......so where is anyone going, how many times, Euope, States, Canada? Pictures, past experiences, recommendations, funny stories...it's up to you! Never seen a conversation on here about these winter sports, so I thought I'd see who was out there looking forward to throwing temselves down a mountain this winter.
I'm going to cry. Since I don't know when I'm finding a permanent job with vacation and benefits, and the areas here are too small and too icy/crappy for me to want to go, no skiing for me this year. If I get one soon, with enough permanent time to go somewhere, I'm going to go to Colorado, where I used to live, for a week. I'll be going here if that happens: http://www.arapahoebasin.com http://www.skiloveland.com
How expensive is it to ski in the States? The skiing in Europe itself is not too expensive however the apres-ski can be depending where you are!!! I'm starting the season with a week at Val d'Isere in the French Alps in mid-December, had my board out this week to do some repairs.....am counting the days (64) http://photos.valdisere.com/download/plandespistes.jpg
i'm looking forward to just getting up to the local hill to carve some runs once they start blowing snow. it's not cold enough yet, but it's coming!
Europe is getting a good early blast this year, some parts of Austria already have 250cm!! 25 days and counting till France, think I will get a couple of days practice in at the weekend locally.... http://www.liftverbund-feldberg.de/aktuell/webcams
it's snowing outside. and even though it won't amount to much, it's nice to see everything covered in WHITE!
I think the best value in skiing in the U.S. is Utah. Snowbird gets tons of snow, isn't expensive, and is near a large, relatively inexpensive city. That's where I'd go if I was on a budget. Ditto for Alta, although they don't allow snowboarders.
Andy Mahre (probably related to Phil and Steve Mahre, who were big in alpine skiing 25 years ago) gets in touch with his inner Ewok: http://skiwhitepass.com/ As for me, I'm planning on at least one day of cross-country skiing this winter. That's all I'll be able to do.
Heading to Taos, New Mexico from March 1-6, 2008. I've heard it's a tough mountain (which is why we're going). Including myself and Mrs. Crimson Ace, there are 6 of us (her siblings and father) and we're all experienced skiiers. I've heard Taos will give us all we can handle. Anyone been there or have any advice?
Do you like steep? Taos is as steep as any mountain out there. Hike Highline Ridge or Kachina peak and drop into the chutes. Killer. Not for the faint of heart.
For half of our group, I expect them to hike & drop on several occassions. I may drop at least once, but I've never been one for hiking while skiing! For the other half of us, we'll enjoy tackling the normal terrain of Taos. From everything I hear (and checking the trail map), we should stay challenged for the week. We tore up Big Sky, Montana last spring. There were some great runs that ranged from quick and sweeping, to rough and woody. The group of us dropped in to Snake Pit and came out the bottom gasping for oxygen. Nothing but steep moguls in a thin forest. Fun stuff (once!). With the daily stress I've been experiencing at work, I find myself daydreaming about our upcoming trip. Ski trips and Scuba trips are the best form of stress therapy!
I am planing a trip to the Tahoe area in late Feb. A couple gapers will be going alone is why I chose Tahoe over say Jackson Hole or Big Sky.
Be advised that the standards at a place like Taos (or Jackson Hole or Crested Butte) are a bit stricter than at most places. What is considered a blue at Taos would be a black at a place like Breck or A-Basin. Make sure you and your friends plan accordingly. Have fun. Hope to hear some stories of you guys hucking your meat over some gnarly cornices!
So... I sent everyone's gracious replies concerning Taos to my father-in-law. He didn't reply for a few days, but I heard from him yesterday. He's scrapped our trip to Taos and we're now heading to Heavenly Mountain at Lake Tahoe! Tickets are confirmed - I'm so excited. My parents skiied there on their honeymoon and I've always wanted to ski that mountain. We'll be there from February 29 thru March 5. Anyone have any advice (other than bring xtra money!).
Only skiied at Northstar which is decidedly meh. The snow in Tahoe is great when it dumps, but turns bad thereafter, hence the "Sierra Cement" nickname. Personally, I'd rather go to Taos, but Heavenly should be just fine. In any event, it beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Northern California is tres cool -- the Sierras are a truly special, beautiful place. ********** is supposed to be pretty good, if you're in the mood to try another resort in the area.
********** is on my short list of places I want to ski before I die. I doubt we'll get over there on this trip, but I'll make a return trip at a later date just for that mountain.
What a good idea, a short list of places to ski before I die. Here's mine: Chamonix Valdez Portillo Whistler Ruapehu As far as American skiing goes, I'd like to hit: Corbett's (Jackson) Tuckerman's And maybe, since I'm living on the East Coast these days, The Outer Limits at Killington But I won't be skiing any of these this year. Sigh.
Mammoth Mountain is my home mountain. For about the last 8 years, they've been selling a pass (no restrictions) that costs between $350-$500/year (it goes up about $25 a year.) It's such a great deal, I'm stuck going there for my snowboarding fun, haven't gone anywhere else in years. It's a quality problem though, because it's a great mountain, it's huge, well run, and I never seem to get bored. The pass also works at it's sister mountain June, which is about 15 minutes away. June Mountain is smaller, but has plenty of good stuff too. It's been raining in LA this week, with plenty of snow in the local mountains. None of the local spots here are fantastic, but they are fantastic because they are right here. Yesterday I went to Mt. Baldy, which is a wonderfully primitive place close by with only 4 lifts but some fun areas, smaller crowds and some nice backcountry. However, three people have died in the local LA/San Bernadino mountains in avalanches this week, so I thought it best not to jump off the backside this time.