Woods Valley: Time Flies

The older I get, the faster time flies. The season snuck up on me and my general lack of fitness, again. For Woods Valley, on the other hand, wisdom has come with age and on the dawn of their 60th year in operation they were ready to go.

Early last week mother nature decided to help the resort with 10 inches of lake effect to add to their snowmaking efforts. Ullr giveth and he taketh away, and on Friday it rained. Woods was undeterred, and on Saturday at 10am they kicked off their 60th season. Normally I pick up my season pass the week prior to opening but my lack of planning found me a few families deep in the pick up line.

As usual, Nuala and Kara Woods were behind the desk slinging lift tickets. I grabbed my pass and headed to the main lift where Cam was waiting for me. He had already taken a few laps and was ready to go.

The first lift ride of the year is always magic, it feels great to be headed uphill. A gang of kids had already gathered above a small pop park below the chair. A flat rail and a round rail produced smiles and stoke and early season sends. They don’t need much to have a good time. I’ll do some laps thank you, before you see me jibbing or jumping.

It felt more like spring day than early season with temperatures hovering just below 40F. There was a fog covering the upper mountain but the rain was holding off. If you want to get legs screaming try some early season heavy and wet snow.

Off the top we headed down the only trail open, Copy Cat, a perfect blue square to warm up. On the flatter portion I checked my response, going from edge to edge as fast as possible. Despite current conditioning, my body hadn’t forgotten how to ride. With each turn I went deeper and lower, the soft snow allowing me to lay my edge in confidently.

Cam was in full form. He rides a particularly wide board and was leaving some deep trenches. By the time I caught up with him I was feeling it in my feet. The boots were a little stiff after the off season, so it took a few runs and some adjustments to get ’em loose.

After several runs we headed in for a break and a brew. The lodge has been undergoing renovation and is nearing completion. Inside the lodge has been updated but still has that nostalgic ski chalet feel. Outside, the wrap around porch is almost complete with the final addition being a set of stairs for front access. It’s the perfect location for our company Christmas party this coming week.

After 60 years of operation Woods has a few things down pat. Good food, good people and good snow. I’m excited for what’s coming next. Before I left for the day I bumped into Tim Woods. I had seen the new lift being staged in front of the maintenance barn and just had to know where it’s going. His plan is to replace the old T-bar but run the lift all the way to the top. It’s time to get in shape.