Last month I got a call from Columbia asking if I was available to attend another OmniTen event in Park City. Last year’s visit was an epic adventure known as the OmniGames, but this seemed a little more on the down low. I didn’t know who else would be going, if anyone, except that this time I got a Plus One. Yep, David finally got to join me on one of my Columbia trips and reap the benefits of being an OmniSpouse.

We flew out of San Jose on Thursday morning, arriving in Park City in the early afternoon. I asked who else would be there and it turns out it was just us and a new member of the Omniten crew, Landon. We met up with him and his wife, Kira, before heading off on our first activity. We visited the USSA Center of Excellence where we got an insider’s tour of the training facility for the USSki and Snowboard athletes. At first, it looks just like a (nice) gym, but I soon found out there was a lot more to this facility.

Labs to test and measure and understand what happens in the bodies of elite athletes, a full medical rehab and physical therapy clinic… and specialized trampolines, ramps, and foam pits for training the tricks…

…and a nutritional facility where we met Chef Allan Tran who also was Team USA’s head chef at the Sochi Olympics. No offense to my home gym, but I suddenly want a lot more out of my monthly fee!

On Thursday night we headed up to Deer Valley to watch the Freestyle Aerials. I missed this event last year, so it was really fun to watch these crazy jumps up close. The Chinese team looked amazing – I learned that a lot of them started as gymnasts who later learned to ski. It was clear in their tricks.

Friday morning was free for us to ski. I have talked about my lack of ski skills before. That’s mostly because I really haven’t skied much at all, and when I have it has been on long thin cross-country skis. Turns and speed are not something I am used to. Still, I’m willing to give anything a shot and I rode to the top of a green run with the others. They all skied down effortlessly while I fell on my butt every ten feet.

About halfway down I started getting my feet under me, remembering the basics of movement and control. By the bottom of the run I was grinning like an idiot, having a great time. Finally, FINALLY, something seemed to click this time and I figured it out. Substitute ‘sail’ with ‘ski’ in the following clip and you’ll have a good idea how I felt as I slowly wound my way to the bottom of that green run.

We didn’t want to overdo it on the first day, so after lunch we headed back to our rooms at the Lodges at Deer Valley and cleaned up before heading to downtown Park City for some window shopping and dinner at Handles, a small-plate restaurant with food that blew us all away. The sweet potato cornbread was out of this world, and I would be perfectly happy substituting chicken hot wings with their cauliflower version for the rest of my life. That good.
Friday night it was back up the hill to the moguls competition. We grabbed dessert in the VIP tent and watched the skiers speed down the bumps and do their flips as we sipped on hot chocolate. I can’t help but think, “ow ow ow ow” as I watch them fly down the hill. My knees were never meant to do that.
Saturday we were back on the slopes. After a warmup lap on the bunny hill, I made it down the same green run with only a couple of falls, then again with no falls. I started to explore more of the runs and had a blast. This was definitely the weekend where skiing finally clicked for me – I think Deer Valley had the perfect terrain and atmosphere to allow me to explore and gain confidence beyond the bunny hill. We met up for lunch on the backside of the mountain and did one final long run from the top of Bald Mountain. I stopped frequently not due to falls, but so I could enjoy the beautiful view of the Wasatch Range. Oh, and to tell people the name of the Columbia Sportswear jacket I was wearing since at least three people stopped me to ask what it was (Millennium Blur in Blue).

The best event of the Freestyle World Cup was definitely on Saturday night – the dual moguls. Athletes skiing side by side, jumping side by side (if one didn’t crash, that is). Almost 10,000 people showed up to watch the event, and after dinner in the VIP tent we moved right up to the base of the run for a close view. We cheered for US athlete Hannah Kearney (Olympic gold medalist) who took second place in a crazy final run that was neck-in-neck with her Canadian competitor.

As the night wrapped up the snow started dumping. It was beautiful!

We were all pretty exhausted after the full weekend and headed to bed not long after the competition ended. Sadly, the weekend was coming to a close and we’d be packing up to leave on Sunday. But not before we got to sit behind the scenes of an interview with Hannah that Columbia was doing. It was fun to hear her background, how she works with the brand to build and promote better ski gear, and how she sees her career.

I had such a great time over the weekend, seeing some amazing athletes, eating some amazing food, enjoying the atmosphere of Park City, and discovering that I might be able to ski after all. Now if only California would get some more snow so I could put these new skills to use!