There are times where something seems so obviously practical and inarguably ingenius that it makes you wonder what took so long for anyone to actually figure it out. Then, there are the times where you're kinda left scratching your chin and asking, "Why?". This is one of those times.
My first day of alpine skiing this year came on Saturday December 1st, the second weekend of skiing this season for Grand Targhee Ski Resort. After a comfortably relaxed morning, I got my things together and drove the 20 miles north to quickly realize upon reaching the resort parking area that this was by far the most crowded day I have ever witnessed at this place. I didn't even get to park in the parking lot. I was directed onto some sort of auxillary service road before even reaching the parking lot and proceeded to drive another 1/4 mile back into the woods before finally pulling into the first available spot. I wasn't too thrilled as I looked out over the three jam-packed parking lots below and the 1/2 mile walk to the base area, but I was here now so I suited up and shouldered the skis and clunked off down the road. Upon reaching the base of the Dreamcatcher chairlift, everything seemed normal. Skiers and snowboarders bustling around, lots of excitedness and smiles, and plaid. Plaid everywhere. Plaid. Plaid. Plaid. Kids in plaid ski pants. Kids in plaid ski jackets. Kids in one-piece plaid skisuits! What?! Yep, that's right. I don't know which companies are making this stuff or which famous athlete has started this fad up again, but it sure has caught on here on the west side of the Tetons! Who knew plaid would be back again this season? And one-piece skisuits?! Seriously? Apparently so. So is that the best innovation of the year? Plaid ski one'sies? Well, no.
I realized what the best innovation of the year was just after I boarded the lift and began the ascent to the summit of Fred's Mountain and passed the first lift tower...
Hey look! White lift towers!
Hey... Wait a minute... Isn't the snow white? And isn't the fog that almost always engulfs this mountain white?
As if tempting lawsuits and testing skiers' and snowboarders' ability to avoid major obstacles they can't see beyond twenty feet, Grand Targhee has painted every lift tower on the Dreamcatcher chair white. And not even really white, but a strange hue of off-white which I think occured because there must not have been enough white paint for two coats to cover up the old dark green paint that is still showing through from beneath. And they must have used interior paint or something because this paint is already cracking and there are huge scars of green paint all over them. It looks horrible! Who's grand idea was this and why?
Here's the explanation I got from a guy who rode the lift up with me that afternoon:
The lift towers were initially painted dark green to blend in with the landscape better. Ok. Trees are green. Dirt and rocks are dark colors usually. Dark colors are easy to see (and thus avoid) in the snow. Makes sense. The white paint was added to help the towers reflect heat from the sun on bright sunny days and prevent them from expanding and triggering a stoppage of the lift after it senses a change in lift-cable tension. Apparently, according to this guy, this has been an ongoing problem for this lift. I've never noticed or even heard about it.
Well ok then, so this is the solution to the problem then. But I still have to wonder...
- How come every other lift I've ever been on has black lift towers?
- Why is this such a unique issue on this lift? (Targhee's other lift towers are still dark green or black)
- Why didn't they use two coats of paint?
- How come the brand new fresh shiny coat of white paint has so many huge scratches in it already?
- And why is the fur on my haunches standing up?
This guy's answer didn't really satisfy me. Grrrrrrrrrrrr... Why does this bother me so much?! Woof! I feel like chewing on somebody's slippers...
Typical view from the top of Grand "Foggy"
The weather began to clear late in the afternoon
The clouds parted on my last run to allow this breathtaking view of the Grand. To its left, the little doinky peak, is Mt. Owen. To its right is the Middle Teton. The two peaks in the foeground are within Grand Targhee's area boundary. Mary's Nipple (center) is a hike-only area that can be reached by following the treed ridge on its left side in this picture. Peaked Mountain is where Targhee currently runs its sno-cat skiing program, but it has plans for a future lift to the summit in the coming years.
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