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The 2012/13 Ski Season Thread


ski MRG

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What is the best way for a mountain to report their conditions?

I hate the reports that say "6-36 inch base depths" or something like that...

Base depths are generally useless. I report a general average base depth of snowmaking trails and natural snow trails, to at least break it into those two categories. With snowmaking, base depths could be anywhere from a foot to ten feet depending on where you are on the trail. I think the natural base depths are the way to go, or just list the snow depth at base and snow depth at summit.

Generally speaking though base depths are pretty useless because it varies so much from trail to trail. But early season you'll see more like 6-18" and hopefully late season is more like 48-70". We drill to check depths and where we need snow but I still don't think that info is really all that useful in deciding whether to go or not.

What I'd love to have is all ski areas just do it like out west...you report new snow (24 hrs, 72 hrs, 7 days) at base and summit along with natural snow depths at both those areas. However in the east it's snowmaking trails that are used for base depths, but you'll see a lot of the higher natural snow areas like us, Sugarbush, MRG, Smuggs report natural snow depths as well because that's what the core skiers really care about. The snowmaking depths though are what's used in the general reports you find on TWC or in the paper, etc...it's so the southern resorts can compete with the northern areas, because Mt Snow or Okemo may not have any natural snow as up north but their snowmaking has absolutely buried the trails.

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Doctor couldn't say one way or another if I could ski by January, so I missed the deposit deadline for the Utah trip. Nonrefundable so I didn't want to chuck away $300. Damn. :(

Sorry dude...stick with the rehab and enjoy whatever turns happen this season. It'll feel great to get on snow no matter where it is.

I'll show you some VTah powder this winter ;)

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Doctor couldn't say one way or another if I could ski by January, so I missed the deposit deadline for the Utah trip. Nonrefundable so I didn't want to chuck away $300. Damn. :(

Man that sucks :( I broke my tibia/fibula in February (ironically, in snowbird) and I had a cast for 7 month and I just started walking "normally". The doctor told me to go when I feel ready, doctors really don't get us, I was "ready" the day after I had surgery :)
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And definitely go to a sports rehab place...preferably one that specializes in rehabing ski injuries. When I dislocated my knee in early December of 2008 while skiing, I was back on snow (groomers) in February. I literally had nothing else to do but go to rehab for 6 weeks after laying on the couch for 4-6 weeks...there's a great sports rehab spot up here in Williston, VT and since I dislocated my knee while working, the entire thing was paid for via workers compensation so money was not an issue. I went to rehab like 5 days a week because, like I said, I literally had nothing else to do and I was trained by someone who's sole job is to get skiers back on the hill. I felt like I was training for the Olympics, but I was back on skis real fast... much, much faster than doctors told me. They said my season was done but I was back on snow for the last 6-8 weeks of the season.

If you really want it, Chris... put the time and effort into it and you're probably about as old as I was in 08-09, so remember its amazing what the body can do when you're in your low 20s and the athletic prime of your life.

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And definitely go to a sports rehab place...preferably one that specializes in rehabing ski injuries. When I dislocated my knee in early December of 2008 while skiing, I was back on snow (groomers) in February. I literally had nothing else to do but go to rehab for 6 weeks after laying on the couch for 4-6 weeks...there's a great sports rehab spot up here in Williston, VT and since I dislocated my knee while working, the entire thing was paid for via workers compensation so money was not an issue. I went to rehab like 5 days a week because, like I said, I literally had nothing else to do and I was trained by someone who's sole job is to get skiers back on the hill. I felt like I was training for the Olympics, but I was back on skis real fast... much, much faster than doctors told me. They said my season was done but I was back on snow for the last 6-8 weeks of the season.

If you really want it, Chris... put the time and effort into it and you're probably about as old as I was in 08-09, so remember its amazing what the body can do when you're in your low 20s and the athletic prime of your life.

It already feels great. I feel I am ahead of schedule. My ortho surgeon specializes in sports therapy, and my pt has his doctorate (most don't) so I trust him. I actually balanced full weight on the bad foot for 20 seconds the other day, so that's great.

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It already feels great. I feel I am ahead of schedule. My ortho surgeon specializes in sports therapy, and my pt has his doctorate (most don't) so I trust him. I actually balanced full weight on the bad foot for 20 seconds the other day, so that's great.

Awesome! Really the best thing going for you is your age...you're body is in it's healing prime. It's not like you're 60 and trying to recover from a knee replacement or something.

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Awesome! Really the best thing going for you is your age...you're body is in it's healing prime. It's not like you're 60 and trying to recover from a knee replacement or something.

Yep, had extremely strong healthy legs going into this,still exercise daily and am sucking it up and dropping some muscle and fat weight to help. Being "strong" isn't as cool as walking lol

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Successfully sold my son's old 2 snowboards at the WaWa ski swap this weekend. Dropped them off yesterday afternoon and they are already gone. We bought him a newer/larger board and some boots and a bigger helmet.

Hoping my old skis sell as well. Otherwise, they get donated/dumpstered. But they are out of my basement at least.

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Applied at Alta, Snowbird, Jackson, Grand Targhee, Big Sky, and Telluride for the coming season. Hopefully I can get an offer from at least one. Already heard back from Alta which said they probably are done hiring for the year, and Jackson Hole which invited me to their training camp Dec 4-7 where they make their new hires. Unfortunately, that conflicts with the start of the season at Saddleback so I have to decide if I want to go out on that limb.

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Applied at Alta, Snowbird, Jackson, Grand Targhee, Big Sky, and Telluride for the coming season. Hopefully I can get an offer from at least one. Already heard back from Alta which said they probably are done hiring for the year, and Jackson Hole which invited me to their training camp Dec 4-7 where they make their new hires. Unfortunately, that conflicts with the start of the season at Saddleback so I have to decide if I want to go out on that limb.

Do it!!!!!!

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Come to think of it, there are some avid skiers in this group. Any other suggestions on resorts to apply to besides the above 6?

Criteria are snow (duh), steep terrain and backcountry, and the quality of living (housing, general environment). I've already got a job that I like, so I'm only going to do it for world-class skiing. I don't want to move and then get the itch to move again next winter to a Jackson or Alta. I'm really not too familiar with the resorts out west having only been for a week in high school to Breck, Keystone and Arrapahoe. I'd consider working at Breck or Arrapahoe but I don't think they compete with the 6 I already applied to, except Targhee which I like because it seems like a great place to work and the Tetons are sick.

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Come to think of it, there are some avid skiers in this group. Any other suggestions on resorts to apply to besides the above 6?

Criteria are snow (duh), steep terrain and backcountry, and the quality of living (housing, general environment). I've already got a job that I like, so I'm only going to do it for world-class skiing. I don't want to move and then get the itch to move again next winter to a Jackson or Alta. I'm really not too familiar with the resorts out west having only been for a week in high school to Breck, Keystone and Arrapahoe. I'd consider working at Breck or Arrapahoe but I don't think they compete with the 6 I already applied to, except Targhee which I like because it seems like a great place to work and the Tetons are sick.

Big Sky

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I imagine you are skipping the West coastal states due to the comparatively wet snow. My only problem with your list is that I haven't visited those places except Snowbird yet. Can't go wrong there. Targhee is close enough to JH that you get to go there too.

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Big Sky

Already on the list :)

How about Taos? They usually do well in a El Nino..

I assumed they averaged under 300 which is sort of like the bare minimum I'll consider, but they get 305 and 50% expert terrain so I'll take a closer look.

I imagine you are skipping the West coastal states due to the comparatively wet snow. My only problem with your list is that I haven't visited those places except Snowbird yet. Can't go wrong there. Targhee is close enough to JH that you get to go there too.

Yeah the wet snow was a factor although I would definitely consider Whistler. Would definitely check out JH if at Targhee.. already checked and it's not much over 1hr drive.

Solitude. Great mountain, great snow, just a bop over the ridge on some skins from Alta and all the great sidecountry.

I think I'll apply there. How does solitude compare to Brighton and the Canyons?

Thanks for all the help everyone.

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Solitude is a great skiing mountain. All of this was at Soli

http://www.famousinternetskiers.com/trip-reports/10-11/the-wasatch-sanction/

It skis WAY better than the Canyons. Much better terrain, higher terrain and better sidecountry access. Brighton is similar to Soli as they bascially next to each other in BCC. I favor soli because of the overall lack of people. I skied 20 inches of fresh on a friday morning with at least 10 chairs between me and the next guy. I was on a quad. There were no full chairs.

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Solitude was a sweet mountain... the vertical was sort of lacking to me, but with 20" of fresh snow who would care?

I just found not a lot of sustained 1,500ft verts at Solitude... it all seemed to be in like 800-1200ft increments. I'm not sure why, but I really love getting off a chairlift and not getting back on until 1,500-2,000 verts later (or more). Snowbird/Jackson fit that bill easily, but I'm torn over Utah. I LOVE vacationing there because its easy, but not sure I'd live there because most of the Utah spots are missing that "ski town vibe" that I love. However, it is a ski town city, but I like the self contained ski town feel like a Jackson or spots in Colorado like Steamboat, Crested Butte, etc. Places that are hard to get to and once you're there, you stay put... a little ski mecca in the middle of no where, not next to a huge city.

But that's just me. And I wasn't really impressed with any resorts along I-70 in Colorado... except Beaver Creek was sick in that no one was skiing any expert terrain and there's fresh until the next storm. But you'd have to put up with some of the worst base area development ever, haha.

Whistler-Blackcomb to me was the best ski area I've ever been too... bar none. That place has the vertical, terrain, lift system, and snow depths (though its coastal snow, and can rain) that no one else can compete with. I was blown away there. I mean its like three Mansfield's stacked on top of each other and its sustained vertical. Awesome glades and pillow lines in the woods, too.

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We will be there if they open. Moving a bunch of stuff up for the winter anyway. Did not plan on bringing our equipment but its going in the truck tomorrow. The man in the picture is Killington's new president and he is walking up the trail they open first at about 3,000 ft. That is quite a "statement" picture for the regulars about a guy who took the helm about a month ago. It doesn't get much better!!

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