Utah - Back in the Saddle

Today I worked my way over to McConkey's Lift.  There was not much doing there--the "Signature" runs, both Double Blue, were pretty chopped up, so I stayed on the opposite side.  Not much thrill there, except for my initial candidate for Run-o-the-Day which was Tycoon.  A beautiful smooth Blue with more than a touch of steepness at the end.  But better to move on.  I targeted the King Con Lift, and painfully made my way over there. (A boring story, so boring even I can't remember much about it.)


It was fun, but.... This area, along with the 3 almost identical runs off the Pioneer lift, is a great example (IMHO) of the weakness of Park City.  Whoever set up the mountain thinks it is fine to cut a slope into a dozen runs that are so indistinguishable that they have their names posted at the bottom of the run so folks on the chairlifts can tell what is what (although I can't really disagree with that practice, even for diversified runs).  Sitka, Liberty, Shamus, all impossible to tell apart once on them, or even from the chair.  The runs were certainly fun, well groomed and just steep enough, and collectively they are probably my Run-o-The-Day.  But as they say, Seen one, seen 'em all.  That has always been my chief gripe about PC, but that was before I was a Black Diamond Rider.  I hope tomorrow to try some more of those, but from looking at the map, they seem to be likewise afflicted. Ah, well, we'll see.

Clearly the Worst-Run-o-the-Day goes to Gotcha Cut-Off. I think it is there just to allow regular Blue Riders a way down without attempting a Double Blue or a Black. Either of those latter options would have been preferable.  The conditions on it were HORRID--brown dirt, little trees, and rocks were centered in the middle of tight curves.  It reminded me of one of the roads in NC that winds down the mountain almost at an angle.  I passed two young girls who had taken off their boards and were walking down.  Though I managed to get through the crud in one piece, ironically I hit a bad patch on a stretch of icy, curvy slope and went A-over-Tkettle without warning.  It hurt more than my pride, as I landed on my elbow and, to a lesser extent, my head on the hardpack. Double ouch!!  Though it hurt a bit, I had no fear of permanent damage (who could tell?) but it was an odd injury.  There was a residual discomfort, but no blood and surprisingly not even a knot on my noggin. I expect a headache sometime tonight.  Time will tell.  If I start babbling or repeating myself, might be best to tell me. Time will tell.  If I strart abblling or repetating myslef, mihgt be best to tell me.

Some readers might take this as a call to badger me further about getting a helmet, but I object.  A helmet would give me a false sense of security and give me the opportunity to get looser and injure something else.  This was a freak fall, akin to the last one I remember (that doesn't sound good) when Brant and I were in Utah in 2007.  That one involved some blood, and a helmet would not have made a difference there.  Rock on.

Rest of Jax folks come in tomorrow, but not in time to ski, unless they want to hit the night slopes. It will be nice to have some company on these long, lonely runs.  Am missing everyone back home, and hope someone can remind me why I just had to do this.