Colorado 2017-18 Colorado Weather and Stoke

[palikona]

Anyone ski A-Basin this weekend? How are the Steep Gullies?

 

[Jeff N]

I didn't comment on WC because I've never been. Plus I knew Jeff N. knows it so well.

I do have a brother, however, who for a time put in at least 30 times/year at Wolf for more than 30 years, almost all of it right next to the ski area, on dynafit (pin) tech bindings, mostly earning his turns (or at times skiing side country from the resort?). He says the short but sweet vertical drops through the tree glades in there never run out of unbroken lines, all day long. And the pitch is perfect for effortless weightlessness, perfect turns, especially when deep. You drop off, and then you float.
Afterwards, there is a runoff on relatively flat terrain, as I recall.

Maybe after going there you could figure out the location of that terrain.

I always meant to try this, but never did - not having tech bindings, long trip, etc. Not even when I lived in Durango.
But I have no real regrets, since I've loved the turns I've gotten, praise the Lord.

That honestly sounds exactly like inbounds terrain in the Alberta area, which has only been lift served since '98, I believe. Possibly he's referring to touring over there pre-lift? I can't piece all of that together anywhere else immediately next to the ski area, although further East down the ridge has terrain that looks pretty similar to inbounds Alberta.

Backcountry around Wolf is not forgiving due to the snowpack. It is either too flat to ski or 35* with terrain traps, so I wouldn't recommend most anything for somebody unfamiliar with the terrain, but there are two benign options. One is taking Bonanza and skiing the face to the parking lot on the top of the pass. Another is skiing in the vicinity of the old ski area, which is the South facing slopes at the top of the pass. Park in the parking lot and you have an easy skin up the Lobo Overlook road to ski from the ridgeline down to the parking lot. The ski area was relocated from here in the 1950's to get on North facing slopes.

 

[Jeff N]

In this town? In this state!

Too many powhounds. They seem to pounce on any storm any day of the week anywhere near the front range (within 3hrs drive give or take). I have only driven a few times up i70 early in the morn and the procession of cars heading west is unreal.

I went up to ski the backcountry. Super mellow, awesome powder. As I drive out into the Berthoud Falls switchback I see 40 just shock full of cars coming down Berthoud Pass from WP towards Empire. I mean, it was a train of cars going 5mph bumper to bumper as far as the eye could see. Ridiculous. I was like WTF.

Moving off the front range 7 years ago was the best thing that ever happened for my ski life. The front range situation is only getting worse and will continue to get worse. Rebuilding I-70 is so far away that we may not even have cars by the time it would actually happen, nor is on-mountain capacity going to relieve anything.

It is a totally different experience getting off the front range. It blows my mind that a fair bit of real skiers are relocating to Denver for skiing proximity- I wonder how many of them know what they are getting into. I realize that it may be hard to find a job on the Western Slope, but if I needed to live in a population center, I'd be looking at Utah, or at least the Ogden area.

 

[StuckonI70]

I'm not going to act like I'm better than anyone else on the road.
If you take I70 to go skiing/riding, you are part of the problem, period.
Many great benefits to living in the F.R, but crowded hills and slow interstates are your normal.
Learn to beat the game, suck it up when you get stuck, and get ready to do it again next week.

 

[Core2]

Colorado front range is the new paradise lost. Hopefully the four corners area can stay out of the madness for some years to come.

 

[nay]

Moving off the front range 7 years ago was the best thing that ever happened for my ski life. The front range situation is only getting worse and will continue to get worse. Rebuilding I-70 is so far away that we may not even have cars by the time it would actually happen, nor is on-mountain capacity going to relieve anything.

It is a totally different experience getting off the front range. It blows my mind that a fair bit of real skiers are relocating to Denver for skiing proximity- I wonder how many of them know what they are getting into. I realize that it may be hard to find a job on the Western Slope, but if I needed to live in a population center, I'd be looking at Utah, or at least the Ogden area.

There is no question the Front Range is going over a tipping point.

However, simply living on the west side would be plenty to mitigate most of the traffic issues and you aren’t forced to ski in crowded places on crowded days.

I have four kids, I live in about the worst place for skiing access (Monument) and I post ski day after ski day with great conditions and not dealing with crowds. How you organize your life is a lot more important than whether or not you live near a big city.

The nice thing about Denver is the cultural amenities continue to grow and improve. We have access to top tier medical care. The music and arts scene is excellent, you can ski one day and then go see a high end ballet production the next.



Access to the arts, health services, and other amenities tends to get more important as we age, and not skiing on Saturday isn’t the hardest thing in the world to pull off - probably quite a bit easier than holding a good paying career over decades in much smaller economies.

Don’t get me wrong, I fully intend to get off the Front Range once my kids are grown, but the long ski season here will remain a big draw along with the assets of a rapidly modernizing city.

It all depends on how you want to live. The short season off the Front Range would be tough. It’s already down to what, 5 weeks in many places?

I’m still looking at over 3 months assuming the Continental Divide snow season produces, much of which is warm spring skiing. On average, I still have a bit over half my lift served days ahead.

There are other places you can do this, but the long season here is really quite easy and it’s nothing short of fantastic to drive to full on winter and come home to spring on the same day.

 

[RachelV]

... The nice thing about Denver is the cultural amenities continue to grow and improve. We have access to top tier medical care. The music and arts scene is excellent, you can ski one day and then go see a high end ballet production the next. ...

+++++

Until recently I thought I'd just been gone from NYC long enough to start being impressed by Denver, but I am starting to realize how much Denver has improved just over the ~6.5 years I've lived out here. I know this is basically heresy to many here, but there are serious upsides to the influx of people on the Front Range (nutso real estate prices aside), and I personally am pumped to start getting more legit big city benefits while still having access to lift-served skiing ~9 months a year.

 

[StuckonI70]

"Cultural amenities" - lol. Yes, after a rough day on the hill, I enjoy a fine Merlot and tapas before seeing the orchestra perform my favorite Chopin scores.
A cold beer or bud at the backyard picnic table works just fine.

 

[Snowfan]

I'm looking for acreage around Indian Hills, Aspen Park, Conifer, Bailey, Shawnee, Grant, Jefferson, Como, Fairplay....to get to Summit through the back door. It's taken me 56 years to get to this point...Oh, what a relief it is!!!

 

[tball]

I had no traffic delay last night (Sunday), just waited until 6:30 to leave Copper. If you can wait, you can avoid traffic on Sunday nights. It's just a question of how late.

So, how about Friday afternoon? How early does one need to leave to beat the rush up the hill?

We are planning on leaving early instead than late the next few Fridays. I know, it's March and could suck. Just got to get to April.

 

[Jerez]

I have to agree with @Jeff N. My family in CO goes back 5 generations and I've been going to the Springs, Denver, Breck, Fraser and Granby for 30 years. I went to CU Boulder 100 years ago. I am appalled at the Los Angeles traffic and the NYC crush of people, especially in the mountains. It used to be that WP was the sleepy little outpost, city park ski resort the throngs didn't go to because it wasn't fancy enough. Now it is just hammered with people. I know that the crowds have paid for upgrades and such, but I'd almost prefer old, slow lifts to six packs that dump too many skiers into the same runs at the same time and get shut down when the breeze kicks up. I miss the bad ole days. But then maybe that's why I ended up in New Mexico. Please don't come down here and try to "improve" us.

 

[SBrown]

I'm looking for acreage around Indian Hills, Aspen Park, Conifer, Bailey, Shawnee, Grant, Jefferson, Como, Fairplay....to get to Summit through the back door. It's taken me 56 years to get to this point...Oh, what a relief it is!!!

How much acreage?

 

[Core2]

Wonder if the olympics being this year contributed to people skiing more these last few weeks? You guys notice any difference on the front range?

 

[Snowfan]

How much acreage?

I've waited so many years to ski with you again....Epic Speed Camp....LOL

Copper tour with you,

10-50 acres so Elk, deer and 3 pure Tiger Stripe Bulls to enjoy the pasture and lease out. http://www.cattlerange.com/B-Tigerstripe.html

 

[nay]

"Cultural amenities" - lol. Yes, after a rough day on the hill, I enjoy a fine Merlot and tapas before seeing the orchestra perform my favorite Chopin scores.
A cold beer or bud at the backyard picnic table works just fine.

Yea, my Guanella Pass Brewery après days substantially outnumber my theater days.

It’s those combos that make Denver great, though. We were on the ski train on Sat (corporate event)...



...and then Romeo and Juliet on Sunday, with a 22 year veteran of the Colorado ballet giving her last performance as Juliet before retiring and bringing the house down. I even had a feeling.

 

[nay]

Wonder if the olympics being this year contributed to people skiing more these last few weeks? You guys notice any difference on the front range?

The Front Range is so randomized now that all I can figure is there are tons of people who randomly drive in the mountains without any express purpose, and who don’t have the skill to city drive in the mountains, which is to say at speed in close proximity around curves. Lack of driving skill and self regulating CMV is the primary problem with I-70, not skier density.

There may be some difference, though. Like a week ago at A-Basin when mid-mountain was ski up to the lift and the base corral was full at the bell 5 lanes wide.

Why would you go to A-Basin mid-season to lap BMX all day and stand in line 20 mins a lap? That’s what is changing. People who can’t ski bring their kids who can’t ski, don’t put them in ski school, and then choose a mountain that has almost zero base terrain and does not and can not cater to them.

But then I am at WP base on Sat...and you just forget what a mountain that can put 25K skiers on the hill looks like. I would still have hives, except they are covered by frostbite.

 

[nay]

I personally am pumped to start getting more legit big city benefits while still having access to lift-served skiing ~9 months a year.

 

[Core2]

The Front Range is so randomized now that all I can figure is there are tons of people who randomly drive in the mountains without any express purpose, and who don’t have the skill to city drive in the mountains, which is to say at speed in close proximity around curves. Lack of driving skill and self regulating CMV is the primary problem with I-70, not skier density.

There may be some difference, though. Like a week ago at A-Basin when mid-mountain was ski up to the lift and the base corral was full at the bell 5 lanes wide.

Why would you go to A-Basin to lap BMX all day and stand in line 20 mins a lap? That’s what is changing. People who can’t ski bring their kids who can’t ski, don’t put them in ski school, and then choose a mountain that has almost zero base terrain and does not and can not cater to them.

But then I am at WP base on Sat...and you just forget what a mountain that can put 25K skiers on the hill looks like. I would still have hives, except they are covered by frostbite.

Yeah, this seems to be happening everywhere. Wasn't sure if I was just getting more jaded or the crowds are actually worse this season. I try to see it from the it is good for the sport perspective but it is tough.

 

[nay]

I have to agree with @Jeff N. My family in CO goes back 5 generations and I've been going to the Springs, Denver, Breck, Fraser and Granby for 30 years. I went to CU Boulder 100 years ago. I am appalled at the Los Angeles traffic and the NYC crush of people, especially in the mountains. It used to be that WP was the sleepy little outpost, city park ski resort the throngs didn't go to because it wasn't fancy enough. Now it is just hammered with people. I know that the crowds have paid for upgrades and such, but I'd almost prefer old, slow lifts to six packs that dump too many skiers into the same runs at the same time and get shut down when the breeze kicks up.. I miss the bad ole days. But then maybe that's why I ended up in New Mexico. Please don't come down here and try to "improve" us.

I do prefer those fixed grip lifts that run in the wind. I have passes at two ski areas on the Front Range, and between them they have a single lower mountain detachable high speed lift.

One of them has a lot more lift capacity than it does parking, has no lodging, and therefore it is actually mathematically impossible to be crowded, ever.

It’s really not the skiing. It’s whether or not you like big cities. As a friend of mine said as she was also lamenting the changes, “Montana is what Colorado was 40 years ago.” Although she said that awhile ago, so it’s probably closer to 50 years.

I suspect that’s true enough, so long as you want to make a living in Montana vs. the relative ease of making a living here.

What happens if you move to a cyclical and non-diverse economy and lose your job? It’s like living in Colorado 40 or 50 years ago.

 

[nay]

Yeah, this seems to be happening everywhere. Wasn't sure if I was just getting more jaded or the crowds are actually worse this season. I try to see it from the it is good for the sport perspective but it is tough.

I think a lot of it is social media. That’s why you have parking taken up by people who aren’t skiing, people driving in the mountains who can’t drive in the suburbs, people at the wrong mountain skiing three laps over 4 hours.

They’ve seen these places now, and they are coming. That’s the randomization, the First Team All Jerry varsity squad, the slowest drivers in the left hand lane.

You can’t just quantify it by x people moving to a city with y % of winter sports participation and get z % growth. It’s part of the overall dumbing down, and in that world you need gatekeepers. Ogden is not going to save you.

Fixed grip lifts are a huge gatekeeper. Wind is a gatekeeper. Low light is a gatekeeper. Low grooming is a gatekeeper. No lodging or base amenities is a gatekeeper. No mega pass is a gatekeeper.

If you don’t choose those gatekeepers, your sandbox is going to be full of the varsity squad, and the varsity squad lives on an exponential curve of making you experience them. It’s a population subset with a personal YouTube channel, volume 11, and you’re on it unless you are very, very careful.