It's All Downhill: No friends on a powder day

[View web version] [It's All Downhill] [Friday, December 23] [Follow Matt Pepin] [A home run on opening day] Ever have one of those ski days that is just pure bliss? That's how my ski season opened last week. I flew to Colorado a couple days ahead of the Patriots-Broncos game, where I had to work as the Globe's on-site editor with our team of reporters. My schedule left me exactly one day to ski, so I hit the road last Friday from Denver at 6:30 and was at Winter Park by 8. They say there are no friends on a powder day, and as much as I enjoy skiing with all the different people I've hit the slopes with, on this day I was fine with flying solo. I just had to fend for myself, I could hit the singles line all day, and no waiting for someone to catch up. I didn't take a ton of photos - was kind of focused on the skiing - but took enough to provide a glimpse into a day that was pure skiing heaven. Here's a photo-essay style report (trust me, I won't bore you with recaps of every ski day, but this was exceptional). For starters, I was intent on skiing first chair to last. Being third in line was not too shabby. [winterpark3_600] It snowed overnight, then began snowing again just before the lifts started spinning at 9 a.m. [winterpark5_600] As soon as I got off the lift that runs to the top of the Winter Park territory - one of seven "territories" at the area - I headed away from the main mountain in search of solitude. It didn't take long to find it, or to realize this was going to be one amazing day with great conditions and light crowds. [winterpark2_600] After riding the Olympia Express lift shown above until other people started discovering it, I headed to the Vazquez Ridge territory. There, on countless occasions throughout the morning, I found myself at the top of a field of boot-deep powder that had been virtually untracked. Diving into it was like floating above the earth, the kind of run that even adults start whooping and hollering on as they descend. [winterpark1_600] The conditions held all day. Even late in the day, there was fresh powder to be found. [winterpark4_600] At about 3:15, I finally headed back to the Winter Park territory to finish the day there. As I jumped on the Gemini Express, which you could ski right onto every time, I asked the attendant how late it was open and he said 4 p.m. So I asked if I show up at 3:59, if he'd let me on for a last ride, and he said he would. He honored that promise at 3:58. [Story Photo] LEARN TO BUMP: Troy Murphy, a member of the US freestyle team and pro mogul skier, will be at Sunday River Friday, Dec. 30, to hold two learn to ski bumps sessions (9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.). The sessions are free for anyone with a lift ticket. Meanwhile, Sunday River has made a ton of snow on its signature double diamond trail White Heat (pictured above with "whales" of snow that will be flattened) and plans to open it Saturday morning. [More details are on SR's website]. YOUR SKIING MUSIC: Thanks to all who shared some of their favorite tunes for various parts of a ski trip. Here's a selection. From Ryan Smith: "I didn't listen to music on the hill until I started doing more uphill travel, a.k.a. skinning. Here's what I listen to on the climb: - Led Zeppelin "Ramble On" - The Dandy Warhols "The Creep Out" - Lord Huron "Time to Run" - MGMT "We Own The Sky" From Sean Kinney: "Songs for any ski trip for the Kinney family: The kids choose the music until we are 7 minutes from parking lot. This can be painful at times. But then ... second to last song - Motley Crue's "Kickstart my Heart" and last song - Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River." My dad would always play Willie on the way to ski when I was growing up, so I need it." "On the way home: John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" and "Country Road", and Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel." And my kids never object. This may be the only thing they do not object to or argue about." From Matt Hart: There's one ski song that is an absolute staple in our family. It was started by my brother (13 years my elder) when he was living at home, just out of college, and he'd take me on day trips from the South Shore of MA up to the White Mountains. Most often we'd be headed to Waterville Valley, and hitting the off-ramp of Exit 28, he'd pop in the Allman Brothers tape into the dash and cue up "Jessica." It's all instrumental, 6+ minutes long. This tradition has been passed to his kids and to mine, as well as others in our extended family. Great memories flood my mind whenever I hear those opening chords. In our family, we don't refer to this song by its given name. To us, it's simply "The Ski Song." 24 HOURS OF STRATTON: The fifth annual 24 Hours of Stratton, in which skiers and snowboarders ski around the clock for charity, will be held Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 7-8. The slopes will be illuminated, and there's fireworks and live music on Saturday. [Visit the Stratton Foundation's website for details]. US SKI TEAM TO TRAIN AT BURKE: [VtDigger reported this week] that Burke Mountain in Vermont will become an official US ski team development site. This news, on the heels of Killington's World Cup and the in-progress upgrades for race training at Cannon Mountain, continues the USSA's push into the East, where it would like to elevate ski racing's profile and tap into the talent base. SPEAKING OF THE US SKI TEAM: American Downhiller, a video series documenting the quest for US success in the men's downhill, [debuted this week] as sponsored content on SkiRacing.com. It's a behind-the-scenes look at what drives the skiers as they try to make their impact in a sport dominated by Europeans. An American man has never won the World Cup downhill season title. HAPPY HOLIDAYS? Last season's Christmas week was terrible for skiing/snowboarding in New England. My family canceled a big outing that included relatives from Florida who were visiting and eager to head to the mountains, but the conditions just didn't justify the expense. This year, things are looking much better. [Here's the conditions report for all of New England]. HELMET TIP: I really enjoyed Skiing Magazine's "Editors' 100" list of the things they love about skiing. Among the New England items on the list: Vermont's Route 100, M.R.G. bumper stickers (you know the one), Stowe's Stone Hut, Bruce Trail at Stowe, Snowfields at Sugarloaf, and Tram Line at Cannon, as well as Tuckerman Ravine. I'd link to it, but just could not find it online so you may have to drop the $6.99 for the print version if you want to see it. THE MOUNTAIN REPORT: This week's visit is to Mont Sutton in Quebec. [Watch a short video review here]. For a longer version, or to see other videos from The Mountain Report, [check out their website]. THE SNOW REPORT: Gear, beer, and holiday cheer is the theme of this week's installment from Halley O'Brien. [Check it out on the show's Facebook page]. [Like It's All Downhill? Tell a friend to subscribe]. [Sign up for more Boston Globe newsletters]. About This Email You received this message because you signed up for the It's All Downhill newsletter. To automatically unsubscribe, [please click here.] If you wish to unsubscribe from all BostonGlobe.com newsletters, [please click here.] Please note: this will unsubscribe you from the newsletters only. If you wish to cancel your BostonGlobe.com subscription, please call 1-888-MY-GLOBE (1-888-694-5623). 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