By Eric Christensen
With the first day of spring now fading on the calendar and warm days squarely in front, skiers and snowboarders are making the necessary, annual adjustments to prepare for spring skiing in Utah”s mountains.
Now packed away in boxes marked “winter clothes,” turtlenecks, goggles and ear warmers are making room for sunscreen, sunglasses and t-shirts — yes, t-shirts.
“It gets a little cold if you crash with a t-shirt,” said Jeremy Pendleton, 23, from Sandy, Utah. “But on those sunny days, you dry fast.”
Students have been enjoying spring skiing on the Wasatch Front for years. University of Utah alumnus Terry Brady remembers skipping class to go spring skiing at Alta Resort.
“I didn”t really know then what I was doing on the slopes, but the weather was great,” he said. “How could the responsible have expected us to stay indoors during those great spring days?”
Brady said spring skiing was not just about the weather.
“It was the whole feeling of knowing finals were coming up and school was almost over for the summer,” he said. “Everybody went spring skiing. If you had a class canceled, you went spring skiing. If you wanted to see a girl you knew, you went spring skiing.”
Hitting the slopes in spring does have its bad points for the fanatics as well.
Dressed in t-shirt and long johns under shorts at Solitude last week, Pendleton said when the weather gets warm, the snow gets soft.
“It”s like skiing through snowcone ice,” he said. “It”s very wet and very heavy.”
Pendleton said the soft snow causes a lot of skiers and boarders to catch their edges and crash.
“You have to stay carving on your edges the closer and closer you get to the bottom,” he said. “You do this because of how much the snow melts as you get down the hill.”
Spring skiing is also a time for those “fair-weather” skiers who only visit the slopes with blue skies overhead and 55 degree weather.
“The snow is not that good,” said Jennifer Dawson, 24, from Salt Lake City. “But it”s worth not having to wear every pair of socks in my drawer to stay warm.”
Dan Mastrom, director of marketing and sales at Brighton Ski Resort, said spring skiers must be aware of spring dangers.
“The warm spring weather melts the snow,” he said. “This brings out a lot of rocks on the mountain.”
Mastrom said skiers should remember to load up on sunscreen and stay on marked paths.
Spring skiing can be enjoyed until about mid-April at most Utah ski resorts.
