MMSC/MMWA Women's Program: Vail Trip! Day 1 & 2...it's good to be back!

The season is upon us, which means we have traveled West to seek a quality surface to start the season. We have not been disappointed. For the first two days, we have made the 25 minute trek from Vail to Copper to do some technical free skiing. The snow has been unbelievable. That might be an understatement, but I can't think of another word to describe the conditions. On top of the perfect snow, we have had two bluebird days with temps in the mid-30's, so it has been a great start to the year.

For most of our ladies, yesterday was their first time on the new radius GS ski. We started the day with a 6:30am warm-up jog and dynamic stretch. The jog somehow turned into a sprint...reminiscent of our first day out here with Dougie Clark a couple of years ago! Breakfast followed the warm-up and then we departed for Copper at 8:15am. While it took a couple of runs to become familiar with the sport as well as the new skis, by mid-morning they were ripping around Copper as if it was February. We spent the morning just making laps as a group, trying to get many miles in the first day while working on some technical skills to help them get their brains focused on skiing again. In the afternoon, they were able to go free ski on their own and enjoy the perfect combination of weather and snow. We skied from 9:15am until 2:15pm, making somewhere in the range of 14 to 16 runs.

Today, we spent the better part of the morning working on balance. The ladies worked hard through the drills and reintroducing themselves to some important skills. They endured a 45 minute one-ski drill run and all saw some great improvement. After lunch, they partnered up and chased each other around the mountain. It is great for them to follow each other so closely, trying to stay in their partners tracks and turn where they turn. After a couple of runs, they were cut loose to free ski for the final hour and 15 minutes.

Tomorrow, we will continue with a GS progression, unless we have a powder day! It is snowing right now, so we can hope...