Winter

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DreamMachine said:
Yeah, I can totally relate to what you guys are feeling. Just bought a Artic Blast snow sled from Toys R Us.

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Nice ride dude.👍

Did you happen to go down the gym isle at Toys R Us? Did you catch the latest on dumbell technology? I've gotsta get me a couple of these:

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pretty durable and also a lot cheaper! 😀
 
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Jackson/Targhee is where it’s at right now. Highly recommend it for those planning a ski trip in the near future.

Jackson Hole Fact: Most snow ever recorded in the month of November.... dating back to the 1960's.
 
Today was an awesome day at Whitefish/ Big Mountain. The snow was coming down so hard and the light was so flat that I wore my Hi-Vis goggles to drive up the mountain.

It was nine degrees so even though it was snowing heavily, the snow was light and fast. It was snowing so hard that by the time I got to the top of the lift, I couldn't read my season pass through the layer of snow.

Awesome freshies even in the afternoon (if you know where to find them), although the main runs were pretty moguled up.

My 5-year-old rode the chair lift for the first time today and he is rockin it on his skis.

The worst part about it is that tomorrow should be even better, but I am scheduled to look at a bunch of houses. I bet both the real estate dude and I will be chomping at the bit to get it over with and get up to the mountain.

Sorry, none of my own pics this time, but this one is from the resort website... I saw a lot of people who looked like this today and it should tell you what kind of a day it was.



- pod
 
JEALOUS.

I managed to get an afternoon at Brighton a few weeks ago, which is the first ski time I've had since starting med school (ain't no skiing in the midwest, that's for sure). The snow was great, and I'd forgotten how cathartic carving was. I could only do a few hours, but I felt like a million bucks when I finally got back down into the valley.
I'm glad to see there are folks out there with time to ski/board/sled with the fam.
-g
 
sevoflurane said:
That sucks HB. Head out to Jackson for a couple of days to get your fix on... they've been getting pounded all season long.

http://www.jacksonhole.com/mountain-info/photo-of-the-day.html
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Sev,

Is Jackson Hole a decent place for a beginner to learn? I guess anywhere with snow is, but you know, the entire experience: some small hills, good teachers, enough to do when you're not planted on your *****, not the ONLY one around who is new, not insanely priced for the limited skiing you'll do, etc?

Oh, and a real important criteria in case I don't do this one alone: kid friendly?

Also, for someone coming to Florida, does it pay to hit the Rockies the first time out, or should I head to Vermont/New Hampshire, Laurentians (OOH HOCKEY) instead?

Lastly, what should the learning curve be here? I ice skate. Should I be headed down the slopes after a day? 2? Week? 3 hours?

Thanks!
D712
 
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doctor712 said:
does it pay to hit the Rockies the first time out
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It always pays to hit the Rockies. Consistently more/better snow than east coast skiing.

I haven't skied Utah/Wyoming/Montana/Canadian Rockies in about 10 years, and my last trip to Colorado was 7 or 8 years ago (though I'm going next month) ... but the snow is just consistently better than anyplace else I've been in North America. Snowmaking tech has come a long way but not far enough.

I haven't been to Jackson Hole in at least 20 years, but I don't recall it being a beginner friendly place. Certainly 90% of the mountain is not for beginners. But looking at their trail map now there's a big green area near the bottom, so a complete beginner would probably be OK. (How awful could a run named Pooh Bear be?)
 
doctor712 said:
Sev,

Is Jackson Hole a decent place for a beginner to learn? I guess anywhere with snow is, but you know, the entire experience: some small hills, good teachers, enough to do when you're not planted on your *****, not the ONLY one around who is new, not insanely priced for the limited skiing you'll do, etc?

Oh, and a real important criteria in case I don't do this one alone: kid friendly?

Also, for someone coming to Florida, does it pay to hit the Rockies the first time out, or should I head to Vermont/New Hampshire, Laurentians (OOH HOCKEY) instead?

Lastly, what should the learning curve be here? I ice skate. Should I be headed down the slopes after a day? 2? Week? 3 hours?

Thanks!
D712
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Can't comment on Jackson Hole, but I did go through the learning process...

I started playing hockey at 5 y/o, started skiing at 10 or so, only took one lesson and was good to go on skis. I think knowing how to ice skate definitely helped, especially with turning/stopping sideways as it's pretty much the same feeling. Took me most of a day to go from skis to a board when I was 14, no lessons. I would bet that starting out on a board might be a little harder.

I think learning in the mountains would be better just for the simple fact that the runs are a lot longer.
 
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Oakley O-Frames with yellow lenses

The A-Frames with Hi-Yellow lenses are worth it if you can spend the extra dollars, but the O-Frames are still pretty decent for a cheaper goggle.

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I have these, but I usually steal my wife's A-Frames with the Hi-Yellow lenses.

Of course if you are going to be in a place that is predominately sunny, you will want a darker lens. The O-frames have a large selection of lens colors.

- pod
 
doctor712 said:
Sev,

Is Jackson Hole a decent place for a beginner to learn? I guess anywhere with snow is, but you know, the entire experience: some small hills, good teachers, enough to do when you're not planted on your *****, not the ONLY one around who is new, not insanely priced for the limited skiing you'll do, etc?

Oh, and a real important criteria in case I don't do this one alone: kid friendly?

Also, for someone coming to Florida, does it pay to hit the Rockies the first time out, or should I head to Vermont/New Hampshire, Laurentians (OOH HOCKEY) instead?

Lastly, what should the learning curve be here? I ice skate. Should I be headed down the slopes after a day? 2? Week? 3 hours?

Thanks!
D712
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Sorry 'bout the late response D712. Been tearing it up at 13,000+ ft.

Let me try and answer your questions:

Jackson hole is steeper than most resorts. I would not recommend it for beginners. Grand targhee not as much. If you are just learning and are willing to travel I would recommend: Breck, Keystone, Vail, Copper mtn, Wolf Creek, Durango Mountain resort (formally Purgatory).... there are others but east of Utah, the ones mentioned are pretty good for fun and family. All have good greens and are very family friendly. I'm sure some of the east coast resorts are similar.... but i don't like the snow out there- not the kind you can scoop up and blow out of your hand.

Snowboarding is notorious for being hard on the body for the first 3 days. Thereafter, the learning curve is sharp and you will be one with the mountain in no time.

Once you are there it is addicting. Just got back from Southern Colorado. Went to Silverton which is expert only (Shaun White has his super pipe there... you know, the one he used to practice and ultimately take gold in the olympics). 2 ways up: the one 2 seater chair or helicopter. You are sure to put in at least 1.5 hours of hiking. Maybe more, depending on the ability of the group and guide you are with.

Did a couple of Heli runs, 5 hikes to 13,200 ft. 2 days of powdercats in the backcountry of the San Juan Mountains....and some time at Purgatory. Even got to see Noy for a little bit. Sick trip. 20" of powda. Bluebird days every single day. 😀 Maybe I'll get some vids uploaded here a bit later.

Hopes this helps. As I said... it is addicting but second only to....😕

Next week it's back to Jackson.

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Agree with pod on the goggles:

I have 2 pairs of A-frames. One with clear lens for cloudy days and one with the high intensity yellow for everything else (best lens in my opinion).
 
periopdoc said:
My 6-month-old daughter, a Baby Björn, a snowboard and a season pass. What could go wrong?

-pod
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Now THAT is a tempting combination :eyebrow:

Those Baby Björns are great aren't they? I put lots of miles on ours... and in 10 days we'll have our second Björn rider. :wow:

BTW, thanks for the A Frame recommendation. I checked them out in the store- they fit better than anything else I could find. Went to ebay and got them for $75.
 
Back from probably the best snowboarding trip of my life at Mammoth. Highlight was Friday: knee-to-waist deep blower, bluebird for half the day, no crowds, and untracked lines all day. My camera battery died after a shot (whoops), but I was a few chairs behind the guy who took this when this lift opened...
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