Ski Report '09: Week One...

We have gotten quite a bit of snow around here over the last week, but that doesn't always translate into a good opening weekend. Not all the runs are groomed, much of the staff is still getting the hang of things, and one's ski legs can be a little rusty. That said, this was a pretty decent weekend. Saturday was absolutely beautiful - 30s and blue skies all day without a single injury. I couldn't have asked for a better first day. Today was overcast which made changes in terrain very hard to see. We had one accident - a knee. I didn't do any first aid, but I did take the patient down the hill in the toboggan. I also finished a bitch of a crossword puzzle while I was in the patrol room. I think this ski season is off to a good start!

For those of you new to this blog, I like to highlight the song that was playing during what I felt was my best run of the weekend. This time it was "Holland, 1945" by Neutral Milk Hotel. Enjoy!

Ski Report, Week 7...

This weekend was another mix of good and bad. Saturday I was on night duty. It was in the forties and by the end of the day it was like skiing through a Slurpee. I worked on a suspected shoulder dislocation that was so bad we decided to call for an ambulance. Other than that, it was quiet. Sunday was near perfect. The snow had a chance to firm up overnight, so by mid-morning the sun and warm temps softened it to an ideal consistency. No accidents. No crowds. Sun and warmth. I got a lot of runs in.

Once you get to this time of the year up here and you get a string of 40 degree days you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. All the remaining snow on my roof and driveway had melted and patches of grass had begun to peek through. That's usually when that evil whore Mama Nature rips the rug out from under you like she did last night when she decided we hadn't quite had enough and dumped about ten inches of new snow on us in a very short period of time. Bitch.

Anyway, the run of the week was accompanied by the song "Henehene Kou'Aka" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (an artist Vikki had turned me on to). Enjoy!

Ski Report, Week 6...

Okay, it wasn't quite this deep, but we did have some rare Northern Michigan powder Sunday morning. Saturday it snowed pretty much all day. The visibility was for shit. It was also crowded. These conditions usually combine for a busy day of ski patrolling. We had our first accident almost immediately after the lifts opened. I think the ambulance came three times. Sunday was sunny and powdery and was nice in the morning, but the wind and cold kicked up later in the day.

My best run of the day came during "Going In The Right Direction" by Robert Randolph & The Family Band presented for your listening pleasure:

Ski Report, Week 5...

Week five brought a mixed bag as far as skiing conditions. Saturday was the warmest day yet in the low forties. The snow was soft and easy to carve, but the light was very flat and made it hard to see changes in terrain. We are required to do two night duties (duty!) during the season and last night was my first. I like nights, especially when it's warm. The crowds are low and with the lights on things are much easier to see. I worked on my first accident of the year that required a backboard and ambulance. Someone ran into a metal fence.

Sunday was warm, but all that soft snow from the day before had frozen up overnight and never really thawed. It was like skiing on concrete and not much fun. It was a good day to work on crossword puzzles.

My best run of the week was during the Rolling Stones classic, "All Down The Line", presented for your listening pleasure:

Ski Report, Week 4...

This weekend was rough. Bitter cold and biting wind made conditions less than ideal. Even so, I was able to get in a few good runs. Saturday I was asked to help out with training some of our prospective members in the fine art of toboggan-handling. We didn't get quite as much air as the guy pictured above, but maybe next time.

I had a few injuries to deal with. One was a burnt thumb, not a very common skiing injury (she had burned it on a wood-burning stove). I also had a visibly fractured lower leg that I tended to. The kid had one of the highest pain thresholds I've seen considering the deformity of his leg. I think the ambulance came a couple of times for other things I wasn't involved with.

My best run came while listening to Led Zeppelin's "Hot Dog" which I present for your listening pleasure:

Ski Report, Week 3...

Just call me helmet.

I got a ski helmet as a Christmas gift. Up until now, I had never worn one for skiing. More and more skiers are wearing them these days. Although the guy above is an exception, there is NO way to look cool wearing any kind of helmet. But, as I learned this weekend, a helmet has two advantages. For one, they're warm. It was about four degrees Saturday morning and I was nice and toasty. The one I got also has speakers in the earflaps so I can listen to my iPod more easily.

The weekend was near perfect. After the holidays the crowds die down a bit. I had no accidents to work on either day. Despite the early cold, the sun was out both days! That is a rarity, especially in January. The snow was in great shape as well.

There are certain songs that lend themselves to different types of ski runs. I tend to like up-tempo stuff that I can bounce down the hill to. One of my best runs was during a Booker T & The MGs song called "Soul Limbo". It's a groove and if you want to listen to it, fast forward this YouTube video to 3:16.

I was glad to get another great weekend of skiing in before the weather turns to shit. Here is the extended forecast for up by me. I know to some of you north of me, this is nothing, but for around here, this is not a trend you look forward to:

Ski Report, Week Two...

This was my second weekend out this season as you probably guessed from the title of the post. It was mixed as far as weather. Saturday was cold as fuck (-5 F when I got there), but it was clear blue sky all day. I worked on my first accident of the year - a 12-year-old with what looked to be a broken wrist. Although we can sometimes guess what's wrong, we never give the victims a diagnosis. We always tell them to get an x-ray to be sure. A wrist injury is pretty straightforward. Splint, sling, and swath along with a bunch of questions for the accident report. She was a trooper and didn't cry until her dad showed up to drive her to the ER. There was also one accident that required an ambulance that I didn't work on

Today it snowed all day. Early in the morning there was some really nice, buttery powder, but the wind, snow, and cold increased in the afternoon, so I hunkered down by the fire in one of the warming huts and pulled out my crossword puzzle book. Luckily there were no injuries today.

Ski Report, Week One...

Let me start by saying I have been very bad about commenting and responding and all that shit. I'm going to be hiring more staff soon to make sure this is rectified.

As for the skiing...

Well, despite my optimism, the weekend was not all I had hoped. It was okay. Saturday it was colder than they had forecast (low 20s) and windy. I had to wear a hat which messed up my hair which made me look less cool which doesn't really matter anymore now that I have a girlfriend. Also, in order to extend the ski season for as long as possible, Midwestern areas are forced to make as much snow early in the season as they can. We don't have the gift of altitude that Western places do. Fortunately, man-made snow technology has come a long way and, once groomed, it's almost indistinguishable from the real stuff. Unfortunately, during the first few days the snow is really chunky and hard. Combined with flat light and shitty weather, it can make for a long day on the slopes. Today was much better because it was clear blue skies all day, even though it was colder (14 when I got there). I didn't have to work on any accidents either day. There was a threat of a chairlift evacuation, but luckily it was averted. I'm beat and my leg muscles are wishing I had done more (some) conditioning. Oh well. All in all it was a nice weekend and conditions will only get better.