Today was goofy day on Spring Dipper at Keystone Resort; a full day committed to a directional board in the goofy stance. I still find the lift experience a bit unsettling but it definitely gets better each year. Getting off the first few rides invoke a sense of peril that I revere as I stave off the onset of panic. After two days of charging and then a day off, today seemed the right time to pace myself. I started with slow, smooth turns that gradually built up to carves with a fair amount of lean.
Once my turning was feeling steady, I took a quick breather in switch (regular) stance before charging straight into the next set of moguls. Keystone is one of my favorite resorts because of the sheer number of moguls available throughout the terrain. After dodging some partially covered saplings, it's back to turning, getting the legs more conditioned to an increasing force as I become more aggressive. I opted out of a tree run at the end to think over what to do next.
It didn't take long to regain my confidence and venture out into the trees. The wooded section I visited on the 24th was challenging and fun, albeit risky with early season conditions. I found myself back in the mix jumping small logs and dodging rocks and other exposed terrain as I navigated familiar terrain. Once out, I made a few cooldown turns and tried to jump right back into the next patch of trees but ended up changing course last second because the entry wasn't welcoming. After a little bit of switch (regular stance) riding to pick up speed, I got back at it, dodging exposed terrain and whittling my way through the forest. The exit shot me straight into a patch of moguls on the side of the hill, which I was happy to engage.
There were a few side runs that dipped into the trees, one of which ended with a bike bridge that is always fun to hop over. I cut back over to the left side of the run for another short jog through trees that ends with a launch off/over a bike ramp for about a 12 foot drop. Unfortunately, the GPS signal was poor for this run so the speedometer wasn't available.
After a safe crash landing I was ready for another round of turns...
The following run hit a rather quick dead-end in the trees at the terrain park entrance...
... I found my way back to a more manageable area. Shortly after exiting the park there are some paths that dip out into the trees lining the left side of the trail. I was pretty cautious, scouting out where there may be safe routes to revisit as well as flattening out some powder in the way to widen out the paths.
Back to the fundamentals, slow smooth carving and then moguls... progressing into dodging exposed terrain, weaving in and out of trees, and jumping over obstacles as needed; a continual training for the more difficult terrain available later in the season.
After a bit more of the same training, I was ready to call it a day. Fatigue had started settling into my back and sides, letting me know it was time to go...along with a patch of rocks in the forest that I failed to avoid but thankfully came out unscathed. After this run I took the easy way home (not too easy because that is a 3.5 mile route).
I haven't really ridden this early in the season and the limited trails available are helping me focus on some fundamental skills and techniques that will be necessary on tougher terrain.
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