The Pow Called
February 20th, 2005About eight or nine years ago, I went on an overnight snowboard trip with my editor and a couple of friends. We stayed with the editor’s grandparents and the morning that we were set to ride, one of the guys called out to get us moving, “Let’s roll, the pow is calling.”
It was this same year that Utah got four feet of snow in 24 or 48 hours. I can’t remember, because if I wasn’t digging out, I was scheming how to get to the hill. The editor, a friend (one of the friends from the overnighter) and myself took off early from work and drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon. The drive normally takes abou 20 minutes. It took almost an hour because it wouldn’t stop snowing.
We were beginners and so we stayed on one lift that had green runs and one blue run. I remember spending most of the afternoon being buried in powder. On the bunny hill. It was insane. We decided to hit the blue run because it was the only run steep enough to sustain forward motion. I remember being up to my armpits in powder and having neither the strength or skills to navigate. It was, in the parlance of the older, crunchier snow addict, epic. The kids would have called it sick.
Today, Heather and I hit the hill. It was snowing on the mountain and didn’t stop all day. It had an epic vibe. It had sick vibes also.
Heather did remarkably well considering we hadn’t been on the slopes for three (!!!) years and it was her third day on a snowboard. I believe it was on one of the runs today where Heather realized why I wanted to spend all our money dressing up in 74 layers of clothes and spend $100 on passes.
Because it did not stop snowing, I was able to be supportive to Heather (by shutting up when asked) and ride the sides of the same bunny hill in about 18 inches of powder. We’d do another run, and I couldn’t see where my terrible form had wrecked the snow. I could wreck it again and again and every time whoop it up because the marshmallow love that is Utah powder enveloped my calves. It was the most perfect day I’ve had on the hill in a long time. Sharing it with Heather made it even more so. o
February 20th, 2005 at 8:05 pm
thank you for not talking to me when I said, “NOW IS THE TIME TO NOT SAY ANYTHING TO ME.” and then for waiting as i caught up, and then for wiping the snow off my face, and then for not laughing as I fell while getting off the lift and almost hitting those skiiers. you are the best teacher. i love you.
February 20th, 2005 at 8:25 pm
Nothing..and I mean nothing is better then boarding on fresh powder.
February 21st, 2005 at 6:08 am
I loved reading this. My significant other and I ski/snowboard at least once a week (granted, not in Utah powder) but we still enjoy it TREMENDOUSLY.
It’s like a mini-holiday every time we hit the slopes. We’re heading to QuÈbec this weekend and hope things are ’sick’.
February 21st, 2005 at 7:33 am
Man oh man. The most snow I’ve ever seen is the inch and 1/2 we got here about 5 years ago. We have got to move further north. Sounds like too much fun.
February 21st, 2005 at 7:49 am
i have never been skiing, but since i’ve moved from georgia to toronto i hear more and more about this wintery goodness. i’m so afraid to try it because my boyfriend doesn’t enjoy this passtime…i need a reliable good ski friend! give me strength!
February 21st, 2005 at 9:04 am
Hola Jon, where did you guys ride? I went to Snowbird Sunday and it was indeed epic.
It’s a bit unnerving to hear the constant *crumple* *crumple* *crumple* of distant snow sluffs breaking away (we rode the back side most of the day) but it’s worth the worry for fresh powder.
Tell Heather to keep at it. Maybe one day I’ll see you guys up there.
February 21st, 2005 at 9:05 am
Amanda B, trust me when I tell you that you’re better off with your snow lust than I am with my no-snow lust. I have never known a winter in my life that was not filled with lots and lots of the white pestilence from the sky.
But, I will admit, it’s awful purty when I’m not pushing a shovel or tryin’ to drive on it.
February 21st, 2005 at 9:11 am
I saw snow with my boyfriend for the first time in my life this winter and not twenty four hours later, I went skiing and he went snowboarding. I think I echoed Heather’s comment to my boyfriend the eightieth time I fell that afternoon, but it was so much fun.
February 21st, 2005 at 10:10 am
My wife and I honeymooned in Park City… a month before the winter Olympics three years ago. On December 21, my birthday, we went skiing in some of the most incredible powder ever. It snowed all day. And this was three days after my wedding - the significance of that is in the fact that we abstained from sex until we wed. So by the third day we were well into a good rhythm, the powder was fantastic, and I consumed more seafood and alchohol that evening then a man should.
It was arguably the most enjoyable day of my life. I love Utah.
February 21st, 2005 at 11:38 am
When I was a very little child my parents were on a local Ski Patrol. I grew up hearing about all the damage people had done to themselves on the hill. Somehow I never really got interested in putting planks (or plank) on my feet and hurtling downhill. Your post makes it sure sound like fun though.
February 21st, 2005 at 11:42 am
I used to ski patrol during college. Saturdays generally consisted of 2 to 3 broken legs and 3 to 4 collisions that generated everything from concussions to ski pole stabs.
February 21st, 2005 at 12:44 pm
*sigh* What a perfect day. I learned to ski in Utah at Snowbird. Then I came back to the East Coast and learned that there really is no more perfect place to ski than Utah.
I haven’t really going skiing since, and it’s been more than 10 years - who can bother after learning in perfection?
February 21st, 2005 at 1:02 pm
Wow, this really makes me miss riding. I haven’t gone in 4 years! However, all this talk of pow makes me want summer all the more. Bring on the bikinis!
February 21st, 2005 at 1:15 pm
Dude…..it’s been almost a year since your last whore post. The natives are getting restless, Blurb.
February 21st, 2005 at 5:11 pm
howdy,
my wife deena and i are transplants to SLC from atlanta,ga(not native georgians),and are in the aves. we too have moved to here not for “The Church ” , but for the mountains and our love of snowboarding!
she is the best hairstylist in the universe (http://www.naturallycurly2.com/curlscene/salons.php?pageNum_salons=3&state=Georgia)and i do engineering drawing of many disciplines and still seeking employment…
we too were at the bird sunday, lots o snow indeed..she loved it i preferred my day up at brighton this past tuesday, that was epic, super light and probably 2 feet of fresh and not crowded like the bird was sunday… not complaining cause a day on the mountain beats….
frank & deena
February 21st, 2005 at 7:57 pm
I wish we had the powder you guys have in the west. Here in New England its very icy…so it SUCKS!
February 22nd, 2005 at 6:16 am
You and dooce have made me want to go ski-ing so badly now! And I haven’t ski-ed in at least eight years, so it would be somewhat of an adventure.
February 22nd, 2005 at 8:24 am
Yo Frankramo, welcome to Utah (a.k.a. Jesusland). Good luck with your job search.
February 22nd, 2005 at 9:08 am
Beautiful snowy photos! It’s like that this week here in lil’ ol’ England…believe it or not we rarely get a thick covering of snow anymore!
I’ve only been snowboarding on a local dry slope up to now, but my fiance and I plan to venture into snow at some point, so maybe I’ll try Utah! It sure sounds lovely
February 22nd, 2005 at 9:31 am
That was a great post,then I read Dooces and it was made all the better.
These are the times of our lives aren’t they.
February 22nd, 2005 at 5:54 pm
I’m sitting here in the 75 degree evening air, cursing your epic icicle air and staring at my stored board and gear. To quote your wife - you can suck it!
February 23rd, 2005 at 10:28 am
i hate snow. i miss the tropical warmth of new orleans!
February 24th, 2005 at 6:14 pm
God, I remember that winter. I had just moved up to SLC from Austin, and was LOVING the weather. I lived in a house on Michigan Ave., with these great several-feet-high brick planters on the front porch. All of my concerned neighbors were peeking out their windows to watch that “suspiciously single, non-Mormon Puerto Rican girl” jump off of the planters into the powder to make snow angels.
February 25th, 2005 at 9:33 am
DJblurb, The Blog Called, you’re neglecting it.
Just kidding. I know there are lives going on outside of the Internets.
February 27th, 2005 at 12:01 pm
John’s muscles must still be responding to the call of the Pow. =)