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Ski Season 18/19


texasdago

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Ski boots are about three-fiddy. A good deal would seriously be in that range.

However, it's probably best to buy from a boot fitter so they can match you up with the right brand/model top minimize the amount of grinding/punching.

I have had good luck buying online for cheap, but I know which boots fit me best. Usually pay around $250 for the boots, and $100-150 for the fitting. Custom footbeds will run you another $200 or so (I think, I haven't bought them in 15 years).

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12 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Last runs at Breck are where people go to die. Chaos.

Well We'll head up, and east as far as we can get, and then take our time getting down, but point noted for sure...  

I'll use it as my acclimation day.  Ski a little, safety meeting, ski a little more another safety meeting/ boot adjustment.......

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protip:

Sit at the top and take in the view till they close the lift...  wait 20-30 mins with your group and let the madness happen below.  That last run is eerie, quiet, and my favorite part of the day...  got the whole mountain to yourself... just don't go in the trees

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Just now, Loco said:

protip:

Sit at the top and take in the view till they close the lift...  wait 20-30 mins with your group and let the madness happen below.  That last run is eerie, quiet, and my favorite part of the day...  got the whole mountain to yourself... just don't go in the trees

It's hard to stay out of the tress, they're always whispering my name....  but yeah late day in woods gets dark quick.  

I'm hoping the roads are clear, and traffic west isn't too bad on a Monday mid morning. 

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1 hour ago, Loco said:

protip:

Sit at the top and take in the view till they close the lift...  wait 20-30 mins with your group and let the madness happen below.  That last run is eerie, quiet, and my favorite part of the day...  got the whole mountain to yourself... just don't go in the trees start apres no later than 1:30, be seated on the deck nice and buzzed by 3 when the madness on the bottom of the hill ensues, enjoy. 

amen.

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Will post pics from Saas Fee soon.  Weather was definitely iffy during our trip with some days when all lifts were shut down by high winds since 80% of the mountain/skiing is above treeline and the wind on the glaciers was crazy strong. Still, had some good times and came back without an injury.

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Look at these beautiful skies... unfortunately, during six days of skiing, I saw skies like on one day and a half-day another day which was a massive bummer.  

28lgv1i.jpg

This picture is a more accurate representation... and once you're dealing with a ski resort that has most of its vertical from 2200 - 3600 meters (aka 4600 vertical above treeline), whiteout conditions and windstorms kind of suck.

29yf3i1.jpg 

 

That said, when the weather was good, the views and long descents were amazing since you could ski from the top glacier down the bottom and cover about 5,800 feet.  This is the view at mid-mountain from Saas Fee.  Across the valley is Saas-Grund.  Both resorts have to content with glaciers although they are a much bigger issue in Saas-Fee so once you get to a certain point, off piste is a problem without a guide unless you want to find out how deep the crevasses are.

2vc8h9c.jpg

 

If you did have someone guiding you, you could end up with some cool hidden runs and couloirs

14lham9.jpg

An example of the issues with glacial terrain... as you can see, most of this was off limits and untracked.  They won't stop you from going but you assume responsibility.  In fact, we saw a helicopter rescue taking place one night at 9 PM as two climbers had to be rescued from the top glacier.

2jg2lpd.jpg 

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On 3/16/2019 at 9:36 AM, Loco said:

This is a pic from Whistler...   that mountain is sooo big.  200m back up the hill it was snowing and low visability.  Then like magic you would just break through into the light and see the valley below.  

 

IMG_0532_zpszxzmw6nq.jpg

I know exactly where that is. We spent 8 days there last month, though I prefer the Blackcomb side. When you can actually see where you are going, anything off 7th Heaven is fantastic. Great mountain, great ski town. 

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Snow at Bear Mountain sucked yesterday.  Hit Geronimo first thing after dropping my son in a quickie lesson, and it was like boarding down sheet ice that had about a quarter inch of groomed snow on top.  But I had it to myself.  Softened up pretty nicely by midday though.

Headed to Mammoth Friday.

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About to pull the trigger on a pair of these...

https://www.freezeproshop.com/black-crows-orb-skis-3/length:148543 

Will be a pain to travel with them but I spent 6 days on them last season and really liked them.  I took them on slope but also in powder fields and other free riding terrain.  They were great.

 

Edited by texasdago
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Was just popping around youtube looking at runs to hit this weekend and came across these guys caught in a windstorm at the summit at Mammoth.  I've been at the top of the gondola with 40-50mph winds and felt like I was going to be lifted off the surface.  

'Very stoked.  Snowing right now, and a little more tomorrow night for Saturday am freshies.

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Not nearly as bad but these were the winds below the Felskinn station at Saas-Fee... this is about 1,500 vertical feet below the top lifts where the wind was supposedly brutal.  Once you're in glacial territory, there's nothing to stop the wind. 

One hour later, everything but the learner lifts was shut down.

 

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Got my Tix for Keystone Friday (just me), A-Basin Saturday, and Copper Sunday (last two days me and the boy, plus one of his friends).

Junior has a GoPro now, so if I get anything worthwhile I'll post.

It's only a few days, and it's late, but hey, it's skiing!!

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Nope.  Keystone on a Friday just to get used to the altitude and take it easy.  I know it's pretty lame but it's good for the first of 3 days.

I would have gone to Breck but man I ain't payin' no $160 to ski anything.  Not my favorite place (crowded and the town is a hassle to get thru) but it of course has some great open skiing up top.  Breck is a do for longer trips when I have an Epic Pass and that sort of thing.

Last year I hit A-Basin, got sick as shit, and spent the afternoon barfing at the First Aid hut.  Not a pleasant time.  Probably altitude, never had that happen to me before.  So this time I'm going to just take it easy on Friday, then bust ass at AB and Copper the next 2 days.

Edited by phdhorn
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12 hours ago, phdhorn said:

Nope.  Keystone on a Friday just to get used to the altitude and take it easy.  I know it's pretty lame but it's good for the first of 3 days.

I would have gone to Breck but man I ain't payin' no $160 to ski anything.  Not my favorite place (crowded and the town is a hassle to get thru) but it of course has some great open skiing up top.  Breck is a do for longer trips when I have an Epic Pass and that sort of thing.

Last year I hit A-Basin, got sick as shit, and spent the afternoon barfing at the First Aid hut.  Not a pleasant time.  Probably altitude, never had that happen to me before.  So this time I'm going to just take it easy on Friday, then bust ass at AB and Copper the next 2 days.

WATER WATER WATER and then drink more WATER.

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1 hour ago, Telegraph_it said:

When is the right age to take your kid for their first lesson? My Swiss ski instructor told me 2 or 3 years. Seemed pretty young. 

Spending money on a lesson for a 2 year old is insane. They won’t “ski” more than 40 feet total all day. You’re paying a ton of money for a babysitter. Which may be worth it to you, but there isn’t any skiing involved for 2 year olds and not much in the way of skiing for a 3 year old.

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15 minutes ago, Telegraph_it said:

Seems like 3 or 4 makes sense. This is our first kid and as dumb as it sounds I don’t know how dexterous kids are at 2 or 3 or 4. 

I started skiing late and I think it will do them a great service to be proficient skiers before they are 8 or so.   

At 2, you can throw them on skis and you’re basically holding them up between your legs for maybe 5/10 minutes. You can do that on your own. 3 they start to get legs underneath them and you can use a prop like a hoolahoop or hockey stick and ski a bunny slop with them. By 4 they’ll be able to start skiing solo and stacking turns together.

lots of breaks for hot cocoa and low expectations are key.

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4 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

WATER WATER WATER and then drink more WATER.

Yeah yeah, I know... I do (of course then have to run off to piss somewhere), but this is the first time I ever had that happen, in hundreds of ski days.  Not sure but assume it was altitude... although we didn't go to A-Basin first, it ain't the best place before you're acclimated.  The base alone is 10,780.  Hell I didn't even make it halfway up.  Started feeling a little woozy and within 2 minutes I had vertigo so bad I had to lay down on the slope.  It took every inch of determination I could muster just to make it down a fairly short run to the First Aid hut.  I got there and fucking collapsed.  They thought I had a heart attack.  I didn't only because I had been through it before.  Eventually you force yourself to breathe normally (your body wants to gasp/hyperventilate) and having a few similar experiences exactly like that (and none of them at altitude, which is why I'm still confused if it was that), I repressed the huge breaths - which make you want to barf (which is a good thing, trust me on this). Once you blow your guts, you're fine.  And that's what happened.

I've had 3-4 similar experiences like that, all of the others due to motion.  I used to go on any carnival rides,  boats, etc.  And still can, usually.  But a few times it just bites me in the ass... I get dizzy and absolutely fucking sick in my head and stomach.  It's definitely a "I want to fucking die rather than sustain this" feeling.  But at least I know how to get past it.  I would have to imagine that this round had to do with altitude, but not the other ones.  And yeah I know better than to drink half a liquor store on the plane up (the plane back, another story).  And this week, starting midweek I'm going to slam water etc. for Friday.  Geezuz I hope that shit stays away because it was terrible.  Like I said, we were at Keystone day 1, Breck day 2, and nothing.. not a whif of sick.  Then the 3rd day, boom.  And I took pains to drink while there.  

I've spent at least 10 summers in the mountains west of Denver - at 9,000 minimum altitude.  Never had anything even coming close to what happened last year.  So I don't really know what it was, but if it happens again, I'll have to forego skiing and take up something I can handle, like cornhole tossing (a real sport, look it up).  But it won't.  I am confident.

Or I'm just getting old as fuck and need to get a wheelchair and grab womens' asses. Worked for 41.

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Last weekend at the local hill, and we’re not going because it’s been in the 50s and sunny all week, and there wasn’t much of a base to begin with. 

The April Switzerland trip is a no go, so now I turn my attention to the possible mid October trip to Frankfurt and what possibilities may exist there, with kids in tow. 

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2 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Last weekend at the local hill, and we’re not going because it’s been in the 50s and sunny all week, and there wasn’t much of a base to begin with. 

The April Switzerland trip is a no go, so now I turn my attention to the possible mid October trip to Frankfurt and what possibilities may exist there, with kids in tow. 

Where are you where you don’t have a ton of snow?

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Skied Steamboat last week with my girlfriend. Can't remember the last time I had such perfect conditions. Ridiculous amount of powder and sunny skies most of the time. We changed our plans and left Denver a day earlier than planned. Glad we did or we never would've made it to Steamboat. Our first time there and we loved both the town and the mountain.

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8 hours ago, phdhorn said:

Yeah yeah, I know... I do (of course then have to run off to piss somewhere), but this is the first time I ever had that happen, in hundreds of ski days.  Not sure but assume it was altitude... although we didn't go to A-Basin first, it ain't the best place before you're acclimated.  The base alone is 10,780.  Hell I didn't even make it halfway up.  Started feeling a little woozy and within 2 minutes I had vertigo so bad I had to lay down on the slope.  It took every inch of determination I could muster just to make it down a fairly short run to the First Aid hut.  I got there and fucking collapsed.  They thought I had a heart attack.  I didn't only because I had been through it before.  Eventually you force yourself to breathe normally (your body wants to gasp/hyperventilate) and having a few similar experiences exactly like that (and none of them at altitude, which is why I'm still confused if it was that), I repressed the huge breaths - which make you want to barf (which is a good thing, trust me on this). Once you blow your guts, you're fine.  And that's what happened.

I've had 3-4 similar experiences like that, all of the others due to motion.  I used to go on any carnival rides,  boats, etc.  And still can, usually.  But a few times it just bites me in the ass... I get dizzy and absolutely fucking sick in my head and stomach.  It's definitely a "I want to fucking die rather than sustain this" feeling.  But at least I know how to get past it.  I would have to imagine that this round had to do with altitude, but not the other ones.  And yeah I know better than to drink half a liquor store on the plane up (the plane back, another story).  And this week, starting midweek I'm going to slam water etc. for Friday.  Geezuz I hope that shit stays away because it was terrible.  Like I said, we were at Keystone day 1, Breck day 2, and nothing.. not a whif of sick.  Then the 3rd day, boom.  And I took pains to drink while there.  

I've spent at least 10 summers in the mountains west of Denver - at 9,000 minimum altitude.  Never had anything even coming close to what happened last year.  So I don't really know what it was, but if it happens again, I'll have to forego skiing and take up something I can handle, like cornhole tossing (a real sport, look it up).  But it won't.  I am confident.

Or I'm just getting old as fuck and need to get a wheelchair and grab womens' asses. Worked for 41.

What did the First Aid hut say when you blew your guts everywhere?  Glad you’re fine...

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