Friday, August 31, 2007

The Expanding Universe


Over the last few days I've seen some incredible night skies. Those who have never travelled outside of the industrialized world can't really have a sense of what the skies look like so far removed from city lights. Even in the great parks of the American West and on the islands of the Caribbean where the night sky is free from light pollution, the number of visible celestial objects pales in comparison to more far flung locales. I'm fortunate to have been in a few such places and I'm always struck by the enormity of what we can see from them. I include the Southern Alps in that rarefied category. Recently we experienced a lunar eclipse in spectacular fashion and it really drove home the point. There's nothing like a blood-red moon to stir ones imagination.

Tonight, with no moonlight and not a cloud, the stars reminded me of a story I read last year about Elsa Einstein. While Edwin Hubble was showing Albert Einstein around the observatory where Hubble did much of his research, Elsa Einstein inquired after the telescope's giant reflector. When told that it was used to determine the size and shape of the universe, Elsa reportedly said to Hubble "My husband does that on the back of an old envelope." Walking home from Wanaka a short while ago, I could imagine Einstein contemplating the universe with the naked eye while the rest of us simply look up in amazement.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Pink

We've all hit the mid-season blues here in Wanaka and up at Treble Cone, so it's definitely time for a top ten list. Here are the top ten things I miss about home:

10. Trees. At Okemo we love to ski in the woods and at TC there isn't a single tree in the place. It makes skiing in flat light particularly difficult, seriously.
9. Critters. There simply aren't any, except for the rabbits which were brought in by the English (I can only guess why the English would bring in rabbits). There are literally no indigenous mammals here on the South Island, no rodents, nothing. The only things that scamper are the drunken teenagers.
8. Fresh Food. And you thought the Shaws in Ludlow was bad ...
7. Buffalo Sauce. Mmmmm. I get delirious thinking about it.
6. Cheep Beer. I never thought it'd be a good recruiting tool for Okemo that we can buy a 36-pack of High Life for under $20. It's the simple things in life.
5. Free Condiments. Imagine paying $.50 for a pack of "tomato sauce" and it's not even proper ketchup. Don't even consider looking for mustard or relish.
4. A Comfortable Bed. My back is a mess.
3. Diversity. I am the closest thing in Wanaka to a swarthy ethnic type. There are some Asian tourists but the only diversity in town comes from me, an Israeli snowboard instructor who grew up in New Jersey, the Indians who run Bombay Palace, and the Turks who run the kebab takeout joint. The Maori are only on the North Island and Wanaka is incredibly white as a consequence. The place is so white that the Scots in town add color. Some pigmentation and some ethnic food in the supermarket would spice the place up, literally and figuratively.
2. Old People. The average age of the staff at Treble Cone must be under 25. I'm a bona fide geezer.

And the Number One Thing I Miss About Home ...

Insulation. I brought a bunch of thermal long underwear to NZ to use while skiing and the only time I wear it is when I go to bed at night. The Kiwis are just now figuring out how to insulate their homes, use double-glazed windows and weather stripping, and heat their houses with something other than plug-in heaters and fireplaces. Heck, our fireplace doesn't even have a flue we can close. Plus, when the wind blows I could sail a boat around my bedroom. Mind boggling, and very, very uncomfortable.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Blitzschnell Part 2

Here's some video I shot on Thursday morning, August 9th, of the Austrian World Cup squad training slalom at Treble Cone. Yes, these guys are good.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Blitzschnell


Who are these guys, just hanging out, chewing the fat while doing some light off-season slalom training? Why yes, it's the Austrian men's World Cup ski team, of course. Just in case you're not impressed by the numerous Olympic, World Championship and World Cup titles in this crowd, you can come to Treble Cone, participate in one of our five day intensive ski school programs, and get credentialed for an early morning lift ride to watch them up close and see just how good they are. All kidding aside, this morning I had the opportunity to take my guests to watch the Austrians train slalom up close in a relaxed environment on a hill with no fans, no officials or gatekeepers, and no fence in between us and them. Once we got over the giddiness of it all, the experience provided an an incredibly fertile learning environment. It also allowed us to share in our passion for the sport and talk seriously about why we love it, why racing is important, and why these elite athletes represent all the great things sport in general has to offer. As an aside, the early morning lift ride also enabled us to see the sun rise after a storm cleared, providing some of the best views I've had yet at TC along with some superb skiing.













Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Wow

Today at Treble Cone we had some awesome visitors. The slalom and GS specialists from the Austrian men's World Cup ski team have been here for a couple of weeks, but today it got really interesting. Unannounced and totally without fanfare - no press, no fleet of vehicles, no fuss - the entire men's United States Ski Team showed up for some free skiing. They all booted up in the lodge among the tourists and the sizable number of young racers here for summer training. Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety, World Championship medalist Erik Schlopy, Scott McCartney, Steve Nyman, and Jimmy Cochran all bought lunch in the cafeteria and skied on the same runs as the general public - and those are only the that guys I recognized. After a lot of watching the Austrians and hearing all sorts of technical ski conversations between coaches, athletes and technical representatives, all in German, it was absolutely a pleasure to have our guys out there, showing us just how good they are. They were friendly, chatty, and they rip.

I'm in the middle of teaching a five day program to a small group of guests. We spent some time this morning watching the US Ski Team ski, soaking it in. We simultaneously marveled at what the best in the world can do on skis and felt really good about the fact that skiing is such a small world and that what we do and what we're learning on skis is the same as them. Just not as good. I only wish that I'd had my camera.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

"ABS" - Another Bloody Sunset

Here's the view from Ardmore Street, the main drag in Wanaka, looking out across Lake Wanaka as the sun set over the Mount Aspiring National Park yesterday.

Kansas


We received several inches of snow this past week. Finally. What a difference a few inches makes! The photo of fresh tracks coming down from the hikable summit of Treble Cone towards the top of the Saddle Quad is from this past Thursday. It's a little funny here: the moment there's even the slightest fresh powder to be had, people will strap on their ridiculously fat, long powder skis and hike the summit to get fresh tracks. Needless to say, I'm waiting for the real thing but I'm glad to have the additional cover in the meantime.

I skied into the Motatapu Chutes today with a group of locals I teach every Saturday, all good skiers. It was the first time I'd skied these chutes, the first time I'd even seen them up close, and definitely the most imposing terrain I'd ever skied while teaching. I could have done without the insane traverse to get out high enough to avoid the 40 minute hike out of the bottom of the runs, but it was worth it. There's a very big storm on the way and so I hope to free ski the chutes soon - I'll make sure to post some photos. We're definitely not in Kansas anymore.