Spring skiing is a gamble. When we were at Park City Mountain Resort two years ago for Spring Break, we had the best conditions ever–over 30 inches of fresh powder with a 110-inch base.
For the non-skiers of the world, this is the equivalent of giving Jamie a free pass to spend the entire day in his pumpkin patch.
The 2011-2012 season has been a completely different story. Many ski resorts have had their worst snow conditions in 30 years and PCMR was no exception. Though the mountain is still covered in snow (though patchy in places), the surrounding areas are completely devoid of it.
It’s surreal to be on a ski vacation without a lot of white stuff.
There are advantages and disadvantages to this. Though the snow wasn’t the greatest, we still had one of our favorite vacations ever. It also afforded us to the opportunity to have some adventures off the slopes. On Wednesday, Jamie and I played hookey after we dropped the kids off in ski school and hiked to the Park City Hill Summit where a bold “PC” is scribbled across it.
Allegedly. We overshot it completely so never actually saw the symbol.
Our first day skiing at PCMR confirmed what I have long suspected: I absolutely suck at skiing icy conditions. (This is a generous observation).
But then a funny thing happened: it rained. I thought this was be the worst thing that could happen but I was wrong. The moisture actually softened up the snow so our final couple of days were soft, slushy and FUN. I fell in love with spring skiing for the first time.
Though don’t get me wrong: I’d take 30 inches of fresh pow ANYDAY over slush.
Next year?
Tomorrow: Stay tuned for why Jamie’s mom is a pretty darn cool high-flying, adventurous Grandma!!!
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 