My family and I just finished a 3000 mile round trip between Indianapolis and Park City.   This is becoming a tradition for our family and we find the trip there across the heart of our beautiful country is a big part of the fun.

We spent 3 days skiing at PCMR and then I split with the crew and went to Deer Valley one day.  I would have to say I prefer PCMR.  Although, its a bit like saying you prefer the Mercedes E-Class to the BMW 700 Series.

There was enough snow in the previous weekend and during the week to refresh the cover and we had great conditions all week though there were no real powder days.  Jupiter Peak was closed so if you were into that you would have been dissapointed.  I had a great time though.  And people were finding plenty of boot-deep powder in the woods.  I took a fall following some teenagers into the trees when I unexpectedly went in up to my thighs.  Had to probe around with a pole to find a missing ski. Some poor women decided she should follow me in and had a similar experience.

Conditions off McConkey's and Pioneer lifts were especially good with 0 lift lines.  The only lines of any consequence we saw were at Silverlode.  That included Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of Christmas week.  

I was at DV Christmas day.  The Parking lot a Snowpark was pretty full but once you got past the lodge there were no real lines except on Ruby which I think is a bottleneck near the end of the day anyway.   The last lift closed at 430 and I skied past the loading area as they were shutting it down so I got my money's worth.  I skied from one end side of the resort to the other and wound up doing laps between Silver Strike and Lady Morgan.

Kearney, NE over I-80.  W-T-F????   I have a facebook friend who said "Hey thats my exit!!!"  She assured me that is was cool and well worth a stop...but maybe next time.

In Utah we drove through a model railroad layout.

North Platte, NE.  They said it not me.

Loosey.  You know him you love him.   Some lady fell really hard on some ice trying to get a picture with him.   She was okay but I thought how ironic.  You come all this way to ski and injure yourself trying to get a picture with a fake moose wearing a mop on his head.  Last year when we visited he had been vandalized so we were glad to see him back in form.

Slopeside doll house at Deer Valley.  I bet the Barbie action figure is included.  You own this house?  Go ahead...tell me I'm wrong.  PS: I hate you.

Empire Lodge at Deer Valley.  Its a tough room.

At PCMR we usually ate early to avoid the crowds.  Junior Ski Partner (who is now a rider) noted that finding a table was sort of like the Hunger Games.  "May the odds be ever in your favor."

Obligatory shot down a trail with snow covered mountains.  Temptation off of King Con.  It skied great the whole week.   There were plenty of blue runs with various degrees of bumps off of King Con, Pioneer, and McConkey's.  Great for gaining confidence and honing your skills.  There was very nice soft snow under the King Con lift that lots of people were having a good time with.   There was more encouragement than heckling from the lift it seemed to me.

Here is my daughter taken by a one of those slope-side photographers.  Of course I paid the full sucker-price for it.  But how could I not?  

Think you can ride with her?  Close one eye and then trying going riding down some black bumped up run in the east.   She has almost no sight in one eye.  I tried it once and scared the hell out of myself.   Not sure how she does it.

Different Photog got me on Sitka off of King Con.  I popped out of the woods under the lift and there he was.  Here is the crazy thing:  the hill was full of ice pellets.  It was like it was groomed with an ice cube maker...I had never seen anything like it.  It peeled the wax off my skis.  It was probably fine the next day after another night of grooming.   So I am thinking what kind of sicko sets up a photo shoot on an ice field?  I looked at the pictures he took and there was some nice shots but about half of them were a series of wipeouts.

PS, if you think my stance looks bad, you are not the intended audience.  Most of my friends don't ski and they think I am good.  Bahahaha.

Good to hear from you GRK.  Great report!

The Colonel

Thanks Colonel!  Happy Holidays and New Year to you.  Hope to get to Wintergreen and maybe Timberline in the next couple of months.  Never know when I might run into you again.

Take Care

Nice TR!  Sounds like a good time.