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Thread Starter
TS
Started at 53

Started at 53

Making fresh tracks
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Not Ikon, UT
^ the area around Sourdough is great for learning and practice - never really crowded. How is the snow? Will be out next week.

Many in our group are longtime Vail visitors, and although the snow is not great, the “veteran’s” said they were pleasantly surprised at the conditions. It is certainly skiable and lots of fun to be had. You will have a great time. Also see my Vail “report thread that I will update daily:
https://www.pugski.com/threads/vail-feb-4-10.8505/
 

givethepigeye

Really, just Rob will do
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Charleston, SC
Many in our group are longtime Vail visitors, and although the snow is not great, the “veteran’s” said they were pleasantly surprised at the conditions. It is certainly skiable and lots of fun to be had. You will have a great time. Also see my Vail “report thread that I will update daily:
https://www.pugski.com/threads/vail-feb-4-10.8505/

^ thanks - usually would have been a couple of times by now each season - have been to other places and really haven't even checked. As long has im not hitting many rocks - im good (stocklis have already seen that this year)
 
Thread Starter
TS
Started at 53

Started at 53

Making fresh tracks
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Joined
Mar 26, 2017
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2,129
Location
Not Ikon, UT
I skied powder, as in 11 freaking inches, for the first time today. Not quite what I am accustomed to skiing. It was a steep learning curve. Took two early falls then kinda figured it out. I can say without hesitation, I like GROOMED DV runs! As the day went on today the snow got all piled up and kinda mini bumps/moguls. This newbie did not like it one bit. That said, it was a beautiful day today, at times the visibility was very low as the snow was just dumping down. A couple of times I could not really make out the line of the runs it was snowing so hard.

So... Skied some with @PTskier today who is here with his club. Super nice guy and very helpful, I wished we had skied together on a day more suited to learning. Today was tough for a NEWB

So, it was NOT a :bestday: by any stretch of the imagination, but I did get to feel powder for the first time. It as not too bad until it got really chopped up, and 11” can get pretty chopped up with some big piles. A beginner with short skis does not get excited about crud.

Top speed was 28.6 mph
9.8 miles
9,213 vertical
16 runs

So skied a lot less distance, but close to the same vertical.

Started up on the Born Free lift
Cubs Way to Lodgepole to the Avanti Express
Meadows where I had a :philgoat:
Overeasy which was CRAZY deep where I took a :philgoat:

Meadows again, then up Mountain Top Express
Then the endless catwalk from hell (Timberline Catwalk) to the bottom of #14
Then skied Boomer, Tin Pants about 5 times, then Sourdough before I did Tin Pants two more times.

Met up with Betsy and Ken at the bottom of #14 and headed to FlapJack which was a :poo: show with too many people and crud piles the size of small cars.... OK, it seemed that bad to me. I was tired at that point and the steeper terrain and very choppy conditions made it not at all fun.

Today’s progress was:
Got to ski powder for the first time
Skis react VERY differently in powder.
Worked more on weighting the downhill ski and lifting and sliding the uphill ski to parallel.
Also worked on the lower body being independent from the upper body.

Ken made a great golf analogy that helped me really relax my upper body a lot.
 
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Monique

bounceswoosh
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I don't wanna say "I told you so" ... but ...

Powder is HARD to ski until you get the hang of it! Chop - much harder.

I'm wondering why you're tracking speed. I'm not sure what it buys you. I mean, it's fine to note it, but I hope you're not actively trying to ski faster just because you think that's some sort of indicator of skill (definitely not).
 

James

Out There
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You should just search out some powder on the side of trails or in odd flat areas, where you can just go straight. I'm talking pretty slow here, but fast enough to go through it. Come to a stop in it, get back on groomed, get a little speed, then do it again.

The point being just to get a feel of the snow without having to actually do anything like turn, which causes stress. The powder feels amazing. Even if you have to pole a little through it. It's good to increase the positive sensations of powder. Trust us, there's a reason people spend many thousands for heli skiing.

Cutup snow can be quite challenging.
 

Monique

bounceswoosh
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You should just search out some powder on the side of trails or in odd flat areas, where you can just go straight. I'm talking pretty slow here, but fast enough to go through it. Come to a stop in it, get back on groomed, get a little speed, then do it again.

The point being just to get a feel of the snow without having to actually do anything like turn, which causes stress. The powder feels amazing. Even if you have to pole a little through it. It's good to increase the positive sensations of powder. Trust us, there's a reason people spend many thousands for heli skiing.

This is great advice. It really does work. It also lets you practice "bouncing" to give you the feel of being in snow and how to keep moving.

Me, I love powder so much that I will definitely detour to ski just 10 or 20 feet in fresh powder alongside a green. Or go bushwhacking and break a bunch of twigs just to get that one soft turn. But it didn't start out that way. Not one bit.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Started at 53

Started at 53

Making fresh tracks
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Joined
Mar 26, 2017
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Location
Not Ikon, UT
I don't wanna say "I told you so" ... but ...

Powder is HARD to ski until you get the hang of it! Chop - much harder.

I'm wondering why you're tracking speed. I'm not sure what it buys you. I mean, it's fine to note it, but I hope you're not actively trying to ski faster just because you think that's some sort of indicator of skill (definitely not).

I am not trying to get speed, it is just one of the things my ski app tracks. I am more interested in Vertical and # of runs.

Do tell.............

If you have seen any of my videos (I will likely get some tomorrow when we are at Beaver Creek) you will have noticed my upper body is VERY rigid, Ken asked me what I would tell a beginner golfer. And the answer is hold the club like you are holding an egg or shaking hands with a frail older women.... VERY lightly. So I held the poles as if I was holding an egg and I could feel my body become less and less rigid. Sometimes simple things work, they certainly do in golf!
 

givethepigeye

Really, just Rob will do
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3D is different than 2D snow - it takes a while and you have to get lucky to ski in it a lot (which is the best way to get better at it). I'm not an instructor by any stretch, but the concept outlined here in the video is pretty key IMHO Weighting and unweighting. It will seem exaggerated at first, but once you get time and rhythm down it will be like a light bulb goes on and you are like "mind blown" . Sure I'd pay to get in a heli to do this.


The problem is the conditions aren't repeatable on any given day, so it's kinda hard to drill.

Crud - takes time to figure out, takes a mindset, and honestly (I'm sure some will disagree) some skis just suck in it and some it's like it isn't even there. Less sidecut (25m-30m radius), 100-110 width and metal laminate for me. But it's more pilot than plane.
 
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Scruffy

Making fresh tracks
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I skied powder, as in 11 freaking inches....
So, it was NOT a :bestday: by any stretch of the imagination, but I did get to feel powder for the first time. It as not too bad until it got really chopped up, and 11” can get pretty chopped up with some big piles. A beginner with short skis does not get excited about crud.
.

This may turn out to be your best day ever. You're pushing your envelope and that's a good thing. You'll probably go back to DV and rock what you've been doing just OK at; that's the way it works when you're first learning. Someday you'll look back at your first big powder day a Vail and laugh and appreciate it better with some perspective. Keep pushing yourself into new terrain, it keeps getting better.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Started at 53

Started at 53

Making fresh tracks
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Not Ikon, UT
Gonna Ski Beaver Creek today. There are 5 parallel green runs at the top of the mountain that are perfect for me. I’ve done the math, if my legs can hold out for 20 runs I can do 15,000’ vertical today. That is the goal.
 

Mendieta

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Gonna Ski Beaver Creek today. There are 5 parallel green runs at the top of the mountain that are perfect for me. I’ve done the math, if my legs can hold out for 20 runs I can do 15,000’ vertical today. That is the goal.

Have fun my friend! And no need to push it too much. Remember that most injuries occur towards the end of the day. So is my personal history, too. At least for me, it's best to ski while my legs are fresh enough to do what they need to do, and enjoy a beer when they don't.
 

Mallet21

Booting up
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Gonna Ski Beaver Creek today. There are 5 parallel green runs at the top of the mountain that are perfect for me. I’ve done the math, if my legs can hold out for 20 runs I can do 15,000’ vertical today. That is the goal.

As a beginner I have a hunch you might like the skiing at BC better than Vail.......If you get tired of skiing Buffalo Park and are looking for a change of scenery take the Strawberry Express lift over to Bachelor Gulch and you can ski Sawbuck (a fantastic green run) and Cabin Fever.

Have fun!!
 
Thread Starter
TS
Started at 53

Started at 53

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Posts
2,129
Location
Not Ikon, UT
Have fun my friend! And no need to push it too much. Remember that most injuries occur towards the end of the day. So is my personal history, too. At least for me, it's best to ski while my legs are fresh enough to do what they need to do, and enjoy a beer when they don't.

I only made 10 runs, I did not take any Advil today and my left hip started to bother me on left footed turns. Had two really good Dark & Stormys at the bottom when I was done

I remember really liking a run called Red Buffalo up there. Have fun!

I skied Red Buffalo all 10 runs today, it was awesome.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Started at 53

Started at 53

Making fresh tracks
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Not Ikon, UT
Beaver Creek blows Vail away!!!! No comparison!

I did 10 runs all on Red Buffalo, not as many runs as was my goal of 20, but my left hip started bothering me on left footed turns so I was a bit slow and had to take some stops mid run to rest a bit.

Did 10,512 vertical which is a personal best in spite of making fewer runs
11.3 miles
21.8 mph, so slower than most days

It was a good day, just worked on the normal stuff. Perfect sunshine and only a bit of wind. The snow was groomed like DV and awesome!

BTW, @Mrs. 53 had a blast too, she did set a new personal speed record, not sure I am happy about that:ogcool:

B3125514-0D99-4CD1-8587-CAE7C69DB539.jpeg
2DA099E9-FB3B-4F8A-A5B3-32A4906042A6.jpeg
 
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Muleski

So much better than a pro
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Beaver Creek blows Vail away!!!! No comparison!

The snow was groomed like DV and awesome!

BTW, @Mrs. 53 had a blast too, she did set a new personal speed record, not sure I am happy about that

Not the least bit surprised that you'd find BC very much to your liking. I also suspect that you would have found a groomed, buffed out Vail with nice weather to be right up there as well. A ton of grooming goes on, nightly, at both places. They know their customers. Of course, there's a lot of ungroomed, should that ever develop into an interest or passion.

As far as BC blowing Vail away, not sure Mr. Katz would agree, but many have strong personal preferences both ways. I've skied at both a fair amount over the years, and IMO, both get a bit of a bad rap by some. A lot of great skiing at both, regardless of how you ski.

How were the afternoon cookies? Some days are better than others!

Best.
 

Muleski

So much better than a pro
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Bottom of Lift 6, right at the base, @3PM, free chocolate chip cookies, served warm by hard to miss staff in chefs clothing.

Long standing tradition. Plays better with families than the Dark & Stormies. HaHa.
 

Monique

bounceswoosh
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Beaver Creek blows Vail away!!!! No comparison!

....

The snow was groomed like DV and awesome!

I'm not surprised. Both BC and DV pride themselves on their grooming.

I tend to prefer Beaver Creek to Vail, but that's mostly because I tend to gravitate toward Beaver Creek on bluebird days - so I have the mental association that BC = perfect bluebird.

Check out these bear claw marks we saw in the aspen at Beaver Creek a couple of years ago! The trees are right next to some groomer zoomers.

P2280132.JPG
 

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