“From the flight deck, we’ve reached our cruising altitude of 31,000 feet”, says the pilot over the intercom. I’m on the front end of a 7- hour flight to upstate NY for my niece’s wedding and the only trails in sight are of the vaporous con-trail variety. Sitting on a plane for several hours is a challenge for those of us who are constantly in motion, but I do find that air travel is a great opportunity to slow down and reflect on recent experiences as they relate to work, relationships and life in general. It’s where the 30,000-foot view comes into focus both figuratively and literally.
With September seamlessly flowing into October and summer into fall, it’s a great time to reflect on the season that was, and shift focus to the upcoming winter trails season. Historically, October has marked the end of summer trail operations, as well as the month we say “so long” to our seasonal staff as they take a much-needed break before moving on to their winter gigs. And in the case of third-year crew member and all-around great guy, Derek DeHaas, that new gig also included the consummation of a life-long partnership. This past Wednesday, our team celebrated and sent off Derek as he prepared to drive back to his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico to marry his best friend and partner of 12 years, Kendall. Congrats to the newlyweds!
Last week we also said goodbye to crew member, Sean “Hoopty” Ward, as he would call it a season – his third as well. Sean has put in his time behind the sticks, gaining valuable experience as a machine operator and trail builder. He did a great job this season with tread and drainage work on both Rusty Shovel and Jenni’s trail, as well as cutting his teeth on a significant chunk of the challenging Bonanza to WOW connection, “Wowza”. We wish him all the best and many deep powder days this winter.
In the coming weeks we’ll say goodbye to more seasonal staff as our year-round team prepares for the upcoming winter trails season. Winter prep includes mowing the soft-surface pathways for better snow retention as well as the installation of several hundred PVC markers on the Nordic trails throughout Round Valley, Clark Ranch, the Green Heart and Bonanza Flat, to keep the grooming cat, “Roy”, on course.
In addition, there’s also over 20 miles of singletrack to mark for fat bike grooming. And lastly, before the snowmaking guns are fired up, there’s the required removal of nearly 80 on-mountain wayfinding signs located on ski runs at Park City Mountain and Deer Valley.
The winter trails season is just around the corner, but in the meantime, have a great fall, y’all!
