Downhill Skiing

[solobiker]

Yup that's me! You found me out. hello Kano!!

I don't really have a local hill (well, I live about 10 minutes bike ride from a place called Spring Mtn, but it's not much to speak of) but The Boy lived in CO last winter so we skiied out there a few weeks. This year we're going back out there for a week. Planning on a holiday weekend up in Northern Vermont, and probably several weekend or day trips to vermont or to elk mountain up in Northern PA. We usually do one day at JF/BB in PA and that's enough pocono skiing for us. The crowds are ridiculous and I've found a love for the ungroomed that is hard to find at most PA resorts!

I'd love one day to try tele skiing (it's so beautiful, it looks like dancing...), but will save it for a day when I'm not as far a drive from decent skiing. The Boy and I are hoping to move to CO within 5 years, so I've got to bone up on my skills so that when I get out there eventually I can make the most of it!

K.

:You will love CO. The skiing, backcontry and resortys is awesome, as is the weather. Let me know if you need a CO contact, I would be happy to help out

[Kano]

Ooooooh, Noooooooo.......
Another discussion forum for me to burn yet MORE on-line time!!!!

Yeah, Regina, I know -- I'm using two tabs in internet explorer, and swapping back and forth when the connection slows for some reason. That seems to help!

Karen in Boise

[RolliePollie]

Please join me in praying for snow here in Northern California! I have a season pass at one of the Tahoe resorts, but we don't have any snow yet Some of the resorts are making snow, but the resort where I bought my pass has very limited snow-making and they are not open yet. Man-made snow typically stinks anyway. We just need some STORMS!!!

This will be my first season as a cyclist/skiier. I've been skiing since I was 6, but I'm new to the bike this year. I can't wait to see the difference cycling has made for my skiing muscles.

[SJCzar]

Can us snowboarders be counted in on this thread?

I used to downhill ski but I switched to snowboarding a few seasons ago. I still have my skiis and I've been thinking about pulling them out for a day or two this winter.

Now that I've pretty much switched my cycling over to spin classes at the Y and the trainer in the basement I'm really looking forward to some good snow around here.

My daughter and I usually take one trip out west every season for a chance to spend some time on real mountains. Her favorite place is Breckenridge. We spent some time out in the Tahoe area a few years ago and really enjoyed those resorts as well.

I hope for lots of snow soon for all of us winter sports enthusiasts.

[Kimmyt]

The Boy is a snowboarder. Maybe was? I converted him though. Actually, he broke his bindings at Vail last year and got a pair of skis. He did fix the bindings but hasn't snowboarded as much since he got his twin tips.

It's better that way anyway, I think he was tired of trying to catch up to me (and he HATED it when I dragged him down the moguls! muah!). I've tried boarding a few times but always manage to get out of control and almost hurt myself. I figure I'll save it for a few years away when I'm alot better at skiing and needing to challenge myself with something new. Or maybe that'll be telemark skiing.

Choices!

K.

[oldbikah]

I am fortunate to live a few miles from the base of Sugarloaf, moved here 14 years ago when my son was a freshman at Carrabassett Valley Academy (he is now an alpine coach at another ski academy).
So far I have only skied twice due to other things keeping me busy, but during the season I am generally on the hill 3 to 5 days a week (weekdays, thank goodness--I am spoiled). Kind of neat to ski and bike during the same month! I think the bikes are put up now til April.
Bike legs and ski legs may have good crossover, but upper body needs work!

[yellow]

Oh Kimmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...

Heather Paul's clinics

Babes in the Backcountry (I did Mt Shasta with them some years ago...)

Maybe you should make a special trip to Colorado this year!!

[Kimmyt]

hah! if only! unfortunately, my employers expect me to do this silly thing called WORK! Don't they know that winter is time to ski not work???

(i.e. I have ABSOLUTELY NO vacation left, it's all squirrelled away... I guess thats what happens when three very close friends all decide to get hitched in the same year, and they all live on opposite ends of the country!)

[roadie gal]

Telly here. I love the workout you get. And I love how cool it looks (for those who do it well).

Lately, since I've owned dogs, I've done a lot more cross country than downhill. I get exercise. They get exercise. And we all get to be together.

The best bumper sticker I've seen about tellying is "Randonee: French for can't telly".

[Pedal Wench]

I grew up downhilling in VT. Mt. Snow, and then a few vacations to Okemo in New Hampshire. One of my favorite memories was when the whole family got caught in a blizzard at Stowe. We had a few local slopes in NY that we could go to for weekends, but all our winter vacations were spent skiing. For some reason, I stopped when I went to college (hmmm, maybe because college was in Miami ) and never started again. Might be time to dust off my skis.

[RolliePollie]

Time to resurrect this thread!

I am SO excited about skiing this year! I've only been twice so far this season (we didn't have any snow until 2-1/2 weeks ago) and I am extremely happy with my strong cycling legs. I can ski and ski and ski and my legs do not get tired. It's wonderful! I have my super duper bargain $199 season pass (just can't ski on Saturdays and holidays, and who wants to go on those days anyway?!?!) and I plan to be up there at least once a week throughout the season. Hooray for snow!

[yellow]

I confess. I, yellow, have gone to the dark side.


After debating with myself over and over last year, I finally gave in to the lure of a fixed heel. I've been on telemark gear since about 1996. But these days I don't ski enough to stay strong enough to tele all day and keep up with my friends. So this year I went on an alpine ski hunt.

I lost track of how many skis I demo-ed. But I found a love, or Tough Luv to be precise. It is SO nice to ski all day and not have jelly quads. I am having a serious amount of fun with these boards. Much tougher to drive than my old tele set up (this new one is probably twice the weight, and I'm not a very big person) but such a blast. Here we are today at Solitude here in Salt Lake. (Yes, I have a tiny head, so I look like an alien in a helmet.)



I'll still tele in the backcountry and occasionally when I feel the need to punish my quads. Keep the p-tex down, ladies!

[badger]

I used to ski as a child but after a long hiatus switched to snowboarding. I'm at a point where I need more time to do some freeriding between the trees, but I just don't have the time or the money to go enough to get comfortable.

I'd also love to take up skiing again, only to see if any of my other sports may help in getting me past the intermediate stage I was. I'd love to be able to switch from one type to another depending on how I feel that day.

I went to Colorado last year. Went to Keystone, Vail, and Breckenridge. The bowls behind Vail is lovely, but the powder was thicker/deeper than any I've experienced so I got stuck a bit more than I cared to.

me and bf on top of Breckenridge (apparently equivalent of 1/4 of the way up Everest. bf nearly died climbing up)


view of where we were

[7rider]

We just got back from an AWESOME long weekend at Cannon Mountain, in Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire. Cannon is New Hampshire's best kept secret, and this past weekend was the BEST I have ever seen the mountian. The place has a reputation as steep and icy. Well, the steeps were there, but the ice was not. Powder, packed powder, and loads of it. And best of all...no lift lines!
Schweeeet.....
DH and me at the summit...


DH checking out the aerial tram....


One of my favorite trails, Rocket, on their "Front Five"...


A view of Mt. Lafayette from Rocket...

[ttaylor508]

Skiing for us is a family affair. We have been skiing with our kids for about 6 years in the NW. We go up every Friday night and do night skiing. Both kids are great skiers but decided this year to try snowboarding. Bums me out a bit because they went from being able to go down any run with us to now being stuck on the bunny hills. So DH and I go off on our own and leave the kids to the bunny hills and drop by to check on them every few runs. They seem to really be picking it up, but I hope they don't totally turn their backs on skiing.

Would love to try Cross Country some day as we just bought a cabin that is about a mile from a Cross Country rec area in Eastern Wash. That will have to wait though until we pay off the new snowboard gear and can afford to outfit family in Cross Country gear.