Vertical thinking

In most people’s opinion, the best way to measure how much one skis is by counting the total vertical drop. I agree with that approach. When I ski, I keep track of my total vertical on any given day and of course during the course of the season. While I have skied over 1 million vertical in recent winters now that I’m retired, my record days have stood out. To beat a daily record you need access to a lift that’s both steep and fast. I found one in Sunshine Village, near Banff, in Alberta, on March 30, 2003 when I logged 46,787 foot vertical in four and a half hour (that meant 10,397 foot per hour). This was very hard work as I skied laps down on a steep, crudy run, off Goat’s Eye Express; the next day, I couldn’t walk down the stairs. On March 10, 2005, I beat that record in Park City, on Silverlode lift, logging 50,625 feet. That run however was groomed, not really steep and relatively easy compared to Goat’s Eye. This year, my plan is to break the 60,000 foot level as a way to celebrate my 60th birthday. This will take place during the next few days in Deer Valley, on Sultan, a new high speed chair that serves 1,760 foot of steep vertical. Hopefully, my own record will fall. We’ll see…