Opening "expert" and rocky terrain with marginal conditions

[Brownski]

Repeat after me: “Every ski is a rock ski.”

Yeah

[#######]

Yeah, come to big sky. There is stuff open that is literally bare scree fields right now. There are sharks in April on a fat year too.

This is true. Plus the all that schist makes it even more sharky. Wasatch rocks have rounded corners from 80 something years of edges making contact.

[Buster Highmen]

Should we add a visceral complaint for inaccurate snow reports?
I mean. who's going to hold the ski resorts to be accountable?

Rise up people.

[garyfromterrace]

Getting to ski at Castle for a season (and tripping there a bunch from Calgary over a half dozen seasons) gave me a true appreciation for skiing marginal conditions as far as coverage went. Winds would blow at 100km/hr regularly at a resort that would be happy to have a 1m base mid season.

Bare scree slopes under the chair near the top of the mountain would get a dusting of snow and look dreamy so the punters would lacerate bums, arms and bases regularly and publically.

It was a wonderful training on how wind deposits and skiing light and I wouldn't trade my days there and 50 ptex sticks used for nothin.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

We are all used to the SOPs of opening terrain of our home hill, so it's kinda funny how UT resorts lowered their standards drastically this season unexpectedly.

Responses in this thread will vary due to average snowfall and also factor in density of snow though. Bridger and Crested Butte skiers will scoff at it all, and people from the PNW will have zero idea of what this thread is about.

Some PNW skiers only ski low tide conditions. So I wouldn’t say we have zero idea. All skis are rock skis at Mission.


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[muted]

Do people at other areas not have to side step down a bunch of rocks a couple times a run?

It's kinda awesome, at other places you can ski all relaxed in the fall line and not worry about dry-reefing, then tomahawking through a buncha sharks with 10" of snow hiding them.

[californiagrown]

people from the PNW will have zero idea of what this thread is about.

Eh, 1 out of 10 years is a non-season for the PNW. That happened the first year I moved to WA. The Fan at Alpental was extra spicy!

But 9/10 years I'm bumming cause the week's second 12" storm wasn't quite deep enough to cover the moguls formed from the first 10" storm. A single ptex stick has lasted me 5 years here... And I am a full believer in "tools not jewels". not only do we get A LOT of snow, but it's higher density which means a super deep base. It's fairly common for there to be a 240" base on the upper mountain here late season.

[snowaddict91]

My first year in the Wasatch was one of the worst seasons on record. Fresh off the boat from CB, I thought the coverage was great!

[old goat]

I was told by patrol at Alpine that one of the criteria they use is whether or not they think they can get a sled down it. Also, the traverse to Beaver and beyond can be dangerously icy (a fatality some years ago) and that can keep them from opening Beaver even if there's enough snow. I've seen patrol chop that traverse out with axes. I assume that enters into the equation other places as well.

[Buster Highmen]

people from the PNW will have zero idea of what this thread is about.

Nash entrance. Hah.

[jummo]

The first rock is not the problem, in my experience.

It's the second rock, that's the one that hurts.

jummo

[Benny Profane]

Somewhere in film history, I totally forget the ski movie, maybe it's on youtube, is a clip of Dan Egan just dancing down some horrible rock filled run at Sugarbush with just...enough...snow to actually call it skiing. Watch that and it'll shut the whining down.

[Toadman]

Expert skiers should applaud ski areas opening up rocky and challenging terrain early. Otherwise what's an expert skier to do? Ski green and blue groomers all day? What fun is that.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Today I learned: Missoula is not the only place suffering the anticlimactic La Niña forecast.

[teamdirt]

Nothing but whinning on this thread. If ur skis can slide-it passes the test. Come ski Lake Louise or Sunshine...everything is open with less than a 50inch snowpack- we would consider this a great season!! Lol.

[romeo tango]

early season rock isnt an issue at Jackass N....
its the slipknot-guillotine alder and baby spruce,


.

[ill-advised strategy]

My first year in the Wasatch was one of the worst seasons on record. Fresh off the boat from CB, I thought the coverage was great!

Omg you stole this from my brain...

My very first run at Alta, coming from Taos (and CB before), I passed all these “thin cover” signs and then it was pretty much as good a level of coverage as I had ever seen at CB/Taos. It was a real moment in my life.

[Danno]

Spend a lean season or two in Crested Butte and it's all gravy in comparison.

/thread

[stuckathuntermtn]

early season rock isnt an issue at Jackass N....
its the slipknot-guillotine alder and baby spruce,


.

You'll only hook a sapling once. Maybe.

[wickstad]

Not sure about how it goes down there early season but I’ve seen some “poaching?” where I ski. We do have early season night skiing which I think accounts for most of it. I think for the most part the “poaching” is being done reasonably. Could just be ski patrol and the terrain Park workers.

[jackattack]

Is Snowbird the new Wales?

[NW_SKIER]

people from the PNW will have zero idea of what this thread is about.

My gear would suggest otherwise.

Rocks are just part of skiing. Stop caring about your gear and just ski everything.

[toast2266]

Yeah, come to big sky. There is stuff open that is literally bare scree fields right now. There are sharks in April on a fat year too.

I'm pretty sure my 2-3 days / year at big sky have done more damage to my skis than entire seasons at whitefish. Worth it though.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Rocky Mountains. It's more than just a name.

[Bunion 2020]

I would think this would be a good thing. Get some skier compaction on the shit snow you have there.

This. < than a meter of coverage combined with January temps and everything turns to faceted shit.

Former Mtn Manager at Big Sky once noted, "I get way more complaints about terrain that is closed than terrain that is open and rocky".