Northern Bridgers from Texas Meadow on a backcountry ski day
The winter, that was more like spring, is winding down. We have finally been getting snow—more than 8 feet between early February and early March. So, thankfully, skiing has been interrupting my running more frequently. There is a beauty to skiing that excites the senses. Sometimes it's a blast to carve turns down a groomed run, much of the time I am with a few other older guys working my way down challenging terrain that is a mix of steep meadows, trees and cliffs inside the ski area boundaries.
More and more I prefer skiing in the backcountry adjacent to Bridger Bowl where one uses the ski lifts to get to the edge of the backcountry, but then earns some fine ski turns by stepping out-of-bounds and climbing beyond where the lifts travel; the snow there is often creamy and soft with few tracks. I enjoy climbing to places few others go to take in the beauty of the surroundings. My older body likes the softness of the snow, and the lack of moguls and ice. On a recent deep day on Bradley Meadows, a backcountry area just north of Bridger Bowl, faceshots got me hooting. On steep untracked terrain the snow can slide; getting caught in a sluff, not a full-blown avalanche, is exhilarating. The mountain starts moving with you, your rhythm enhances the flow.
My favorite ski moments are making turns in untracked meadows where I can get into a rhythm unbroken by trees or rocks and link together a sequence of elegant turns. These days crowds at the ski area require one to head into the backcountry a few hours after the snow stops to consistently get untracked powder turns. Back in the early 1980's when crowds were smaller and snow fell harder, untracked powder was often available inbounds, and then by skiing off the ridge, which while not lift serviced, is not too far above the top of the highest lift.
The first time I did this was in Upper Bridger Gully, back in March 1980. I met this guy, who now appears as Huk in many of my stories, on the chair that morning. We found that we skied together well, and enjoyed chatting on the lift rides. Back then, as now, one needed an avalanche transceiver, a beeper in local parlance, to hike to the Bridger Ridge. I didn’t own a beeper, but I waxed on about my desire to ski the ridge on every chairlift ride. It was about 12:30, I was making one last run then heading to a prep session for a final in my Logic class. I needed to be at this prep session, because I needed a 92 on the final to get an A in the class, and there was one 10-point point question that I knew was going to be on the final that I didn’t know how to do—it was probably taught on a powder day. As we are about to slide off the lift, Huk said, “I have an extra beeper if you want to go up.”
The Ridge from Texas Meadow and Bob climbing
Two ridge runs later, I staggered into the final exhausted, but with a shit-eating grin on my face. I got an 89 on the test—zero points on the 10-point question did me in. But it was a good trade; I earned a B in the class, but I made a friend for life.
As for running, I managed to put down 110 miles in February, and I’ve averaged 27 miles per week for the first 9-weeks of the year. I’m feeling good, but still no magic. It seems that it is going to take more months of running to regain the strength I had last summer. There are no shortcuts. One simply has to consistently put down miles.
I’m learning to run by feel more and more. I typically have a mileage and pace plan when I start out, but I am learning to allow myself to vary them based on how I feel. A few weeks back on a Sunday, the plan was to run 3 slow miles just to keep loose. But I slept well, and felt great that day, so I ran hard for just shy of 6 miles. A few days later, I planned to run about 10, I ended up running 11.2 but slogged most of the run. I just wasn’t feeling fast, and my right foot, which still isn’t completely healed since surgery in mid-November, started to become an issue late in the run which slowed me down even more. Nonetheless, I got in my first 11 miler of the season. Slow days just don’t bother me anymore. I’ve learned to listen to my body. If I am going to go out and put down miles most days, I have to back off the pace and sometimes the distance when I am not up to the challenge.
I’ve worked out 54 of the first 63 days of the new year including 35 runs, 8 ski days, 16 weight sessions, 7 swims, 1 bike ride and 13 hours of physical therapy. I’m ahead of where I was last year in miles run, and with the addition of swimming and weightlifting I am way ahead on training hours. I feel like I'm off to a good start. I'll let you know how it goes.