Previous #OmniGames posts:
(Photo credit: Anne Carney)
#OmniGames: Day Two
The second day of the #OmniGames began with breakfast at the #Omniten Hub, a large, yet cozy suite located within the Hyatt Escala Lodge. While we ate, scores from the previous day’s events were announced and Rebecca and I were pretty pumped to find out that we placed in the top 50 percent!
I was honestly shocked and we felt quite proud about our current place in the #OmniGames, but we knew it would be really hard to maintain our solid score since the second day’s activities played to the strengths of most of the other teams who had a winter #Omniten member on their team with ski or snowboarding experience. But Team Florifornia kept a positive outlook and knew that we’d have a fun day in Park City even if we finished dead last!
The second day of the #OmniGames initially called for four events, but due to intense winds, two of the four events had to be canceled. (Zip lining and a simulated free-fall jump were cut which was a bit of a bummer!)
The two events that remained for the day included:
- Lookout Below
- Downhill Derby
For the first event of the day, Lookout Below, we drove to Utah Olympic Park, 2002 Olympic Winter Games venue for Nordic jumping and bobsledding, luge and skeleton. We arrived at the nearly 400-acre park ready to complete a super-high ropes course!
I’ve had the chance to participate in ropes courses a number of times in my life and think they’re a blast, so I was really excited about the challenge ahead! As we slipped into our harnesses and helmets, we listened to a run-down of the courses we were about to tackle.
There were two ropes courses we could conquer: One high course and one lower course. The high course was the more difficult course and our guide warned us that it would be hard to get through and required a lot of upper body strength. If you completed the course successfully with no falls, you were awarded 100 points. A successful completion of the lower course earned you 50 points.
Rebecca and I wanted to accumulate as many points as possible, and we set out to complete the higher and more challenging course first.
This course was no joke. It was hard, required a lot of strength and stabilization and caused many #Omniten members to fall at one point or another. One of the obstacles that proved difficult for many required you to basically hold up your body weight with your arms and move from swinging rope to swinging rope without falling. It was a challenge and my forearms and biceps were burning by the end, but I managed to stay up and didn’t have to fall into the safety of my harness. Woo! I was proud to have completed the course with no falls and earned our team 100 points toward our total #OmniGames score.
After the high ropes course, the lower course felt like a breeze and Rebecca and I flew through that one without any issues. Fifty points each!
(Photo credit: David Creech)
One of the best parts about the ropes course was finishing it and exchanging excited stories with my #Omniten friends.
There’s something about attempting a challenge that takes you out of your comfort zone that makes everyone feel giddy and enthusiastic. As cheesy as it may sound, attempting and conquering new and challenging physical obstacles have often led to the moments in my life when I’ve felt most alive. This was one of those moments and I owe Columbia Sportswear a sincere thank you for allowing me the opportunity to experience something that got my heart racing in the best possible way.
Skiing
With our first event of the day done, we drove back to the Hyatt Escala Lodge to rent our ski gear for an afternoon on the slopes.
The Downhill Derby event was the final event of the day and every team was given 90 minutes to try to accumulate as much vertical feet as possible on the slopes. Since I haven’t skied in well over a decade and my teammate isn’t a skier, we tried to think of a strategy. We reviewed a map and made a game plan, but also told each other to go with the flow and stay safe.
I barely had time to clip into my skis before it was go time! With the clock ticking, I took off toward the ski lift. The group of new skiers that I initially planned to ski with seemed a little more apprehensive than I anticipated and I was anxious to get moving. I 100 percent understand their trepidation since skiing can be very intimidating, but once I realized they were planning to ride the gondola up and down to accumulate their vertical feet, I knew I needed to change my plan since I really, really wanted to ski!
I feel so fortunate that I almost immediately met up with Aleya who was also a very new skier, but quite adventurous.
The two of us hopped on the ski lift (with a yellow cover – hence the above picture) and looked at a map together, formulating a new plan. We decided to do a green trail together to increase our confidence and after two times on the green, we were ready to move up and try our best on a blue. It went really well and though we did a serious “power plow” (pizza!) stance down the mountain for most of the run, we finished feeling exhilarated and ready to try it all again! We ended up going down the blue trails three times and had a blast!!!
On our last run, we stopped to soak in the scenery a few times and snap some pictures. The views were unbelievable and as I inhaled the crisp mountain air, I was honestly blow away by my surroundings. Park City is beyond gorgeous.
Final #OmniGames recap to come!
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That ropes course is no joke. I’d love to give that a shot one day
Wow that course did look intense but fun at the same time. I’ve never heard of the games before but it sounds like a lot of fun but a huge challenge at the same time.
Sounds like you are having a ball with the skiing too. My dad and I used to go skiing every year but I haven’t been for a few years now and really should go again.
The place looks so pretty! Have you done much skiing yourself before?
Its so great you have found a job that you’re passion about and have the ability to participate in these adventures!!
good job on getting through the high ropes course, it sounds like a really fun challenge!
Looks so fun! The mountains are beautiful!
Ropes course looks fun and challenging…I would love do it someday. Congrats on completing it! 🙂
wow, you really are so brave and adventurous! too bad the zip lining was canceled, although it’s for the best if it was windy! i went zip lining once in kauai and would love to go again =)
SO much fun! I am slightly jealous this seems like an amazing trip!
That looks like some serious fun, Julie!! The ropes course definitely sounds like an awesome challenge, so congrats on accomplishing that! I would totally love to do something like that in such a beautiful place one day.
Can’t wait to hear about the last of the games! 🙂
That ropes course looks like so much fun! I haven’t done a ropes course since I was in high school, but that’s definitely something to add to my to do list 🙂
The ski lift is orange, because its the Orange Bubble Express, the first heated ski lift in North America!
Gorgeous scenery! That ropes course looks hardcore!
Wow, that ropes course is insane! Too bad you didn’t get to do the simulated free fall, I’m sure that would have been terrifyingly awesome 🙂
Oh I want to know who won the trip! Haha these are great recaps!
So cool! What a fun & challenging day!
Ropes courses are seriously so, SO much fun!! I haven’t done one in a long time but I participated in one with my volleyball team for “leadership bonding” haha! 😉
I have used Juice Plus Complete for years and think it tastes really good. It can be used so many different ways. Recently, my husband and mother started using RAW Protein. It is a vegetable and fruit protein and is gluten free. They really like it and say it keeps them full. We try to stay away from anything whey or soy.
That high ropes course looks terrifying! Good for you for conquering such a challenge!
Seriously this adventure of yours is so amazing! Good for you for actually skiing for those points! I only know how to pizza and it terrifies my husband so he made me switch to snowboarding (which in my opinion is easier?!)
That exhilarating feeling is the best isn’t it?! Hubs and I went skydiving recently and agree there’s nothing better than a RUSH!
Looking forward to your final recap. Got my jealous hat on.
It sounds so exciting!!! Everything must make you feel full of adrenaline! What an experience and the view is gorgeous!!
That looks like so much fun!! I am very jealous you are skiing right now 😀
You’re making me really want to go to Park City now!!
Oh my, those rope courses look intense! But how cool to experience something like that!
AHHH I would die on that ropes course!! I am not a fan of heights haha. Good job on the skiing event, that’s awesome that you did so well even though you haven’t skiied in a while!
I don’t know how I would do on the high ropes course because I am awful with heights but it looks like so much fun! 🙂
Stunning city! Looks amazing.
I love the way you document all of your adventures here on your blog.! So entertaining and inspiring to try new things! 🙂
That last photo is beautiful. And I love the new look of your site!
2 things.
#1 Love the new layout! Very clean and sassy.
#2 I’m sad I missed you while you were in park city! Hopefully we get to meet ONE day!!!
oh and I guess one more thing.
#3 I want to do the ropes course..
This post makes me want to get out in ski! Even though I have not been on the slopes in nearly 15 years… or maybe I just miss the mountains.
I love reading your OmniGames posts!!! I was in Park City/Salt Lake City visiting this weekend too and reading your posts makes me want to go back!!
What a fun trip!!! I love a good high ropes course but in the winter/snow?! What a challenge!!!
Skiing is by far my favorite activity. This Florida girl def lives in teh wrong state because it’s all I ever want to do! Looks like a great day! I need to chekc out Park City for our next ski trip 🙂
I love your slouchy beanie, it’s so cute!
So jealous! Everything you did sounds amazing!!! I want to compete in the OmniGames!
What a gorgeous place!! I want to go do these games one day, this all looks like so much fun :)!
Wow, that high ropes course looks like a total adrenaline rush. How fun! I didn’t even know that exists in Park City. The pictures are beautiful.
it looks like so much fun! and all that snow is gorgeous!!
That ropes course was legit! My abs and arms hurt for two days after that! And I think it is incredible that you and Aleya went out exploring on skis, even if you weren’t sure of yourselves at first. You were both awfully giddy when we met you for the shuttle!
I had no idea you were part of the omni games. You bad *ss! Looked like such a great time. So… heading to Jordan?