Demo Day at Holiday Valley

The Saturday before Christmas (December 19th) was a great day to go to Holiday Valley. Although winter had been a little slow in our region, you can usually count on reasonable skiing in Ellicottville, New York this time of year. My son had a final exam (AND it was his 22nd birthday too) so he couldn't come. My friend Bryce, an excellent skier who has made the Holiday Valley trek with me (and Matt) a number of times, came along and brought HIS son and several of his friends.

Little Mountain Limited, a ski/sports shop and travel agency located about a mile from my house, had a very reasonably priced bus trip, so we tagged along. I intend to go on at least a couple more of their day trips this year.

It was "demo day" at HV. This is when ski manufacturer's reps set up tents and allow you to try the latest gear, all set up for maximum ski lust. I normally use some pretty old, long skis, and Bryce' are even older and longer. We signed up for demos, and each got to try two - one Blizzard and one Line. Both were great experiences. The Blizzards were the best skis I ever had on. It was amazingly easy to carve up even steep, ice crunchy sections of hills. Nice. The Lines were not so good for control but man were they fast.

From The End of the 00's

From The End of the 00's

We had lunch at the brand new John Harvard's Brew House in the new Tamarack Club at HV. The place had been open less than a week, and you could tell. Everything was clean and the staff was green. Our server had no idea what kinds of beer were served (we were part of her first ever shift there). It turns out the beer is quite good. I had a pleasant stout and a good biting IPA. Bryce had an Amber ale he said was tasty. The food was much less memorable - the menu is pricey all-American fare ($15 meatloaf, $8 sandwiches with fries).

The Hearth restaurant at HV has been part of my New York skiing tradition for decades. It was always classy and there is a fantastic view. I still liked it even when they chopped off the better half of the dining room. The menu was old and tired, but not as boring as John Harvard. I guess I will go to the new place for the next few trips (my next trip is to Holimont anyway, and that is always a fancy bring-your-own-picnic and drinks affair, no restaurants).

After lunch we went to get more demos. The reps were all packing up because a storm was coming. We were at a ski resort where they get 300 inches of snow a year, for crying out loud. I called them a few very politically incorrect names and we went on our way, laboring with our old skis. The storm never came. Wimps.

New Photos From the Ice!

I posted a couple new albums last night. The first is from a rec league all star hockey game at Quicken Loans Arena (where the Cavs play). the second is also the Q ice, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships from January. Both sets were taken by me with Gayle's cool Casio camera. It has a long zoom for a ultra compact camera (7x). Still, it's hard to get really great results without a faster lens, more light, etc.

All Star

2009 US Figure Skating Championships

Indians Depth Chart - I Hope This Is Better Than It Looks

I got a little depressed today as I was reading about the trade for Mark DeRosa. That seems to have been a good trade - he must either be expensive or not have a lot of time left on his contract, because they gave up very little for a good player.

This is the depressing part - the depth chart: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/team/depth_chart/index.jsp?c_id=cle. It doesn't feel like a championship team. It doesn't feel like a contender. I hope that changes. I have followed Indians baseball as a fan since I was a kid. It's always fun, even if they aren't very good, but right now there doesn't seem like there is enough there to make it fun.

The pitching depth is very questionable. Almost every position is questionable. Centerfield and catcher are pretty well covered. Hopefully I will gain confidence in these guys as they show up in their new spring training site. 

Fairport Lighthouse Triathlon July 27, 2008

Back when I ran marathons I got into quite a rut. Although I had traveled to some out of town races, I found it very easy to simply do Cleveland's in May, Erie's Eriesistable Marathon in September and the Toe to Tow (Towpath) Marathon in October. I think I did those same three races six years in a row. That's the definition of a rut.

Towards the end of my marathoning days I started doing the Fairport Lighthouse Triathlon. I have now done that race something like 10 out of the last 11 years. But it never feels like a rut. It is always exciting!

It never ceases to be amazed me how comfortably I can complete this race with little or no training. Yesterday was no exception. I went in worried (I had swam that distance once in 2008 and rode bike the distance only once, and never had I combined events). I have been running a little more lately, upping my puny mileage a bit.

I didn't worry about much else. I was forced to stick new tires on my bike on Friday, but that was an improvement. The race went very smoothly for me. I swam strong, biked strong and ran OK. I don't really keep very good track of my times on this race from year to year - they are always about the same.

Two of my close colleagues from the firm were also doing the race, making it that much more fun. Mona Lombardi, who also did this race last year, improved her time substantially. Jean Ference flew in from New York to do the race (bringing her bike on the plane!). She took second place in her age group. Jean just whizzed by me on the bike! I am honored to be in the company of these athletic women!

The race is one of Lake County, Ohio's best kept secrets. It may be run simply and the old fashioned way, but it works. It is a beautiful setting and the weather is almost always perfect. Yesterday was gorgeous. 168 men and 100 women participated. Since Jean won an award we stuck around for the ceremony. Check out the photo album - click on the photo-link (I will add a few more in a couple days).

In Training

Well, I am, sort of. Some of you might not know that I used to run marathons (very slowly). I quit in 2000 after about 13 years and 36 marathons (including three or so where I did not finish, but I did at least 20 miles). My time varied from 4-5 hours. Back in that day, I did have to follow a strict training schedule in order to get to the STARTING line (more important than getting to the finish).

Now ... not so much. I usually do the Turkey Trot in Cleveland on Thanksgiving (5 miler). And I may do the Johnnycake Jog in Painesville this month, just so as to get together with my old neighbor, Chris Emminger. My one big event is something I've done for the last 10 years or so, the Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Triathlon. It's a real mini - 500M swim in Lake Erie (can be a little choppy), 20 KM bike, 5 KM run.

I actually have been "training" a little - a couple bike rides, a very little bit of swimming. Lots of excessive eating and drinking (no, wait a minute). The first time I did the race I found out about it two days before and "trained" for one day. It's always fun (see last year's blog on it). July 27th, Fairport Harbor - come on out!

From "Summer" 2008

The other side of the "training" thing was going out to see my friend Frank Foti's steam engine running this weekend. This hobby is definitely model trains gone wild. They carry many passengers on these miniature trains, winding through the lovely woods in Kirtland.

Here is their track from the air.

Frank - Thanks for the ride.

Holiday Valley February 16, 2008

After my first skiing trip to the Rockies last December I had hoped to get to someplace closer to home a bit sooner so I could evaluate my old skis vs. the hot new stuff I rented at Vail. I also wanted to judge the lameness of the comparative experience.

Too much time has passed, though, so I couldn't judge the skis. My long, old things seemed OK. The experience is what it is. A hill a third the length of somplace like Vail (but it feels like a fifth) and terain that probably isn't a fifth in size (you can't compare them, really). The snow was perfect at Vail vs. your typical Eastern ice in New York (ice is damn fast, though, and a challenge). The lines were a bit long this weekend too, but bearable. They were sledom long at Vail.



My conclusion is that I can still have fun on day trips to Holiday Valley, and do them like I always have, with healthy trips to the Hearth (my usual restaurant) and the bar, which is so unlike my Vail experience, where I only hit the bar afterwards.



I have a story of an altercation with one of the bartenders at the Yodeler Lodge bar. I ordered an Ellicottville Brewing Co. IPA (or pale ale) for Bryce and an Ellicottville Brewing Co. Amber for myself. She brought me back what looked and tasted like Miller Genuine Draft. I told her it was the wrong beer and she said it wasn't. I said the kegs were switched when she insisted it was right. She even poured another to show me. I told her it was OBVIOUSLY the wrong beer - the color was all wrong (that EBC Amber is very pretty in the glass, it doesn't look anything like Miller). She dramatically threw the one beer in the sink, asked me what I wanted then and took the other away. She practically threw my change at me. I should have thrown the tip at her.

Vail Skiing Report Card

So how did it go?

Sunday - I sucked big time. I was gasping for air the whole day. My "performance package" rented skis were totally alien to me. I was somewhat terrified by the experience. I had some control toward the end of a very short day on greens. Lots of new snow the previous day, but nothing like that mattered. Not good. D+

Monday - Complete turnaround. Everything worked. It was easy to ski like you knew what you were doing. I thoroughly enjoyed everything. I had a little pain in my calf from the boot. Everything was beautifully groomed. Best skiing day of my life. B

Tuesday - I went up the mountain by myself and did exactly one run (albeit a long one). The pain in my calf was unbearable. The skis felt foreign again. There was a little new snow that just made it slippery. Went for a run in the morning - gasping for air the whole time. D

Wednesday - The calf now had a real bruise. I bought some shin guards and got different boots. What a huge help that all was. There was 10+ inches of fresh power of the finest kind all over the mountain, and very little grooming. Skiing in the deep powder is new to me, but it was gloriously fun. Best skiing day of my life (again, and reigning). B+

Thursday - Still feeling OK on the calf front, and the legs feel good too. Explored the mountain a bit more with my companions, and navigated all the way to the back bowls by myself in the late morning. The powder was mostly gone. Towards the end of the day I did an intentional fall with the helmet cam on. On the very last run I charged down a steep part of a well skied over blue run (that was crusty) and I fell fairly spectacularly. How fitting that my first fall was on the last run. B

Something that was different at Vail from the gazillion Holiday Valley (etc.) trips was that I never even saw the inside of a bar while skiing. No drinking until apres. Respect for the mountain! I suppose the next time I ski a lesser place, though, I'll need a drink to help me forget I am not at Vail.

Party scene gets a B- for this trip. Enjoyable, but very reserved - nothing at all as crazy as I prefer (occasionally). I suppose that's about what it should be.

Vail December 2007

I haven't had time to do everything I would have like to do while I am here in Vail, but I have uploaded all my photos and helmet cam videos. I'll add to this post as time permits.

In general, the skiing was better than I imagined. I had some issues the first day with new skis, the altitude and the big mountain, and on the third day I couldn't bear the pain from a bruise on my calf, but otherwise it was outstanding.

I always wondered if I would be able to ski multiple days in a row. No problem!

Slideshow (double-click and open it in another window):



Helmet cams (see what I saw and try the amazing youtube control):

Heading to Vail! Woo Hoo!

I first went skiing in 1972. BUT, I call myself, "the skier OBVIOUSLY from Ohio." It's not just that I've never skied any real mountains or seldom frequently enough to amass much skill, I don't think I have much natural talent.

No matter. I make up for that with the ability to have as good a time as anyone. On rare occasions, I think I look good doing it. Spectacular, sometimes, until the terrible fall comes. At my age (50) and with my history (worn out body parts from many marathons), I usually can only take one nasty fall per day. I'm not sure I can take more than one day of skiing.

Colorado Ski Report

A week from Saturday (December 8th), I'll be in the Rocky Mountains on a REAL ski trip for the first time. It's very interesting that almost none of the skiers I've met who are on this trip have the kind of humility I've displayed on this page! I met a bunch of them tonight and, although they are a really fun bunch of people, every single one of them is (at least conversationally) twice the skier I am. These are all much more experienced (and older) skiers.

I've experienced something like this before, going on a ski trip by bus with a group much older than me. This group seems just as old and more skilled.

No worries, though. If anything, this is a sociable group. I am sure I will enjoy the trip. Hopefully I will do well on the slopes.

Marino, Zappa, Triathlon and Scion

I think I'll blow my wad and write about all the topics that are current. I could spread this out, but I won't.

Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush at the Cleveland House of Blues on Friday (July 27, 2007) was a great show. I've known of Marino for years, and have a few of his recordings, but I did not know what to expect for the live show. I went with my old friend Nick and we got some last minute, slightly-obstructed-view balcony seats. The balcony at the HOB has outstanding sound (although I otherwise despise the venue because of the tax abatements they were given - that was unnecessary, other local venues got nothing).

My thought was that just one Marino's virtuoso guitar solos would make it worthwhile. What we got was 2 hours and 47 minutes of guitar solos (and we left before it was over). That was only 8 songs (sort of a medley thrown in there) for 2:47. The last song was 47 minutes when we left. It was a great sounding show, and Schoolboy made a very nice recording on his H120 Rockbox.

"Zappacaine" - That's what I think Schoolboy should call the recording of the Zappa show at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights last night (July 28, 2007). A number of friends and acquaintances were part of the packed house in attendance at this lovely outdoor venue. I love coming to Cain Park and Schoolboy got a better than expected recording.

The Zappa band we saw ran though mostly different material than the Zappa Plays Zappa we saw in Canton last winter. The Frank Zappa video duets were extremely well done and well received by this very discerning crowd. This was also a long show (about 2 1/2 hours), but not as mentally challenging as the Zappa show we saw in Canton, and in contrast to Mahogany Rush, was FAR more varied and interesting.

The Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Triathlon was this morning (July 29, 2007). I have run this one many times, seemingly, always with the same result. I did it in 1:31:16, which is about what it has taken me every time. I had some cramps and had to get off the bike (in the same place as last year), and I had some cramps early in the run. Otherwise, it went fine. I was pretty tired afterwards. My co-worker, Mona (the Ringer) Lombardi and her friend Debbie were there. Mona said she was going to speed walk the run, and ended up running the whole thing. She beat me by a few seconds, but she never caught up with the ten minute head start (staggered start), as I thought might happen. I think she beat Debbie too, and that wasn't supposed to happen. We won't invite her next time! :-)

(click on slideshow to see bigger versions)

It was a good time and the weather, water, and conditions in general were beautiful. The water inside the breakwall was surprisingly warm and clean (I would guess 78+/- degrees). Afterwards I snoozed in the sun for a half hour before resuming our quest:

Nautical Blue Scion tC - We decided to buy a new Scion to replace the '99 Sentra SE Limited Matt is taking off to Purdue. The tC has the right combination of performance, comfort, do-dads, and coolness (it's cooler than it is good looking - more cute that beautiful). We had been on a quest to see certain colors, so we could pick. Pictures won't do - you have to see a car. The dealer close to home hadn't really done very well in that regard. We were wanting to see "flint mica" and "nautical blue" (we liked the black they had too). I called around to a bunch of the Cleveland area Scion dealers and on the 5th one found some of these in stock. So we putzed about 25 miles over to a place in Bedford. They had a new 2007 that had a ton of stuff on it, including the radio and safety equipment that became standard on the 2008's, and the spoiler we like. It also had a $1000 ground effects kit and a $449 sub woofer (that sounds terrible) - neither of which were things we would have bought. He offered us a really good deal (a good $1k off), but it's still $600 more than an '08 without the unnecessary stuff. I'm leaning towards passing and just getting an '08. We really like the new head and tail lights they have too.

At least I am pretty sure we have settled on Nautical Blue! Click on the picture to see more.

Bob Klass
July 29, 2007