The joy of last tracks

Thank god for last tracks.

That’s what I got yesterday on Buttermilk after standing around and being a reporter at the Winter X Games.

No matter how cool it may seem to the average person, reporting isn’t actually an action sport. It’s a sedentary sport. You simply stand around and watch other people do their thing.

I spent an hour and a half covering Moto X best trick, a contest that pits a dozen of the craziest s.o.b.s on motorcycles trying to pull off the best trick, usually involving a back flip, over a 90-foot jump ” the distance between the lip of the takeoff ramp and the lip of the landing ramp ” made of ice.

I wore my ski boots to work, because I wanted to be ready should the opportunity for a few turns present itself. And good thing, because that chance didn’t come until 3:28 p.m., just two minutes before the lift closed.

My interview with the winner completed, I sprinted down snow steps from the Moto X area to my skis that were positioned as close to the lift as possible, grabbed them and dashed over to the lift line. I arrived just as it was being roped off. Fortunately, I made it into the maze before it was closed.

I only had one run ” last tracks down Buttermilk. But what a run it was: starting with the cushy, powder-covered moguls on Friedl’s, picking up speed on Homestead Road and catching air and big turns down Bear.

After watching a lot of other guys do their thing on snow, it was sure was nice to have a chance to do my thing.

The Aspen Skiing Co. reported 3 inches of fresh snow overnight on Buttermilk, but it felt like more. Yesterday’s storm dumped 9 inches on Snowmass, 6 on Aspen Mountain and 5 on Aspen Highlands. With all the wind, you can count on significantly deeper shots scattered around all four mountains.

As of yesterday, Snowmass was reporting a 64-inch base, Aspen Highlands claimed a 60-inch base, Aspen Mountain came in with a 46-inch base, and Buttermilk has solid coverage with a 37-inch base.