Mike Blanz

I will honestly tell you that Perfect North is not very good for hardbooting but it's better than nothing. As far as perfect groom I would say honestly this only occurs two days in the season. By perfect I mean being able to carve like you can in the West (full on, max G's, everything you've got without worry of losing the edge). I usually ride there 4hrs and then go home as the snow can turn to mashed potatoes in the afternoon. The season can start as early as Dec 10 but usually starts about Dec 16th. They last typically till March 17. There are many days with highs in the 40's and some, believe it or not, in the 60's (deg F). Rain too. I ride there every weekend that I'm not elsewhere. I commute an hour and 15 min. They just reopened to boarding about 4 or 5 years ago and are in full support of it. PN used to be on the no-snowboarding list with about 12 other resorts in the US about 5-10 years ago. Center stage is pretty steep, then flattens out quite a bit. I mostly stay there. Tuff Enuff can be good if it is groomed well since it is narrow up top. The runs only have 400 ft of vertical. There are a couple of other runs that have a few good turns on them. This year I think I'm going to sit down with the owner or grooming manager and see if we can find a way to improve the groom on Center Stage. They typically groom with poor overlap and there are ridges parallel to the fall line that you hit as you carve across...quite unnerving. I'm really the only hardbooter there..there are a number of good skiers/telemarkers that ride there. I have seen worse for carving. It is not crowded at all on a weekday. On some weekends it is very crowded but this doesnt happen often. Perfect North is better than Paoli Peaks for hardbooting (about~2 hrs from PN west in Salem IN) and it is better than Ski World (Nashville IN) before Ski World closed. Will be nice to see another hardbooter there. Look me up. Or catch me at this years Session in Aspen in Feb.

Hey Pat, Yep, that's me...we've met, you'd recognize me. Met Scott and Christian at the first session in '99 when Cliff was doing the session (dislocated shoulder on Slot at snowmass cut my week short). They had some things going last year and didnt make it (although Christian came out with Dick Spector just after the session) so I rode last year with Norm, Chris Webster, Trent, Kevin, and the other Kevin quite a bit as well as Jorge and Fin...we just didnt cross paths this year for some reason...or maybe we did and I forgot..... it was a good session, that I do remember. Plan on having my whole family out there again this year too. But I do live in Indiana so little Perfect North is all there really here unless I go back to see my folks in Green Bay (Granite Peak in Wausau has perfect grooming and plenty of snow).

Sounds good. Looking forward to a good winter too. I ride Center Stage alot at PN and if the snow is good I ride a few others too. I switch to SnowBlades when I ride with my kids as it's a little difficult sometimes with a board getting them on/off the chair. I wear a black helmet, green coat, and black pants...Boards are navy blue, royal blue, and yellow Donek's with step-in Bombers. See you there...

Hey, I ride at Perfect North basically every weekend since that about all there is around here. Been going to Fin's Session since he started it (and before that going to Cliff's Expression Session since '99). I ride Donek boards ( a few 185's) primarily with Bomber bindings of course. I live in Columbus Indiana. I'm just about the only hardbooter there at Perfect North. There are two other guys that ride with hardboots and kind of an all around board (one guy is named Stan and I think the other is named Jeff). I've been riding since '87, raced for awhile, and started riding hardboots in '89 or '90. Originally from Green Bay Wi, I spend some time in the north as well as the west. Have you been at Cliff's/Fin's sessions?

Ok, I crashed yesterday and it's bad enough that I cant make the session this year. Majorly bummed. So I canceled my reservation at the Snow Queen Lodge on Cooper st. Aspen so it is available from Friday night (10th) until Wednesday night (15th) at least. The room is the Miners Home room on the main floor and here is the description from the owner "Queen Bed with Private Bath, TV and phone. This is our economy room and is great for skiers on a budget. All rooms share an outdoor hot tub with view of Aspen Mtn. Enjoy the downtown, it is a short 2 block walk and take advantage of the immediate access to Aspen Mountain! " Goes for $149 a night....Gotta love staying at the Snow Queen...will definately miss this trip. Contact Jeff Gauvin (manager) at 970-274-6377 or Norma Dolle (owner) at either 970-925-8455 or 970-704-1941 if you need a room.