You know those vacations, where everything seems to go wrong? Well, that didn’t happen for my New York friends, Kelly and Mike. Actually, they experienced the opposite. This was the second time they’ve ventured out west to visit us in Park City, and their timing couldn’t have been better. The first thing they said when they stepped foot onto my front deck was, “damn there is a lot of snow here. So much more than last year!” And that is where the fun began.
My friends get to see exactly why I love Utah through my photos on Facebook and ISkiDeepPow, but this was the first time they got to experience it themselves. My intermediate skier friends got some powder! And getting to see the excitement on their faces when things started to click was just awesome!
My fiancé and my good friend Stacey, who are locals, even stepped out of their comfort zones. They both had their first Black Diamond Powder experiences at Deer Valley! I took them on a short hike into Ontario Bowl at where the snow was dumping all day along that mellow ridge line. We came across about 300 vertical feet of untracked powder at a very manageable pitch. Their eyes lit up and they went for it. I was even able to snap an amazing photo of Stacey, absolutely crushing it. I was blown away. In the moments after they conquered their powder and diamond fears, the high fives and incessant laughter rained down on us. This is what it’s all about. The moment when those closest to you finally get to feel that euphoric feeling you’ve been chasing your whole life.
Then as quickly as they flew in, they were gone.
The following day, I was back to doing what I do best. Skiing in the backcountry with the Powder Posse.
Here is a quick little video of what things looked like on Sunday.