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Ski Season 2022 / 2023


texasdago

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XC might be more popular here. We’re moving almost literally next door to a local alpine resort, so i can walk to the slopes from my house for downhill skiing. 
It obviously depends on the terrain, but how much is XC constant aerobic exertion vs coasting/gliding? Trails here are prepared

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7 hours ago, 52-80 said:

XC might be more popular here. We’re moving almost literally next door to a local alpine resort, so i can walk to the slopes from my house for downhill skiing. 
It obviously depends on the terrain, but how much is XC constant aerobic exertion vs coasting/gliding? Trails here are prepared

Unless you're going downhill, XC is constant aerobic exertion.  

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On 12/20/2022 at 1:22 PM, texasdago said:

Welp, not going to Santa Fe after all but nothing changes on March.

Maybe maybe have a chance to hit up Stevens Pass in January.  40% chance at this point.

Are you not going to SF bc of lack of snow?  We were thinking about driving over next week but I just looked and it says 20 inch base / 5 of 7 lifts open / but only 21 of 88 trails open.  We have a 9 and 11 year old and pretty modest ski needs but is it not worth it based on these figures?

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1 hour ago, Gale Snoats said:

Are you not going to SF bc of lack of snow?  We were thinking about driving over next week but I just looked and it says 20 inch base / 5 of 7 lifts open / but only 21 of 88 trails open.  We have a 9 and 11 year old and pretty modest ski needs but is it not worth it based on these figures?

We're going due to a general malaise about going... skiing was secondary to the trip.  I think we didn't feel like making the drive immediately after having family over for Christmas and I was the only one who was going to ski... just one day.  Doesn't look like a lot of terrain open but if they have modest ski needs, you might be fine.  I lean black/double-diamond so for me it would be a bit more frustrating, especially when I see Colorado is getting buried.

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We're going due to a general malaise about going... skiing was secondary to the trip.  I think we didn't feel like making the drive immediately after having family over for Christmas and I was the only one who was going to ski... just one day.  Doesn't look like a lot of terrain open but if they have modest ski needs, you might be fine.  I lean black/double-diamond so for me it would be a bit more frustrating, especially when I see Colorado is getting buried.

Got it. Appreciate the response. We’re kind of up in the air but might head that way as we enjoy sf regardless. Will report back if we make it to the mountain.
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On 12/24/2022 at 3:53 PM, Axle Hongsnort said:

Heading to Crested Butte with the family on Monday. TBD guys trip in February. Booked Zermatt for my 50th in March. Nice year shaping up yo!

CB looks like they are having a great year.  Last i checked all but T-bars open.  

Can anyone tell me anything about skiing Stevens Pass?

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Trying to plan a last minute trip next weekend. Driving from Houston. As of now, because we’re familiar with it, leaning Angel Fire. Wife is trying to get us to go presidents weekend but seems like things get busy. Anywhere else I should consider? 3 kids 9,9,10 that have skied once.

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23 hours ago, texasdago said:

Tickets purchased. Will do.  Skiing with customers.

 

There is lots of outside the ropes skiing there.  That's where the infamous Tunnel Creek Slide took place.  This is an excellent story about it.  Must read for all side country skiers.  Scary.  The prompts to the next page are hard to see at the bottom right.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/index.html#/?part=tunnel-creek

 

 

 

 

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My buddy is a snowboarder so we have to figure out what kind of runs we both like. It is his home mountain so he knows it well.

As best as I can tell, we won't be going out of bounds. I do think we will hit up some night skiing.  Stevens sounds exceedingly snowy but he warned me to get used to skiing in Cascade Concrete.  In the end I'll be happy to get some turns in for a couple of days.

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7 hours ago, texasdago said:

My buddy is a snowboarder so we have to figure out what kind of runs we both like. It is his home mountain so he knows it well.

As best as I can tell, we won't be going out of bounds. I do think we will hit up some night skiing.  Stevens sounds exceedingly snowy but he warned me to get used to skiing in Cascade Concrete.  In the end I'll be happy to get some turns in for a couple of days.

 

Not unless you're got shovel, probe, and transceiver.  I probably wouldn't go outside the rope unless I was with someone who skied there a few days a week, or the kind of person who would still dig a pit even though the reports say all clear.  

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Not unless you're got shovel, probe, and transceiver.  I probably wouldn't go outside the rope unless I was with someone who skied there a few days a week, or the kind of person who would still dig a pit even though the reports say all clear.  
You need the training, not just the gear. Someone died on Berthoud Pass last week, caught in an avalanche they triggered.
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On 12/30/2022 at 5:12 PM, PRONG HORN said:

 

There is lots of outside the ropes skiing there.  That's where the infamous Tunnel Creek Slide took place.  This is an excellent story about it.  Must read for all side country skiers.  Scary.  The prompts to the next page are hard to see at the bottom right.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/index.html#/?part=tunnel-creek

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting. What a great read

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On 1/6/2023 at 11:43 AM, Upgrayedd said:

Hitting Mammoth January 14th thru 17th.  With 247”, they are currently at 200% of their average snowfall for this date.  Much more to come Monday/Tuesday

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Looks like another 600” season in the works. Crush some laps off chair 22 for me out there. I haven’t been able to make it this year, too much life shit going on. Sad I’m gonna miss one of the epic years. Seems they get one amazing  one for every three absolute shot ones these days. 

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9 hours ago, Chewbacca said:
9 hours ago, texasdago said:
Been watching the conditions at Crested Butte this year. Looks amazing!

CO snow so far has been amazing. I've got 5-6 days already and it has been fantastic.

Yeah, I'm kind of kicking myself.  I enjoyed CB so much last year and would love to go back.  Then again, this bodes well for some a late April/early May long weekend maybe back to A-Basin.

We go to France/Italy in March.  The Alps are really struggling but thankfully where we are going is actually doing quite well with 100% of lifts open... when we go to Europe, we do our best to be very strategic with the location and only pick snowsure resorts... high elevation, locations that get hit by various storms, etc.  There are lots of other places I'd like to hit up but choose to not book them because there's too much risk.  Ex: Val Gardena.

Meanwhile, at the end of this week...

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Edited by texasdago
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2 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Such good early season coverage. It’s been amazing.

sidenote: anyone got into skate skiing? There is no activity I’ve ever done that is more of a full body workout. It’s insane.

Only when I hit a flat spot on a catwalk (?)

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10 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Such good early season coverage. It’s been amazing.

sidenote: anyone got into skate skiing? There is no activity I’ve ever done that is more of a full body workout. It’s insane.

I have a back country setup that I use when we don't want to go to the resort.  But it's not a skate setup.  

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4 hours ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

Not even in the same hemisphere. Is there a Nordic center in WP?

You should try it one day, it will blow your mind.

Oh, yeah, we have YMCA of the Rockies and Devil's Thumb Ranch (2 of the best nordic skiing areas in the state) both within 15 min of the house.  I've done it several times, I just prefer back country skiing.  We have several trails close to the house and they're never crowded.  I'm not skinning up Berthoud Pass or anything.  It's still cross country skiing.

Edited by Chewbacca
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I'll get some pics up later today from Stevens Pass.  Conditions were a bit of a challenge... had to contend with fog a lot, especially on the backside.  Front side found some chutes that were lots of fun... bumpy runs that you could either follow on the marked runs or make your own adventure.  They tended to have the best snow and visibility with lots of fun janky bumps.  Rollercoaster, Parachute 1 and 2 and the line under the Hogsback Express lift were fantastic.  We tried to follow the line under Tye Mill but took a turn too early to avoid the cliff area and then missed the dip into Tye Bowl.  We were going to take the Dougle Diamond Lift to take Double Diamond down but once we got to the top of the Kehrs chair, we realized you can't see shit, captain.  

Backside was a bit rainy on day one which really allowed the Cascade Concrete to set in.  That was impact us on day two when we got lost in the fog going down Gemini on day two and the crust in the unmarked runs were a crusty bitch.  We also rode up the Southern Cross lift right before lunch... and despite noting that there was absolutely no one on the runs... no one...  instead of taking South Divide, we proceeded to take Orion and Pegasus in whiteout conditions.  You could find pockets of really nice snow when you could get enough contrast but it was definitely feeling our way down in flat light for 1,700 ft.  Good times.  At least from the lift Pegasus Gulch and Andromeda Face looked amazing... in better conditions.  

Big variations in snow conditions based on where you were and the time of day.  When it softened up and some of the crust eased, it was great but you could definitely tell some lifts had great snow conditions and others, at the same time, were crust/icy.  Its not like the sun was impacting the snow since sun was non-existent but more of like little microclimates.  

Still... enjoyed it... would gladly go again. Runs were nice and quiet on Friday.   Saturday was busier and parking filled up quickly with the long weekend but it never felt too crowded which was good.  Sunday as I was driving back to the airport, the flow of cars going up was non-stop.  Weather was a bit clearer in the mountains so I bet it was packed.

Area has no lodging... really nothing on the way up either.  Apparently lodging in Leavenworth but 2 was closed due to avalanche danger so there was not way to get to/from Leavenworth.  There are maybe a half dozen cabins across from the pass and then about 30 cabins where we stayed... you parked in a small lot by 2 and then either snowshoed or used a snowmobile (if you had one) to get to your cabin.  We would park and then snowshoe 15 minutes into the woods.  It was an adventure but very cool.  It is absolutely a local's mountain... no way for tourists to use Stevens as a "destination"

 

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Edited by texasdago
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These posted out of order from my phone but these are some shots from day one... A few pictures of the trees on the Tye Mill lift (shot going up the lift and the super white trees up top), pictures from the bumpy chutes below Hogsback and a shot from the base.  My buddy was boarding.  I'll get some other shots later.  

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Edited by texasdago
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Day two... hate these being out of order.

Top photo... arriving to the cabin after snowshoeing.  Picture of the fall line and bottom picture show the visibility in Pegasus Gulch.  Two pictures from Rollercoaster and some dude's killer 80s K2s.

 

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Edited by texasdago
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On 1/11/2023 at 1:33 PM, Chewbacca said:

Oh, yeah, we have YMCA of the Rockies and Devil's Thumb Ranch (2 of the best nordic skiing areas in the state) both within 15 min of the house.  I've done it several times, I just prefer back country skiing.  We have several trails close to the house and they're never crowded.  I'm not skinning up Berthoud Pass or anything.  It's still cross country skiing.

I can't believe I didn't think of Devil's Thumb. That place is awesome.

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7 hours ago, LonghornJones said:

haha. Heading to Telluride early next month but am worried this snowy weather pattern for the west is coming to an end. Hopefully the Rockies get more moisture than the Sierras with this next pattern.

It's still snowing now.  Can't say what next month holds, though.

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Heading to Steamboat on Thursday with my wife and 6 year old.  This will be my 4th time in Steamboat.  Can't wait to get on the mountain.  Got my son lined up for a full day lesson on Friday (if I recall, this is his 4th time skiing?).  This will be my wife's third time.  I'll spend a few hours with her on the bunny hill so she can get her ski legs.

 

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3 hours ago, pearlandhorn said:

Heading to Steamboat on Thursday with my wife and 6 year old.  This will be my 4th time in Steamboat.  Can't wait to get on the mountain.  Got my son lined up for a full day lesson on Friday (if I recall, this is his 4th time skiing?).  This will be my wife's third time.  I'll spend a few hours with her on the bunny hill so she can get her ski legs.

 

Booking stuff for SB in early march, scoping out rental gear and found ski and bike kare that’s literally half price of the regular steamboat site rentals. You familiar with them? Lift prices ain’t a joke there either. 

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