Let's talk about skiing & snowboarding!

[Trouble Maker]

I'm sure some others here must also ski/board.

Where have you been? Where did you like and why?

I've been itching to travel more during the winter, would love some ideas!

 

[Trouble Maker]

I'll start!

I've been to 9 places across Japan, and probably 20~30 places around the US. Haven't been riding in another other countries yet.

Hopefully Whistler next year! It's definitely a bucket list one for me. In early 20' we had it booked for 20'-21' season big trip, but COVID happened so we changed it to Breck. Decided to not even try this year, and are hoping travel is feasible next year.

So last year's big trip was Breckenridge. This year was Tahoe (Kirkwood, Heavenly & NorthStar). Then I'll be in Utah next week, not 100% sure on where we are riding but maybe Brighton, Snowbird & Park City. Breck was a ton of fun just from how big it is, although unfortunately we couldn't go to the top. Avalanche danger was exceptionally high last year and the week we were the top area/lift of Peak 8 never opened. They were blasting up there all week, even felt a few at the house we stayed at. NorthStar & Heavenly were great, but Kirkwood stole my heart due to the terrain and I like places a little more off the beaten path.

We did a VT trip about 10 years ago and Jay Peak's been one of my favorites in the US.

I'm putting together a skeleton for a future Japan ski trip to firm up ideas about what a trip would look like. That's where I feel a strong need to get back to. But we lived in Japan for 14 months so I have a strong like for just about everything there. Ask me about traveling there if you're interested!

 

[Leporello]

I started skiing when I was 55. Headed for the Alps. Managed to do it three times (Italy, France, Austria) before covid. Sigh. I am afraid I will be too old in a couple of years. Were I twenty years younger I'd try snowboarding.

 

[sq225917]

I keep promising myself a trip away, haven't snowboarded for 20 years. I'm a regular kitesurfer though so 100% transferable boards skills should still be fresh.

 

[Doodski]

I started skiing when I was 55. Headed for the Alps. Managed to do it three times (Italy, France, Austria) before covid. Sigh. I am afraid I will be too old in a couple of years. Were I twenty years younger I'd try snowboarding.

I went snowboaring 4 times and found it much easier to learn than skiing and a bonus is that snowboarding uses the hips for leverage. That makes it easy to traverse steep icy slopes that even some skiers fear. I've been a skier since age 4 so I'm well versed in that stuff but I was advised by several people that snowboarding is wayyy easier to learn and a snowboarder can be on steep icy slopes in 3 months.

 

[LTig]

I got my first pair of skis as a kid of maybe 10 years but without any formal training. 5 years later I got some training by our sports teacher but the results were not very promising.

At 26 I joined the local Alpine Club and started ski mountaineering. I became quite good ascending even difficult slopes but going downhill was hard for many years until the Alpine Club got a new ski mountaineering guide who gave me several days of private teaching over the years. That helped a lot and my best memory is the day we skied down from Punta San Matteo (Italian alpes) through a slope that was so steep with hard packed snow that we had had to go up with crampons.

Unfortunately I had two accidents within a few years where I hurt my knees and needed to be flown from the mountain hut (which I had reached on my own) to hospital. One knee did not recover totally and since I did not want to risk another heli rescue I stopped ski mountaineering in the Alps and restricted myself to short ski tours in the Black Forest. However due to global warming there is no longer enough snow for safe cross country skiing so my last attempt was 2 years ago.

 

[Doodski]

I got my first pair of skis as a kid of maybe 10 years but wthout any formal training. 5 years later I got some training by our sports teacher but the resilts were not promising.

At 26 I joined the local Alpine Club and started ski mountaineering. I became quite good ascending even difficult slopes but going downhill was hard for many years until the Alpine Club got a new ski mountaineering guide who gave me several days of private teaching over the years. That helped a lot and my best memory is the day we skied down from Punta San Matteo (Italian alpes) through a slope that was so hard packed and steep that we had to go up with crampons.

From the description you probably had the physical strength all there and just needed some on-the-spot coaching on the descending part. Pointing those tips downhill can be pretty crazy at times never mind when side-hilling and side-slipping down what most people consider a cliffside.

 

[Madhuski]

we do primarily Nordic. Went to hayward for the Birkie for the first time this year

 

[staticV3]

I've been snowboarding for four seasons now and I love it! So much more fun than skiing.
The first few days of leaning were very painful though. My experience on a longboard didn't carry over quite as gracefully as I had hoped.

I'm mostly doing day trips via bus and from time to time longer trips finances permitting.
I've only experienced the Alps so far, but I'd love to go to Japan or the US at some point.

My favorite resort this year was Samnaun/Ischgl. It's massive with so much variation/stuff to do.

 

[DudleyDuoflush]

I started snowboarding at an indoor slope as something to learn with my son. I could ski already having lived in Scandinavia for a few years in my 20s. We both really enjoyed it and he picked it up really quickly especially the tricks / rails part in the great outdoors. I would never do that. At 54 I fear my snowboarding days are numbered so will probably move back to skiing. People always ask what is better - I always say the same thing. Skiing is better 80% of the time but the other 20% makes snowboarding unbeatable.

One positive is that it's more difficult to injure yourself snowboarding. Your legs can't go in different directions (unless something has gone VERY wrong).

 

[RickSanchez]

If you get bored in the summer (northern hemisphere) there's always Chile. I've snowboarded a few places down there, with my favorite being Termas de Chillan.

 

[Doodski]

In Western Canada snowboarding saved ski resorts from bankruptcy in that the participation of skiers in the sport was in decline and snowboarding more than made up for that shortfall by increasing the number of people going to the ski resorts. The situation at the beginning was snowboarders where considered dangerous and many skiers did not want them at the same runs as the skiers. How times have changed.

 

[pjug]

Snow is looking pretty freshened at Killington today. Could be a nice April for skiing in VT.

https://www.killington.com/the-mountain/webcams/mountain/north-ridge-cam

 

[pjug]

As for favorite places...

The Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT, ski areas would have to be my favorites. Great snow and so easy to get to. The I-70 areas in CO are nice too (I esp. like the bowls at Loveland) and also pretty accessible but that altitude is a rough adjustment during a quick trip. Had a fantastic spring trip to Mammoth some years ago but now my daughter is scarred from the plane landing at Mammoth Lakes in crazy wind.

In the east I love Saddleback, ME which is kind of my home mt since parents have a lake house nearby. Skied Sugarbush VT a couple times this year and that's a good one.

Haven't skied outside of the USA much. When I was younger had a good time skiing at St. Anton but my buddy broke his collarbone so that put a damper on it.

 

[BostonJack]

Skied at Chamonix in late February. First time back in Europe in >30 years (ah, raising kids?). Absolutely amazing! 6 days skiing, including 2 days guided: the Vallee Blanche and a day off-piste on the the backside of Le Tour. Really great time. I want to go to La Grave next year and probably Deux Alpes.

Most of my skiing is done in Maine. I consider Sugarloaf my home mountain (even though its 200 miles away). I'm really happy as my ski technique and stamina held up. I'm 67 and arguably an expert (sometimes when feeling extra self-critical I would say that I'm on the boundary between advanced and expert). Stamina is something to plan for (as in, choose objectives wisely.) Lots of motivation to train. My next objectives are to do some couloir skiing and play (with guides) in the territory between challenging and extreme skiing.

I'm really grateful to be able to do this and quite conscious that the clock is ticking and bodily strength can be trained but won't last forever.

On another topic: a friend at Sugarloaf just showed me an in-boot system called 'Carv' which looks absolutely amazing. Uses multiple pressure sensors, 3-axis accelerometers, and some sort of magnetometer to provide fine-grain coaching and measurement of carve angle, weighting throughout turn, ski parallelism... etc. A tech geek's delight. Not at all a toy. Priced pretty reasonably.

Amazing feeling to have skied for 60+ years and still be developing.

 

[pjug]

Skied at Chamonix in late February. First time back in Europe in >30 years (ah, raising kids?). Absolutely amazing! 6 days skiing, including 2 days guided: the Vallee Blanche and a day off-piste on the the backside of Le Tour. Really great time. I want to go to La Grave next year and probably Deux Alpes.

Most of my skiing is done in Maine. I consider Sugarloaf my home mountain (even though its 200 miles away). I'm really happy as my ski technique and stamina held up. I'm 67 and arguably an expert (sometimes when feeling extra self-critical I would say that I'm on the boundary between advanced and expert).

Nice! Crazy that Sugarloaf and Saddleback are only about 10 miles apart. Because it is a long drive from one to the other!

 

[BostonJack]

Nice! Crazy that Sugarloaf and Saddleback are only about 10 miles apart. Because it is a long drive from one to the other!
View attachment 195954

It's true! I did a portion of the Bigelow traverse in September and the drive to the start of the traverse from Sugarloaf was crazy! Closed roads, map applications dropping, >20 miles driving to go about 6 miles as the crow flies.

 

[Doodski]

Skied at Chamonix in late February. First time back in Europe in >30 years (ah, raising kids?). Absolutely amazing! 6 days skiing, including 2 days guided: the Vallee Blanche and a day off-piste on the the backside of Le Tour. Really great time. I want to go to La Grave next year and probably Deux Alpes.

Most of my skiing is done in Maine. I consider Sugarloaf my home mountain (even though its 200 miles away). I'm really happy as my ski technique and stamina held up. I'm 67 and arguably an expert (sometimes when feeling extra self-critical I would say that I'm on the boundary between advanced and expert). Stamina is something to plan for (as in, choose objectives wisely.) Lots of motivation to train. My next objectives are to do some couloir skiing and play (with guides) in the territory between challenging and extreme skiing.

I'm really grateful to be able to do this and quite conscious that the clock is ticking and bodily strength can be trained but won't last forever.

On another topic: a friend at Sugarloaf just showed me an in-boot system called 'Carv' which looks absolutely amazing. Uses multiple pressure sensors, 3-axis accelerometers, and some sort of magnetometer to provide fine-grain coaching and measurement of carve angle, weighting throughout turn, ski parallelism... etc. A tech geek's delight. Not at all a toy. Priced pretty reasonably.

Amazing feeling to have skied for 60+ years and still be developing.

Wowowow. 67 and still skiing the slopes. That's awesome. I've seen a couple of people in their 70s skiing and they where wonderful skiers. If I went out for a day at this time I would be incapacitated for 3 days (Never mind 6 days.) and not be able to go up stairs. lol...

 

[pjug]

Wowowow. 67 and still skiing the slopes. That's awesome. I've seen a couple of people in their 70s skiing and they where wonderful skiers. If I went out for a day at this time I would be incapacitated for 3 days (Never mind 6 days.) and not be able to go up stairs. lol...

I agree it is fantastic he is skiing at 67 and skiing well. I am 57, and I was hoping I'll be able to ski OK when I'm old enough to qualify for a cheap pass somewhere. At Saddleback it used to be pretty much free at age 70, but now they've bumped it to age 80! If I am still able to ski at that age I'm sure they will have bumped it higher again!

 

[Trouble Maker]

Just got back from the Utah trip and it was wonderful, 4 resorts in 4 days. It's amazing how close together everything is!

Snowbird

Brighton

Snowbasin

And Park City

My goal is often to see as much of a place as I can, so big day at Park City!