Photo by Michelle Butler
A warm spring day at the Beav:
Frolicking in a white playground
By Michelle Butler
April 3, 2009 | Once a year, college kids everywhere
leave their books and studies and merge on beaches around
the country. Spring break has become that long awaited,
highly anticipated event where many travel great distances
for sun and fun. I've done the whole leave Logan and
visit warm sunny beaches thing, but this year, I went
to a different beach, one complete with gloves, goggles
and snow. And boy was there a lot of snow!
I spent Friday the 13th up at Beaver Mountain with
several friends. For me, it was my first time up this
year and the snow was glorious! Lucky for us, it had
dumped several feet earlier in the week, leaving us
a great powder base.
That day was one of the warmest days I've ever skied.
By the end of the day, I had already shed several layers
of sweatshirts and extra shirts.
The sky was a fantastic blue, with large billowing
clouds. Being a Friday, the slopes were relatively empty.
Short lines and empty slopes made for quick, fun runs.
It was almost like being the only ones on the mountain.
Having grown up in Logan, Beaver Mountain has been
a tradition in my family. Every winter, we go up at
least a few times. It was on Little Beaver that I first
learned how to ski.
A few years ago, I had a season pass. I spent every
Friday skiing and went at least once or twice a week.
Although Beaver isn’t as big as some of the resorts
in Salt Lake, it still has great snow and with the addition
of Marge's Triple (a whole new side of the mountain)
there are tons of great runs to try.
Over the years, Beaver Mountain has put in a triple
lift and expanded their lodge. For someone who's skiing
Beaver for the first time, these might not be huge,
but for a local, you notice and change!
After each snowstorm, the runs change, leaving you
with a whole new playground. We took runs all over the
mountain. Some we meandered down, taking our time and
enjoying the crisp, cold air, chatting as we went. Other
runs we went full out, racing to the end.
The day unfortunately ended with a trip to the emergency
room. One of our friends hit a jump and it was all down
hill from there. He crashed so hard that he snapped
his ski in half.
After three hours at the emergency room, we discovered
he had broken his leg, ruptured his spleen and cracked
his back in three places.
Good news is, hes fine and ready to hit the slopes
again. It just won’t be until next year.
KS
MS
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