[NA] Skiers:

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
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Location
west Texas
Display Name
Dave Taylor
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KMRF
Hey skiers, is there a site where skiers discuss snow conditions?
I can see the ski hill websites and onthesnow etc, but they usually over report good conditions, rarely report 'half the mountain is exposed' etc.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Hey skiers, is there a site where skiers discuss snow conditions?
I can see the ski hill websites and onthesnow etc, but they usually over report good conditions, rarely report 'half the mountain is exposed' etc.
Click to expand...

Not a discussion site, but I like OpenSnow for snow forecasts. The meteorologist Joel Gratz does a good job explaining the weather systems and possibility of powder days.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
but they usually over report good conditions, rarely report 'half the mountain is exposed' etc.
Click to expand...

You really just have to get used to reading the reports.

Packed Powder - Soft ice. You can get a great edge in it. A lot of fun.
Hardpacked - Ice. You can get a good edge in it with sharp skis. Still fun, but takes some extra work.
Corduroy - Ice that formed after the groomers passed over it. It will rattle the fillings out of your teeth. Less fun, but you can still turn.
Golf balls - Ice that formed before the groomers passed over it. Skis will just slide around. There's nothing for them to bite into. Not much fun.
Powder - 1 inch (or less) of fresh snow on top of ice. Just enough snow cover that you aren't expecting that patch of ice underneath. Yuck. Why would you want that?
Mashed Potatoes - Ice that has warmed up under direct sunlight and become very wet and heavy. Tiring and great for hurting yourself.
 
skier said:
You really just have to get used to reading the reports.

Packed Powder - Soft ice. You can get a great edge in it. A lot of fun.
Hardpacked - Ice. You can get a good edge in it with sharp skis. Still fun, but takes some extra work.
Corduroy - Ice that formed after the groomers passed over it. It will rattle the fillings out of your teeth. Less fun, but you can still turn.
Golf balls - Ice that formed before the groomers passed over it. Skis will just slide around. There's nothing for them to bite into. Not much fun.
Powder - 1 inch (or less) of fresh snow on top of ice. Just enough snow cover that you aren't expecting that patch of ice underneath. Yuck. Why would you want that?
Mashed Potatoes - Ice that has warmed up under direct sunlight and become very wet and heavy. Tiring and great for hurting yourself.
Click to expand...
Lol, you must ski in the east. Colorado is getting so much snow right now, 3 ski areas have had to close some days this week. Crested Butte has had over 100 inches of snow in the last week.
 
You forgot Frozen Granular:

Euphemism for Killington ice so hard you couldn't chip it with an axe.
 
epicski.com

Really cool avalanche that closed I-70 pic on there.
 
ColoPilot said:
Lol, you must ski in the east.
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Yup, I raced in Vermont for most of my childhood. Being a weekend warrior I never was very good (compared to the people I raced against who went to school there and skied every day), but it was a lot of fun. There's nothing quite like having a trail closed off for you and trying to make it down a course as quickly as possible.

Bringing this thread back to aviation: I was wandering an airport in New York one day when I was in college and ran into a former ski coach from many years earlier. Turned out he had built a Cozy and was at the airport doing some work on it.
 
Lots of snow in Tahoe this weekend, but my pass is blacked out for MLK day. I guess I still get half off, though.
 
I'm going to try and do some night skiing in central PA next week. They've only got the intermediate runs open, but it's cheap entertainment while on business.


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skier said:
Yup, I raced in Vermont for most of my childhood. Being a weekend warrior I never was very good (compared to the people I raced against who went to school there and skied every day), but it was a lot of fun. There's nothing quite like having a trail closed off for you and trying to make it down a course as quickly as possible.
Click to expand...
I raced through high school in CO... that sure was a blast! Even though I'm probably the least competitive person I know it was so much fun... but the speedsuits sure did get cold.

I'm going backcountry skiing up loveland pass tomorrow.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
I raced through high school in CO... that sure was a blast! Even though I'm probably the least competitive person I know it was so much fun... but the speedsuits sure did get cold.

I'm going backcountry skiing up loveland pass tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Assuming you can get there thru the avalanches and Parking lot known as I-70.
 
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murphey said:
Assuming you can get there thrunthe avalnches and I70 parking lot.
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I saw how bad 70 and the frontage road was and turned around... Definitely not worth it. (I live in Evergreen when not at school)

There didn't used to be this many people in CO...
 
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Going to push trip off, 200 & 1/4 locally. Of course it's CAAM at destination.

PS @skier , reading 'official' reports and understanding snow conditions is not a problem for someone who used to pack 15 different waxes for XC racing! I can get official reports all day long and they mean little; need someone to blog while they are on the lift back up.
 
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