Category Archives: Ski School Tips

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I am so ashamed! Ashamed that I haven’t stopped in to ski Solitude until now. I love that resort and yet it stands like PlanB whenever I’m packing up the gear for a day out. Shame on me! I know better. Solitude is the place to head when it dumps all night. Little Cottonwood Canyon will either be closed first thing in the morning for avi control or there’s a snakelike slither all the way up to the parking lots for Snowbird and Alta because, well, that’s where everyone seems to gravitate towards.
On the other hand, Solitude is smooth sailing. Rarely does the road close and even less frequently is there traffic. Plus, there’s never a wait in a lift line and plenty of fresh lines to be had long after the other resorts are tracked out.
I hit it early this week after the first series of storms washed through the Wasatch. Wahoo! I had the place to myself. Ski-on rides at all of the lifts and not a soul to cross my path.
Some may complain that most of Solitude’s chairs (especially the ones toward the summit) are ancient and slow but when you’re not standing in a line and letting your legs unflare, high-speed quads can be the death of you. I say you need the rest.
My day at Solitude began straight out the gates at Powderhorn into Honeycomb’s Black Forest. I had my choice of tree shots and face shots. I had a powder ‘stash on my face all the way to the Honeycomb Express lift. The snowy weather turned to heavy at times by the afternoon, yet most of the resort was open for skiing. Only Evergreen was closed. Run after run, I hooted to myself, bemused that others weren’t in on my secret. How could this be?
I finally waited at the bottom of Powderhorn until I had someone to share the lift with (I was getting kind of lonely). A patroller skied up and took me under his wing. He guided me through two outrageously rocking runs under the lift just before the mountain closed for the day. His Igneous rockers blew up cold smoke as I hunkered down and tried to keep up. My spirit soared. This is how a real ski day in Utah feels. As I waved bye and beelined for the parking lot, I thought, I’m coming back tomorrow for sure. I may have been late to rediscover Solitude but I wasn’t done after just one day. As a matter of fact, my boyfriend, who has a pass to Alta, is gunning for Solitude today instead. It’s a holiday weekend and it snowed last night. Duh. Smart skiers go to Big Cottonwood on these days. He’s not about to waste precious turns waiting for the Canyon to open or standing in gigantic liftlines all day long. Solitude is the call.

P.S. A cute new mini mart just opened in BCC. Kickers Backcountry Market is the perfect place to grab a drink or coffee for the ride home. It’s filled with tasty snacks and pastries from Beverly Hill’s Cakes in Salt Lake City and the new owner, John, loves to chat so pop in and say hi. They also carry your mountain basics in case you forget something at home like your goggles, backpack, water, handwarmers, etc. Kickers is on the north side, just before the Silver Fork Lodge as you head down the Canyon.

Three Fests in One

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The way I see it, Sundance is really three festivals. There’s the film part. You go up to Park City, have a movie marathon until your butt can take no more, then you take a couple of pain killers and keep watching. With screenings from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. you can be scheduled out the entire time. There’s the party part. This is not an all day thing but rather an all night thing starting at around 4 p.m. each day. Every movie has its premiere party; every production company like IndieVest hosts a party, often, companies like Kenneth Cole, Gen Art, and Vitamin Water do it up big- usually at private homes where they can go till 3 a.m., take some painkillers and keep partying. Hence, you are wasted for any of the daytime activities; and then there is the gifting part. An all day traipse up and down Main Street, hauling paper or eco-friendly sacs a forearm thick.
Sundance organizers frown on gifting as they see it disrupting the creative process and turning their event into something of a corporate commercial enterprise. Plus, those doing the gifting are outside the sponsor realm. Marketing firms set up “houses”, “lounges” and “suites” around Park City and rent out booth space to boutique companies, promising their products exposure from A++ celebrities and media attending Sundance yet they don’t give any money back to support the Festival itself. Plus, they’re terribly exclusive and off-putting to the average festival goer.As I sat next to Jeff Best at the MySpace Cafe in the Village at Sundance, I heard him lament about the transformation of his brainchild. Best Events took the Town Lift project and turned it into a mini Hollywood gifting village for four years, dubbing it the Village at the Lift. After the same number of years of contention with festival organizers, Best caved for the greater good. After all, his number one plan all along was to show support for the film industry and if it helps everyone get along, he’s willing to play nice. But while we sat munching on scrumptious cheeseburgers (better than you would get if you paid for it at the actual restaurant taken over by MySpace for seven days), and the paparazzi angled for a better shot of Paris Hilton in the booth behind us, he dropped his head and spoke about the financial hit he took. “I had sponsors in line for this year but when I told them they also had to be official Sundance sponsors as well (and pay the official pricetag and no gifting allowed) they backed out,” he said. It’s often too much money to go mainstream with not as much promise for celebrity exposure.They found other places to go- Fred Segal, one of the VAL’s anchor ‘stores’, joined the Village at the Yard on Kearns Blvd. for five days of gifting products you typically see in their store- Retro Brand with their vintage sports team and college logo T-shirts, skate and urbanwear by Hurley, George, Gina and Lucy eccentric yet chic handbags, Undun eco-denim, Nightcap primo cottonwear. K-Swiss shoes and more. The Yard also started their own café courtesy of T-Mobile. Nickelodeon nabbed some first-class acreage across from Fred Segal to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of SpongeBob Squarepants and next door to them was drugstore.com, gifting travel essentials like bronzer, shampoo, Advil, Alka-Seltzer and Chapstick. Living Proof showcased a line of no-frizz hair products by having stylists blow and style your do. I had a brief conversation with Eliza Dushku (star of the new series Dollhouse) about snowboarding in Utah while they primped her for her movie premiere. She says she’ll be skiing from now on as she’s not too keen on pain. The conversation started because she noticed my luscious Scope Zip Hoody from Oakley and said she picked out the exact same one at the Oakley House during their Learn-To-Ride event over the weekend. Yep. I was there.
Oakley organizes these Learn-To days for celebs and VIPs who want to learn a sport from snowboarding to motocross without the hassle of going through the public process. It’s an intimate setting with Oakley products and athletes and a one-on-one introduction to both to ensure they have a positive experience.
Singer/songwriter Kelly James escorted me onto the bunny run at Park City Mountain Resort for an unofficial snowboard lesson. He was a sweet guy; extremely patient. He spent a few runs with me and then kicked me out of the nest. Luckily, I had already had time (last year) with a ‘real’ instructor at Brian Head and the few great tips Kelly gave me made sense. I felt sorry for Eliza as she should have had a professional instructor first and not a professional boarder. Those who ‘can’, can’t necessarily teach. But whether we could ride, we sure did look good.
Oakley’s gifting centered around the Gretchen Bleiler signature line of women’s snowboard apparel. The line, designed by the 2006 Olympic Silver medalist and S Games champ rocks. It fits flatteringly well, the colors pop, and the details make sense for the most part (except that I wasn’t wild about the giant belt and buckle at the bottom of one of the jacket styles). Even her signature goggles sit well on the smaller frame of a woman’s face.
Beyond the Oakley House (which was located way off Main in Park Meadows), some of the usual suspects still turned up on Main.
In order to try to get a little taste of all that is Sundance, I find myself like a chicken with its head cut off; running in all directions, not sure where to go next and just missing someplace I ‘should have been.’ The horrific traffic doesn’t help. The police have blocked off Heber Avenue so there’s no way to get from Park Avenue to Deer Valley Drive without heading up Main Street.

(Look, Ma, I’m snowboarding thanks to Oakley)

Coming down Swede Alley or Deer Valley Drive is the nightmare-especially if it’s past four.

Avoid, avoid, avoid driving in Park City right now and park and ride the bus. You also need to get creative. I went into the Yarrow and was able to find a hotel guest who gave me his parking pass. Another girl I met, whipped out a handicap pass and her cane for VIP parking. A taxi driver picked me up after I stuck out my thumb. I got in when he said he was going my way and wouldn’t charge me. Turns out he and his son are driving for his friend’s cab business and pulling in $400 a day. Next year, I’m coming back as a cabbie!
I’ve set small goals for myself. Two suites a day, one movie a day and one party a night. So far so good. And lucky me, each movie has been noteworthy- Moon, Humpday, Max and Mary, September Issue and Adam. Both Moon and September Issue had been flukes. I showed up at the theater expecting different films but they had been switched last minute. September Issue about the making of Vogue’s Fall Issue impressed me with its storytelling, infusing warmth into Editor Anna Wilson a compact woman with a cold as ice reputation. Moon, with Sam Rockwell, was supposed to be Castaway in space but instead turned out to be a compelling sci fi tale about a man whose last weeks on the moon turn into a nightmare of diabolical discoveries and thoughts on the humanity of man and machine. There’s more to tell but I must get some sleep.

FYI, the major push for the Fest is over now and though the coming weekend will bring another rush of celebrities, it’ll be nothing like it was last weekend. Now’s the ideal time to see a movie (lots of tickets are still available) or get into a party. Chat chat chat. That’s how. We went to a party for “Carmo, Hit the Road” Monday night and a woman handed us invites to the closing party at the Queer Lounge on Wednesday. Earlier, I ran into an old friend from my Deer Valley teaching days who promised to get us into the Kodak party Tuesday night. The parties are last on my to-do list but may be first on yours. If so, get some sleep, dress warm and hit the pavement by 4 p.m. for the intel.

Glad October’s Over

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What a month it’s been. But as the snow has settled all around and completely altered my literal landscape, so too I hope my figurative one. It begins with a new car…
The transmission gave out all of a sudden on I-80 as I headed home at 10 p.m.- with Sage in the back no less. Somehow I managed to coast from the fastlane to the breakdown lane. I was on autopilot. I went from 75mph to 0 in about 15 seconds. “Gotta go, Dad,” I exclaimed into my cell. “My engine’s shot.” I couldn’t even put my Santa Fe into PARK. It rolled backward. I had to use the E brake. 154k miles on it and yet another major issue. I had just replaced all brakes, pads and rotors and the left ball joint! I let Hyundai tow it off to the dealer while Ryan brought us home. I immediately went on the hunt for a replacement vehicle knowing it was time to retire the Santa Fe.
I vowed my next car would not be a first generation model like my 2001 Santa Fe was. I needed something with stellar consumer ratings, a V6 engine and all wheel drive for my steep driveway and no known mechanical issues. And my budget was set at $10k. HA! You find out quickly that it’s impossible to meet my criteria at that price. Even when you think you have, tack on $800 in taxes, $200 in reg fees and what Utah dealers call a “documentation fee” ($150-400). It’s basically a scam the state allows so car dealers can make some extra cash off the backend of the sale. Sure they’ll negotiate the sticker price because they get to automatically re-add that $400 they said they’d knock off.
I looked and looked. After a week of 24/7 emailing, researching and calling on cars I had about all I could take and was ready to suck it up and buy new out of pure frustration. One of the last cars I looked at (btw, I got a rental car to get around in because I was tired of making Ryan my chauffeur), the dealer swore (three times!) that it was clean- no accidents, no title issues, etc. I drive an hour away to check it out, and he tries to show me a CarFax on it to prove it’s never been in an accident, despite my noticing that the hood had been replaced. When I compare the VINs on the Carfax to the one on the Honda Pilot, they’re different! We call up the right VIN and sure enough both airbags had been deployed. Ba-Bye.
The next day I look at a Kia Sorento and have it inspected by Casey at PepBoys. Love you, Casey. He tells me that for a car with only 39k on it, it’s hammered. The boot was torn from the tierod and leaking. Something that shouldn’t happen that soon. He also says stay away from Hyundai and Kias. He recommends a Ford Escape, Nissan Xterra, maybe a Subaru. Sigh. My hunt and research continue.
That night, I bought a CarFax subscription to spare myself time and energy looking at unworthy cars. I became a quick decipher on junk. Like the Mazada xc90 with the transmission replaced at 27k and several other service records.
Suddenly, there she was. A craigslist post for an ’06 Chevy Equinox, 22k and a 100k extended warranty on it. I called. Kristin was a sweetheart. She had bought the car outright but owed on a truck and needed to make her payments. Would she take less if I bought it tomorrow? Yes. We met and the car was exactly what I was looking for – ok, it was quite a bit bigger than my Hyundai but it got better gas mileage. She worked with me on a price and I left that night with my new car. And best of all, I LOVE IT! One battle down.
I woke up the next morning with no hot water. After three hours with my plumber, I still couldn’t get my nearly new Noritz tankless water heater to produce hot water. As I sat on hold listening to their pitch about ‘hot water on demand’ and ‘never being without hot water’, I wanted to reach in and strangle someone. What a joke!
The tech was helpful in troubleshooting but in the end, the heater was shot. Three more days of nothing but freezing cold water until I could replace the entire unit. What Noritz fails to disclose is that if you live in an area with hard water, you should not even consider a tankless heater unless you have a water softener. If you don’t, the deposits get in there and wreck the heat regulator and you wind up with a $2000 hunk of useless junk. Had my plumber not replaced it for free I would have gone back to a tank system and suffered through a few cold showers every now and then. It did cost me an extra $800 for a water softener but it had to happen. Battle Two down.
With the car and heater things happening, it was impossible to help Ryan move in before Oct. 31. Luckily, his landlord gave him last weekend to clear out but boy was that a chore. His place was disgusting, not to mention needing a truck and storage unit to get his couch, TV and bed put away. I don’t have the space. Here’s the funniest: As he sorted through his clothes, we created this gigantic donation pile. The plan was to take it all to the shelter on the way to the storage place. I suggested we put it outside his apartment door first to see if any of the riffraff in his hood wanted it. Sure enough, not five minutes later did the garbage bags of clothes disappear! It kind of felt good knowing that the clothes went directly to someone in need.
By midnight, we were heading back up the canyon to home. Ryan in his Home Depot one-day rental truck and Sage and I in my new car. Which, by the way, Sage refers to as “new car!” every time we go for a ride. Battle Three down.
Finally, Rocky Mountain Power shows up at my door to move a utility pole- SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF MY BACKYARD. Seems my neighbor wants to do some digging and the pole’s on his property. I have no problem moving the pole onto my property but I do have a problem with how far he thinks should will go. I put the stake where I want it and by the evening, the stake has been uprooted and placed 10 feet away. This back and forth continues for three days until RMP tells both of us to call them when we reach an agreement. That night, I took the stake and turned it into an appropriate marker for Halloween:


The next day, I got a call from a member of our homeowners association telling me that my neighbor has decided to move the pole back a few feet rather than fight me. Battle Four down.
Now, it’s late and with everything back in its right order, I can rest better and focus on my future projects. Stay tuned….

Mommy’s new car

Sage is Seven Months Old!

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My boobs are gone and my hair’s falling out. If I didn’t know better – that it was because I’m done breastfeeding- I’d think I was turning into a guy. I’ll miss my boobs. I’ll actually miss breastfeeding too. I appreciate the freedom but I feel like I’ve let Sage down. If I wasn’t skiing so much, I wouldn’t have dried up and she’d still be getting all of those yummy nutrients and immunities. At the same time, between the pumping and nursing, I never got anything done.
Sage seems fine with the switch and has taken to Costco’s generic formula just fine. Which is a good thing since it’s half the price of the name brands.
However, ignorance was bliss. Now that I know I could handle a C cup (quite well, thank you), I suppose I’ll start saving up for my 50th birthday present. Renato Saltz did an amazing job on my friend’s breasts; hope he’s around by then.
Sage was soo cute tonight. We’ve been taking showers because she hated the bath but tonight was a break-through. Instead of trying to take a bath with her while she screamed bloody murder, I sat her in her baby tub with warm water and the shower going. At first she fussed but then settled in and started reaching for the floaty toys I tossed in. Once she seemed focused on them, I turned off the shower and voila!
Is it just me or am I that weird that motherhood and babydom are as smooth as a puppy’s coat (so far)? Perhaps it was my experience raising Tenaya. In 1997, I dedicated myself to being the best dog mom on earth. Unlike other people who get a dog, dont’ train it, never walk it, and kennel the poor thing whenever they leave home, Tenaya went everywhere with me; I trained her extensively so that it was possible. We traveled together and when she couldn’t come with, I made sure she had care at my house. I bred her, helped her deliver 10 outstanding puppies, handpicking each’s new home. Was that practice for the baby to come? I hear all of these scary and sad tales of mothers struggling with their “new life”, raging hormones, babyfat, sleepless nights. I can’t relate. And I can’t believe that I am the only mother not whining. Sage is amazing, adorable, happy, fun to watch and all of those other things every babysitter showers on me. Up until this month I’ve spent most days and nights with her- movies, restaurants, travel, work. Life goes on but now Tenaya and I have a little buddy.
I get my sleep. She takes two long naps during the day and sleeps 10 hours at night. Soundly. While I watch TV and work. When she’s awake, I feed her, change her, read to her, then set her in her crib or exersaucer or bouncy chair to play. She doesn’t need my attention so I cook, clean, do laundry, write, shower – all of my normal daily activities. I’ve found excellent sitters who love spending time with her so I can ski when (er, if) there’s good snow or a lesson to teach. I have been told that my attitude and ease have a lot to do with Sage’s temperament. I’m not overly protective or rigid. I don’t stress. We keep hours that work for both of us, I don’t hover and if she wants to make Play-Dough of her cereal, why not? I’ve got the babywipes on the kitchen counter.
The one significant change in my life (besides the financial strain) is the endless stream of laundry. But I’m handling that too. Maybe my trials have yet to appear. Toddler years? Teen years? It can’t all be flat water. Or maybe it is me and I waited just long enough in my life to be ready and able to care for a child without feeling lost, overwhelmed, frightened and angry; so Sage doesn’t feel those things either. When I finally decided I was ready for a child, I wanted her as much as I’ve wanted anything in my life and even when she’s crying I find it sweet. A little helpless baby cry that goes away in moments- with a cuddle or warm bottle of milk.

She’s got two crooked, bottom baby teeth. The first bothered her a bit but nothing a soft cloth and Tylenol couldn’t handle. The second popped out of nowhere without fuss.
Sage still doesn’t like spending time on her tummy but she tolerates it. I picked her up from Mardi’s house last week and she was on a rug at her feet while Mardi was doing dishes. Reminded me of those puppies. Sage looked up at me from the floor as if to say, “You back already?” She rolls over only when she feels like it; which isn’t often. Her big belly could be the culprit. Talk about pudge! Eighteen pounds of squeezeableness. I call her Pooh Bear because, well, she’s shaped like Pooh. She eats everything. I’m doing the jar food- green beans, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, applesauce, pears. She opens wide for it all. Can’t you tell? 😉
No allergies yet so we’ll soon move onto Stage 2 foods.
We went bowling yesterday. Kristen had a friend in town – Mike from REM- and we met up with them. Baker, Bresee and a few others. Bresee said I looked great and later said I was “hot”. I hadn’t heard those words from a man in a while. That was cool. That was very cool. It’s not like I don’t get out but I certainly don’t put myself out there like that. Sometimes I wonder if motherhood cosmically changes your vibe. It was refreshing to hear otherwise. John, Thanks for that!!
We left the lanes about 10:30 p.m. Sage was already asleep in her car seat. She woke long enough for me to change her diaper and move her to her crib.
It’s been a busy month with my teaching schedule at Park City Mountain Resort- four days a week. I want to spend more time with her but that will have to wait until next week. The snow totally sucks and it’s not supposed to get any better so we can hang out a lot more. I haven’t missed any milestones though!
She sits up without support. Crawling will be next. I’m sure my mobility will be curbed. But maybe not. I’ve been ‘lucky’ so far.

Every day, I wake and peer into her crib. Sometimes she’s sleeping soundly; other times she’s awake and quietly playing with her hands or “binky”. When she spots me looking, her face lights up, a broad smile breaks and her eyes open wide. She coos and squeals with delight. I think that’s my favorite part of the day now. Tenaya’s here too. She picks up her head from her bed, ears propped and moves closer. My little family. We’re all lucky.

P.S. Current photos are posted at www.dropshots.com/pcskigal

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