Monthly Archives: February 2023

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Park City Strong

Friends since Kindergarten.

Did you ever have one of those days where you said- ” this was the perfect ski day? ” Well, a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to ski with my lifelong friend Tom Birsic, whom I have known since Kindergarten. My wife Janet had had enough after 5 days of hitting it hard at Deer Valley, Snowbasin and Powder Mountain. Our friends the Flying Smittys had gone back to Philly. and Patter( Tom’s better half) had other plans for the day. So Birsic and I hit it early and it was a sunny glorious day at Deer Valley. Tom doesn’t ski anywhere else as he loves Deer Valley. In particular, he loves the Nabob Run and also the signature Steins Way- a black diamond that is so much fun to ski when it is groomed.

So riding up the Sultan Express, Tom and I welcomed a guy to ride with us who was from Australia. An interesting guy who was in Utah for 3 weeks skiing and taking in the NBA All Star Game. He was a developer for Microsoft and was invited to the game due to his work on the PlayStation platform involving the NBA teams. He asked us on the way up if we knew the mountain and could suggest where to go. We asked him what kind of a skier he was and he said ” black diamonds and double black diamonds.” Tom looked at him and said “follow us.” I love Tom’s confidence! We took him to Steins Way and the competitive streak came out in me as I got the jump on him and let it fly down Stein’s waiting for him and Tom at the chairlift at the bottom. He looked at us and said” so glad I connected with you guys” and we skied with him the rest of the morning.

The chairlift conversations developed, and we learned about his life in Australia, where he skied, what his job entailed, and then Tom, being the educated guy that he is, began to ask about Australian Rules Football. I looked at Birsic and said” what do you know about Australian Rules Football?” The Aussie was impressed with Tom’s knowledge of the game. Tom went on to discuss cricket and the finer points of that game and I was in awe of his knowledge. Tom in fact had spent some time in Australia representing K+L Gates- his firm with whom he is a partner. Birsic is a very successful litigator and lives full time now in Park City because he loves the mountains and he loves to ski. The Aussie was so glad he connected with us and we kept making runs with him. On one of the runs, he asked politely how old we were. He was a bit stunned when we said 68, as he was 52 and was hustling to keep up even though he told us he skied nothing but black diamonds and double black diamonds. Tom and I took him down Perserverance Bowl and Nabob and some other signature Deer Valley runs, and he was so appreciative of the tour.

I did tell the Aussie ( whose name is Drew), that Tom is in excellent shape. He skis a lot of days, takes hikes with his dog and hits the weights in his gym at home and at his club. So really, Tom works out about 3 times a day and he shows it. He is in great shape. Point being here that you need to be in shape to ski. As we get older, it is virtually impossible to ski yourself into shape and you are much better off being fit to really enjoy the skiing experience. I ride a mountain bike or hike 4 days a week, year round, but really need to take a tip from Tom and hit the weights. My doc, who is my mountain bike buddy, says that I could use a little upper body strength. I have been on this plant based diet and have lost 10 pounds that I did not need to lose. Thus, my doc says, ” Pat- you are in shape and your legs are strong, but you need to start lifting so that your upper body does not lose tone due to the weight loss.” I am taking his advice and starting that program slowly so as not to hurt myself. I will get there Syed.

When Tom and I bid farewell to Drew- he said,” I sure hope I can ski like you guys when I am 68.” Tom and I chuckled and told him what a pleasure it was to meet him and to ski with him. Somehow, I am sure he will tell his mates about the old dudes he skied with and what a nice tour they gave him. In many ways, Tom and I appreciated the compliment but really, it affirmed that we both were doing something right and hopefully we will be able to keep doing this for years to come. Tom and I really loved skiing with the young guy, and it kind of made the day even a little more special. We are still in the game.

I have written a lot lately about keeping active and keep moving as we get older. It is so important and if you like to enjoy things like skiing, riding a bike, running, or whatever floats your boat, as you age- keep moving. You can do things for a long time if you do. Thanks for reading.

You don’t quit skiing because you get old, you get old because you quit skiing.

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The Beer Can

The Mt. Allen Tram- affectionately known as The Beer Can.
Photo courtesy of Amy Phillips.

There are a lot of iconic lifts at ski areas that most people always remember. The single chair at Mad River Glen, Vermont, Chair 23 at Mammoth, and this one at Snowbasin, Utah among others. Affectionately known as ” The Beer Can”, the Mt.Allen Tram has roughly a 12 person limit depending on the size of the people. I returned to Snowbasin last week with my wife and some good friends, and three of us decided to take a ride in The Beer Can before lunch. There are a lot of folks who take the John Paul chair lift to the John Paul Lodge up top for a scenic ride and view. They have lunch at the John Paul Lodge and then if they are adventurous, they take the Mt. Allen Tram all the way to the top to take in a breathtaking view of Ogden, Utah down to the left and the massive Wasatch Mountains to the right. They then get back in the Beer Can and take their spectator descent back to the base lodge. But for those who choose to ski from the top like the three of us before lunch last week, it is always an interesting experience.

Listening to the Snowbasin guide at the top, she has a document that she reads outlining all the do’s and dont’s of the skiing experience from the top of the Mt. Allen Tram. Don’t ski beyond the ropes as there is no rescue available from the ski patrol. Ski under control and other warnings fitting for what was the top of the Men’s Downhill at the 2002 Olympics. You can see the start house on the right in this photo above. But the interesting descent is a knife edge trail that leads to the slope right below the start house. As the rest of our crew that day went in to have lunch, three of us decided to have a go of the skiing opportunity.

My wife Janet and me on the John Paul Chair

Judy Smith, Ralph Phillips and I ascended the stairs to the tram and joined a bunch of younger “dudes” in the tram and began our ascent. The interesting thing about skiing is that it puts together people of all ages. We could have been the parents of these kids or maybe even the grandparents because I am not sure of age these days. Hard to tell with all the helmets and facemasks but the “dude” this and ” dude” that kind of gave it away. They kind of looked at us like ” what are you old dudes doing with us?” And we looked at them kind of the same way. But again, skiing unites all ages and sometimes people surprise each other. I looked at Ralph and Judy and said, “let’s go before we have to fight these “dudes” for a piece of the narrow trail in front of us.” We were halfway down before they saw us,and it was probably a good thing. Sometimes experience wins the day and maybe they thought that the old dudes and dudette could handle themselves despite their initial reaction to us in the tram.

After a nice lunch together in the John Paul Lodge, our group enjoyed all that Snowbasin had to offer. The views are breathtaking, there is something for everyone including the endless runs off the Strawberry Gondola. At the end of the day, Mike and Judy Smith and I took a few flyers on the Wildflower Downhill which was part of the Women’s Downhill at the 2002 Olympics. Steep and a little ungroomed, it proved a little bit of a challenge but great fun.

The Flying Smittys, Janet and me.
The beauty of Snowbasin.

I think a lot about that Beer Can though. You can see Austrian Leonhard Stock’s name on the outside of the tram as he was the gold medalist at the 2002 Olympics in the men’s downhill. I think about all those athletes that were transported to the start in the Beer Can and as I always look down from the start, I think about how they hit 60 MPH quickly and then hit a compression at the bottom of that face. Downhillers are fearless and skilled and the Mt. Allen Tram saw the world’s best that day. If you ever get the chance to ski Snowbasin, don’t miss the Mt. Allen tram and don’t miss eating lunch at the John Paul Lodge and take in some truly spectacular scenery. Thanks for reading and think snow. We need it here in the East.