SST Chronicles: A Basin Training Day

November 15th, 2008 at 03:21pm Mitch Mulhall 171

I’ve been looking forward to this ski season. Not because I'm jonesing to ski, but because my son, Liam, embarks on his first season on ski team. He’s been talking about this day for several weeks now, anxious to get back on his boards. I fill the tea kettle, put it on the stove, and roust my son out of bed at 5:50 am. I can tell by the ease with which he rises and gets through his morning ablutions that this trip to Arapahoe Basin (A Basin) is something he really wants to do.

By 7:40 am, we’re rolling out of Glenwood Springs with Liam and three of his teammates. As a parent, I like being closely involved in ski team, if only strictly from a support standpoint. What I know about ski racing you could fit in a thimble with room left over. One of the side benefits of two hours in the car with eleven to thirteen year-olds was the conversation they ginned up once they forgot I was there. They’re on the cusp of admitting an interest in the opposite sex, and their dance around that subject makes for some amusing exchanges. There were a few eye-brow raising moments, but I refrained from injecting myself into the conversation. I think the dialog righted itself without my influence.

We arrived at A Basin just after 9:15. There are three parking lots, and parking capacity was at least half consumed and filling up fast. Against the memory carrying equipment, buckling boots, and wiping noses, it is truly a thing of beauty to see young kids shoulder skis and equipment bags like seasoned veterans. Surely the fact they are bigger and stronger has much to do with it, but it’s still a welcome sight. All the children on the team handle ski equipment as easily as they ride a bike. It’s second nature now, something they will have for the rest of their lives. What they’re not used to is a forty-minute lift line. As I watch them snail their way to the head of the line, I am pleased I left my skis at home.

When Max and Edna Dercum opened A Basin in 1940, there were but a handful of ski areas in Colorado. Situated on the Continental Divide, A Basin boasts some of the most formidable double-black and extreme double-black terrain imaginable. While browsing a trail map, I noticed this nugget: “RESCUE FROM NORTH POLE AND UPPER EAST WALL IS DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING. Please ski responsibly and do not ski alone.” Mind you, I’ve never skied A Basin, but by examining the trail map and getting a good look at what constitutes extreme double-black terrain, I couldn’t be happier that early season conditions have all these sections closed.

At about 12:23, I spot a few team jackets coming down High Noon, so I shut down my laptop and get the lunches out of the travel bag. The first few hours on skis this season have everyone’s dogs barking. Liam complains of soreness behind his ankle and around the top of the boot. The latter will go away when he gets on top of his skis again. I plan on listening carefully for further complaints about the former. Most of them take their boots off while they eat, something they will get away from in time.

After lunch, the coaches cant a few of the racers boots, adding duct tape to the outside edge of the boot. I’ve never heard of this. Apparently, this enables a young racer to place more acute pressure on the inside edge. I’m interested to hear whether this makes a difference.

What’s been nice is that the A Basin base lodge offers free WiFi with internet access. I’ve been able to get some work done, deal with my ever-teaming inbox, and watch folks ski. Yea, I’d rather be skiing, but I did well to take advantage of the gratis internet access and wait for better conditions and smaller lift lines…

Entry Filed under: Skiing, Aspen, Colorado