Snow 3/5

[Jisch]

I went to Snow today with my wife. Conditions were great, plenty of large, natural, soft bumps all over the place. Bright sunshine, blue skies comfortable temps. The North Face was awesome. Mount Snow is a lot different than Magic, wide flat trails, everything is shiny and new. While I really enjoyed the steep narrow stuff at Magic, there's something to be said for cranking at high speeds down the mountain.

I planned out our first run to be Long John. Figuring we'd get her in a lesson after we did this one quick run.

We started off on the wrong foot with my wife missing the chair, she ended up having to take a chair solo, which was really NOT good given her fear of heights. I was yelling encouragement and instructions from the chair in front. She basically white knuckled the whole ride up. We get to the top and she starts hyperventilating almost immediately. I tried to teach her, but she was just to freaked out to listen to what I was saying. It was bad, really bad. We must have had a dozen people ask if she was ok (thanks!), but really there wasn't much anyone could do. Two and a half hours later (yep) we were at the lodge. She was exhausted from the freak out.

After getting her settled in the lodge I skied solo the rest of the day. Lines were ok, but actually a lot busier than I thought it would be. Later in the afternoon my wife went up the small lift on the right (forget the name) for a couple hours and eneded up having a pretty good time. She's talking about next time, so I guess we're good.

 

[billski]

Bummer. If she ain't happy, you ain't happy.

 

[MommaBear]

I always cringe when I hear beginners planning on taking Long John. Its fairly narrow, gets scraped off quickly and its the main traverse to the terrain parks so you've got park rats whizzing by you. I avoid it at all costs (and I'm an advanced intermediate skier).

I think the chair you referenced is the Canyon chair. Its a much shorter ride than the Summit Chair. Take a right off the chair and the first trail on the right take you down Snowdance - a wide open easy going trail. I suggest that one to start next time. (Kudos to you both that she still wants a "next time"!!)

 

[Jisch]

I just pulled out the map, it was the Discovery Center chair she was taking at the end of the day.

The main problem my wife had with Long John was the edges of the trail, as illogical as it sounds she feels like she's going to get flung off the side of the trail and literally fall off the mountain. No matter how many times I experience it, I always underestimate just how afraid of heights she is. It's a full on phobia. Once she gets the fear going any rational thinking is gone - and she readily admits that. The groms weren't so bad, but you're right that does add to the negativity of that trail. She kept saying on the trip home how steep that trail was.

 

[MommaBear]

I was also going to comment on how their's no "railing" on that trail...lol! It does feel like you are on the edge and could fall off - another thing I thought was odd for a beginner trail. When I first started skiing, I had that same sensation on similar trails. Don't remember what mountain, but I know we'd come around a turn and I was always afraid I was going to go right off the cliff. Terrified me everytime. Now, I try to concentrate on the view instead. : )

After posting about the Canyon trail, I thought that maybe you had referred to the Discovery chair. That's the learning area - a good place for her to have started. I still recommend the Canyon chair to Snowdance next trip. There are only tree lines on each side of that wide open trail. The Sundance lodge also has a lower (shorter) lift servicing green trails.