^ Ha ha.

Got back from Jackson last night. Did three days at Jackson Hole and one at Grand Targhee. Fun times.

2/5/2010 2:23:43 PM

Leaving now to DC then wintergreen! can't wait.

2/5/2010 2:34:31 PM

I thought you were going tomorrow? No matter, I couldn't come anyway


and LOL at the trail rating signs, haha. I'm totally guilty of saying these blacks would be blue somewhere else

2/5/2010 3:17:31 PM

I was but my friend up in DC said i should come up to him tonight then ride together tomorrow just in case his fancy BMW couldn't make it

2/5/2010 3:23:03 PM

the trail rating signs bring the lulz

2/5/2010 3:27:16 PM

^^ you might have clearance issues. they are supposed to get over 24".

2/5/2010 3:32:50 PM

We had an awsome time at Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee. I ended up getting video from a helmet cam of me becoming one with a tree (and one head over heels crash as well).

Jackson Hole is tough, and I was well challenged staying to the double blues and a very small number of blacks, but I still managed to ride the tram up and ski the rendezvous bowl a couple of times in 2 foot powder.

2/5/2010 7:51:10 PM

Made it up here. Traffic was a bitch on 495. But other than that I had no issues. But cars were spinning Out everywhere.

2/6/2010 12:02:14 AM

Just paid $8000 for the company ski trip. I felt baller holding that cash for the five minutes it took to walk from the ATM to the travel agent

2/6/2010 7:52:23 AM

just got back from jackson hole/targhee

did fri at jackson, sat at targhee, sun at jackson.

for me targhee was much much more fun, but it was probably a combination of the conditions and the fact that i am prob on the low end of intermediate and havent skied in 3 yrs. Jackson Hole is a little too much mountain for me in some cases.

On fri, it had been snowing and snowed all day,which was cool except visibility was horrible. plus jackson isnt a good mountain to do when you havent skied for 3 yrs. I busted alot and ended up with severe quad/tricep cramps at the end of the day. might have been a bit dehydrated though.

targhee, on the other hand, was a beautiful clear day with tons of beautiful powder. the groomers were in perfect condition and the powder was almost up to the knees (i'm 6'4") even b/w highly skied areas. i had never skied powder before and some of my friends gave me tips, i busted some but had way more fun doing it and trying something diff.

unfortunately, the beautiful 30deg sat combine poorly with neg temps sat night to make jackson hole an icy, crusty death trap for me. it was tough day and not that fun for me.

i'd like to hit up jackson again when i have more experience. i only rode the tram once and i left my skis at the bottom! strictly sightseeing! Also, on fri i forgot to close a pocket and my camera fell victim to jackson hole.

verdict: grand targhee, would ski again; jackson hole, not before a decent amount of time getting more familiar with the sticks on my feet.

2/8/2010 9:40:40 PM

Quote :

"We had an awsome time at Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee. I ended up getting video from a helmet cam of me becoming one with a tree (and one head over heels crash as well)."

lol...Do I need to mention your new nickname?

Quote :

"for me targhee was much much more fun, but it was probably a combination of the conditions and the fact that i am prob on the low end of intermediate and havent skied in 3 yrs. Jackson Hole is a little too much mountain for me in some cases."

I've got to agree. The snow was definitely better and I personally liked the terrain more as well. It seemed about 1/3 as crowded as Jackson Hole too. I could take tree runs just about all day long and not see anyone until I came out of the woods and headed back to the lift. I'm really glad certain people forced my ass to get up and didn't let me take the day off on Grand Targhee day.

[Edited on February 8, 2010 at 10:24 PM. Reason : l]

2/8/2010 10:19:25 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBtrhgn3fJA

also, snowshoe is getting more snow today, tomorrow, and thursday. should be around a foot to two feet total. and they got 2+ feet last weekend as well. temperatures will not be above freezing anytime through the middle of next week. the slopes will still be blanketed because all this snow isn't going anywhere. also friday it's supposed to be sunny but cold so they'll be clearing the roads the entire time.

tldr: saturday should be epic at snowshoe.

2/9/2010 8:01:58 AM

I think I have to disagree a bit with Skack and rwoody on Jackson Hole.

While I am no advanced skier, I thought that Jackson Hole had a few things over Grand Targhee...

1) Jackson Hole seems to have a lot more character than grand Targhee. Because Jackson Hole is so wooded, it adds to the expansive feel of the mountain. Going up either Aprez Vous, the Gondola, or the tram, gets you onto 3 uniquely different parts of the moutain. Grand Targhee, on the other hand, really is just one hugely wide open mountain, save a few trees here and there.

2) Jackson Hole runs are the longest I have ever been on. Vastly longer than Grand Targhee. It seemed like some runs had me going about 30-45 mins before I hit the next lift. They say the longest run is 7.5 miles, and we probably came close to that more often than not. While we were only there a day, I felt Grand Targhee runs were on the short side, and the best runs would be over in 5 minutes, and then you would be waiting for a slow lift back up the mountain. The lift system at Jackson Hole is FAST. Not so much at Grand Targhee. There was basically no penalty for coming all the way from peak to base. 10 minute ride would get you back to the top.

3) Jackson Hole is definitely a great resort with lots of food and beverage options... Grand Targhee not so much.

So while the quality of the powder was much better at Grand Targhee, I had better experiences all round at Jackson Hole. Had the moutain received more snow, more of the mountain would have been skiable to me (more blacks), and the experience would have been even better. This year has been bad for the Hole, even though they have received nearly 300 inches to date. I cant handle a moguly black.


[Edited on February 9, 2010 at 9:36 AM. Reason : .]

2/9/2010 9:35:08 AM

I really really want to go to jackson hole. Skiing corbett's couloir is on my bucket list.

6 days from now I'll be at keystone. can't wait.

2/9/2010 9:37:42 AM

I've heard nothing but good things about Jackson Hole from skiers ranging from intermediate to expert. It is on my short list of places I simply HAVE to get to in the United States.

In general, if you're a beginner and live in this area I wouldn't make the trip out west anyway. Learn in the SE/New England then go west.

2/9/2010 9:41:04 AM

Quote :

"In general, if you're a beginner and live in this area I wouldn't make the trip out west anyway. Learn in the SE/New England then go west."

I don't see any point in going to New England to learn. If you're going to fly then you might as well head out west. If you're going to drive then I'd contend that it's easier to just hop a plane and go out west than it is to drive 8 hours up the eastern seaboard. The difference in costs is probably negligible between the two. I would recommend a couple of day trips to somewhere like Wintergreen to get the basics down before you take a real vacation though.

Quote :

"1) Jackson Hole seems to have a lot more character than grand Targhee. Because Jackson Hole is so wooded, it adds to the expansive feel of the mountain. Going up either Aprez Vous, the Gondola, or the tram, gets you onto 3 uniquely different parts of the moutain. Grand Targhee, on the other hand, really is just one hugely wide open mountain, save a few trees here and there."

Agreed on the character thing, but we didn't even touch the terrain off the Sacajawea lift or Mary's Nipple. That's probably 30% of the mountain right there. They also have the Cat accessible terrain at GT that is probably pretty nice.

So much of Jackson Hole just didn't seem worth riding with all the rocks and shrubbery sticking out of the snow. I know that wouldn't be the case on a good snow year, but I felt like I could get off any lift at GT and go anywhere without worry. My snowboard seemed to like the powder a lot more than your skis which probably opened up a lot of the mountain at GT that you didn't enjoy.

I dinged up the edges of my new board pretty bad in just a few tree runs at Jackson Hole. I did hit one rock at GT, but it was on a traverse in a spot that was really worn down so it was easy to avoid for the rest of the day.

[Edited on February 9, 2010 at 10:28 AM. Reason : l]

2/9/2010 10:25:04 AM

jackson hole is at 286" on the season. that's really not that bad. they certainly are not summit county for that matter.

you guys arrived just after or during a couple of dumps too. could the conditions really be that much better than what you saw?

2/9/2010 10:59:55 AM

The conditions were by no means 'bad', but remember, they only went 100% open about 2 weeks ago. They had only received about 70% of normal snow just before we arrived. The lower blacks (Hobacks and saratoga) had too many obstacles exposed. The mountain was just getting completely accessible when we arrived. The locals were saying that this was the worst they had seen it in over 20 years, and that all the brush and rocks we could see on the lifts would normally be completely covered...

But Jackson Hole standards are high. I am not good enough to go far off trail, so the named runs were great. I did not like, however, the conditions of the blacks, which were littered with far too many moguls (not enough snow just before we got there).

[Edited on February 9, 2010 at 11:07 AM. Reason : .]

2/9/2010 11:06:35 AM

taking a day trip up to wintergreen on thursday ... hopping the slopeandsail bus at 5am

Should be nice up there with it snowing through wednesday night. Hopefully not as icey on the slopes as it was when I went two years ago.

2/9/2010 11:06:39 AM

This is a great guide:
http://webpages.charter.net/tcrocker818/seas10.htm

2/9/2010 11:09:30 AM

Quote :

"jackson hole is at 286" on the season. that's really not that bad. they certainly are not summit county for that matter. you guys arrived just after or during a couple of dumps too. could the conditions really be that much better than what you saw?"

Everyone I talked to said it was a bad year. One guy said it was either the 3rd or 4th worst year on record. Of course the conditions could be better. Another three feet of snow would have covered up all the rocks that I hit and 90% of the exposed vegetation (not including real trees).

Still had a blast though. I don't think we could have picked a better place to go.

2/9/2010 11:17:14 AM

i see as far as jackson goes. i'm going back out west probably in early march. not even going to mess with CO. i'm thinking either park city, jackson, or tahoe (heavenly). i'll just have to watch the snow fall i guess.

2/9/2010 12:19:05 PM

I'd skip heavenly and hit up kirkwood. Less crowded better snow all around

2/9/2010 1:01:45 PM

^I'd also go to Squaw. Loved it!

Quote :

"Skiing corbett's couloir is on my bucket list"

I dunno if I have the cojones for that run. I've heard that depending on snowfall levels there's a section with a 30 foot drop that you have to pass through to continue. I've done 10-15 ft drops before, but the thought of that one makes me weak in the knees.

[Edited on February 9, 2010 at 1:06 PM. Reason : Squaw]

2/9/2010 1:06:13 PM

yeah, it may well be the last thing I cross off on my bucket list.

2/9/2010 1:07:38 PM

Quote :

"Corbet's Couloir is an expert ski run located at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort named after Jackson Hole ski instructor and mountain guide Barry Corbet[1]. Currently rated #4 on the top fifty things for skiers to do before they die, it holds an international reputation among expert skiers, and has been described as "America's scariest ski slope".[2] Corbet's Couloir is to the skier's left exiting either from the tram or the top of the East Ridge double chairlift. It is about ten feet wide at the entrance with rock faces on three sides, but opens up quickly. Entrance into the couloir requires dropping off a cornice with a free fall ranging from 10 to 30 feet (9.1 m) depending upon snow conditions, landing on a 60 plus degree slope. Skiiers may opt to ski down the first part of the south face, dropping the rest of the way (actually the standard route to ski the couloir), in which case the drop is less, but they must then make a quick right to steer away from the north rock face. The rest of Corbet's is usually a powder stash because snow collects in the couloir where it is protected from both wind and sun, and relatively few people ski through. The rest of Corbet's Couloir is essentially an average expert run after the jump; the key word being after."

FML, just reading it scares me.

2/9/2010 1:15:36 PM

they have good youtube's of people falling all the way down it

2/9/2010 1:20:15 PM

yeah, I think that as long as I could see the rock faces I have to avoid, the drop wouldn't be all that bad since you're landing on a 60 degree decline. I'd be way more reluctant to do it if it was flatter.

I dunno, I say all that now, but standing at the top of the run my balls might just retract completely and go hide in my kidneys.

2/9/2010 1:26:00 PM

^I'm not worried about dropping down onto a 60° slope. I'm worried about the speed I'm gonna pick up while falling and then continue to pick up after I land. This is exactly how I tore my ACL (well the resulting yard sale was)

2/9/2010 1:30:30 PM

fuck. that. shit. I just watched some youtube vids. :crazy:

2/9/2010 1:37:12 PM

yeah, even the speed thing wouldn't scare me off depending on what the "rest of the run" is like.

Quote :

"The rest of Corbet's Couloir is essentially an average expert run after the jump; the key word being after.""

Does that mean really really steep and flat or really really steep and full of large moguls? If it's flat and steep, i can take it at breakneck speed. But if it's got large moguls, I'd probably die. I love moguls and consider myself a pretty good bump skier, but i'm by no means fast.


BTW, if anyone wants to get good at bumps, and happen to be at copper, take the bumpbusters class with Steve Karp, it's amazing how much better you can get in just a day. cdubya and I did it a couple of years ago, and it was well worth it. It's still the only lesson I've ever taken in my life.

2/9/2010 1:53:37 PM

Quote :

"they have good youtube's of people falling all the way down it "

lol...Chris wanted to do it despite it being closed. Glad I didn't let him talk me into it. After watching a few Youtube vids it looks like one of those things that can be either a steep trough with practically no actual airtime or a 30 foot drop depending on the time of year you go. Definitely something you want to do late in the season for the first time.

2/9/2010 2:33:18 PM

Quote :

"Definitely something you want to do late in the season for the first time."

Is that because you won't be missing out on a whole season when you break every bone in your body?

2/9/2010 3:13:17 PM

^this


lol

2/9/2010 3:35:34 PM

^^ lol.
But no...It just looks like the snow piles up at the bottom and it becomes more easily passable as the season progresses. Check out this vid from the last day of the season; it doesn't look bad at all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBgV38J24rU

2/9/2010 4:39:35 PM

Took a daytrip to Wintergreen today and rode 930 to 330. Completely worth the drive from Raleigh. Conditions were awesome and although the runs are short(er) from the top, no lift lines meant we could cover lots of real estate as the day passed. It was my first time there, with good conditions I'll definitely go back sometime...although the last few years I have become an "out west" snob. Wintergreen's 2 full terrain parks were a great option...we took off early though to make sure we weren't gonna get stuck there...it was starting to snow pretty heavy as we got on the road.

2/9/2010 11:07:37 PM

Yeah the videos I've seen didn't make the drop look too bad. I bet if the conditions were worse it might get a little hairy. I think I might be able to pull a 20 foot drop. 30 sounds a little steep - it better be into 6 feet of unpacked powder with a scuba mask or my knees wouldn't forgive me.





I don't see a 30 footer. I see 15 maybe 20 feet. I think more dangerous than the drop is the fact that you better be in control after you land or, depending on your line, you could meet the side of the Couloir.

If it were a tad wider, I'd say just huck it, LOL.

[Edited on February 10, 2010 at 7:40 PM. Reason : .]

2/10/2010 7:33:06 PM

^ Screw that lol.

2/10/2010 9:41:28 PM

^^that doesn't look horrible, though in that pic I'd still say its close to 20 feet vertical.

2/10/2010 10:24:09 PM

I assume this is what you guys were doing at Grand Targhee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaqYhFsTjW4

{plz to embed}

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aaqYhFsTjW4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aaqYhFsTjW4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

here's a little better video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbvfVHeXa3k&feature=related

[Edited on February 10, 2010 at 10:48 PM. Reason : .]

2/10/2010 10:43:30 PM

^ I snowboarded along that ridge, but where he jumped off I turned and went down the other side. Pretty much the same thing, only I didn't make a Youtube vid about it.

2/11/2010 9:09:27 AM

2/11/2010 11:11:25 AM

W.T.F! Did he even live through that shit? I like how the only way I could see where he was from the distance was the eruption of powder on impact

2/11/2010 11:13:10 AM

last weekend skied 9am-4pm for 3 consecutive days. legs were shot after day 3.

sat = breckenridge, conditions were average, some ice under pp, got snow all day, conditions improved to powder on pp

sun = vail, conditions were good, almost all powder over pp

mon = keystone, no powder, almost all groomed pp, fast & easy.

[Edited on February 11, 2010 at 4:40 PM. Reason : .]

2/11/2010 4:40:13 PM

anyone ever buy lift tickets using http://www.liftopia.com



[Edited on February 11, 2010 at 6:22 PM. Reason : ?]

2/11/2010 6:15:52 PM

robster, how was Wintergreen?

I'm heading up there in a few hours with a couple of people. Guess I should get to bed. Any powder left over?

2/12/2010 1:02:46 AM

went boarding at The Canyons last weekend, next to Park City, Utah.
Made a video of a skiing buddy attempting his first back flip. It didn't go so well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yvZmFk2Ers

2/12/2010 2:10:28 AM

^^^just bought my Keystone tix on there (~$10 cheaper plus $15 lunch credit)

2/12/2010 9:06:33 AM

Wintergreen was AWESOME! Cant really ask for better conditions right now. Wind was not that bad really, except for on Eagle Swoop, as it kept you from going down the first drop off as fast as you normally would have. Slopes were not icy at all.

Took on the terrain park for the first time (skis), and cleared a few tabletops ... tons of fun.

2/12/2010 10:41:25 AM

I've had a trip planned to Summit county for a while. Was getting a little worried with the snowfall theyve seen. But right now, they are getting hammered. Woo woo

2/14/2010 2:27:35 PM