Text Box: Snowbird and Alta ski areas sit at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon just east of Salt Lake City. These areas consistently make the top ten resort areas in Skiing magazine’s annual surveys, and they are adjacent to Big Cottonwood Canyon where you can also ski Brighton and Solitude. The Cottonwood Canyon resorts always get high marks for snow conditions and terrain. They are in the first major range after California’s Sierra Nevada that all big (and small) snow storms hit. The typical weather pattern is that the storms come in off of the Pacific, drop a lot of moist snow in the Sierra Nevada, then continue across the high desert of Nevada and run smack into the Wasatch range where they dump a lot of dry powder snow on the front side (Cottonwood Canyons) before continuing over the ridges to other Utah resorts – and then into Colorado. The result is a lot of deep powder, over 500 inches per year on average, for the Cottonwood Canyons. Alta and Snowbird combined have a total of Text Box: more than 4,700 acres of skiable terrain, with runs for all types of skiers. The terrain at the top of the signature Snowbird tram ranges from higher intermediate to absolutely heart-pounding. Terrain from the lifts ranges from beginner to advanced with cliffs, steeps, bowls, and trees all available. Alta, just up the valley from Snowbird, is one of the few remaining ski areas that does not allow snowboarders. Much of the resort retains that “old time” ski area feel - but with up-to-date technology and lifts, including a detachable quad and triple. There is now an approved method for moving between the two areas -- a connecting gate at the saddle separating Alta’s Albion Basin and Snowbird’s Mineral Basin. Brighton and Solitude resorts are often overlooked because they are in the shadow of the other better known resorts but they offer some wonderful terrain in slightly smaller portions. Most clubs skiing the Cottonwood Canyons will probably stay at Snowbird, in nearby Sandy, Utah, or in downtown Salt Lake City. Snowbird and Alta’s lodging offer the ambiance of an isolated ski Text Box: resort with good but limited nightlife and restaurants. Sandy, Utah’s, lodging is very economical, convenient to the resorts, while located on the mass transit TRAX line to downtown Salt Lake City’s activity, restaurants, and bars. Downtown Salt Lake City’s hotels are just a bit more money than Sandy’s but are right in the middle of everything the city has to offer. The Cottonwoods offer a ski trip with world-class powder skiing that can range from the economy of Sandy, Utah to the luxury and ambiance of Snowbird’s Cliff Lodge. With Salt Lake City’s many hotels in the middle of the economic spectrum, a wide variety of lodging is available to ski clubs. Text Box: meeting room to hold a pizza party. Great pizza from Mountain High Pizza was the main course. Jackson Hole was uncrowded for a Holiday weekend. On Saturday, many of the club members took a guided mountain tour from a Jackson Hole Mountain Guide. The tour was followed by a wine and cheese reception at the base of the mountain. The skiing was very good and the weather was wonderful. Inversion was the most common word used when talking about weather. Temperatures at the top of the mountain were as much as twenty degrees warmer at the top of the mountain then at the bottom. This also caused a low fog in the morning. The snow quality was very good but some fresh powder would have been nice. Text Box: Members of the Lafayette Ski Club recently returned from the beautiful Teton Mountains and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The trip was a real value for everything that was provided. The trip started off with a very easy connecting flight at Denver Airport because the connecting gate was only about 50 feet from our arriving flight. The group arrived and Jackson and was transported to The Cowboy Village. The Cowboy Village provided individual cabins for each room. The Village was very cute and provided an easy walk to downtown Jackson, A free shuttle was also provided from Cowboy Village. The resort also provided us with a Text Box: The group found many other things to pass the time besides skiing. A trip to the Million Dollar Cowboy bar to pony up to the bar, visiting the local galleries, and dining at some wonderful restaurants. Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse, Sweetwater, Blue Lion, and Bubba’s were places that all received high marks. Jean Stiles lead a trip that included some first time travelers with the club, several familiar faces, and some who would not admit how long they have been skiing with LSC. A wonderful time was had by all and smooth flights added to the enjoyment. A special thanks to Winter Ski & Sports for packaging this great excursion for LSC! Text Box: In The Cottonwood Canyons, Dry Powder Is The Attraction Text Box: Lafayette Ski Club Goes To Jackson Hole Resort Text Box: Day Trip: Indianapolis Firebirds — Arena Football League Text Box: ball is played in small stadiums and is often found in small market cities that don’t have any other professional sports franchise. Arena Football is very fast paced and players on both offense and defense at the same time. NBC will also be broadcasting many Arena League games this season. Only eight players are on the field at any one time. There is also no punting in this league. Each team also has only 20 active players and 4 reserves on their roster. Teams also get four points for a drop-kick field goal. Many players from the AFL eventually find their way to the NFL. One notable Arena League player is Kurt Warner or the Saint Louis Rams. As well, many former NFL players are involved in the Arena Text Box: League. These include former NFL QB and current Firebirds head coach, Steve DeBerge Indianapolis plays in the Central Division of the AFL. The Central also includes Chicago, Detroit, Colorado, and Grand Rapids. Single game tickets can be purchased online through the team website at www.firebirds.com. Take a day and travel to Indianapolis and take in a Firebirds game. Invite a friend from the Lafayette Ski Club to go with you. Enjoy some time in downtown Indianapolis. Get dinner at one of the many fine restaurants in greater Indy. Text Box: This issue we feature a day trip for those who enjoy professional sports. With the Super Bowl fresh in our minds and the Pro Bowl recently over, football season is officially over. Or is it? Just a short drive down the Interstate is Indiana’s version of Arena Football. The Indiana Firebirds play their home contests at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Firebirds play most of their games on Saturday and Sunday with an occasional Friday and Monday contest. Arena Football League is the largest professional arena football league. The league has been around for about 15 years and they play a game very different from the NFL. The AFL is made up of 19 different teams across the nation. Arena Text Box: Page #

The First Run

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LAFAYETTE, IN