.

I donned a pair of thick fleece tights, soft shell ski pants underneath a wind and water proof shell pant. On top, I had a fleece sport bra, a thin base layer, a fleece sweater and a fleece pullover all underneath a down Helly Hansen jacket. I used toe and hand warmers, a thick neck gaiter, balaclava and even stuck a toe warmer inside the top of my helmet. I was as ready as I’d ever be. “This isn’t so bad,” I thought as I rode the lift. The gondola was still closed due to the cold.

IMG_0533Rob Story, Dan Markham and I slid onto the groomer. Dan said this was low snow for the time of year so we were stuck on the groomers. The terrain was hard, fast and crunchy under my rental skis. I wasn’t looking forward to flying down the hill with a bitter wind gripping my face but oh well. I could feel my cheeks and forehead go white. So far the fingers and toes went unaffected. At the bottom, the gondola was running so we took shelter inside. All it took was about 10 seconds on the next run to remind me that this was no average day out. I lost circulation in my right big toe and all feeling in my thumbs. Still we pressed on. One more gondola ride and it was straight into the VIP tent for a mocha and coffee-flavored Patron shot.

After lunch and a witnessing of Lindsey Vonn’s ‘comeback’ (her run put her in 5th place after a meager 40th yesterday) Rob and I motivated each other into a journey to the Top of the World. Two six-minute chairlift rides and hell did freeze over. I was done skiing in one run. I couldn’t feel my hands. I had to pull my fingers out of their pockets and bunch them around the hardwarmers with my poles dangling around my wrists for the entire way to the bottom. It was a race to warmth. I grabbed my boot bag and charged for the shuttle door. Back at the Chateau Lake Louise I had tunnel vision. My bathtub drew me in. It took over an hour for me to feel warm up again. And to know that I will never ever want to climb Everest.

Sundance Kids

Proving you don’t have to be edgy to be a Sundance Film, a new slate of kids options will debut this January at the Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Kids program is being launched in conjunction with the Utah Film Center’s Tumbleweeds Film Festival.

“This unique collaboration between the Utah Film Center and Sundance Institute is a great opportunity to elevate the profile of international and independent films for kids,” said UFC’s Patrick Hubley. “We launched our Tumbleweeds programming four years ago with the goal of fostering the next generation of filmmakers and film fans, and we hope this programming will inspire the creativity and imaginations of young film-goers not only in Utah but across the country.” UFC’s Tumbleweeds Film Fest features content for children and teens and is the only one of its kind in the intermountain west.

This January, kids 8 and older will have the chance to see the world premiere of “Ernest & Celestine,” a film about a mouse who forms an unlikely bond with a bear, and the U.S. premiere of “Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang,” a movie about twin brothers who uncover a hidden secret at school.

“The addition of Sundance Kids allows us to engage younger audiences around the power of independent film,” said Trevor Groth, the festival’s director of programming.

The 2014 Sundance festival runs Jan. 16-24 with films, documentaries and shorts in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and at the Sundance Resort. Visit sundance.org/festival for more information about screening dates, times and locations.

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