Do you nickname your trails? Guest post from Grizzly

Hi Bob,

“Grizzly” here. I love your site and want to thank you for the valuable contribution you make to the ski community. I just wanted to share a couple of little stories with you by way of asking whether you too have nicknames for trails or places.

We have twin boys who were back from college for Christmas break and we were glad to be able to make the time to go skiing. When we were deciding on possible destinations, one of them asked whether “Daddy Face Plants” trail had been groomed. We all laughed and instantly were back 12 years ago when we’d first ventured on to the Mt. Shark ski trails. “Daddy Face Plants” refers to the Red loop and that particular drop near the beginning – the one with the hairpin turn to climb up the cut block. It was well named.

We have a few others. We ended up skiing in the north end of PLPP with friends and found ourselves at the top of Stroil at the intersection with Come Along, a spot I call “Gratitude Point”. I mentioned that to one of our friends and explained that it referred to a particular moment on a perfect day of skiing when I was worried about accepting a job offer – stopped for a moment, looked all around me, breathed in the fresh air and felt grateful for the moment and the fun run down Come Along I was about to push off on, then realized that whatever happened life was good… I always remember that last bit whenever I’m skiing, but in particular at that one point.

Then there’s “Oh no, not again” which is the hill on Lynx that should be one of the most fun runs in the park but is ALWAYS clogged with beginners who have fallen on their climb. This isn’t a slam, more of a wry observation from someone who has had to bail on more than one occasion!

What about you?