The skiing thread

[monolith94]

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!]

Skiing? people actually do that?

[monolith94]

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!]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[loinburger]

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]

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

[monolith94]

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]

I saw snow once.

[RedFred]

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]

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]

pshaw! East coast, East coast!