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Ski Season 2023/2024


texasdago

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Going to Whitefish in a week.  We bought a house there in the fall.  This will be first time skiing there.  I have heard it is often foggy/overcast this time of year.  Any reccos on the ski mountain?

I just ski blue and black groomers at this stage of life.  

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On 2/27/2024 at 12:53 PM, Sbbruin said:

Yeah they're talking 5'-8'.  That's feet, not inches.

The entire mountain at Mammoth is shut down today.  I saw a wind speed reading of 90+ mph late yesterday at the summit.  The McCoy livecam is completely gray.  Howard Sheckter is saying the mountain might get 7.5 feet by the time the system blows through.  

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Took the day off today in Snowmass.  Good thing. Several lifts were intermittently closed due to high winds.  The last three days were fabulous.  It’s snowing now and we could get 2 feet tonight and tomorrow.  Next week should be good but it will be hard to beat the blue bird days this week.  

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Another day, another 8"

CB web page shows snow in the forecast all week long.  Average annual snowfall is 230" for Crested Butte and they passed that last night.  Base is now sitting at 80"

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6 hours ago, texasdago said:

Another day, another 8"

CB web page shows snow in the forecast all week long.  Average annual snowfall is 230" for Crested Butte and they passed that last night.  Base is now sitting at 80"

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damn...will be out near Pagosa early next week and it's looking kind of dry, although there could always be snow at anytime @ wolf creek.  Was considering Taos/Angel Fire as well but they're looking the same after the weekend but I think they're going to get the tip, at a minimum, this Fri/Sat...

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48 minutes ago, ballrific said:

damn...will be out near Pagosa early next week and it's looking kind of dry, although there could always be snow at anytime @ wolf creek.  Was considering Taos/Angel Fire as well but they're looking the same after the weekend but I think they're going to get the tip, at a minimum, this Fri/Sat...

Shoot... I would pick Taos terrain all day long but, also, Taos has 60" at the top whereas Angel Fire is reporting 33" and daily highs in the 40s.   Wolf Creek seems to have a good base and better temps to hold that snow.  You can always tie in Purgatory with Wolf Creek.  Get there early, get over to the backside and you can run laps while the beginners run over each other on the busier runs.

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Just finished my week at Vail. Last run was Riva Ridge, top to bottom (including Tourist Trap). Fresh 8" and still coming down. Need 70 close so I can stay another day!

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Have to be among the most novice posters on this thread. But happy it say we did Lake Louise and Sunshine a couple weeks ago and are headed to Winter Park this Thursday. 8 - 10 days on the slopes are a big year for the Brownwater family but we love all of them. Even the ones Mrs. Brownwater is wearing out the local boot fitter. 

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5 hours ago, ftf82 said:

Just finished my week at Vail. Last run was Riva Ridge, top to bottom (including Tourist Trap). Fresh 8" and still coming down. Need 70 close so I can stay another day!

Tourist Trap is the best part.

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3 hours ago, brown water said:

Really cold our first couple days. Low around -10F and high around 15.  By the time we left lows were around 10 and high may have snuck above freezing. 

Yeah... my wife has talked about Canada before and she doesn't like the cold and I keep warning her.

BTW, this is a great YouTube account.  Guy works at Crested Butte but films footage from other places like Snowmass, Ajax, Silverton, Taos, etc.  Worth a watch, especially on the rowing machine...

https://www.youtube.com/user/coloradocamera076

Here's a nice example...

 

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9 hours ago, NoRagrets said:

I ski Taos almost every year, but got suckered into Santa Fe this year. Any advice?

All I know is they got a foot of snow on Friday.

 

Alright... first day at CB.  If you are up for it, absolutely sign up for the CB Steeps Guide program.  These guys love showing off their mountain.  Despite some lift issues today, we skied quite a bit of terrain although Silver Queen got shut down around 3:30 and we didn't get to ski Flatiron under the peak.

Off the top of my head, we hit up a few different spots off of Headwall like Powder 8 Gully, Headwall Chute, back into Teo 1 through Morning Glory to Teo Tongue, North Face through to the Million Dollar Highway over to lower Spellbound and Phoenix Bowl and a few assorted tree runs.

Leg burner of a day...

 

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Well, I've decided that it's time to buy a helmet (enough brain damage already, thankyouverymuch... it's why I'm on the Surl).

Getting to be the end of the season, so there should be some decent options on closeout and such- any recommendations or things I should keep in mind (MIPS is mandatory, according to the Mrs.)?

'Preciate the insight...

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3 hours ago, NWBuck said:

Well, I've decided that it's time to buy a helmet (enough brain damage already, thankyouverymuch... it's why I'm on the Surl).

Getting to be the end of the season, so there should be some decent options on closeout and such- any recommendations or things I should keep in mind (MIPS is mandatory, according to the Mrs.)?

'Preciate the insight...

https://antiordinary.co/
I will consider one of these when my Giro wears out.  It’s supposed to be even safer than a traditional shell helmet.  But my Giro has served me well.  

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I have a Been helmet.  Does the trick.  You should find some good end of season deals through Backckuntry or Evo.  I can't imagine skiing without out one from a protection standpoint and just general warmth when skiing. 

This trip has been so rewarding in part because my comfort level exploring all over the Extremes at CB is at a whole new level and in part because my youngest can now explore more of the mountain with me.

Yesterday we did a couple of laps on the NFL with a couple of different paths out and he did really well.  Gave me confidence to take him to Peel later in the day.  Snow was meh but he did great.  He doesn't gasp and wheeze like I do.

Today I took him up to the High Lift to ski Halfpipe Gully over to Powder 8 Gully and then into Headwall.  Teocalli was so foggy and visibility was crap but snow has been great.  Did North Face again and then went chasing powder in the trees below the Teocalli lift. Lots of fresh snow.

Tomorrow's the last day... more snow in the forecast as is Teo Bowl.  

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4 hours ago, NWBuck said:

Well, I've decided that it's time to buy a helmet (enough brain damage already, thankyouverymuch... it's why I'm on the Surl).

Getting to be the end of the season, so there should be some decent options on closeout and such- any recommendations or things I should keep in mind (MIPS is mandatory, according to the Mrs.)?

'Preciate the insight...

You might have to try several on to find one that fits right.  And get vents.  You can close them when it's really cold and open them when it's warm. Specific brand doesn't matter all that much.

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Happening tomorrow if the weather holds...

The North American leg of the Freeride World Tour's Challenger Series is headed to Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colorado, this week from March 14th to March 16th for the series' first event. 

https://www.powder.com/trending-news/fwt-challenger-series-crested-butte

https://www.freerideworldtour.com/challenger/events/2024-crested-butte-ifsa-fwt-challenger/

Talked to one of the competitors as I was dropping of my skis to get waxed.  He said the viewing area should be right around where the Million Dollar Highway comes into Spellbound/Phoenix.  The start from the top of the bowls.   Looks like he had a great 2023 - https://www.freerideworldtour.com/challenger/riders/jared-farley/?season=2023

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Santa Fe wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We were able to find a good blue/black stretch we could run over and over. But most of the mountain was beginner Texan hell.

Im glad my family go to experience it though. Makes them appreciate Taos more. 

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Been at Whitefish all week.  I love this place and the mountain.  Now that we own a place here, I'll be skiing it routinely.  Absolutely stunning views of Whitefish Lake, Glacier National Park, and Flathead Lake from the slopes.  No lift lines.  Altitude is nothing.  Nice people. This is my first time to ski Whitefish, and I am sold on it.

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Latest info is that Vail may stay open until April 20 or so. I was just there two weeks ago but am thinking about going back 4/11-4/15. Anyone have any experience skiing there that late in the season? Went to Park City 10 years ago in April after a big dump and it was fine (not great). Only other time was A-Basin one time in mid May, which was awesome not for the skiing but for the CU coeds in bikinis. [Golf in the morning and skiing in the afternoon was hard to beat]

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Just got back from Frisco, CO/Copper Mountain. Kids were signed up for lessons for 2 days, and daddy/daughters ski day on the 3rd day. Day 1 was great. Conditions were fine, but all of the talk was of the upcoming storm on Wednesday/Thursday. That evening my temperature rose to 104. I had the flu. Wednesday I tried my best and got 1.5 hours of skiing in, but i was bushed and slept the rest of the day while the kids were in lessons. Storm ended up dropping only 5" on Copper. Wednesday I went out with the kids for a half day, and they complained for the majority of that. The next morning we drove 13 hours straight back to Dallas. Spring Break '24 was kind of a beating, tbh.

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Posted (edited)

Back at home and back to reality... 

While half of the family really didn't bother skiing much at all, my son and I had a great time.  CB Steeps Guide program is money incredibly well spent.  Two of us joined an instructor/guide and pretty much told him we were fine without instruction and just wanted to explore the mountain.   The guide essentially followed the snow conditions as the day went on and progressively took us to harder and harder terrain based on what he could tell we could handle.  It was great because I could safely understand more of the Extremes at CB to then do my own exploring later... the more I saw and the more he explained, it really helped with my orientation on the mountain.  I had previously thought going over to Spellbound and Phoenix might be a no-go but this helped a lot.  Anyway, money well spent... my 14 year old and I got to ski a ton together and it was good for us.  

Looking up to Headwall as seen from Power 8 Gully after dropping in from Halfpipe Gully.  The top entrance to Headwall is steeper so the Halfpipe approach is better when leading someone who is a little nervous about the steepness.  Headwall gets a reputation for steepness but I think its fine especially with good snow.  

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On a side note, the East River lift can be a lot of fun since Gully Glades and Git Some Glades (on each side of Double Top Glades) are a ton of fun.  That and Resurrection is a great bump run... low consequence for skiers learning to work on bumps... you can take them there to warm up and then go over to Twister/Crystal and the west side bump runs.  With FatMap, you can find other spots like Upper and Lower Liftline to work on bumps and, if you like quick steeps, West Wall and the Beaver Slides are lots of fun!  My regrets are that we didn't get back to Teocalli Bowl and I really wanted to ski Upper/Lower Forest but never had a chance... same with Flatiron and Banana.  Next time... 

Monarch Pass on Friday morning...

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Edited by texasdago
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How were the lift lines at the Colorado resorts during spring break?

At Whitefish, I think the longest wait I had was about one minute.  Probably the most I have ever skied in a week given I was not stuck in lines.  Grew up skiing Breck where we had a house, and during holidays and spring break, the lines were brutal.  Would often just use singles line back then. 

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Can only speak to CB... no big deal at all.  Get away from the base (and the Red Lady Lift which serves only green/blue runs) and it was totally fine.  Save for one day where they had a few lift issues, lift lines were never longer than 5 minutes... running laps on something like the East River Lift was less than one minute lift lines.  We used Red Painter a couple of times to get to the smaller terrain park and if you had any sort of awareness, you would notice entry from the left side equaled a really quick load versus the right side with a bunch of squashed up beginners.  

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