big mario Posted January 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 (edited) Bigs, Odd Job and me on a twin tip Donek mono, completely DESTROYED our favorite run @ the Valley. 11 runs there and the trenches were wicked and plentiful. While riding back up we took strange pleasure in watching the beginners literally crashing when encountering said trenches. Over and over....I kinda' felt sorry for those poor souls who encountered Mario's heelside carnage. The nightly grooming will need a few extra passes tonight to erase the mark of the LCI. That'll teach em about playin' on my lawn!!! Edited January 15, 2016 by big mario 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted January 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 (edited) That'll teach em about playin' on my lawn!!! I would like to pause momentarily from the usual silliness that passes for commentary on this thread In no way am I actively looking to cause the aforementioned carnage, or be a bully. It is an unfortunate, yet entertaining byproduct of my style of riding, girth and the rather stiff boards that I ride. Switchback is one of 2 fis rated pitches at the valley, and one of 3 intermediate runs off of lift 3. If the beginning snow riders had taken the time to consult a trail map, they would have found a 4th option, much better suited to their ability level, known as Zig Zag, which runs back and forth across the mountain in a much more genteel manner as the name implies, than the multiple fall line much steeper switchback. As I have said before, riding terrain above your ability does not make you better, in fact, it usually leaves you at a yard sale of your own equipment and making, blissfully unaware of your surroundings, on your back making snow angels Carry on, Mario ps. it was a really fun day! Edited January 16, 2016 by big mario 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordmetroland Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 In no way am I actively looking to cause the aforementioned carnage, or be a bully. And yet... "If you punks are gonna come on my grass..." hitching up the Sansabelts with one hand while taking a long pull on the paper bag-wrapped quart of Miller High Life with the other, "...you best not be bringin' that weak-a** s***." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 (edited) Chipotle is doing a buy 1, get 1 free deal on Jan 20 in Colorado. (from 5PM to close.) All you have to do is show a season pass. If you partake, be sure to get an order of Chipotle "Food With Integrity" smugness, while hoping that their locally-sourced, GMO-free food won't give you e. coli. Edited January 16, 2016 by ExcelsiorTheFathead 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkaholic Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Totally on that Fathead! So today was soft, cold and windy. And the first Family Fun Race of the season. Odd Job started off with a smokin first run on the faster, firmer blue course. He then struggled to complete the red course in any sort of clean manner. Kai took the win against me both runs then continued to run against a skier buddy of mine. Each run got cleaner and faster eventually overtaking the fast first run put down by Odd Job for the fastest time of snowboarders. Fun day. Tomorrow will be soft so don't bring your stiffest boards. Ink 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Job Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Woah! I didn't know he beat my time! And with a weight penalty too! Cleannnn arcs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Job Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Lift 8 is gooooood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Job Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Still here. Literally free refills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted January 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) Glad you ditched the old men and found your way over there Sunday 1/17 Normalcy Winds: Howling Temps: Not very warm Snow: Horizontal, and boot top high Visibility: What is that concept? Lapped a bunch of runs off of skiers right of reload( are you paying attention Nate????) until it became a cut up mess and some of us nearly geriatric types got really cold and decided that I(we) had had enough and called it whilst I(we)could still feel our extremities. On one later run today, I left a rather impressive bomb crater after i hit an unseen drift on the lee side of a tree island and decided to head auger. The Dude had to take evasive action to avoid grievous bodily harm, and soon thereafter decided that he could one up me and face planted a little further down the hill. He succeeded in theory, but failed in execution. I rule in spectacular biffs, do not attempt to challenge me, I am the undisputed KING!!! Inky thought it would be a really good time to start an aerial tree trimming service at one point today, with mixed results. On the hill today, loosely riding together due to an unexpected abundance of powder, fellow south/central jersey expat Scott, the aforementioned Dude and Inky, Odd Job, Kai and friend, Terry, John E and Greg, and myself, your faithful scribe, on the 188 monster Mario ps Encountered a small traffic jam on the way down, I figured it was going to be a stupidly long slow slog back down the hill. Within a minute or two, I saw a jetta of to the side of the road, and an ass hanging out in the snow. Some women was having a pee by the side of the road, and once I passed, traffic picked back up to 60 Edited January 18, 2016 by big mario 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 One of the best powder days in memory. Gregory, Justin (co-worker) & myself did a couple on Ptarmigan, then headed down South Chutes to #4. Though the sign on #4 said #8 wasn't open, we risked it and it was. 1st load on #8 was about 9 or 9:15. The powder was fantastic. Just kept lapping #8 all day. Took a 20 minute lunch break at the cabin. Otherwise we were either riding the snow or riding the lift. Ran into OddJob at the top of our last run. A mis-communication we went skier's left & he headed down another run. We got back to the lodge at 2PM. On the road about 3PM. Traffic was briefly slowed until Silverplume & then 60 MPH the rest of the way. Many, many runs of nearly untracked powder. The wind would fill in earlier tracks. Never expected these conditions. Wow, wow wow! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monodude Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Yesterday was good. Today was a wind loaded version. The snow was DEEP. Arne and I ran Bennets twice. Yesterdays tracks were gone. Went over to #8 and proceeded to reap the overnight wind load rewards. It was near knee deep and outstanding. Lots of props from the chairlift. One snowboarder commented on having the misfortune to get caught in one of my canyons. Conditions warranted riding my big powder mono. The trenches that I was leaving would make a great kids bobsled run... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordmetroland Posted January 19, 2016 Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 Today was a wind loaded version. The snow was DEEP. Dag, I knew that wind up there was good for something aside from clearing out the suckers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordmetroland Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Lapped a bunch of runs off of skiers right of reload( are you paying attention Nate????) I WAS paying attention. Got up today for only the second time and it was glorious. By reload, I'm assuming you also mean Ptarmigan? Found some very-nice-not-totally-tracked-out-and-still-floaty-even-after-all-this-time stuff after a hard right past the potties/cafeteria up top. That area must be protected by a Somebody Else's Problem field. I mean, it's clearly visible from the lift. And yet, people don't hit it. Not that I'm complaining, but there must be something unusually seductive about the cat track below that little field, because that's what everyone drawn to. While doing laps over there, I kept looking up at the headwall and thinking, "looks good from here, but who knows what's under it this early in the season?" Evidently, my seven- and eight-year-old daughters know, because their instructor took them up Lift 9 to ski Patrol Bowl. Any remaining shred of my masculinity blew away like a scrap of tissue in a stiff breeze right there. The groom was very soft and forgiving, but the snow on the fringes was too tempting. Hopefully it holds up under the weekend onslaught. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted January 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 (edited) Sorry about the masculinity thing Nate. For many, reload is a way station to all of the gnar of the south chutes, tomahawk, and eventually 9. No one ever looks at those lines to the right, they are not gnarly enough for the extreme shredder set, yet way too gnarly for the tourons to partake, leaving my lawn unmolested Edited January 23, 2016 by big mario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordmetroland Posted January 23, 2016 Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Sorry about the masculinity thing Nate. Meh, I'm used to it. Big testicles just get in the way. And I'm able to hit the higher notes on the register now. Reload is a way station to all of the gnar of the south chutes, tomahawk, and eventually 9. Noone ever looks at those runs. The question for me is how you run efficient laps here? I've had some very enjoyable runs down the South Chutes, hook up with 9, hike to Jelly Roll then down past the Ptarmigan unloading zone and repeat. Highly rewarding, but time- and effort-consuming. What am I missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted January 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 (edited) I started running those years ago while avoiding the chair 4 gong show while waiting for the rope to be dropped at 8. those laps on reload are very efficient. I like the south chutes, and 8, but they both end with either a bobsled run or a long traverse that might require skating, while my little hot laps require no hiking, skating, and last a little longer than the 30 seconds of the south chutes. There have been times where the only tracks I crossed where my own, and that was by choice. I find it pretty amazing that no one else chooses to ride there, but I will take it. Ultimately I am lazy and would rather expend my energy going downhill than climbing and hiking. I would feel differently if the stuff off of 9 that I like wasn't such a pain to get to, or if the steeps lasted a little longer. I need to get on the ridge cat this season at some point and loose the jaded "meh" issues I occasionally wrestle with mario Edited January 23, 2016 by big mario 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcABQ Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 "negligent signaller" my role in the court case that started with a collision at loveland in 2011 is over. i was signalling a friend, and there was a collision, and there were injuries. my insurance company paid the woman involved a chunk of money, i assume so there would not be a trial. but who knows. my point: signaling is one thing we do to ride safely. however, no one seems to get that but us. if there is an accident and you are signaling, you may be sucked into a lawsuit. will i continue to signal? of course. safest way to ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordmetroland Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 signaling is one thing we do to ride safely. however, no one seems to get that but us. if there is an accident and you are signaling, you may be sucked into a lawsuit. That's crap. I hope you had the opportunity to "signal" to the plaintiff's attorney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 Pete - are you prevented from discussing the particulars of the case? Sounds like it really sucks. If you weren't even involved in the collision, sounds like the attorney was casting a wide net. Talk is cheap until lawyers get involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 Anyone go to Loveland yesterday (Jan 31st)? How was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted February 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 shitshow. left after 5 runs due to a poor attitude oddjob and the dude faired better than I mario 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Job Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 This was Vail... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted February 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Wow, That is some ugly. Thanks for that much needed dose of perspective 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Odd Job - That photo warms the cockles of my heart. EPIC pass says it all - Every Person In Colorado. I was at Vail on Jan 22 & 23. No powder but lots of people - especially on Saturday. The lift lines weren't long but the slopes were crowded. I was paranoid all day worrying about running into others. I used to think that Vail was the Premier Resort. Now I think I'm done with it. Too many people. Too long a drive. Too much money. Let them have it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Job Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 I am eyeing the southwestern mountains more and more.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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