2019/2020 Midwest Stoke Thread

[ill-advised strategy]

Welp.

Marquette Mountain has sold.
I think it’s 50/50 (or less) odds things get better from a midweek, mid-day, off piste freeskiing perspective.

Apparently the new owner had some function where the “supporters” of the ski hill had a celebration with the new owner.

Apparently I’m not a “supporter” of skiing... not compared with the Cadillac Escalade crowd who sit in the bar waiting for their kids to finish racing.

Part of this was a concurrent announcement of yet another race team here, so that’s now four. Given who this guy is surrounding himself with, and who he is labeling as his supporters and who’s conspicuously absent, I expect we’ll be saying goodbye to ungroomed skiing soon.

[ill-advised strategy]

Are any of you involved with the ussa shitshow in mqt this weekend?

[ill-advised strategy]

I wouldn’t claim it either.
If any of you are lurking you should be ashamed.
USCSA was here last weekend and it was all good. Fun people, good times.
USSA Central fucking sucks. Douchebag gapers.

[lake_effect]

Sucks you guys are stuck in the revolving door of shit management, hopefully this guy has a little common sense and realizes he isn't going to get by on racing alone.

At least it looks like you guys are getting some snow, saw Oredock made a post about it snowing yesterday but I can't find any reliable info on how much you guys are getting. Might run up for the day tomorrow if its good.

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[mtnjam]

Got out to ski Mt. La Crosse yesterday on 10” of fresh snow! Best day of skiing I’ve had in a while. After things got skied out, made me wish I had something wider than my 90mm waist Kendo’s. Now to convince my wife that I need a second pair of skis...

Always nice to see some Mt. LaCrosse stoke, I spent many a days and nights there riding the lifts for free (think dot matrix printers). Probably made up for it with the number of poles I bought forgetting to lift them up at the mid-station on that one chair. Bent a few doing that.

Hell yeah, 10" there??? Did LaCrosse shut down or did every single student at UW-L go out for a giant snowball fight and skitch behind the LaCrosse city buses?

[ill-advised strategy]

Sucks you guys are stuck in the revolving door of shit management, hopefully this guy has a little common sense and realizes he isn't going to get by on racing alone.

At least it looks like you guys are getting some snow, saw Oredock made a post about it snowing yesterday but I can't find any reliable info on how much you guys are getting. Might run up for the day tomorrow if its good.

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I don’t think that’s going to happen.
We go to weekends only soon. This new owner is publicly praising the manager and meeting with all the wrong people. Lots of talk about “it’s a business!” and “it has to be profitable!” which, here, with these people, is euphemistic for a view of the ski area as a venue for big special events, meaning a continuation of the common local sentiment that “we’re just lucky they let us ski here when they’re not racing” as if the ski hill was, say...a football stadium and local skiers were like people fitness-walking at the football field. “Oh they’re so nice to let us use it when there isn’t a game!”

Unskiable clusterfuck all weekend. Beautiful sunny Monday, bright light, soft snow, lifts closed! Cold, windy refrozen blue ice shitfuck graybird tuesday. Wednesday a gazillion random out of town volunteer patrollers sideslippping our only good run. Today it nukes all day, first pow day in ages, and they put some retarded bamboo silly slalom on our one good run, then they all sideslip it all day doing “clinics” and “drills”.

It’s always something here. They don’t “get” just being a local ski area and making it fun for local skiers to come freeski. It’s never ok to just have a good ski day and everyone goes skiing and has fun. It’s one big overwrought group event after the next and each time it’s assholes from down south with absolutely zero respect for local skiers who fit skiing into our day to day lives. Each time they show up Wednesday, blow us up until Sunday, constantly say to us “well it’s only just this weekend”, then we’re closed Monday. Tuesday it’s full of activity getting ready for whatever new group arrives Wednesday “just for this weekend!”. I’d like to have a highlight reel of all these coaches and parents and patrol convention beaters telling me I should go ski somewhere else...so they get to blow up the ski hill next to my house and I have to drive 4 hours and buy a day ticket somewhere else? And they expect all of us to kiss their asses because everyone tells them we can’t exist without their event. And when this cycle of us getting fucked over by a different group every week ends, they go to weekends only...in early March! We didn’t have more than wrod until 1/20ish and they go to “spring hours”, meaning weekends only, March fucking 9th. And the new owner isn’t doing shit about any of this, besides announcing more racing and lots of talk about how good this manager is doing...profitability, etc.

It’s incredible. It’s such a bummer.

[lake_effect]

I don’t think that’s going to happen.
We go to weekends only soon. This new owner is publicly praising the manager and meeting with all the wrong people. Lots of talk about “it’s a business!” and “it has to be profitable!” which, here, with these people, is euphemistic for a view of the ski area as a venue for big special events, meaning a continuation of the common local sentiment that “we’re just lucky they let us ski here when they’re not racing” as if the ski hill was, say...a football stadium and local skiers were like people fitness-walking at the football field. “Oh they’re so nice to let us use it when there isn’t a game!”

Beautiful sunny Monday this week, lifts closed. Refozen blue ice shitfuck graybird tuesday. Wednesday a gazillion random out of town volunteer patrollers sideslippping our only good run. Today it nukes all day and they put some retarded bamboo silly slalom on our one good run, then they all sidesilp it all day doing “clinics” and “drills”.

It’s always something here. They don’t “get” just being a local ski area and making it fun for local skiers to come freeski. It’s never ok to just have a good ski day and everyone goes skiing and has fun. It’s one big overwrought group event after the next and each time it’s assholes from down south with absolutely zero respect for local skiers who fit skiing into our day to day lives. Each time they show up Wednesday, blow us up until Sunday, constantly say to us “well it’s only just this weekend”, then we’re closed Monday. Tuesday it’s full of activity getting ready for whatever new group arrives Wednesday “just for this weekend!”. I’d like to have a highlight reel of all these coaches and parents and patrol convention beaters telling me I should go ski somewhere else...so they get to blow up the ski hill next to my house and I have to drive 4 hours and buy a day ticket somewhere else? And they expect all of us to kiss their asses because everyone tells them we can’t exist without their event. And when this cycle of us getting fucked over by a different group every week ends, they go to weekends only...in early March! We didn’t have more than wrod until 1/20ish and they go to “spring hours”, meaning weekends only, March fucking 9th. And the new owner isn’t doing shit about any of this, besides announcing more racing and lots of talk about how good this manager is doing...profitability, etc.

It’s incredible. It’s such a bummer.

Sounds like a real shit deal. Had a few beers with some locals a while back where they had a bonfire going up on a point between the runs (I think just skiers left of Rocket?). Guys said they cut and hauled wood in there in the summer, have a fire and drink some beers between runs, and the hill let them do it as long as they kept it clean. Between the few times I got to hang with those guys and the vibe on the hill and in the bar it was just a cool place to ski.

Haven't been able to get back up in quite a while because of kids and other bullshit but it just really sucks to see it go down like that.

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[ill-advised strategy]

There’s a bunch of beaters who go sit around drinking. They don’t care if it’s wrod, or full of race courses, or anything else. Because all “skiing” is, to them, is a bar at the bottom of the hill and a bonfire at the top.

In my view, they’re as big of a problem as anything here because they’re always front and center saying how great things are going.

I drive to the ski hill so hanging around getting wasted then driving home isn’t really my gameplan, and I drive for a living so dui is a pretty big deal, and usually I ski before work, and I don’t have a ton of time to ski so standing around drinking in ski boots really isn’t what I go out there to do.

And there are bars everywhere. I don’t really understand why you would buy all that gear and a pass just so you can have a different place to get drunk. You don’t have a couch at home? You want your feet to hurt while you drink? Skiing is like a costume, they go to a costume party at the ski hill...look I wore skis to go drinking! It’s pathetic.

[bushman]

You forgot to say "get off my lawn"

[uglymoney]

Yeti, I enjoyed the rant. As always. I feel like part of the problem being on a raceteam. We have the same people. The Escalade crowd. The people who dress and boot up...then take runs and go inside for drinks. Also Chestnut decided to close Tuesday nights this year which was my night to go ski with my girl till 9 pm after race practice ended at 8. Such a bummer.

The no ski ski people are really a whole different world than I live in. But shrug. It is the midwest. People seem to think outdoor pursuits are for kids here.

I tell people all the time, living here isn't half bad. Plenty to do. Maybe not on the scale as out west but very livable even for active folk. The hardest part is finding like minded people. Dime a dozen in Colorado but few and far between here.

I have a friend I ski with a lot and traveled with some. Dude in his fifties who lives in a trailer on a nice plot of land. He used to be a lifty and he told me he befriended me because I came out and just skied and skied. Hours on end. So for 10 years we have just been skiing. Me with an occasional pocket beer and him with his occasional safety meeting. I have 1000 times more in common with him than the bar crowd. But I like knowing those people too. For different reasons. But in the end I am mostly invisible to them and I always find it disappointing when I meet someone new and inevitably find out they barely ski and only when it is perfect and then only for a bit...hard to even get to know em when they never ride the dammed chair. And I didn't drive to the Nut to get drunk in a bar (unless the lifts are closed and I have a room...then sure).

You forgot to say "get off my lawn"

How are things shaping up at Spirit this year?

[skuff]

Went to Holy Hill for the afternoon yesterday, beautiful sunny day on the ice block.

[uglymoney]

We ran into Joey (Mt. Bohemia TV creator) on Chair 3 at Chestnut and ended up skiing with him the rest of the day since his backpack was full of a camera and All Day IPA FKNA! These are from my camera.

Joey









The wife on her skinny Black Pearl 78's. She had the 88's out earlier but when the sun drops on the west facing hill with clear skies it sets up fast! Golden rule #11 - If the goggle lens is clear, skinnier is (almost) always better.



Joey again dropping into Warpath for the sunset shot. We had to peel ourselves away from the wine and cheese party just up the hill to get the shots before the light went away. Always the best sunsets at the Nut.

[skuff]

^^^ The sunset with river photos are beautiful ^^^

[ill-advised strategy]

Those are great pictures!

[Buster Highmen]

Went to Holy Hill for the afternoon yesterday, beautiful sunny day on the ice block.

I spent a few days and nights there in the early 70s with the Reeds, the Starks, Vogels, Harnischfagers, etc. Was an old money upper crust place back then.

[buttahflake]

Mississippi River turns, that’s freaking sweet. I kinda want to ski there.

[skuff]

I spent a few days and nights there in the early 70s with the Reeds, the Starks, Vogels, Harnischfagers, etc. Was an old money upper crust place back then.

haha! Things haven't changed much in the ~15 years since my last visit, it still has that crusty, old money feel. The only reason I was allowed on the property was because 1 of my friends invited me to the men's, Les Moise demo day.

I used to visit there more often, back when my friends would patrol and close up shop. One of my favorite memories at any ski area was when 2 of my patroller buddies brought the rescue toboggan down the hill. 1 in front and 1 in back holding onto the handles, hitting a kicker, getting airborne ~8 feet off the ground to a flat landing. HuDge wreck

[snowaddict91]

Mississippi River turns, that’s freaking sweet. I kinda want to ski there.

Same. If I'm ever passing through in the winter I'm gonna make it happen!

[uglymoney]

It can be a super fun place. They had a big air contest Sunday and some of the stuff those kids were sending to flat is bonkers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9PBvStD...d=iaqz2nekubtp

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9NhpePD...d=aco7ltwj76jl

It seems like the midwest is moving into the melt down zone this week with the March outlook suddenly going from below average to above...bummer.



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[Beach Bum]

Great pics uglymoney. Heard this past weekend was great, in hindsight no idea why I didn't go. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Midwest skiing is over for me, have a trip to MT planned for later this week, looks to be some beautiful spring conditions. Fortunately (for my wife) and I'm happy with it, but unfortunately it means I'll have gone a full winter with zero cold powder days. Bummer.

Next season will get a hold of you when at the Nut to meet. My oldest daughter is in 2nd grade and would love to have her see yours ski. From the videos you've posted here, mine is nowhere near that level but very good for hear age nonetheless. She could use that for motivation to see someone just a year or two above who dominates the circuit.

Hope you get a few more days in, this extended forecast is a bummer. As Terry Swails said in a recent blog on models for the next two weeks, if they hold "...you can stick a fork in winter."

[Beach Bum]

In other news. Big Powderhorn is up for sale, anyone here looking to buy it and have a few high speed quads to throw in?

[ill-advised strategy]

I had considered going over there the other sunday when we were overrun with ussa...ended up going to bohemia for 3 runs before both chairs were broken down at the same time...which was a fantastic use of 8 hours of driving.
But I digress...I can’t really tell if powderhorn is worth going to ski or what...it looks like mostly just flat and spread out? Moguls? Trees? Can’t tell. I know we had a race there in high school but I can’t remember anything besides it was a pretty flat race run and soft snow.

[Beach Bum]

That sucks, you should have driven back to Mt Ripley. For some reason I've always liked BP better than Indianhead. The latter has some fun runs and more vertical, but lifts take forever, lot of flat areas in between a few steep pitches, and damn T Bars!

BP probably only skis like 400-450' of vertical but has some good runs with a lot of charging. I like Upper Smoke down to Double Barrel, on the other peak Vertical Drop and Louie's Chute are fun to ski when conditions are right.

[ill-advised strategy]

should have driven back to Mt Ripley.

I hung around too long talking shit with some guy who claimed to be gearing up to try and resurrect Sugar Loaf.

[bushman]

Yeti, I enjoyed the rant. As always. I feel like part of the problem being on a raceteam. We have the same people. The Escalade crowd. The people who dress and boot up...then take runs and go inside for drinks. Also Chestnut decided to close Tuesday nights this year which was my night to go ski with my girl till 9 pm after race practice ended at 8. Such a bummer.

The no ski ski people are really a whole different world than I live in. But shrug. It is the midwest. People seem to think outdoor pursuits are for kids here.


How are things shaping up at Spirit this year?

I've been out quite a few times, always when the weather is nice. Closed on Mondays nowdays. I bitch about that place a lot but it is nice to have it 15 minutes away.