MikeSandy.net

2004 Skiing Archive

December 28, 2004

BRISTOL MOUNTAIN, NY — I took one run.

Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Nice, Easy Ski Day

BRISTOL MOUNTAIN, NY — Today's skiing was pretty damn good. The conditions were excellent after ridiculously cold temperatures yesterday (although today it was in the thirties), and more trails were opened. I skied mostly the easier trails today to get my legs conditioned for skiing and to polish my technique a little before the season really gets going.

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Finally!

BRISTOL MOUNTAIN, NY — Bristol Mountain opened today, finally. After only a few consecutive days of cold temps, the mountain went from brownish to white thanks to Bristol's supercharged snowmaking system. Finally the ski season starts! (Ironically, my first ski day of the year last year was also on December 15.)

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Great Ski Day

BRISTOL MOUNTAIN, NY — Simply a great ski day. My cousin and I headed to Bristol at around 4:00 p.m. The conditions were surprisingly excellent (it snowed the whole time we were there) and I skied very well. My skills seem to have made a breakthrough after readjusting a few small things (keep my feet closer together, keep my upper body pointing downhill, let the skis' sidecuts do the work). The results of these small changes have been awesome. My short turns are sharper than ever, and I can attack steeper trails without "coming apart" at higher speeds.

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Stowe!

STOWE, VT — This ski day was a perfect contrast to my last ski days in Vermont two weeks ago. The weather was stormy, blustery and relatively warm. Not a trail we skied was freshly groomed. Instead, we skied small to medium-sized powder bumps the entire day, which made the skiing excellent.

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Boring, Again

BRISTOL MOUNTAIN, NY — Boring and no fun; that's about it. I've got nothing else to say.

Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Boring

BRISTOL MOUNTAIN, NY — Bristol is boring. There's not much more to say. It offers me almost no challenge. I seriously need a change here. My skiing is at a crossroads. Either I challenge myself and get better, or I can see my skills regressing to a point of disinterest; especially, if I continue to have these pathetic ski days where I take 3 runs and I'm ready to get out of there. I also need to get in better shape. I felt like a newborn deer out there today. My legs were so damn weak and tired from the weekend at Stratton, which is unbelievable since it was four days ago! One would think their legs wouldn't be tired after four days of rest, but mine were! Anyway, on the positive side, the conditions were superb, yet again.

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Stratton Ski Day

STRATTON, VT — I was warm and well-rested to start this day because I slept on the couch in the loft. A Cheerios and Red Bull breakfast hit the spot. The skiing, temperature, and weather were almost identical to the day before. A stiff 30-50 mph wind at the summit was the only difference.

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Freezing Stratton Ski Day

STRATTON, VT — After a fitful night of sleeping in a drafty room in the condo, I woke to subzero temperatures in southern Vermont. On the positive side, there were absolutely no clouds in the sky the whole day.

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Excellent Conditions

BRISTOL MOUNTAIN, NY — It's been cold for a long time and it's paying off at Bristol. As far as I know, they've been making snow continuously, and they were making snow all over the mountain again tonight. Some natural snow overnight helped, too. Galaxy and Upper Rocket were the two best trails, and the conditions were reminiscent of western ski resorts. That's really all there is to say. The conditions were excellent, the skiing was great, and the place was packed.

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No Fun

BRISTOL MOUNTAIN, NY — It's been a month since I last skied this season, but the best ski conditions of the year were no match for the hypnotic, lethargic state bought on by the 8 hour Microsoft Outlook training class I suffered through during the day. I was tired, my legs were like jelly, and I wasn't really in the mood for the wind, the cold, or the snowmaking, so I made it a really short ski night. I did snap a couple pictures before I started skiing though.

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