If I were born a girl...

Have you ever asked yourself the question, what would have happened to me if I were born in the opposite gender; either a boy or a girl?

If you haven't yet, it's a question worth asking yourself, just to let your imagination work a bit and let your creativity open some surprising vistas and unfold many turns and twists.

One way to conduct the exercise would be to assume that our general character traits would stay the same, just our male vs. female psychology and physiology would change. Well, with this in mind, in my case, my life would have been drastically different.

My parents would have been much more protective of me, my mom would have wanted me to become a school teacher (her own unfulfilled dream), my dad wouldn't have hand made a pair of skis for me and never get that “bug”.

Also, as a member of the 60s generation, I might have rebelled and I wouldn't probably have landed on this side of the Atlantic, but again, who knows for sure?

I'm awaiting to read your comments, and why not, your own life path under an alternative gender...

Adding one to the bucket list...

Almost two years ago, we visited for the first time, Fernie, that little ski resort located in southern British Columbia. I think I fell in love with that old mining town, just like our own Park City, but without the glitz, the glamour, and the multi-million mac-mansion.

That left me with a true feeling of authenticity that's long gone from our Utah ski-town. I guess, I can now use a bit more simplicity and a bit less sophistication... Offering a vertical of 3,550 feet over 2500 acres of terrain, the resort looks large and diverse enough to warrant a visit.

Fortunately, since Fernie is now part of next year's Epic Pass, it fully deserves a spot inside my bucket list, that ought to be consumed within the next two years!

Planning takes long, but always pays...

I often is the case that the more time we spend planning something, the better the outcome. Sure, we can get very lucky and a last minute inspiration can sometime turn into a successful realization, but in general, the more time and effort we place into some endeavor the most satisfaction we end up getting.

This way of doing things therefore imply that our mind be always turn towards the future in order for us to begin conceiving and start preparing tomorrow's projects. As we grow older, the temptation is to let projects dry up so there's no need for planning anymore, but who wants to let this happen?

Job opportunity?

I had low expectations as I picked up the mail, yesterday.

In it, I found that postcard from the US Postal Service offering me a career! I couldn't believe it.

The pay wasn't bad and most importantly, the card said that I could “Get exercise while working”.

Sounds like the perfect gig for me. When can I start?

Solving everything on line

Yesterday, I had to use a hand truck I bought 12 years ago, and only had used when we moved to our present home 4 years ago.

The tool has a set of 10” tubeless tires. I loaded the dolly with some heavy stuff and, to my dismay, I saw the two tires deflate and collapse in front of my eyes.

I immediately unloaded whatever was on that tool and tried to re-inflate the tires, but couldn't, because the tires no longer adhered to the rim.

That when the internet came to the rescue and began to spit various clever solutions to cure a seemingly unsolvable problem.

Short of that, I would have had to take my hand truck to a tire place or buy a new set of wheels.

I won't tell you what the solution was, but simply suggest that you to look for it on your own. If you can't find the trick, let me know, and I'll share the ingenious procedure with you...

Who's the real good businessman?

Among other reasons why 60 million Americans voted for Donald Trump, was his reputation for being a very sharp businessman. I never bought into this argument.

To me, Trump always was a real estate salesman that hopped from deal to deal, often while bullying other people, burning his bridges, scaring everyone up, until after some spectacular bankruptcies, he recycled himself as a TV host, just like say, a Berlusconi.

Contrast him with Bill Gates, who under an unassuming and nonthreatening personality, negotiated the best business deal ever with IBM, when he was able to take an operating system developed just for “Big Blue”, still got away with licensing it to all of its competitors and building his fortune off of it.

Today, Trump wants to renegotiate all the treaties ever agreed up before his time and show the world how tough a negotiator he really is. Problem is, the very best negotiators never appear tough. On the contrary they know how to reassure their adversaries in order to get the very best out of them.

If you or I ever had to negotiate with Trump, we'd be watching our back, expecting the worst and giving the man absolutely no quarter. In the end, Trump posture end up being self-defeating and like he used to say about his political opponents he is “all talk, but no action!”

A record winter?

According to friends and family, my hometown in the French Alps enjoyed a “record-breaking” snow level. Record-breaking?

Yes, according to some. Based on what though?

Nothing really tangible; just an impression, it seems. For me a record-breaking snow cover, in the seven decades I've been on this planet, transports me to the 69-70 winter and I have some pretty convincing photos to prove it.

On April 17, 1970, my brother and I went to our mountain village to remove snow from the family restaurant roof (A).

We can see what happened after we did this (B).

As we returned on May 10, 1970, there were still more than 12 feet of snow left (C).

Now, compare this to this year on April 17, 2018 (D) and you'll easily see that the difference isn't even close.







Bottom line: In the absence of photographs documenting a claim for snow depth, always be very skeptical!

In need of perspective...

Recently, Wells Fargo got slapped with a $1 billion fine, an amount that may sounds gigantic to most, but unfortunately, most media outlets failed to place that sum into perspective, which in the end makes it meaningless.

Okay, with the exception perhaps of NPR that mentioned that the bank in question had generated more than $20 billion in profits, we're all left in the dark.

Now, if you must know a few facts for 2017, Wells Fargo boasted $2 trillion in assets, $95 billion in revenue and $21 billion in profits.

To put this further into terms we all can better grasp, imagine that you are making $95,000 a year in income and manage to save $21,000 of it, a fine of $1,000 won't put you in the poorhouse!

Hunting in... Andorra!

Eighteen month ago, I ran a story about Luc Alphand and his hapless hunting adventures in Russia.

These days, the French ski and racing car champion complains that, as he and his family are still being harassed by anti-hunting activists, he is now selling the family hotel in the French resort of Serre Chevalier and will be moving to Andorra.

This spot is a mountain-principality further south, where he'll still be able to ski, hunt the Pyrenean chamois, know as “izard” (rupicapra pyrenaica), ride his dirt bike and enjoy the Spanish sun.

Last but not least, he will also benefit from Andorra's lowest corporate or personal tax rate in Europe that tops at10 percent, the lowest VAT rate too, at 4.5 percent, not to mention the absence of inheritance taxes among other perks. All in all, a pretty savvy move!

Risk management for older skiers

As we grow older, our suspension doesn't work nearly as well and when something break, it might take more time to heal, so it's no wonder if older skiers tend to slow down considerably and stay off dangerous terrain.

Then the question arise as to how much we (older folks) should tone it down as years pile up and that dilemma gets my undivided attention. I'd tend to see a bunch of answers to that interrogation. First, there's the good old instinct, of course, that peaks as we mature.

Then, there is the importance of keeping up with practice, and this will involve difference forms of “pushing the envelope”, like going as fast as sanely possible, not shying away from tough terrain and snow conditions, plus skiing as often as possible.

Finally, there's the big deal; the psychological threat, that is not to get intimidated by anyone and never lose one's resolve or composure as a result of it. That form of fear is the most damaging one, the hardest to isolate and quantify, so never let it ruin your abilities!

So much to do, so little time!

Quite often, my friends ask me how I spend all of my free time and when it happens I don't always know what to respond.

If there is one implacable truth it is that I don't have enough time to stay current on my “to-do list”.
This of course begs an important follow-up question: How did I managed to do all the things I did when I still was working?

A brighter view of Brighton

Yesterday, I went to ski Brighton, a small ski resort that is less than 7 miles from home, as the crow flies, but stands 43 miles away by car and takes almost one hour to get to. The weather was very cold and mostly sunny, with some new powder that had fallen the day before.

I first started by getting oriented on the mountain and then ran into Ben, a 40 year old nurse, on his day off, that took me through the trees like a bat out of hell and I really surprised myself following him as well as I did.

He took a few spills on his way down, got me into a hole where hit the powder, but in the end, we all survived. I just think that for his own sake and longevity, Ben should slow down a bit, but I'm grateful that he provided me with superb guidance and entertainment.

Sure, Brighton offers 1,740 feet of vertical, is fairly flat and quite small, but that latest experience raised the dismal opinion I still had of that small resort only 24 hours ago! 

Let's go greet the marmots!

Less than 1.5 miles from our home is a large marmot colony, near a strip mall, that's providing us with guaranteed entertainment during our daily walk.

As we get out of the wooded trail, we hear their warning whistle, and as we get in view of their boulder habitat, they all start running for cover of freeze in place, hoping to blend-in with their background.

Much more so than moose or deer, Park City is a marmot-capital of sort, at least while the critters aren't busy hibernating...

How good was the weather forecast?

On Friday, October 20, 2017, I presented on this blog, the NOAA's, America's climate prediction center forecast for the upcoming winter. Yeah, long-term stuff.

Back then, they put everything on the back of “la Niña” saying that Utah would see higher average temperatures and more precipitations. I was just worried that we might get too much rain and not enough snow, but still believed NOAA's predictions.

Well, we now know the results. The weather was a bit warmer in January, but soon turned cold in mid February to remain frigid through most of April. Worse yet, no serious trace of snow until February 19 with all the precipitations going to Canada.

Something not seen for most than 40 years. So, just keep NOOA's precision in mind when you'll discover its creative narrative for the 2018-19 winter, next October!

Skiing: Hardware or Brain?

Depending on who you listen to, there is always “one most important element” in the sport of skiing. It can be your skis or your ski boots or even your physical preparation. One could call this “hardware issues”, but in my opinion, “software issues” like technique, concentration, speed and mileage are even more likely to make a lasting difference in one person's experience over the long run.
 Technique is the foundation of sound skiing, but it takes times, it's boring and most skiers don't enjoy the drill of learning it. Yet, it's the live ammunition that is used on a daily basis to lessen efforts and fatigue.

• Concentration is a huge perquisite, because skiing is essentially counter-intuitive as a sport and demand constant attention, especially as terrain challenges increase. Absent concentration, the skier reverts to the instinctive “bad moves” that spell trouble.
• Speed could be associated with courage or audacity. Since skiing is a sport of gravity, the faster one goes the easier it gets, but paradoxically, a certain level of speed or momentum demands gut and that often turns into a vicious instead of virtuous cycle! 
• Mileage, finally, is the secret ingredient that fine-tunes technique and also turn certain counter-intuitive moves into life-long habits while providing skiers with a treasure trove of experience that will come in handy the next time the going gets tougher. 

When all of these conditions are fully satisfied, it might be a good idea to worry about the “hardware”...

Delayed spanking

It will have taken a long time for the “coalition of the willing” to strike Syria for its chemical attack on civilians.

I only see that like, when spanking was acceptable, delivering the corporal punishment ten days later following the offense, would have been tantamount to insanity on the part of the enforcer.

The recent protracted action against Syria shows how dysfunctional and woefully incompetent our political leaders are.

There should always be a pre-arranged plan between allies, that automatically triggers some action as soon as it appears who the culpable party is.

Government, time to grow up!

Is religion losing ground in America?

As a non-theocracy, America remains a super-religious country, but things are changing fast. The number of unbelievers is growing at a very high pace.

The Pew Religious Landscape survey reported that as of 2014, 22.8% of the American population was religiously unaffiliated, atheists made up 3.1% while agnostics made up 4% of the US population.

Another Pew Research Center study from 2010 compared Millennials to other generations, and showed that of those between 18–29 years old, only 3% self-identified as "atheists" and only 4% as "agnostics". Overall, 25% of Millennials were irreligious and 74% were religiously affiliated.

Not only are Millennials less religious than previous generations at the same age, but they're also much less engaged in many social institutions in general than previous generations.

This trend might accelerate based on the 2017 Survey from the American Family that indicate that 34% of the US population identify as irreligious (“Atheists”, “agnostics”, “nothing in particular”), up from 32% in 2016.

I'm sure God is pulling his hair when he reads this...

The Vail-Park City questionnaire...

A few days ago, Park City Mountain (PCM), the place I do most of my skiing, sent me an online survey that I responded to, and while I was at it, I sent its general manager a detailed assessment of my ski experience and thoughts for the moment.

It went like this:

The good: 
By and large, and by season's end, the man-made snow coverage was the best ever, with most runs remained outstanding till the end in spite of very little natural snow. Also notable were the extra resorts added to next season's Epic pass.

The questionable:
I seldom eat on the mountain and while the food is edible, I find it way overpriced, which is why I avoid eating there.

Also, please explain why the Epic Pass prices is outpacing inflation by a factor of more than two. If Vail Resorts keeps on that track, it may soon breaks the camel's back!

I also hate the most popular lifts stopping every 2 minutes because of operators told to be extra cautious.

The bad:
In my view, PCM missed a lot of the early season cold spells to make extra snow, somehow playing chicken with mother nature. Early on, its snow-making paled in comparison to Deer Valley's, its next door neighbor.

My impression is that PCM snow-making infrastructure is lacking and has to be significantly beefed up. The way lift lines are organized continue to suck. Powdr (the previous owner) did a much better job at it. I'm not the first one to point this out, but PCM doesn't seem to listen.

Employees need to step up and organize the lines to fill up the chairs, particularly on the busiest lift. Most of the time a couple of them chat together, doing nothing to organize lines at the loading station. Why?

There's also a lot to be said about slopes preparation and attention to details. Too many runs are invaded by “whippers” and other vegetation. Why not cut that down in the fall, to be ready for a dismal snow year or to simply ease into an early season thin cover?

The challenges: 
In terms of community communication, PCM has to do work even harder to become “liked”. Right now, most everyone in the community prefers Deer Valley because of a rocky acquisition process of PCM by Vail Resort.

Back in France, I have a friend who sells used lift to Uzbekistan and other former Soviet Republics. These folks won't touch “fixed-grip” chairs anymore; they're past this and only buy detachable, even in their hardscrabble countries. I'm convinced that lifts like Town Lift, Pioneer, Thaynes or Jupiter should be seen an embarrassment for Vail Resorts. In the same way, it's too bad that the fixed-grip Dreamscape has too serve one of the best hill at Canyons!

Traffic-wise, the weak link in the PCM lift network remains Silverlode and the traffic jam it collects on the Park City side of the valley. Any plan to complement that overburdened connection?

I was also very disappointed by the early end-of-season closing date, that was scheduled ahead of the local schools spring break. If Vail closes on mid-April, why not Park City?

It's clear that with its 7,300 acres, PCM is already a mighty big resort. Unless Vail Resorts bit more than it could chew when it made the purchase from Powdr, it should rise to the occasion! On that subject the announced 2018/2019 capital investments are measly at best and don't seem to make much sense or reflect the points laid out in my summary. It would seem to me that one good step would be to improve, beef-up and expand snow-making.

Finally, there's the future. With climate change, I strongly feel that PCM should expand its boundaries towards Big Cottonwood Canyon's "higher ground" and connect with it... Vail Resorts should seriously target Brighton and Solitude as future expansion and a way to secure more reliable snowfields that could feed on Park City's huge lodging capacity.

Of course, this becomes more complicated as Boyne Mountain (Brighton's owner) seems to become closer to Alterra at the same time it wants to recapture control upon its entire resort network...

I'm holding my breath, waiting for the response!

The ski lift ticket trap

Imagine the situation: You get to a ski area for which you don't have a ticket or a season pass. You park your car, put on your gear, get to the ticket window and get sticker shocked!

It's mid spring, good snow only last a few hours and the price you're asked to pay seems stratospheric. Yet, you're ready, your friend, kids or spouse are ready too, with their helmets and boots on, and now you have no other choice than pay through the nose!

I came to this realization earlier this week when we skied Alta. The ticket window price for that day was $104, but the internet price, a lower $88!

So next time you go skiing without a pass, make sure to get it on line at least the day before, and don't wait till you get to the resort...

Feeling like my first day off!

No skiing yesterday and as we were strolling on a deserted Main Street in Park City, it felt as if I was on vacation for the first time since winter began.

I've not been working though or skiing for a living, but just doing it, almost every day, for sheer fun. Wow!

What a great feeling that is, but I need to progressively adapt to a life without skiing. We'll see how that withdrawal will act on me!

We forget how wonderful Alta is!

When we live just above 8 miles away from Alta as the crow flies, but when it takes 55 minutes or 41 miles to drive there, it's not everyday that we make such a hop to ski.

We only do it a day like yesterday, when Park City just closed for the season, the weather was perfect and the mountain was awaiting our visit with a fresh coat of light powder. A true delight!

We need to get a pass next year that give us access to that gem of a ski resort. We can't wait for the interconnect!

Trump, flies, honey and vinegar

I've always had grave doubts that Trump was a good businessman or a good negotiator.

He's neither.

His abrupt end of career as a real estate developer and his bankruptcies are proof enough that he only is a big, foul mouth consumed by on-time-deals, short-term schemes, and burning his bridges by doing so. 

As a boss of mine used to mention that Italian proverb that's been around since 1666: “You can catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” Trump is the most acid and repulsive human being there is.

Can't wait to see the end of his reign.

Are ski helmets useful?

My neighbors ski instructors in Deer Valley have been slow in adopting ski helmets. Not so long ago, one of them even hinted to me that they were overrated by asking me: “Do you wear a helmet while you drive your car?” I don't, but I'm pleased to wear one when I ski.

A week or so ago, my grandson slid on a steep, sleek hill and ended up in the trees. He actually hit them with both thighs and got bruises that hurt him for the next couple of days.

He could have as easily hit these same trees by going head first and then, his helmet would have serve its purpose. Sometimes, falls aren't that spectacular or speeds not that high, and this is precisely when a helmet fulfills it protective role.
 
Falls are part and parcel of skiing or snowboarding, and I'm convinced that if even a helmet protects in only 20 percent of the cases (I do believe its more than that), they're well worth wearing.

Facebook's shaky PR offensive

On Thursday night I watched Sheryl Sandberg's interview by PBS Judy Woodruff.

As I anticipated, Ms Sandberg tried to wiggle her way out of Woodruff's tough questions by using condescending “clichés” instead of unequivocal answers.

My take-away from the entire interview is: Yes, Facebook allowed the Russians to tilt the presidential election in Trump's favor, and yes, Facebook was so greedy that it took all the money and looked the other way.

Finally, yes, she and Zuckerman fully deserves that me and two billion people close their Facebook account (mine is “suspended” for the moment, as a first step to curing this horrible addition).

End of ski season Funk

It happens to me every year. When April comes, temperatures rise, snow starts melting, skiing becomes more marginal and everything start looking gloomy.

It feels like the end of a good thing and the beginning of nothing. Spring is still far away and skiers like me are in a sad state of limbo and totally out of place.

In the past, our ski area would stay open well after mid-April and sometimes keep the lifts running through May 1, but this year, as a way to commiserate with a less-than-stellar snow year, "everything skiing" will be shut down on April 8.

Wow! How will I survive such a dreadful void?

My Facebook addiction (update)

Yesterday, Facebook finally admitted that most of its 2 billion users could be at risk of having their public profiles accessed by outsiders without the users' permission, making what was already a terrible situation even worst.

What a fine job, Zuckerberg and Sandberg!

Today, I've been out of that platform for 15 days and have not missed much; instead, I've gained a chunk of my precious time I didn't waste on that social network.

So far, I'm a successful recovery addict and I hope that my Facebookholism will be totally cured very soon.

How to spot and enjoy good terrain

There are talents in skiing that can't be taught, they can only be garnered out of love for the sport. One of these is the ability to perceive and use the subtleties of the terrain that unfolds in front of us as we ski.

Some runs and lines are better candidates than the uniform, boring slope and can only be appreciated if we've assimilated them fully.

Imagine if you can a soft, flexible ribbon, both longitudinally and torsionally; this is what I'm talking about and this is what might glide under your skis.

This may sound vague, ethereal and complicated and I guess it is. Just play with it and you might get it.

“25,654!”

This is the number of mornings I have woken up since the beginning of my life, give and take a few leap years every now and then.

Some of my mornings were still lacking the basic element of consciousness, when I still was a baby, others were marked by some severe hang-over when I was young and irresponsible, others by huge worries, when I had banged my car the night before, forgotten a deadline or made some terrible decision.

A few more morning were marked by sharp physical pain, following an accident, an operation or some injury, and in some cases just general discomfort as was fighting the flu or was just under the weather or waking up fresh from some heartache or other deep disappointment.

Too many mornings begin stumbling out of an airplane, sleep-deprived, groggy, jet-lagged and unprepared to go to work. For a host of reasons, none of my mornings were created equal and, over the years, many of them have given me the chills for a bunch of valid reasons.

Of course, they were also these mornings that came too early without enough sleep to restore my batteries and make me see clearly into a surrounding waking world.

Finally, they were all these other fantastic mornings that made me want to go out and conquer the world and continue the task I had reluctantly given up the night before.

Today, with less activity, far fewer decision made the day before and a lot more wisdom, my mornings are generally calm, easy and are filled with ideas, plans and projects I'm looking forward to.

I only wish I'll be fortunate enough to enjoy many more of these hopeful daily beginnings!

Sloshing down the hill!

The slush skiing season is now into full swing and with it an option to quit skiing for the season, hurt yourself or improve your skiing skills by learning to have fun as your skis sink into that gooey snow that intimidates and tires most of us.

Of course, no wants want to get hurt as the end of the season closes-in and skiing slush safely seems paradoxical at best.

Here's how I handle it. First, there's plenty of resistance from these huge masses of slushy snow, so slow-motion isn't such a good idea.

Some powerful momentum or a good modicum of speed is required to push through it.

The difficulty is in the way one can differentiate between what's too slow and what's too fast, and this variable changes hour by hour as the exterior temperature raises.

The other rule is to be very gentle on the edges and keep a flat ski whenever possible, prefer longer radius turns to short ones that tire quickly and keep in mind to remain very “light” on skis at hold time. It's springtime, warm and sunny, but don't ever let your guard down!

Be super-concentrated; watch what each ski is doing at all time and as soon as one deflects, correct the situation. Stay in the middle of the skis and don't allow sudden deceleration to bring your body over your tips.

Remain focused, quiet and balanced, hope for the best and, most importantly, invite the courage to invite speed into the process!

Exploring paths we never took

For many of us, our lives are the result of choices we've made along the way of growing and maturing.

Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today, no matter how bad or good our place in life has turned out to be.

While the exercise can be at times difficult to imagine and experience, I find it useful and enlightening to go through all the choices we never made, or the paths we never took along the way, in order to discover or try to experience how these could have changed us and modified our destinies.

I do it often as I wake up early in the morning and decide to go revisiting and looking at what these “forks on the road” could have kept away from us.

What I'm delighted to report is that for the most part, I wouldn't want today's results any different than they are, and I'm astounding at the quasi-absence of regret in what was has been my tumultuous life so far.