Image of Snowbird:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowbird,_Utah#/media/File:Snowbird_Tram_at_Hidden_Peak.jpg

I have been born and raised on the East coast for my entire life.  If you have ever skied or possibly have even heard people talking about skiing, chances are you have heard the expression, “ski the East.”

Skiing on the East coast is known for two things, icy slopes and lack of natural snow.  At most mountains it’s probably true that the majority of snow is man-made because there is not enough snowfall.  This lack of snowfall also makes skiing conditions icy because people ski off any natural or man-made snow early in the day leaving only packed down and icy conditions.  These packed down and icy conditions make skiing difficult for even some of the best skiers and it’s not uncommon to see some nasty wipeouts.

All of this talk about skiing on the East coast was done just to demonstrate what usual skiing conditions were during my normal ski trips which normally took place in East coast states like Vermont, New York, Canada, and Pennsylvania.  Now I am going to switch gears and talk about skiing on the West coast.  Skiing on the West coast (it’s ironic cause most skiing on the West coast actually takes place on states that I would consider more middle America) is known for great conditions and always having fresh powder.  Such conditions are unheard of on the East coast and are sought after by every skier on the East Coast.  Therefore, when I was given the opportunity to ski out West for my 16^th birthday, I was elated at this opportunity.

Prior to my 16^th birthday, I never skied out West and had only heard stories about how amazing it was.  For my trip out West, I went to Utah and skied at Park City and at Snowbird.  Park City was the first mountain I skied at and it completely changed the way I viewed skiing.  I had to use special powder skies which were longer and wider, making them easier to glide over powder as opposed to skies back home which were smaller and narrower and did well with ice.  In addition, out West, the mountains are typically much larger and much higher resulting in the usage of gondolas as opposed to traditional lifts.  My runs at Park City were incredible.  They each lasted upwards of thirty minutes and each time I was graced with trails full of fresh powder.  When I skied at Snowbird, the conditions were even better.  There was even more fresh powder and the runs were even longer.  Snowbird is famous for getting the most snowfall in the entire country, and this was proven true when I was there.  At times, I was skiing through a half foot of powder, something that would be unheard of on the East coast mountains.

Skiing on these mountains made me appreciate skiing slow, taking my time, and enjoying each run.  While I am not often graced with such incredible conditions when skiing in the East, it makes me grateful for the times I do get to ski in more than an inch of fresh snow.