Ski Darters
Daily Blog - 18 February 2025 - Ski Darters
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Above: Deer Valley, UT. 18 February 2025
46 14 549.
Bandana ski run viewed from Empire Lodge deck.
The image shows the excellent snow quality at 25 degrees. The weather is variable but mostly cloudy.
Snail darters are an endangered fish in California rivers. But, what about ski darters? There are a lot of kids skiing here today. President's Day Weekend aftermath and school holidays. A lot of these kids lack situational awareness. Kids are more likely than adult skiers to dart unexpectedly, in one direction or the other as they ski down the run. If you are skiing behind a kid, who you might think is skiing in a predictable pattern, and you want to overtake him, you must be prepared to expect an otherwise unpredictable dart, in one direction or the other. The ski rules are firm. There is no rule that says the kid can't dart, even though the darting increases the risk of a collision with a skier coming from behind. The ski rules affirmatively declare that the downhill skier has the right of way, so while having situational awareness makes sense, it is not a requirement. One ski rule implies that situational awareness is a good thing. "When stopped on the slope, look uphill before you resume skiing." A lot of adult skiers, not to mention kids, don't follow this rule. I try to ski runs where there won't be crowds. It's tough enough to stay upright on the snow when you are skiing a nice pattern of S turns. But to ski down a run crowded with skiers, including kids darting here and there, places additional stress on you to be more observant.
Accordingly, when I ski, I try to find areas that combine good runs with few skiers. This AM, pre coffee break, I was successful in avoiding the ski darters. I skied Dew Drop/Little Kate of the Carpenter first thing... alone. My own private resort. Next, I skied White Owl off the carpenter. This is the first time I had seen the black run, White Owl, groomed. Again, I skied it alone, the music of ripping corduroy assaulting my hearing. So far so good, avoiding ski darters.
After my third ascent on Carpenter, I skied down to the Crown Point lift, took it up, skied Kimberly and Navigator, again all alone until I reached Deer Hollow run where skiers, including kids, were pouring out of the St. Regis Hotel. For the several hundred yards down to the Mountaineer Lift, I had to pick my way around a number of unpredictable skiers. But, once up Mountaineer, I skied the double blue Jordanelle, again all alone. I worked my way over to my office for coffee break at Empire Lodge via Homeward Bound/Ontario and Bandana. The darters were on both those green runs, but I'm an experienced skier, what?
I'm glad vacationers, including kids, come to ski. But when they do, I know where to go to avoid the ski darters!
Bob Wheaton, former GM of Deer Valley, visited our ROMEO group, LSDM, at Wasatch Bagel this AM. He's into ranching and fixing old cars now but keeps his foot in the ski business as an ambassador at the new ski private club in Morgan County, Wasatch Peaks Resort. Bob likes the way Deer Valley is being run today and is quite optimistic about the ski industry, believing that the IKON and Epic passes of Alterra and Vail respectively have brought a lot of new skiers to the slopes. Asked if he was worried if climate change would threaten the ski industry, he said, it's something to deal with, but that the technology of snow making was making great strides and would compensate for reduced snowfall at lower elevations. Bob said, "would you believe that they are going to open an outdoor (!) ski resort in Dubai It will be made possible with the help of advanced snow making technology?" This I have to see... and ski!