Well this time 'round, transportation was a bit more reliable. Took the Red Line bus up the mountain, picked up a lift ticket voucher from Disabled Sports, exchanged the voucher for a ticket, changed boots, and then lugged all the heavy equipment outside! I normally can carry about 2 pairs of cross-country skis and a pair of poles in one hand, but the downhill skis weigh a ton! That was probably the hardest part of the afternoon.
What a beautiful afternoon! The mountain has made plenty of snow to keep most of the runs open. We even ended up on a Black Diamond (whoops!), but there was plenty of snow on the run so making turns was easy. Piece of cake!!
 |
| Getting into photo position: You can see the Minarets, Ritter and Banner in the distance |
The hardest part for me was just keeping up with the fatigue of the leg muscles. My legs were burning! It's funny to be an athlete, be proficient at cycling, hiking, cross-country skiing, but one hour on the mountain downhill skiing and my legs are shot. The benefits of cross-training, self-explained.
You can see the gondolas heading up to the top of Mammoth Mountain. Knowing that we haven't had snow in over a month and that the top is very wind blown, we stuck to the lower runs. Save those for next time!
And of course, to share my introspective thoughts on alpine vs. nordic skiing: Alpine is fun. I enjoyed cruising down various routes, picking different pathways, etc. It certainly helped to go on a weekday when the runs weren't packed with people or the lift lines long. The chance for injury though… falling off a chair lift, smashing into a rock, falling off a cliff… Thank goodness helmets are the new thing for alpine! I still perhaps prefer the simplicity of nordic skiing and the peacefulness that comes with, but I did enjoy my day on the mountain.
No comments:
Post a Comment