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Ski Season 2024/2025


texasdago

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22 hours ago, HouTex said:

That’s it.  It’s off the Elk Camp lift.  The hike uphill isn’t easy especially with a foot or so of fresh snow and of course you are carrying your skis.  I was exhausted for the rest of the day but it was worth it.  

Yes it is.  We did that run early in the day and loved it.  It was a guys trip with about 8 of us.....varying degrees of skill level, and for sure varying degrees of cardio endurance.  Anyway, one of our buddies had to join us at lunch and we all bragged on that run and talked it up.  So he's all fresh and says lets do it again. Keep in mind im in good shape so no worries there, but some of the others not so much but we all agreed to do it later if we had time.

I could tell some of the guys were kind of bailing toward the end of the day and about half of us headed toward the run (and hike!).  We were pushing it toward 4pm and we had to hustle to get to the bottom (you know how long a run that is) so we could take that lift back up and traverse to the Snowmass Village base , ski rental return and vehicle..... needless to say, we were in go mode, but we had some 50+ newbies in tow.

 

A couple of the novice guys were really struggling and they sent us on ahead , knowing they would just have to get a ride back, no way they would make 4 pm cutoff.  So 3-4 of us boogie down and wait right until 4pm for them to come barrelling down.  We were having fun with the Lift Operator flirting with her to hold the chair and sure enough here comes our 3 old timer beginner buddies just hauling ass down like bats out of hell and we all hit cutoff at 4. 

Good times, we laughed all night about those guys coming in hot. It was so funny watching them come down , we got on the lift when we pointed out our buddies and were above them as passed under....we were laughing our asses off

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I have never cross country skied.  I would like to try it.  I run a lot. Seems like a good alternative to running when in the snow.  I was in Whitefish for 9 days over holidays and usually run in our neighborhood.  There was too much snow to do so this trip.

Downhill skiing was incredible. We skied 7 days.  I fell once.  On last run of the last day when doing something stupid.  Sprained/jammed my shoulder and now am paying for it.  I am normally a very sound sleeper.  But this damn shoulder pain messes that up.

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On 1/8/2025 at 9:24 AM, texasdago said:

Was looking at the Stevens Pass numbers.  Is it Cascade Concrete?  Yeah, pretty much but bruh, these numbers... 211 inches!?

image.thumb.png.e2260131481630aa29052a9b6831a7c4.png

Headed back up this morning. It’s finally supposed to stay below 32 all day at the base.  And it’s 222” now. 

Edited by Pato del Muerto
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I ski blue and blacks.  Prefer groomers.  
 

I ski well. But never have really carved.  Any good YouTube videos for drills on carving?

have work in Denver tomorrow.  Going to detour up to whitefish for weekend where I have a house.  99 percent of time I’m with kids.  So I’m doing a lot of waiting and watching. They are a level below me.  I want to spend my two days at whitefish solo to work on carving.  I think I can get buy on YouTube videos for drills as opposed to lesson. But there is so much content out there I was wondering if anyone here had reccos

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6 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

I ski blue and blacks.  Prefer groomers.  
 

I ski well. But never have really carved.  Any good YouTube videos for drills on carving?

have work in Denver tomorrow.  Going to detour up to whitefish for weekend where I have a house.  99 percent of time I’m with kids.  So I’m doing a lot of waiting and watching. They are a level below me.  I want to spend my two days at whitefish solo to work on carving.  I think I can get buy on YouTube videos for drills as opposed to lesson. But there is so much content out there I was wondering if anyone here had reccos

I thought this was pretty decent without it being half an hour long.

 

 

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57 minutes ago, GlenFromTheMailRoom said:

I thought this was pretty decent without it being half an hour long.

 

 

I was just coming to post these guys, too... https://www.youtube.com/@StompItTutorials

Now, I don't know about Whitefish and their ski school but I'm a big proponent of taking occasional lessons to work on technique.  You can get paired with a group that is blue/black.  Odds are that low season lessons you may end up with the instructor and maybe 1-2 other people, if that.  Even half a day might help you. 

Case in point... I signed up for a full day "group" lesson at Taos last year and I went to the highest possible class level.  I ended up going through the class by myself with two amazing instructors (different one in the afternoon).  Same thing has happened to me in Taos.  Much better strategy than going for a private lesson. 

Edited by texasdago
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4 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Now, I don't know about Whitefish and their ski school but I'm a big proponent of taking occasional lessons to work on technique.  You can get paired with a group that is blue/black.  Odds are that low season lessons you may end up with the instructor and maybe 1-2 other people, if that.  Even half a day might help you. 

Case in point... I signed up for a full day "group" lesson at Taos last year and I went to the highest possible class level.  I ended up going through the class by myself with two amazing instructors (different one in the afternoon).  Same thing has happened to me in Taos.  Much better strategy than going for a private lesson. 

Quoting myself but this is what you want... again, you may end up in a small group of 1-2 people.  I don't know.  I'm not familiar with the crowds or vibe at Whitefish but that's what my gut tells me based on experience.  My solo experience at CB was during a spring break soooo... you never know.

image.png.132f102904f5166f903744f1f402c305.png

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17 hours ago, Frank Drebin said:

I ski blue and blacks.  Prefer groomers.  
 

I ski well. But never have really carved.  Any good YouTube videos for drills on carving?

have work in Denver tomorrow.  Going to detour up to whitefish for weekend where I have a house.  99 percent of time I’m with kids.  So I’m doing a lot of waiting and watching. They are a level below me.  I want to spend my two days at whitefish solo to work on carving.  I think I can get buy on YouTube videos for drills as opposed to lesson. But there is so much content out there I was wondering if anyone here had reccos

 

 

Immediate thoughts are two ways to translate what you're looking for.  There's "my style is carving I am a carver",  and there is "I like to make different types of turns and those turns are carved".      

Do you want to be a carver, or a skier who carves?  Two totally different skiers and it's usually the equipment that separates them.  Skiers who carve can ride carving skis just fine, but prefer not to be locked into turn shape.  That's what carving skis do.  They want to lock you into a turn shape and you ski that same turn all day long.  You can get forgiving carving skis, but that's the gist. 

All this being said, if you're going to turn up your technique a notch or several, it's time to get new equipment.  You'll improve faster.  Why start "youtube drills" or lessons on old gear?  How much do you weigh?  

 

Deb Armstrong Olympic gold bump skier.  Real bumpers are amazing carvers.  She's the real deal teacher.  Rabbit hole her videos.  They're very techy but real improvement means learning new language not just monkey see drill monkey do drill.  Check her youtube for drills and website for coaching clinics and privates.

 

Tube

 

Site

 

 

Also reminder that Great Northern Cats is 30 mins from Whitefish

 

 

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5 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

 

 

Immediate thoughts are two ways to translate what you're looking for.  There's "my style is carving I am a carver",  and there is "I like to make different types of turns and those turns are carved".      

Do you want to be a carver, or a skier who carves?  Two totally different skiers and it's usually the equipment that separates them.  Skiers who carve can ride carving skis just fine, but prefer not to be locked into turn shape.  That's what carving skis do.  They want to lock you into a turn shape and you ski that same turn all day long.  You can get forgiving carving skis, but that's the gist. 

All this being said, if you're going to turn up your technique a notch or several, it's time to get new equipment.  You'll improve faster.  Why start "youtube drills" or lessons on old gear?  How much do you weigh?  

 

Deb Armstrong Olympic gold bump skier.  Real bumpers are amazing carvers.  She's the real deal teacher.  Rabbit hole her videos.  They're very techy but real improvement means learning new language not just monkey see drill monkey do drill.  Check her youtube for drills and website for coaching clinics and privates.

 

Tube

 

Site

 

 

Also reminder that Great Northern Cats is 30 mins from Whitefish

 

 

I am 6'2" and 190 pounds.  I want to be able to carve well.

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7 hours ago, PRONG HORN said:

All this being said, if you're going to turn up your technique a notch or several, it's time to get new equipment.  You'll improve faster.  Why start "youtube drills" or lessons on old gear?  How much do you weigh?  

Honestly, this reminds me of a conversation with an instructor in France back in 2018.  We spent three days together with him mostly guiding me around Les Grands Montets and doing some teaching here and there.  Anyway, on our first day, we went off piste to a back bowl and as he watched me ski, he said, you need to get off of those skis.  The next morning before we took the first lift up, he took me to our ski shop, got me off of what they had given me and onto Black Crows Orbs (which I later purchased on my own and ski today - you can see them in my video above).  

What does this mean?

Go with the half-day or full-day lesson I recommended and as you work with the instructor during the day and they see you ski and your goals, then ask what type of gear you should be using.   Like @PRONG HORN after a run or two of "adjustment" my skiing completely evolved and we were skiing up on the glacier the next day.  Gave me a lot of confidence and was the starting point of me becoming more aggressive as a skier even in my decrepit age.

Edited by texasdago
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7 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Friend of mine sent me a picture at 10 AM local of the info board/monitor at Winter Park.  -17 degrees.

Jenna Ortega Hot Ones GIF by First We Feast

It's ridiculously cold up here right now.  Currently is 0* at my house and overnight lows tonight are expected to be in the -20* to -25* range. Supposed to start warming back up to normal tomorrow.

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Just booked a place in Breck area from Feb 28 through March 9.  Looking for ideas on lift tickets for Breck/Copper/Keystone/Vail/Beaver Creek.  Won't be able to ski every day, but most.

We will be celebrating male offspring's 30th birthday.  Best restaurant in Summit County?

I'll hang up and listen.

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11 minutes ago, smwhorn said:

Just booked a place in Breck area from Feb 28 through March 9.  Looking for ideas on lift tickets for Breck/Copper/Keystone/Vail/Beaver Creek.  Won't be able to ski every day, but most.

We will be celebrating male offspring's 30th birthday.  Best restaurant in Summit County?

I'll hang up and listen.

Best?  No... but you should definitely go to https://www.instagram.com/einprositfinebeers/?hl=en at some point

As for discounted lift tickets, gooooood luck.  Your best bet is three-day packs at the mountain that outperforms them:

https://store.arapahoebasin.com/s/lift-tickets/p/2024-25-multi-day-packs

 

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I don't know shit about Summit restaurants.  

Your best bet for lift tickets would have been to buy an Epic (Breck/Keystone/Vail/BC) pass but they are not for sale anymore.  Copper is Ikon. Maybe you can get some friends & family passes from someone with an Epic pass, although they are limited in how many you can get (and you have to find someone with an Epic pass first). It's gonna be expensive.

https://www.snow.com/planavacation/lifttickets.aspx

 

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16 hours ago, smwhorn said:

We will be celebrating male offspring's 30th birthday.  Best restaurant in Summit County?

 

What is "male offspring's" favorite food?  

 

https://sauceontheblue.com/

 

https://www.rootstalkbreck.com/dinner-menu

https://www.hearthstonebreck.com/dinner

https://www.radicatobreck.com/dinner

 

15 hours ago, Mittens said:

I don't know about "best" but if y'all dig sushi, I had an amazing dinner here:  https://mtflyingfish.com/

 

 

Best of the Breck sushi options.  

 

 

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PC was great. Luckily, on the west side of the divide it was not as cold. It was -18 with a wind chill of -39 at Copper at the same time it was 10 in Park City. Brutal conditions over there, much like I had to deal with at Big Sky last January.

We got 4-5" Friday night at the top, so it was soft all day. It was a solo day by myself, which I really enjoy. My music, my pace, and my ability to just go wherever the mountain would take me, and then the fun of finding my way back without using any maps.

Sunday was daddy daughter day, which featured a lot of bitching abt who gets to lead, what run is next, blue or green etc.. After their first day of lessons, i was shocked to hear they went up Saddleback lift (blues and blacks only), so that is where I took them to start the day. The line to get on Red Pine gondola to start the day took 45 mins, so we were not going back to the bottom unless absolutely necessary. The oldest (9) was handling the blues with ease. The 7 yr old was more timid, but is getting close. I was very impressed with how far they've come. My back started to hurt around 2:00, so we got some hot cocoa and called it a day. The hot tub was calling our names.

I think the Salt Lake City airport will be our go-to ski destination airport from this point fwd.. It is super clean, and there are so many mountain options within 45 minutes . We Ubered to PC and back, so we didn't have to rent a car and pay for parking.

 

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6 hours ago, LonghornJones said:

PC was great. Luckily, on the west side of the divide it was not as cold. It was -18 with a wind chill of -39 at Copper at the same time it was 10 in Park City. Brutal conditions over there, much like I had to deal with at Big Sky last January.

We got 4-5" Friday night at the top, so it was soft all day. It was a solo day by myself, which I really enjoy. My music, my pace, and my ability to just go wherever the mountain would take me, and then the fun of finding my way back without using any maps.

Sunday was daddy daughter day, which featured a lot of bitching abt who gets to lead, what run is next, blue or green etc.. After their first day of lessons, i was shocked to hear they went up Saddleback lift (blues and blacks only), so that is where I took them to start the day. The line to get on Red Pine gondola to start the day took 45 mins, so we were not going back to the bottom unless absolutely necessary. The oldest (9) was handling the blues with ease. The 7 yr old was more timid, but is getting close. I was very impressed with how far they've come. My back started to hurt around 2:00, so we got some hot cocoa and called it a day. The hot tub was calling our names.

I think the Salt Lake City airport will be our go-to ski destination airport from this point fwd.. It is super clean, and there are so many mountain options within 45 minutes . We Ubered to PC and back, so we didn't have to rent a car and pay for parking.

 

Rent cars are literally across the walkway from the baggage claim if you get one.  I like to have one bc we usually use PC as our base and then travel.  Alta is a great mountain and not bad for a drive from PC.  And for ski/board rentals, there are several shops close by so you can get them on your way to the resorts from the airport and not have to wait once you get to the resorts.  

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Working on arranging ski rental for my youngest son... I am working on getting him more used to all-mountain skis and better equipment so we can go do more off piste.  Anyway, I'm always fascinated by how much cheaper it is to rent in many European resorts (found this particularly the case in the southern French Alps) vs the US.

This is for 6 days... pretty sure comparable skis + booths in place where we've rented before in the US would be $300 + tax for 6 days

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On 1/17/2025 at 3:09 PM, Frank Drebin said:

I am 6'2" and 190 pounds.  I want to be able to carve well.

Are you doing Z-shaped parallel skids?

If so, the biggest difference is in posture. If your upperbody is inactive/immobile and upright in the turn, there is no weight on the ski and it skids out against the edge. You probably had to rotate your lower body and skis to initiate the turn.

Instead your upperbody should be active and leaning opposite of your lower body. This centers your mass over the skis and lets them ride along the edge instead of against it. You initiate the turn by leaning with your knees and skis instead of rotating them.  Whole body should look like this >> or << instead of // or \\

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49 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Are you doing Z-shaped parallel skids?

If so, the biggest difference is in posture. If your upperbody is inactive/immobile and upright in the turn, there is no weight on the ski and it skids out against the edge. You probably had to rotate your lower body and skis to initiate the turn.

Instead your upperbody should be active and leaning opposite of your lower body. This centers your mass over the skis and lets them ride along the edge instead of against it. You initiate the turn by leaning with your knees and skis instead of rotating them.  Whole body should look like this >> or << instead of // or \\

Like this...

200.gif

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