this summer i've been learning to surf
im a total Gaper
but a Gaper that gets after it is still better than someone sitting at home
In Grand Targhee, Wy and Pomerelle, ID I found two of my favorite gettin' after it gapers.
I seem to have the best sort of brother and sisters. The brother teaches at Sun Valley, the middle sister is moving to Breck next month, and the youngest lives next to Targhee. Guess I will have to spend my winter couch surfing, poor pitiful older sister.
Anyway, question of the day- Once a Gaper, Always a Gaper?
me- Jay- Valentine's day last year photo-The Giant
So most mountains sell discounted passes during the fall. Here are some deals and deadlines if you need to save for a bit; I never have piles of money lying around.
Sun Valley:
So the season pass is a fortune $1,549 (you need to go 23 days to break even), but there are some sweet deals in here: http://www.sunvalley.com/tickets/passes/. I got the early/late last year, and it rocked. The best deals need to be purchased before 9/5/11.
Jackson:
Jackson's season is Nov. 26th- April 8th (135 days) so if you hit the hill 100 times it's like $12 a day with a $1,195 season pass- no working allowed (nineteen days to break even) But seriously, they have sweet college deals (Mary). http://www.jacksonhole.com/season-pass.html
Breck snow sculptures- two years age photo- The Giant
Breck, Vail, Beaver, Keystone, Heavenly, Northstar, and A-Basin:
The amazing epic pass is $649 and gives you unlimited access to all of these resorts. There isn't a deadline on the website, but I know you can't get this deal after the season starts. http://www.breckenridge.com/plan-a-trip/season-passes/season-passes-explorer.aspx?page=viewall Every time I see this deal I can't understand why I don't live there.
Ok, that's where I know I'm going next season- so that's all that matters- Ahahahahah
not really, I'll do more next Fri.
Study of the Gaper:
So Gapers do not think, "What can I do with my equipment?" "How can I use these tools to enhance my life?"
No
Gapers usually go with- "Gape Gape ditty Gape"
NOHO- photo- Black Lung
A sure sign that you are dealing with a Gaper?
They seem to have no idea how they received their equipment, let alone what to do with it.
Pomerelle has three $20 days coming up (3/23, 3/30, and 4/6). Just bring two cans of food; the food goes to the Helping Hands Mission in Burley, Idaho. http://www.pomerelle.com/_webapp_3849710/2Can__$20_Days
Pomerelle is also selling next years season pass for $285.14 (what? amazing) and with that purchase you can also ride till the end of this season. This deal is good until 4/30/2011. (http://www.pomerelle-mtn.com/)
Okemo has a buy one get one free deal on 3/25. You have to become a fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/okemomountain) and then go to Fans Only for details.
6 days at Sun Valley, 3 days at Pomerelle, 2 days at the dreaded dentist- that'll teach me the importance of teeth brushing. What a wonderful visit home.
There was a big dump in Sun Valley while I was there. Man, was it fun to go everywhere. On the powder day the parking lot was full of locals at 8:30. There was a line for the gangula and the lift at the bottom of River Run (Which broke down and shattered dreams- people were stuck for a while). By 10 AM the top of Baldy and the bowls were skiied out (skied out for Sun Valley- very different than actually being skied out). Then all the locals went to work and the hill was empty. Dream day.
ELEVATED LOCAL - RACHEL
I love riding with this one: She's a snow-maker. While we drink beer and stare at things after we get off of the hill, Rachel is digging out snow guns and checking the snow. She is shoveling. She is sledding all over the mountain. She controls the FFP (fresh, fake, powder). There are bad nights, her eye lashes have been known to freeze together, and I heard it's been -10 lately. But mainly, Rachel and her snow-making family enjoy the gorgeous nights on the mountain. So after all this, she takes a nap and then meets me on the hill. Just to check on the snow- she is dedicated to her work. In the summer she makes money acting like Bill Muray on the golf course.
THE RIPER
I chased this cat everywhere around the mountain. He rips. Anyway, I have no idea who he is, but I followed him to many a secret stash. Mountain crush (he's probably 12 and I'm gross). Thanks secret bright guy
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY GAPING:
DISCOUNTS
Sun Valley: Liftopia, Costco in Twin Falls does deals for 2 or 3 days, and early and late season you can stay at the lodge and ski for around $80
Pomerelle: They wont give me a discount and I taught there and my fam still teaches there, but the freshies in the trees all day is worth the $38
I'm back in the west visiting my fam and the mountains. Yesterday was my first day home and I was beaten down by Baldy (Sun Valley). I'm walking like an 80 year old. Today my dad and I went to Pomerelle. Pomerelle is in the Sawtooth National Forest. I learned to ride at Pomerelle. I was raised there. I went to Pomerelle every weekend from age six to sixteen. Everyone in my family taught skiing or snowboarding there except for my mom. I have the best memories of this place. It's not as steep as Sun Valley, but it gets killer snow. If there is a chance of it snowing anywhere, it is snowing at Pomerelle. The mountain has two lifts, neither one of them are quads- so they give you time to rest, but also time to freeze. I find moving your arms as fast as possible will take care of the freezing. The mountain has been run by the same family for as long as I've been going there. I also don't think anyone is allowed to have a day off, I always see the whole family working. Did I mention that no one is ever there and you can get freshies at three in the afternoon? Yeah, so they've got that going for them.
the pic is punch last spring- no shooting today- it was a powder day
"The Art of Classic Rock" (http://artofclassicrock.com/) release party was on Tues. at CBGBs. I mean what used to be CBGBs, it is now a John Varvatos shop. Rich (http://richardmarot.com/) took the pictures for this book and Ryan (http://stopdownphotography.com/) assisted. Rich photographed 1200 pieces of rock history from one dude's collection- Rob Roth. Pretty phenomenal.
While I was at the party sipping fancy tequila concoctions, I got a phone call from Good Luck inviting me to go see Cake at Irving Plaza. Apparently all of his girlfriends were busy. The first song I heard when I got to the show was "Rock'n'Roll Lifestyle" (How do you afford your rock'n'roll lifestyle?). Ironic, after leaving the John Varvatos shop.
It can be freezing on the lift at Pomerelle (http://www.pomerelle-mtn.com) when that wind hits so I used to teach songs to my brother and sisters so we could bug out and stay warm. This was one of the songs I taught them:
John McCrea was hilarious. He's all about crowd participation. Which creates a great vibe, the audience was really into it. They don't have a set list, so you can just yell stuff out and maybe they will play it. Cake started their encore with Black Sabbath's "War Pigs"- awesome.
After the show Good Luck and I headed downtown to Max Fish. On the way a bus blaring music full of celebrating Jews gave us a menorah and a dreidel. Happy Hanukkah!
and for all you degenerates- Mars bar and Max Fish are closing soon. we will have to find other disgusting bathrooms to go to.
I hit a tree while riding at Pomerelle last year right after Christmas. I hit trees all the time; they like it. I took another run, but I knew something was wrong when I couldn't buckle my bindings with my right hand. I had broken my arm. I had a trip planned to Colorado at the end of January. My doctor said I could go ride, I just needed to keep my cast dry. The nurse told me to go get some cow insemination gloves (remember, this is Idaho), the glove would keep my cast dry. So my sister Mary and I went to D & B supply, a local farm supply store, as soon as we walked in the door a man came up to me and said, "Cow insemination gloves?". How did he know? My arm was hidden under my coat. Photo- Ryan Zimmerman (http://stopdownphotography.com/)
