Chairlift Chatter: Episode 4

This past weekend Whitetail was the busiest it has ever been this entire season so they were really trying to pack the chairs. Conditions were some of the best this season and it was a blue bird day, so crowded lines wasn’t that big of a shock to me.

Chat #1: The Local

Rode the chair on the backside of Whitetail, started talking this snowboarder who turns out to a  local. So local, that he said you might actually be able to see his house from the top of the mountain. He had a season pass just like us and was saying that he has only miss around 10 days of not being on the mountain this entire season(must be nice). Then I told him about a YouTube blogger that moved out to CO to try and snowboard and document every single day of riding out there. Then the local was saying how his dad lived out in Breckenridge, CO for a year and how he didn’t miss a single day of being on the slopes. Then we started talking about conditions there at Whitetail, which trails on the expert side were good. I let him know that the Far Side trail was sort of icy and Anthony told him that Exhibition(mogul run) was really soft. He ended up going down Exhibition.

Chat #2: Middle Aged Men

They start off with the usual topic of how great the weather and conditions were for it being Whitetail. Then one of them was saying how he is going out to Beaver Creek(CO) in 3 weeks, so I chime and say that we are also heading out there in 3 weeks as well. I go into some more detail about how we usually hit up Vail, Beaver Creek and Breckenridge. Then he says how he really enjoys skiing at Breckenridge especially with the new(brand new last season) Peak 6. I agreed with him and said that I’d like to spend more time on Peak 6, since we only did 2 runs over there.

 

 

Preseason ’16-’17

My arsenal for this season:

• Never Summer SL 153cm with Union Contact Pro bindings
• Atomic Vantage Theory 168cm with Marker Griffon bindings
• Surface Odyssey 173cm with Marker Griffon bindings
• 32 Lashed snowboard boots (not pictured)
• Nordica Cruise 110 ski boots (not pictured)

This season will be spent mostly on the Atomic Vantage skis. I am looking forward to picking up where I left off last season for my skiing progression. These skis should definitely help my progression because of the better turning radius and the significantly less aggressive reverse camber on them. Basically I they give me a longer effective edge compared to the Surface skis, which are really park skis. The longer effective edge will allow me to “catch” or “edge” my skis a lot faster and easier.

The wait for the first day back on the slopes always makes me restless. It’s all I can think about whenever Thanksgiving hits every year. I have this tradition of waxing and tuning all my stuff on Thanksgiving day. Once the slopes open, I can literally just grab my gear and go since I have everything ready so early.

Every year, people usually come to me for some sort of snowboarding “consultation” if you will. Basically people ask me for advice and or recommendations on gear, from snowboards and bindings to jackets and pants.  I really enjoy these “consultations” because I love my winter sports so much. I’m taking it a step further this year and helping a friend out who is going to Colorado with us this year. Helping him in terms of actually riding and not just advice on gear. I let him borrow my Indo Board which is a balance board/trainer that was invented by some surfers. I’ve been talking to him online about exercises he could do at the gym that will help improve his over all balance. I’d say he has about the average snowboarding ability. He just wants to get better and more comfortable being on his board before our trip.

Skiing Progress Report 3

This progress report is long over due, since the season has been over for more than 2 weeks now.

I don’t really know where to begin since this is supposed to be summarizing how my first season of skiing went. I’ve definitely learned a lot in one season. My friends who saw me ski out in Colorado said that I can ski really well for it being my first season. Hearing this gives me more motivation to learn more and get better. My confidence is a lot higher now than back on my first season. I can remember back on my first day, I thought to myself, “Did I make a mistake by buying skis?” I was really uneasy about being on skis, by as this season went on, I became more and more comfortable.

Skiing with my friends, who I consider expert skiers, in Colorado was a big help for me. They would give me tips and advice on what to focus on in order to better my technique.  I was even able to switch skis with my friend which were a lot easier to carve on since they were “carver skis”.  Learning how to ski on my park skis probably isn’t the best way to learn, but somehow I made it work.

As for my technique, it’s pretty good on the greens and blues for the most part. I still sometimes over rotate my upper body, but this is usually on steeper terrain. I’m getting more comfortable with going faster.  I still need to work on “quick turns”. Quick turns is the key for me or any skier for that matter, to go from an intermediate skier to an expert skier. Quick turns is also the foundation for skiing moguls. I am definitely not ready for moguls just yet.

Overall, I am pretty satisfied with all the progress I made this season. I just wish this past season wasn’t so short.  Hopefully next season will be better.

Chairlift Chatter: Episode 3

This episode of Chairlift Chatter is coming from Breckenridge, Colorado. I was only able to have a solid conversation with one person because I was usually on the chairlift with people from our group.

I was on a two person Chairlift(Chair 6 on Peak 8) in Breckenridge. An older gentleman joined me because I was the odd man out in the group. We started talking about how under dressed both of us were because it was really windy.  He noticed that I was wearing a Washington Capitals jersey and he asked if I was from the DC area.  I confirmed that I was from DC and he told me that he was originally from Arlington, Virginia. He had recently bought a house and moved out to Colorado for retirement. I told him that I’d probably do the same thing and move out to Colorado later on in my life. He was saying that he would much rather be in the mountains to ski and bike, than live at a beach for his retirement. I totally agreed with him. We both agreed that the beach is nice for a day or two, but after that, you start getting bored. (Different strokes for different folks)

I asked him what else people did in CO throughout the year. He said that people would bike, hike, kayak, and fish. He went on saying how after the winter season is over, they go through something called the “Muddy Season”. Muddy season is basically spring in the mountains. Temperatures start to warm up, but since it’s the mountains, sometimes they get spring snowfall. The spring snow is what causes the “Muddy Season”. Since the roads/ground is not cold enough, the snow would fall and melt making the ground all wet and muddy. I told him that it sounds perfect for me since I bike and paddle board in the Spring and Summer. He agreed with me and said how everyone in Colorado is active and outdoorsy. He also mentioned that there are more options for me in terms of water for paddle boarding because there are so many lakes and rivers in CO.

CO 2016: Day 6

Spent our last day at Vail. Finally made our way over to Blue Sky Basin. Half of me was sad that this was the last day, the other half was happy that I even get this amazing opportunity to be riding out here.

CO 2016: Day 5

Drove up to Breckenridge for day 5. Did some tree runs and found some powder stashes. Made it to the new Peak 6, which is 12,302ft above sea level. Pretty difficult to breath up there. The views from up there were amazing.

CO 2016: Day 4

Skied at Vail for day 4 of 6. The picture of the map displays everywhere we rode before lunch today. We stopped by where the US Burton open was taking place.  Walked around to the sponsor tents looking for free stuff. They didn’t have anything good this year.

CO 2016: Day 3

Third day, skied at Beaver Creek. This place is very well know for having most of their terrain nice and groomed. Makes it really easy to rack up a bunch of vertical feet.

CO 2016: Day 2

Second day, snowboarded at Vail. All of us rocking Maryland flags.

CO 2016: Day 1

First day on the slopes was a blue sky day.