Brighton for $15 = Insanity

Wow. Until today I didn't know that resort parking lots could actually fill up, forcing local law enforcement to direct traffic away from the resort a half mile down the road. This resulted in people parking along the side of the road and hiking up the pavement with their gear. And sacks of food. You see, if not for the sacks and sacks and sacks of food none of this craziness would have been possible. Because today, as the last of Brighton's famous "Quad Wednesdays", a lift ticket cost a mere $15 if you donated a sack of non-perishable food to the Utah Food Bank. The turnout was overwhelming which, combined with the fact that less than 50% of the resort was open, resulted in HUGE lift lines for the two high speed quads that were running.

Luckily we arrived early, scoring a nice front row parking spot just below the Explorer lift. Not that we rode Explorer, but it allowed easy access to/from the mountain without the need to dodge vehicle and pedestrian traffic. By "we" I mean myself and 3 co-workers who carpooled up together, as well as Mark A. and Kris who met us at the resort. I figured with lift tickets so cheap it would be a good day to get some friends up who might otherwise pass on the invitation to ski from 9 am to 12 pm due to the cost being prohibitive. However, for $15 it was an easy decision. Even with the crowds it was fun and we managed to get in 7-9 runs each. Though because of the crowds it was hard to stick together and we ended up finishing the morning separated.

I took some good spills as I found myself skiing more advanced terrain in an effort to keep Mark from falling asleep on his skis. My favorite was a low (almost no) speed tumble down a 10-12 foot outcropping towards the bottom of Wren Hollow. As I was putting myself together I heard a "whoosh" followed by a "thud" as Mark launched the drop at speed. He didn't know it was there either but unlike me, possessed the skill the ride it out, landing it cleanly. That was pretty cool to see.