Park City, Utah: Day 1

Today was my first day of skiing in a whole year! Since I became a college student, my ability to hop in a car during the weekend and drive to the Poconos or Vermont to shred some trails has dwindled. I have been fortunate enough during my college breaks to go to Colorado twice with my dad, my uncle, who lives in the state, and my Pop Pop. However, this year, my uncle decided to take his family to Costa Rica, and my Pop Pop went along with my grandmother. So, my dad decided that we would try something new and fly out to Utah to ski in the infamous Park City.

The first day of skiing started off a bit slow, as my dad was trying to find groomed trails. However, the area got dumped on over the last week, so there was not much grooming occurring. Apparently, the resort likes to groom alternating trails every third day so the snow quality is not tarnished. The snow was magnificent: powdery and plentiful.  The mountain is ginormous, so it is definitely easy to aim for one chair lift and find yourself in a completely different area. Dad and I found a few solid trails prior to lunch and our day went up from there.

After lunch, before exploring another part of a mountain, we discovered a fantastic run called “Boa” that really worked our legs and got us excited. There is nothing like carving through fresh snow and feeling the adrenaline rushing through my body, making me work hard to get the best form I can. Despite the fact that I almost froze to death, it turned into a pretty nice first day of skiing that made me eager to explore more of the mountain.

After skiing, I followed my dad into the heated outdoor pool and then into the hot tub. We then hopped in the sauna and ended our after-ski activities with the steam room. However, I did not last long in there, as the loud steamer, the low visibility and the overall feeling in the humid room made me feel it would be the last thing I see.

My first day of skiing was exciting, although I definitely was not as energetic as normal due to the fact that I thought my toes were going to fall off. The second day of skiing here in Park City will not be much different temperature wise, so I am definitely going to put on more layers and prepare myself for the coldest weather I have probably ever skied in!