egibbons

My dad was the one who bought the Costco passes as I already had a PC student season pass. I think they were sold in books of five at $250 per book. $50 isn't too bad. If I could get the same at Solitude I would be stoked. I don't know if that is going to happen, though.

I moved away from Utah last summer for grad school and I am going to be in town through the holidays. When I was living in Utah, I would always get a student pass at Park City because it is cheap. While I can get day passes to PC relatively cheaply through Costco, I was wondering if such a deal is available for Solitude, as I would prefer to ski there (particularly during the holidays). Does anybody know if there are such deals?

I just started grad school in California. I grew up and have skied in Utah (Park City and Powder Mountain) exclusively until this point. I have realized that I will need to give up my expectations of the 30 minutes to the resort commute. That said, if I am coming from Palo Alto, what is the best resort (for carving) in Tahoe and how long can I plan on driving?

Buell, was that you guys at Powder yesterday? I went up for the night (it was freezing) and Kwik Draw was pretty cut up. The lines looked distinctly hardbooter.

I would shoot for the SLC area resorts. PC hasn't gotten much snow lately and Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons typically have a bigger base. You might want to look into Solitude. I would ski there if they would do cheap student passes.

Yeah. Hopkins. We'll see how the whole application process goes...I'm just thinking of the possibilities and how the whole lifestyle aspect would play into the thought process.

So I'm applying to Ph.D. programs and I'll likely (hopefully) be having to leave Utah after 23 years here. The big question is whether or not the areas I'm applying to has viable carving nearby. When I say "nearby" I mean a reasonable weekend jaunt without flying. I realize that the days of being on the slope in less in an hour are over for the next several years. I am considering picking up a plate for my last year here and I am trying to justify some long term use. The places I'm thinking are: Bay Area Durham, NC Baltimore Boston Utah (again...but it would be my last choice) At the end of the day I'll make my decision based on the strength of the programs, but skiing would be a perk.

Oh, I'm sure you have figured this out, but if you join one of the ski clubs at the U, you can get PC passes for $350 and Bird chairs only passes for $450 or so. Just talk to the thugs in the tents outside of the Union building. All it requires is $15 or so and they'll also throw in a shirt. I've done PC for the last several years (since I was in junior high) and I'm getting sick of the tourist feel. I was hoping that Solitude would given the clubs a discount like PC, Bird, Canyons, and Brighton do, but, to quote my friend who was in on the negotiations, "They prefer old people." To be fair to Solitude, there isn't much money when you are selling discount passes to cheap-skate college kids, but it still irked me. Oh well. It was still a dream. For those with the experience, I've got a question about the Ogden area resorts. It will likely going to be my last season in Utah as I'm getting married in the summer to a girl at Stanford with one more year of law school and I will probably off somewhere else at some point for a PhD program, so I want to go somewhere cool for this last hurrah. I'm just leaning toward PC but I'm sick of the drive and I am sick of the crowds/destination feel. I went night skiing last spring to Powder Mountain and loved it. Kwik Draw was amazing. However, I heard the rest of the resort isn't like that as it is pretty flat. Is that true? What is everyone's experience carving Powder Mountain? How about the Basin? In my experience it seemed narrow with a lot of the runs having stupid snowmakers down the middle. Anyone have any ideas? I've been there skiing for some time. Was my impression off?

Thanks for the reply. My concern with the Basin is the stupid snowmakers that seem to run down the middle of every groomed run. Do they take those down in the season when they have enough snow? or do they stay up perpetually? That is probably my big concern with the Basin. How many guys go up to Powder regularly anyway? more than the Basin?

The other day I got off from school/work early. I had the evening to kill, so I figured I ought to visit my routes and see how Powder Mountain night skiing has evolved in the last 10 years. Well, to nobody's surprise it was pretty much the same, down to the McDonalds style tables in the lodge. However, what did surprise me was the snow and grooming quality. Even at 4PM, there was still fresh corduroy on Kwik Draw. I appreciated the fact that the run was steep and maintained a good grade all the way to the bottom, unlike most of the runs at PC-area resorts where you ride on flat until a bit of drop and then more flat until the bottom of the lift (Silver Queen, most of the stuff off of King Con, Tycoon, etc.) I had a ball, and as I have thought about it, I wonder what the rest of the mountain is like. Does anybody carve there? I asked the lifties if they ever see anyone go through on an alpine rig, and they said it is few and far between. If anyone does ride there, is the rest of the mountain suitable for carving, and what is the grooming like? One more, I know the mountain is pretty empty in comparison to PC, but are there enough good carving runs to spread the few people out? I will likely buy a day pass and see what the rest of the mountain is like during my spring break (cheap midweek passes for locals), but I was just wondering what everyone's consensus is. Or is Snowbasin a better choice? I just figure that I am sick of the 1hr+ drive to PC when Snowbasin is 30 minutes from my home and Powder is 47 minutes. Plus, after 7 years at PC, I am thinking of changing it up. Nothing against PC and the ski-tourism in industry in Utah. The taxes generated from that revenue keeps the state alive and pays for my tuition... Still, Monday's excursion was the best $15 I spent all season.

I started when I was 15. My younger brother started when he was 13 or so.

Skategoat: I don't know about hidden problems in the future. So far, I have yet to see anything. I never even had a headache after the initial healing where my doctors told me I would have serious migraines for the rest of my life. I guess I'll have to wait and see. They told me that after 4 years after, I would be more or less fixed with my the recovery I had.

This topic hits home for me. I have written about my TBI countless times, so I am going to just copy the text from my Goldwater Scholarship essay over. Sorry if it is sappy, I had to jazz it up to get out some good emotions.:) In high school, things always came easily to me. I was ranked number one in my class of 728 with a 4.0 GPA. I earned perfect scores on my AP tests. I had a perfect score on the ACT and SAT II math sections. I had ambitious goals, and I felt like I had the talent and drive to realize them. That all changed the last week of my junior year in high school when a water-ski struck my head in a violent fall, crushing my skull, lacerating my brain underneath. After waking from brain surgery and skull reconstruction, I found myself in a foggy and frightening new world. I could not speak. I could not write. I could not think. A diagnostic evaluation revealed that my cognitive and reasoning skills were diminished to the level of the bottom 3% of the general population. Whether from fear or tenacity, I refused to accept the reality of this diagnosis. That summer, I spent my time revisiting my old math notes, re-reading simple children’s novels, and re-learning how to write and speak. And the unexplainable happened. I recovered. In six months, I was back in school, once again performing at the top of my class. My doctors and therapists had no explanation as to why I was fully functional when most people who suffer from a traumatic brain injury never recover. For them, my recovery was as much a freak accident as my original injury. (end essay portion) Months later I could read and write with the best of them. In fact, I got into MIT for undergrad nearly six months to the day of my cognitive diagnosis. Couldn't come up with the $200k they wanted for tuition and whatnot, but still is a testament of the turnaround. Six years later I am still fine. I have no memory loss of cognitive problems. In fact, in keeping with some Utah culture, I spent a couple of years in Taiwan and I am fluent (well, as much as a white guy ever gets, and having two years of not speaking it has understandably degraded) in Mandarin Chinese. Oh, and I was back on a waterski three weeks after the accident. I just went and bought a kayaking helmet. I also have pictures of my brain and my reconstructed skull if anyone is morbid enough to want to see them.

Hey, this is egibbons' dad. I used to hang out here when I was dabbling with carving. My kids told me I was way better at skiing than alpining, so I went back to skiing. I am 50 years old, a NASTAR gold medal level skier. I usually carve on Atomic 160 slalom skis with my 3 sons on their alpine boards. When it snows, they take their soft boots, and we go off-roading. For that, I use my 180 Atomic R11 all mountains, which are a titch long/stiff for me (@160lbs) when we go in the trees. Last time I looked, as I remember, Metro 10 Pulse Ti's were the cutting edge on all mountain skis. Do I recall that right? I am thinking about getting a pair of new-old-stock's. Are these going to be excellent performers in powder, chop, and bumps? I can't even find the range of sizes they were made in, but I am 5'7" 160lbs. Will 170's be best? I will only use them a couple times a year, predominantly using my beloved slaloms on the groomsters. Thanks for any opinions.

Cutting new screws is not a huge issue for me. When I did it before I just plumbed the insert with a micrometer and cut to length. I could do a better job this time around as I now have access to my school's MechE machine shop. Is it a necessary with plain OS2's?

I enjoy a good sandwich. Actually, I wouldn't dropping a bit of weight even still as it is good for cycling in the summer. Not so much for carving though... I read on the Carver's Almanac that the Madd's require extra long insert screws. Is this true? I don't mind doing that, I have cut custom long insert screws for other boards like that (like my first Volkl 158), I just would like to know so I can run out tomorrow after school and get the hardware.

PC does have hard pack - depending on the season. I spent my formative snowboarding years (when I was 7th-10th grades - 2000-2003) when Utah was in a drought and it was pretty hard every week. That's why I picked up alpine in the first place; off piste sucked to the point it wasn't worth my time. Here I am several years later. Last year was an okay year in my opinion. I had some great powder days, but considering the fact that since I am a student I am relegated to Saturdays. If it dumps on Friday, that's great and I take my old Supermodel out. However, that rarely happens. Bottom line: off piste sucks to the point I find myself on the groomers. Then again, that is a matter of perspective. I have never skied outside of Utah and so I can't really appreciate "true" boiler plate that I would find other places. I guess I am ignorant on that matter. I'll see in a few weeks (hopefully, earliest PC opening I have seen was 2003-2004 ski year which was first week of November). I did miss the 2007 and 2008 seasons (in Taiwan), so I can't add that to my opinion.

Wow. Thanks for the fast responses. You guys are great. Someone mentioned steeper angles. I usually ride about 56 and 54. I know the Madd is a lot skinnier than my F2s. I just got some 27.5 Heads so I will have a shorter sole than I had before and I'll probably swipe my dad's OS2's (I had to run long plates for my AF700's) so I'll also have a normal plate. What would you recommend for angles?

Truth is, I have long legs (I inseam is around a 35"), however I am pretty dang skinny (I can fit in a pair of size 4 women's jeans. Now for the question of "why do you know that?"...I was shopping with a friend and I needed to prove that I could wear the same size as her...she didn't appreciate it), so I have never really known what the optimal width is. I seems as if I rode my Volkls and F2's at a 18" stance width.

I just picked up a Madd 170 and I need to start to think about setup. I have never ridden one of these and I have no idea how to start binding placement. I have heard these boards are a bit different than a lot of boards and I would assume this would translate into binding positions as well. I am 6' and weight 145lbs, what would you guys recommend?

If you are considering selling, I might have interest in buying.

Are those boots still around?

Thanks for the photos. That is something I need to do before it starts snowing. It is nice to know it is doable. How much modification did you have to do to make it work?

I bought my AF700s quite a while ago and while I am generally pleased with them, I am not a huge fan of the 80s styling of the roller-blade style buckles. At the time, this was the top-end boot and that was something I had to deal with although I would prefer to have something more robust as is found on a typical ski boot. With the release of the Track models Raichle/Deeluxe (whoever actually makes them) are finally using real buckles rather than ratchet straps. I have also noticed you can order the buckles yourself from Bomber. I was wondering how compatible a set of Track buckles would be on my AF700s? Obviously it wouldn't be a 100% fit, but would it be doable with some creative drilling and/or riveting?

I have been carving at PC for the past several years with my brothers. In my opinion, I think it might be the best option for carving for the price. When I was in junior high I had Canyons passes and I'll still get up there once a season and I never really felt it was a great carving location. Maybe I am wrong. I always felt it was overran by the honor roll pass high school kids (the first year it was the Canyons they offered free season passes if you were on the honor roll) that would head over to the shopping mall and buy the cheapest soft-boot set up they can find and mom and dad would drop them off for a Saturday of skidding. However, in the last few years more and more resorts have dropped their pass prices for local students and this trend has spread to PC, Brighton, etc. If I had the money, I would go to Solitude in a heart beat. I think their grooming was decent and the the runs weren't like PC's in the sense that most of it is flat with a little bit of drop midway through. It had a more consistent pitch. Plus, they have better off-piste than PC. PC can be good on a good dump day if you are willing to hike Scott's bowl, but other than that everything else gets touristed out. Solitude, in my limited experience, seemed less-touristy than PC, which I liked. Plus, Big Cottonwood Canyon is a lot more scenic than the PC area, in my opinion. I live 20 minutes from Snowbasin, and every time I make my hour pilgrimage to PC I wonder why I am doing this. There are two reasons: price. They haven't figured out student pricing ($375 for PC for college students). They also have those stupid snow makers in the middle of every groomed run. If you are into running gates, that could be fun, but I always found it to be annoying. If there was a good dump though, I would recommend Snowbasin. It still is a local's resort so the skiing caliber is better and it is big enough to have some steep stuff. Snowbird gets tracked out FAST. Powder Mountain could be fun. I don't think carving would be the best there, but the night skiing is my favorite and the shuttle off the back of the mountain can be epic. So I hear. This is a true local's resort down to the ghetto lodges. Is fun though... Anyway, sorry about the tourist comments. No offense meant. I was talking mainly about the folks from Texas with more money than brains and think they are going to tackle every "black diamond" but end up ruining moguls and scraping away the snow to ice. You know the type...On the flip side the tax dollars generated from their expenses pay my college education (scholarship). Sorry about my rant.