The word ‘epic’ gets thrown around a lot these days. It gets attached to ordinary, day-to-day things, which is remarkably far from epic. My use of epic is generally mountain related, although I still probably say it a lot more than I should.
Epic was the day I made it to Vail right before the pass closed because of the weather. This same storm dropped a foot of powder that I got to ski for a couple of hours before the pass opened and it got tracked out.
It was epic in Steamboat after they had gone a couple of weeks with very little new snow, only to have three feet come down in one night.
I’ve actually lost count of how many epic days I had when living in Utah; I got to the point where I required at least six inches of fresh snow to motivate me out of bed in the morning.
We offer a couple of days skiing with instructors to familiarize yourself with the mountain, and then if you want to explore on your own, go for it! Our groups are led by Leo Demelbauer, PSIA level 3 ski instructor and Alpine team member. He knows the mountains like the back of his hand, and his love of skiing is infectious.
I don’t want to discount non-powder days…some of my most memorable times have been with my Alpine family skiing in the sun, making some leisurely runs before heading to après or taking a wander through the village.
Skiing Val d’Isere, before finishing up at La Folie Douce, surrounded by hundreds of revelers–many of whom were dressed in full costume –is one I will not forget anytime soon. Everyone dancing in their ski boots at Mooserwirt in St Anton, while watching people attempt to ski the run to the bottom was yet another amazing day.
When it comes down to it, whether you’re skiing freshies right after a storm, groomers on a bluebird day, or even just taking a couple of laps with friends and heading to après and absorbing the mountain atmosphere, shouldn’t any time you get to spend on the mountain be considered epic?