Well, maybe it isn't all the time but today at Alta is was FREEZING COLD. And no, I'm not exaggerating. Kris' car thermometer read 7 degrees when we started at 3:00 pm and 5 degrees when we finished at 4:45. Add to that the gusting wind and it was downright frigid. My core temperature was great, the problem was with my extremities. My toes, fingers and face all suffered a bit but in the end I survived to thoroughly enjoy my first time back on the slopes in a long, long time. All told we managed to get in 7 runs which seemed pretty good given that a fair amount of skating and poling was required to keep moving when the slope mellowed and the wind was gusting in your face. No pictures as it was just too cold to take my hands out of my gloves!
You can read Kris' report here. Don't let his post fool you. He had a great time and can't wait to do it again!
PS - I also fell once and yes, it was the snow's fault too.
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12 comments:
where do you kids find time to do all this stuff?
i used to think I had lots of 'spare time' because I was the stay-at-home dad during the day and worked nights.
Yet, I can hardly find time to squeeze in a 90 minute block at the gym let alone a few hours on the slopes or the roads.
i think i need to hire a nanny.
It's easy to find the time when you neglect your wife, kids, job, etc. ;-)
OK, seriously, blogs are like a highlight reel - they make our lives look more exciting and fun-filled than they really are. If you look at the dates Mark and I are doing something fun, it's 1-3 times per week and most of these activities are not full or even half day but just a few hours.
Let's look more closely at the Alta skiing: I left work early (2:15), we skied for 1.5 hours, I went back to work for a few hours then went home. The skiing was fun, but it was short and I still had to work and get home at a reasonable time.
Currently Mark and I are excited about skiing as something to ward away the winter blues. So don't think this recent spurt of activity is the norm.
Even in summer I only ride 1-3 times a week. Some of those are lunch hour rides. Some are after-work rides that only take a couple hours. And a few are big Saturday, holiday or take-the-day-off-work rides.
You are getting soft. It wasn't even below zero and you were complaining? HTFU
But I am glad to see you embracing winter. Go with the flow, not against it.
Oh man, it was definitely below zero when you factor in the wind and elevation change. As an example, Alta is reporting a current mid-mountain temperature of -10 right now!
JE - These three things work well for me:
1. Flexible work hours
2. Flexible work hours
3. Flexible work hours
Mark, you gotta admit having a flexible wife helps too!
Also nothing compares to how cold Crested Butte use to get. I saw one week that the high temp all week was -15.
Good call. The week I spend working remotely at my brother's place in Arizona is the perfect marriage of a flexible job and a flexible wife. One thing that also helps (with the latter) is the fact that both kids are now in school so my wife has plenty of free time to pursue her hobbies. Which - and this also makes a huge difference - happens to include cyling (both road and mountain). As Forrest says, the family that shreds together, stays together!
I've got flexible work hours -- I can, and have, write at 3 a.m. if I need to -- it's the dang inflexible school hours and my wife's inflexible work hours that put me at the spin studio instead of on the road or trails.
It's kind of hard to take a couple of hours off on a lark when the kindergartner needs to be picked up at 11:30, the 1st grader at 3 and the 7th grader wants me to drop her off at the mall to hang out with friends.
Oh well, it's the price I pay. I'm really not whining, just looking forward to the day when all the munchkins are in school for the full day.
The wind was brutal at DV yesterday! Didn't have to worry about falling over the tips of my skis down the steepest run...wind was practically holding me still!
JE - From your last comment it sounds like you've almost made it to the promised land, assuming that your kindergartner is the youngest. However, it pays to keep in mind that this cycling thing - or recreation in general for that matter - is just for fun and thus carries a low priority when up against family. You're in a unique situation and, as I'm sure you'll agree, the time you're able to spend with your kids is incredibly rewarding and, I should add, makes me (and I'm probably not alone) jealous. What's cool is that you're finding creative ways to get in the hours while still fulfilling your responsibilities at home. I'd say you have it pretty good too!
I have it GREAT, don't get me wrong.
I've got a 3 year old still and he's a handful. But he'll do preschool next year and, if I get things right, I'll try to train for 2-3 hours 3-4 times a week.
It's weird. Two years ago I was pretty lazy and out of shape. I started exercising, got hooked on cycling and now I look for excuses to do silly things like ride indoors for four hours with only an iPod and the ladies walking around the track outside the studio to keep me entertained.
When the little dude hits first grade it will, indeed, be the promised land.
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