Opening day at The Remarkables

 I hate to be pessimistic about opening day at The Remarkables, but I think I could have skied better conditions in Vermont, today. Quite possibly Snowbird has similar Spring-skiing conditions, with a light sun-baked crust and outcroppings of rock just centimeters below the snow's surface. I know today's journal is quite a bit on the grumpy side, but I just wasn't enjoying it. My skis are made for high speeds, ice and groomed runs, maybe the occasional mogul field if it's even snow, but 72mm underfoot is not really made for crud-busting! I know I am torturing myself by being laden by my pack and my camera, but I still don't quite feel right over my skis. Next time I ski I will try without the pack. It's difficult not to bring my book and food though, since the first bus home is 1:30pm and I think the bus ride is more taxing than the actual skiing. I think that when I bring my snowboard up to the terrain park or get comfortable with the hikes I will enjoy The Remarkables far more, but I don't think I will ever enjoy the winding switchbacks the bus has to climb and descend endlessly to get back and forth, though as always, the view is spectacular.

There are many stark differences between Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, most noticeably the terrain and surrounding mountain range. Coronet Peak looks like the top of a big bowl of ice cream, the snow being smooth and the landscape gently contoured, uninterrupted by trees, large rocks, or crevices. The Remarkables is surrounded by steep towering rocky mountains. It's difficult to see out from where the ski field is because of these mountains, and they make for wonderful hikes to some great fresh tracks. Both resorts have gentle magic carpet and beginner areas, but The Remarkables has fewer groomed trails and more off-piste areas and several terrain parks. Coronet Peak has the more luxurious high speed quad and 6-pack chairs, whereas The Remarkables has three slow chairs with hard, uncomfortable slatted boards for seats.

I am actually happy to report that I can't say which ski field I prefer because they are so different from each other. The uncomfortable and slow lifts of The Remarkables really annoy me, but I can see myself going there mainly to hike the park or hike to fresh snow, and not really use the chairs too often. I feel that I will find myself getting frustrated with crowds at Coronet, but it would be my mountain of choice if I want a laid back cruisey day on comfortable chairs and groomed runs and not spend 45 nauseating minutes getting there and 45 nauseating minutes getting back on the bus. I will hopefully hook up with more people in the next few days to ski as well, and have more enjoyable days up at the mountains. For now I am having fun exploring and taking video.