Does anyone have any experience with multiple boards in one bag for airline travel? I have a nice bag that will easily fit 2 boards with no bindings, but I'm wondering if I should wrap one of them in t-shirts to prevent scratching.

1/3/2011 10:25:16 AM

I've never carried two boards, but I'd wrap it in t-shirts like you said. Should be fine.

The airlines say your snowboard bag and boot bag can only carry your board and boots, but I always wrap my snowboard with my coat and pants, stuff the nose with clothes as I put it in the bag, put my helmet between the bindings, and then put some more clothes at the tail as I zip it up. Never had a problem, but I've only flown AA with my board so far.

[Edited on January 3, 2011 at 10:35 AM. Reason : l]

1/3/2011 10:34:57 AM

if i'm skiing, i pretty much only fly southwest. the number of bags would just add too much to the cost.

1/3/2011 10:36:25 AM

has anyone used the (~$37 pp) shuttles to get to park city from SLC? Do they drop you off at your destination or at a central spot somewhere?

2 of us are trying to decide between taking a shuttle both ways or renting a shitbox (caliber, aero, versa)

we are staying right on the main street (near quittin time) if that helps.

1/3/2011 10:40:11 AM

^^ AA only charges you for one checked bag ($35 I think) if you're carrying skis/boots or snowboard/boots. Between the snowboard bag, boot bag, carry-on, and bookbag for "personal item" I've got plenty of room.

1/3/2011 10:53:08 AM

may be popping my skiing/snowboarding virginity in a couple weeks at Wintergreen. Never done any kind of winter skiing or boarding before. Will probably rent skies just to make it easier. Here's to making a fool of myself.

1/3/2011 11:03:16 AM

Quote :

"Does anyone have any experience with multiple boards in one bag for airline travel? I have a nice bag that will easily fit 2 boards with no bindings, but I'm wondering if I should wrap one of them in t-shirts to prevent scratching."

Me and a co-worker flew to CT with our skis in one bag and didn't have a problem. I would definitely wrap your stuff up. I always stuff my ski bag full of clothes to protect my edges and they have never said anything. They just asked what was in the bag.

^We are taking a short trip next weekend up to Wintergreen. Never been there, just looking at the trail map and videos from youtube, it looks about the same as Beech/Sugar which is not saying much. For those that have been there is my assumption correct?

1/3/2011 11:14:03 AM

Quote :

"has anyone used the (~$37 pp) shuttles to get to park city from SLC? Do they drop you off at your destination or at a central spot somewhere? 2 of us are trying to decide between taking a shuttle both ways or renting a shitbox (caliber, aero, versa) we are staying right on the main street (near quittin time) if that helps."

I think it's like a bus that has several drops, but I'm not sure. We are flying out tomorrow, but the conference I am attending has prearranged travel.

1/3/2011 12:55:59 PM

It's quite a bit better than beach/sugar. That being said, it's not really much to speak of by any means. There are at least a variety of runs, and the place is spread out into 3 sections. Stay off of the greens if you can. The biggest flaw is the short length of their runs.

1/3/2011 1:38:07 PM

^ This is a spot on assessment of Wintergreen. Its a much better option than Sugar/Beech but not good for much more than a day trip. Keep in mind too, that they have a hyper inflated sense of the dificulty of their terrain. There are no runs that are particularly steep or overly challenging yet they have a few double black runs. Especially this early in the season, there isn't enough snow to make these anymore challenging than you would expect from a blue

1/3/2011 1:48:41 PM

how easy is it to pick up skiing? should i invest in a lesson or just rely on a few tips from friends? I consider myself athletic and fairly adept at picking things up easily. i've heard from people that being able to ice skate, waterski, wakeboard, etc etc should give me a head start.

1/3/2011 1:55:39 PM

Those things will def give you a headstart. If you have reasonable balance, the basics of skiing aren't too hard to pick up. If you don't mind shelling out some cash, a lesson that lasts an hour or two would go a long way. It'll be much easier to learn the proper way to ski from someone who knows how to teach than it will be from friends who are interested in getting you just good enough to not slow them down too much.

1/3/2011 2:12:21 PM

Get a lesson. Just one. Pay attention to what they tell you, and your athleticism will propel you the rest of the way once your lesson is over.

I repeat, get a lesson.

1/3/2011 2:33:51 PM

POWER WEDGE

1/3/2011 2:55:01 PM

just make sure you don't pizza when you are supposed to french fry

or else you're gonna have a bad time

[Edited on January 3, 2011 at 3:06 PM. Reason : sp]

1/3/2011 3:06:12 PM

Agree on the ski lesson front. You have no idea how your friends learned to ski and honestly, its really difficult unless you have training to teach people to do anything athletic no matter how good the teacher is or how athletic the friend is. I'd consider myself advanced intermediate(idk really)...being that I'm able to ski pretty much an entire mountain (caveat that I've never hiked) but I don't have the best form sometimes and I tend to steer away from steep and bumpy double blacks in bad conditions. That said, I have no freakin clue how I figured out how to ski since I've been doing it so long. I had one lesson when I was about 10 and quit after the morning session to ski with my parents.

There are some fundamentals that I like to remind myself of every time I go on a trip that really help me, but they don't really make much sense to someone who has never tried it before and has no reference point. Its easy to say "don't pizza" to a beginner, but when they're looking down a hill that looks 100x worse than it actually is, they don't hear it, and its hard to teach people when they're scared. The lesson will give them great points to start out on that people skiing a long time wouldn't think of, then they can work their own way onto the rest of the mountain.


Although....there is something to be said for just going balls out trying to keep up with your friends and figuring it out for yourself. IMO its fun to be pushed with people who are significantly better than you so you force yourself to do shit you're scared of. After a few runs you realize you lived and you're going back for more. Thats what makes it great. I'd start with the lesson though.

Quote :

"Yeah, Vail is AWESOME. Probably my favorite place to ski, and I went there as a skeptic, thinking it was just an overhyped place to brag that you went (like the opinion I generally hold of Aspen, although now I know to reserve real judgement until I ski it)."

I heard the same about Vail but I got a buddy pass and saved like 45 dollars. Entire resort was open except Blue Sky Basin which opened the very next day . I've skiied all 7 of the SLC resorts and although I love Alta/Snowbird more than anywhere on earth, Vail was awesome. Apparently they do get pretty crowded on the front side on weekends but the back bowls are usually less crowded for the most part (from what I hear). I didn't wait more than 3 or 4 chairs all day when I was there. There was fresh corduroy all day, and the shade still had a ton of powder (although kinda thick and icy in the sun). The thing about Vail is its size. You would literally need a week to ski the entire resort if you did a few runs multiple times (...and some are so good you have to)


[Edited on January 3, 2011 at 4:21 PM. Reason : ]

1/3/2011 4:09:57 PM

I had a really great weekend skiing the Yosemite backcountry.

My girlfriend and I hiked 9 miles out to Ostrander hut. To give you an idea of what this place is like see this video:
http://vimeo.com/13972943
The video gives a portrait of the hutmaster, Howard Weamer. He is an awesome human being & has probably skied more of the Sierra backcountry than anyone alive.

The amount of snow out there was intense. The conditions and avy conditions prevented me from doing much of the steep stuff but the tree skiing was great. Hucking off of buried boulders and logs into deep powder. Fun. As was the New Years party we had out there. Less fun was the two feet of fresh snow we had to plow through to get back to our car!

[Edited on January 3, 2011 at 10:33 PM. Reason : x]

1/3/2011 10:31:54 PM

Who has skied winter park, CO? Do you have recommendations for parts of the mountain to hit? I consider myself expert/advanced. As I grew up skiing, and try to make an annual trip out west. It's just I never skied Winter Park before. The trip is planned for the end of January. If you have any firsthand input, I'd love to hear it.

1/4/2011 12:43:57 PM

Was there last year for one day. The snow wasn't the greatest while we were there, but it was definitely a great place. We had 2 green skiers with us so dubcaps and I weren't able to see too much of the mountain.

1/4/2011 3:24:12 PM

Leave their asses next time!!!!

1/4/2011 6:11:56 PM

^^^Yea, I had a season's pass there the first year I lived in Denver. If you're advanced/expert, you'll probably be on Mary Jane all day (the mountain next to Winter Park)... it's included as part of WP resort, but lots of good bump runs, the BEST tree runs, and a fun bowl at the top. Otherwise the only good terrain on WP is the faaaar right on the map.

They have a saying, "No Pain, No Jane"... one of the best mountains in CO imho.

Johnstone Junction, Paintbrush, Forget-Me-Not are the runs I like the best, and just keep taking the trees all the way down to the bottom...
http://www.winterpark.travel/about/winter-park-ski-trail-map.htm

[Edited on January 4, 2011 at 9:34 PM. Reason : .]

1/4/2011 9:27:33 PM

heading to Jiminy Peak Mountain in a couple weeks. Anyone been?


i imagine there will be snow and hills.

1/4/2011 9:47:46 PM

Quote :

"We had 2 green skiers with us so dubcaps and I weren't able to see too much of the mountain."

as a green skier myself, this is bullshit. your friends should have done their own thing

i just got back from a week in colorado with my bf and another couple. they're all black diamond skiers and im scared of blues. i spent the trip doing runs myself and meeting up for a run or two on an easy blue with the bf but wanted him to go do his own thing

you don't drop coin on a ski trip then ruin it for the more experienced people by holding them back. thats a quick way to be left off the invite for next time!

and i second lessons. i've been skiing twice before and took a 2 hour lesson on this trip. it wasn't life changing but i did get some tips to correct some stuff i was doing out of bad habit so it was worth it for me

1/5/2011 12:07:17 AM

Quote :

"heading to Jiminy Peak Mountain in a couple weeks. Anyone been? "

I have been. For the size of the mountain that it is, it has a good amount of trails (1,100 vertical or so). Not too bad of a mountain if you are going for a day. When I went, it got pretty icy as the day went on, but if you are used to skiing in NC/VA, its not a huge deal.

One tip I do have, join their e-mail savers list. They pick random days during the season that they have an 8 hour lift ticket for $24.

http://www.jiminypeak.com/special-deals

I'm not sure how long you plan on being in that area, but Mt. Snow, VT is only 1.5 hour away. I think it would be well worth your time to hit that up for a day.

[Edited on January 5, 2011 at 7:38 AM. Reason : :]

1/5/2011 7:37:05 AM

^^ We went to Steamboat and Copper the following two days. Did more advanced stuff those days. It's all good.

1/5/2011 9:26:48 AM

^what he said. we split up at the other resorts. my gf was pretty terrified on day 1 (winterpark), didn't ski at steamboat, but was fine at copper

1/5/2011 10:23:20 AM

I'm a grad student at CU and got the student hook up price for a seasons pass to Winter Park and Copper Mountain - only $220 for both resorts!

This is my first season, and I didn't take lessons, just had friends show me the ropes, but they were lifelong Colorado skiers. First two days sucked, fell alot, couldn't stay up on even the greens, but right around the time the powders days started (thanks La Nina!) I figured it out. I've got 7 days so far this season, and looking at 30+ by April.

If anyone is planning on coming out to ski Winter Park or Copper, let me know and I can hook you up with buddy passes at $60 (iirc)

Quote :

"Who has skied winter park, CO? Do you have recommendations for parts of the mountain to hit? I consider myself expert/advanced. As I grew up skiing, and try to make an annual trip out west. It's just I never skied Winter Park before. The trip is planned for the end of January. If you have any firsthand input, I'd love to hear it."

Mary Jane all day. Don't bother with the Winter Park side. Like I said, I just started this season, but my friends and I don't even bother with Park, just park at the bottom of MJ. The runs are great - really wide, lots of trees. You'll have a great time.


[Edited on January 5, 2011 at 1:30 PM. Reason : No Pain no Jane]

1/5/2011 1:26:31 PM

^enjoy, I live in Denver but have the Colorado Pass.

1/5/2011 10:25:25 PM

^since you live in Denver, i'll ask you how convenient is it during the winter to go ski on the weekends? I've heard its kind of a pain in the ass because traffic gets bad, especially coming back down 70 east on sunday. True? (I have a chance to move there in June thats why I ask)

1/5/2011 11:10:52 PM

I make it up about 20 times during the year, maybe more. It's anywhere from 1:15 to 1:45 to any of the mountains. It's only a PIA if you're lazy or can't wake up early enough to go, no offense. I just need a egg/bacon bagel and some coffee and I'm ready.

Leave early (6am), get there about 7:30am or so, tailgate & put gear on, get first chair at 8:30am, ski straight for 4-5 hours, leave at 12:30-1:30pm and there will be very little traffic, unless there's weather.

If you leave after 6:45am you'll hit traffic. Probably will take you about 2:30 hours to get to the slopes. If you leave the slopes after 3pm, you'll get stuck in traffic headed back and will take you 3-4 hours possibly.

So either leave early, ski, leave early, or leave late, ski, leave late.

Weekdays the traffic is minimal, so occasionally I'll take a ski/sick day to go during the week.

[Edited on January 6, 2011 at 11:01 AM. Reason : ,]

1/6/2011 11:00:11 AM

Thanks. Sounds reasonable to me especially if I you can ski 20 times a year. If its a 3-5 time a year thing then the only 4-5 hours of skiing would probably irritate me.


Where to you usually go? I've only hit up Keystone and Vail. Heard A-Basin is a lot of fun and less crowded...same with Loveland. Any truth to that?

1/6/2011 11:40:46 AM

New Facebook Fan EXCLUSIVE offer: Lift/Lodging Package (Jan 9-Jan 13)
ONLY $100: 1 night lodging in a standard room at the Inn
1 day of lift tickets for 2 people
Breakfast buffet for 2
includes ALL taxes and fees, based on double occupancy. ONLY 150 ROOMS AVAILABLE! Call 877-441-4386 and use promo code "SnowFan"

YES....that's $50/person per night for lodging, lift ticket and breakfast!!

1/6/2011 11:51:19 AM

^ Where is that at?

1/6/2011 12:33:08 PM

Oh sorry...Snowshoe in WV

1/6/2011 12:50:17 PM

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=877-441-4386

[Edited on January 6, 2011 at 12:52 PM. Reason : ]

1/6/2011 12:52:07 PM

Quote :

"wrap my snowboard with my coat and pants"

your edges are dull

1/6/2011 3:48:04 PM

wolfAApack

Keystone since it's the largest of the closer resorts. I have the Colorado Pass so I can ski unlimited days at A-basin, Keystone, & Breckenridge with 10 days at Vail & BC, which I have yet to hit the 10 days since they are the furthest.

Keystone is pretty good once they get snow, A-basin is decent but you can't really ski all of it until late January once they have substantial snowfall as it's steep terrain. Yes A-basin gets less traffic but it's because it's only 700 acres. Keystone is like 3100 acres or something. A-basin and Keystone also have the best free parking right at the base. Breckenridge is free parking but you have to take a bus to the gondola then a gondola ride to the base. Vail has $20 parking, and BC is by far my favorite, but is the furthest away.

If you look for the Colorado ski thread I posted tons more on these resorts in there... I'll try to find it.

1/6/2011 10:18:51 PM

^^ Not likely.

1/7/2011 12:21:01 AM

looks like i'll be at wintergreen tomorrow with BigT716

1/7/2011 9:57:21 PM

^^^Awesome...that makes sense. And I guess A-Basin usually stays open a little later too?


Some of the people I was with last month were talking about Beaver Creek and just gushed over it. Gotta try it sometime regardless of whether I move there or not.

1/8/2011 12:38:38 AM

Did some night skiing last night. Pretty darn fun, but i need some different goggles, mine are too dark for night, it was a little sketchy. Might be time for some Smith I/Os

1/8/2011 12:15:07 PM

I have I/Os. They're honestly worth it. The lens they come with lights up everything. You leave them on for an hour and you honestly forget that it's cloudy and blue/hazy out. You will actually think the sun is shining.

1/9/2011 12:26:52 PM

i've snowboarded for about 14 years and finally took a ski lesson yesterday w/the wife. drove up to wolf laurel (about 30 minutes N of asheville) and we had a blast. we had a great instructor and it helped that they had gotten over a foot of snow in the 24 hrs before we went. skiing is so much different than boarding - i don't think i'll ever 100% convert but i'd like to get at least proficient at it just for kicks.

1/9/2011 4:32:53 PM

just got back from Vail and Breck. Awesome time.

1/9/2011 5:46:37 PM

^^^^

Why get new goggles? Aren't your lenses replaceable? Generally night/overcast lenses are clear to yellow tint, while amber lenses are for bright days.


My Dragons came with both.


If you want one lens for all conditions the more expensive goggles generally have photochromatic lenses.

[Edited on January 10, 2011 at 12:46 AM. Reason : .]

1/10/2011 12:45:55 AM

because mine are cheap and don't have replaceable lenses

1/11/2011 7:51:59 AM

Yea! My Never Summer Heritage X 163 is coming in tomorrow just in time for the weekend!



Breck, Vail, BC all over 12" in the last 3 days.

[Edited on January 11, 2011 at 11:46 AM. Reason : .]

1/11/2011 11:37:56 AM

The heritage is such a sick board. It's fits the same spot in the quiver as my Bataleon Jam. I was debating between those two.

1/11/2011 2:33:51 PM

^^ Nice

1/11/2011 3:07:29 PM

Hard to beat the 3-year warranty. And if something does go wrong I can go B&M directly to them in person But I'm sure that will never happen.

1/11/2011 3:23:10 PM