Talons Challenge

Doing the full day at Cu mentally prepared me for the beating I was about to take on Saturday morning. Paul, Mike, and I discussed our plan of attack for all 13 runs. It was agreed that we start with the longest double black runs off of Birds of Prey first, then work our way to the shorter single back diamond runs off of Larkspur. We were blessed with 5-8 inches of fresh powder which really helped with my speed on the first few runs of the day. There was enough soft snow for my board to sink into and I was able to make a few good connected turns early in the day. I knew there were going to be bumps, but I didn't think that the ENTIRE run would be moguls! Jeez! The only groomed run was the Golden Eagle which we bombed without any problem. My legs felt like they had been through a marathon and my punch card only had three holes in it. After a pit stop where we sipped on gatorade and chomped a few granola bars, we were off to tackle the remaining ten runs. Sticking to the plan, we completed all of the double blacks and moved on to the single black runs. However, we were a man down with Mike opting for an early beer and bratwurst instead of thigh busting mogul runs. Paul and I continued on to the last three runs. At that point our legs were so tired we just slid down the mountain not even worrying about technique. Even the groomed pistes back to the chair burned our quads. Once the last run was completed, we were presented with the challenge of climbing the steps to get to the bar for our free beer and brat. Neither Paul or I said anything as we ate our congratulatory lunch. I must say that the bratwurst was the best I have ever had! With my name now in Beaver Creek history, I felt some sense of accomplishment. Next year, I will be better prepared and not start training a week before the event.

Apparently, lift tickets at Alpine Meadows have breached the $60 mark. I guess I was looking at the 2006/2007 prices where they were still under $50.