I like to think I can call out both the bad and the good with equal passion. Last year I wrote a guest editorial about the bad entitled “Poor maintenance of black diamond runs at PCMR ruined my season,” about PCMR’s almost complete lack of grooming on the black runs, closed lifts, 45-minute trek to do a lap on Thaynes, yada yada. And that was all true last year. I don’t regret writing it, as two days later they groomed the rut-ridden Crescent for the first time all year. Willing to let bygones be bygones and my own frustrations simmer down over the off-season, I anted up for an Epic Locals Pass again this year.

What a difference a year makes. Granted, we had some awesome snow and it would have been difficult to mess that up. But, on those post-powder days, you remember those 10 days, when my legs were burnt out from the powder and I just wanted to cruise some steeper stuff and make a bunch of turns, Park City Mountain had some lovely black diamond runs all groomed and ready for me. I can’t count the number of sweet runs I made on Silver Skis, Crescent, Widowmaker, Mikey’s, even Erica’s, feeling like Stein. I still got to do my bumps on ungroomed Glory Hole (actually groomed once), Fool’s Gold, Naildriver, and Shaft but because of the constant snow they never hardened up or became unskiable like last year. And, most importantly, I got my Thaynes laps back this season. Why they closed it the last week of the season I don’t understand, because it was still soooooo sunny and cush — but we have to leave room for improvement next year, right?

So a big thanks to Diedra Walsh and company for keeping it natural when needed, and groomed when needed. I got a record number of days in, and I always had a black diamond choice of bumps or no-bumps, allowing my attitude and skill, and not the slope conditions, to dictate that day’s outcome. And a particular thank you for extending the season so I could ski more days in my shorts, still my favorite other than a powder day. Win, win, win all around this year, let’s keep it going, record snow year or not.

Ed Parigian

Old Town