The skiing thread

monolith94 · December 20, 2002, 23:22

A few weeks ago I was concerning myself with arguments in the downhill world: east coast vs. west, skiing vs. snowboarding, etc.
But I've come to a sort of realization, however. After all, isn't it all just about the joy of getting the feel of that sweet carve into the perfect snow, clattering across ice, speeding through straightaways… isn't that all really what it's all about???
So this is the general thread for any and all talk about skiing and snowboarding I guess)! Reccomendations of resorts, personal anecdotes, philosophies of downhill, advice on how to improve, etc.!

Al B. Sure! · December 20, 2002, 23:25

Skiing? people actually do that?

monolith94 · December 20, 2002, 23:31

Yeah. More popular than ever before, in fact. You'll find if you actually travel outside of Philly you'll see many new and exciting things which may even boggle the mind.

Al B. Sure! · December 20, 2002, 23:33

Well I heard of people going to the Poconos and doing things up there, but i've never personally been there. isn't it expensive though?

loinburger · December 20, 2002, 23:51

West is better if the snow is good, but I've had bad luck with lousy snow -- tore the hell out of my skis one year on Colorado, had to do a major glue job when I got home. In the East it usually doesn't affect you too much if the snow's bad, since it's probably all grass underneath -- even with minimal coverage you can get some good runs in. Plus, if you're skiing near home (in the East in my case) then you can stay inside when it's raining (or when there's some other kind of inclement weather), rather than feeling the obligation to ski in order to make the trip to the hill worthwhile.

monolith94 · December 21, 2002, 00:04

Skiing can be expensive, but not necessarily so. the biggest things that they rip you on are lodging, food, and equipment. We have a little log cabin, we bring our own food, and we buy second hand equipment. When the only thing you're paying for is the lift ticket, it's really not too terribly bad.
Interesting take on winter conditions loinburger, I've never skiied out west myself, although I'd like to try it. I've heard though, that the West gets more snow and reliably so. ah well, c'est la vie!

Tingkai · December 21, 2002, 00:25

In Western Canada, you get more varieties of snow. Places on the coast like Whistler tend to have more compact snow while the places in the interior are better for powder.

One of the best unknown resorts is Apex outside of Penticton, BC. There are some great double and triple diamonds. I used to ski there on weekdays. It was great having the whole hill to yourself (or at least it seemed that way).

monolith94 · December 21, 2002, 00:29

Oh man oh man oh man… triple diamonds??? I almost NEVER go past blue square!

loinburger · December 21, 2002, 00:42

The difficulty really varies from hill to hill, I've noticed. Most triple-blacks in Michigan are equivalent to most blue squares in Colorado.

I like steep hills and moguls, but I generally don't go down the skinny hills. I hate running into trees.

Tingkai · December 21, 2002, 00:51

I'm terrible on moguls. One thing I've noticed is that veteran skiers from the East tend to be great mogul skiers.

monolith94 · December 21, 2002, 01:31

I can do Killington Vermont style blue squares, pretty much. And I agree with you about the whole east coast mogul thing, heck, even I can do some minor moguls without too much difficulty!

Skanky Burns · December 21, 2002, 01:40

I saw snow once.

RedFred · December 21, 2002, 01:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Tingkai
In Western Canada, you get more varieties of snow. Places on the coast like Whistler tend to have more compact snow while the places in the interior are better for powder.

One of the best unknown resorts is Apex outside of Penticton, BC. There are some great double and triple diamonds. I used to ski there on weekdays. It was great having the whole hill to yourself (or at least it seemed that way).

Apex is nice, but the natives have been restless in the last ten years. There have been at least three blockades.

I like the endless run/terrain options at Whistler/Blackcombe. But I grew up in Nelson and I still love that ol' interior champagne powder at a tiny hill called Whitewater.

Pekka · December 21, 2002, 05:26

Snowboarding all the way!! And if we talk about the US, then west coast is far more better.. Mt. Hood, I'm coming to see you babies in a month or so, I miss you!

.
I'm thinking of going to Whistler, because it's a great place I've never been.. but we'll see, I might not be able to afford it.

What is it about skiing/snowboarding? Speed. Dangeour. Illusion of freedom. YEah.... I like to check out places, going off from marked slopes and really go for it.. I'm not very experienced with mountains though, so there are some dangers I should take more into consideration when I choose the route down, but it's all good, better than sex, better than drugs.. just the best! Pure adrenalin pumping sometimes and the feeling when you get down safe.. the relief.. and then going at it again.. the best! Won't recommend it to anyone with little experience though, people do die in there sometimes.

monolith94 · December 21, 2002, 05:55

pshaw! East coast, East coast!

Tingkai · December 21, 2002, 06:17

Quote:

Originally posted by RedFred
Apex is nice, but the natives have been restless in the last ten years. There have been at least three blockades.

I love the natives for doing that. It keeps the riftraft away.

Never had a chance to ski around Nelson.

Kimberley is good ski hill, and my sister lives 10 minutes from the ski hill.

Asher · December 21, 2002, 06:22

Wutang!

Skiing doesn't do much for me...

But snowboarding does.

One of my best friends has a timeshare in Fairmont for two weeks right after Christmas. The first week he's spending it with his parents, but then his parents need to return back to Calgary to return to work, and he gets to keep the condo for the week all by himself -- and invite friends!

That's going to be pretty sweet.

Asher · December 21, 2002, 06:31

And I don't see how anyone can take any east coast slopes seriously. You need stuff like the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop to truly enjoy it.

VJ · December 21, 2002, 06:32

Cross-country in the middle of a forest =

Asher · December 21, 2002, 06:41

Hmmm, this looks pretty good

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/images/panoramamap.jpg

Traianvs · December 21, 2002, 07:14

I'm Mr.BigFoot

I used to do skiing (never liked snowboard that much) but once i discovered the real ol' BigFoots (not mini-skis!) i was hooked

It's the best on every terrain except deep-now unfortunately...
The adrenaline kick of going like a tornado from a steep mogul slope...and the jumps, oh god the jumps... it's nearly impossible to hurt yourself, unless you go real bad
falling flat on your face while making a ski-jump really hurts

unfortunately no skiing for me this year, i thought of it too late and now there's no more vacant rooms in the hotels...

Comrade Chris · December 21, 2002, 07:46

water skiing?

aahz_capone · December 21, 2002, 12:34

Eastcoast/westcoast?

Bah! Loosers!!

Europe is the birthplace of skiing!

RedFred · December 21, 2002, 14:57

Europe is nice. You often get better food options right on the hill. The only places I've skied there is Switzerland and Austria, and the scenery is amazing.

But, the snow is not as good, the lift queues are longer and ruder, the prices are higher and the slopes are busier.

Pekka · December 21, 2002, 15:27

I agree with prices.. they are higher and it sucks.
Snow .. depends when you come here, it's little more 'dry' in Canada and States, but it's not that different, weather can affect it differently though. Lift queues depends how many people are skiing.. but I'd go with ruder.. It's definitely true

. It can get ugly sometimes!

Other than that, it's pretty much the same, depends very much where you go.. naturally. I like more 'European snow', but might be because I'm more used to it.. but it's all good, just different. But yeah, I could say that generally people might be a little rude sometimes, but you got to know the unwritten rules

. And prices are definitely too too high.

monolith94 · December 21, 2002, 23:28

East coast scenery is beautiful… just because it doesn't have the bombast of the rockies doesn't make it any less elegant…