My chairlift story of the day...

Yesterday, I rode on chair with two guys in their late 30s who didn't know where to ski in order to avoid the big Saturday crowds. I told them where I thought the best spots were and they asked me if they could tag along and follow me.

It's true that Park City was particularly crowded and that ahead of a big snowstorm announced for today, many lifts were stopped because of a strong wind.

I took the pair down into the shaft, a steep bumpy run that is served by the Crescent chair and both managed well. We then rode Crescent up and picked up a man my age, who sat next to me. He was from Lucerne, Switzerland, and had worked for both Swissair and Jack Meader Air Cargo, for many years at JFK airport in New York.

I noticed that he had a nice pair of skis, unknown to me, with a Swiss cross at the tip and I asked him if they were Stöcklis; he said “No they're 'Five Star' skis handmade in Engelberg and I paid $3,000 for them...”

Without missing a beat, I sprang my skis forward to show them for all to see and exclaimed “$250 at this year's Park City ski swap!”