Welch 2012/2013

[bobble]

went to welch. after yesterdays rain i was nervous about what i would expect. it was groomed but with ice. light was flat and hazy.

the donek stayed in the car. falling on the run with that sharp ice is a buzz kill.

tried skis and stayed on the greens. i carved okay on the flats.

hardly anyone was going down bakki or lookout. bakki is not completely open. there's no snow under that chairlift close to chicken. i ventured over towards dan's dive but took the easy way down with harley's hallow.

saw this

in a cowboy hat and leather duster swishing 100 times a second down harleys (kind of loud turns). he brought amusement and entertainment to all those on the chairlift.

the green run i was on got crowded. i wasn't able to carve anymore due to congestion. left after 1-1/2 hours.

[bobble]

partly cloudy skies, cold temps! went to welch for joyous merriment! huzzah!!!

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/v_QWW2DNfDO-_HG9rw7D_8qTsjSDZ79qdqB7tCps4Q4?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xoKJ5xTQto4/UNdu9CmAAoI/AAAAAAAAAaM/LCp7PgavaII/s800/DSC01572.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a>

early morning was spent on lookout. the guns were on wild finally. it meant that at the top it was a long kick from the bakki chair over to the other side of the main chair. by the time i was over there my front leg was burning from maintaining heel-side turn just to get the point where i could lock my rear boot. as trent said, "good training for aspen!".

lookout was okay. very fast. i had problems holding an edge at the top pitch. rest was decent. my front quad was on fire by the time i got back to the lift. holy crap, i'm out of shape!

bakki had something going on. there were gates set up.

dan's dive has a drop-off along skiers right. that messed with my head. i didn't try to set an edge.

jon jon was rough at the top. did two runs.

green runs on the back side. there's snow but its narrow, the runs drop off on the sides.

we switched to skis. i stuck mostly to harleys. later on went to lookout.

Is That A Robot?

all i can tell you is the ladies love sasquatch! if you're looking for a way to meet women, this is it!!! talk about a chick magnet. throw one of these statues underneath the chairlift and you're the toast of the town.

ominous dark figure trolling around wild finally. squeee!!!

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vms8RZjUiE8HsX-z0_dVU8qTsjSDZ79qdqB7tCps4Q4?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UQKUuj5UwNM/UNduwJvKd0I/AAAAAAAAAZk/4UcjW8ftUsk/s800/DSC01557.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a>

those accustomed to the art of alpine snowboarding will have already noted that sasquatch is goofy footed.

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/bKC-qAqkMZ2zgucU_f5irsqTsjSDZ79qdqB7tCps4Q4?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bF7Qb1ymV8w/UNdu5vVN5wI/AAAAAAAAAaA/B42L_opfNAw/s800/DSC01566.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a>

[trent]

1/4/13

sorry for the delayed response... rode welch yesterday.

lookout was great. everything else kinda sucked.

jon jon - top was a little icy, bottom 1/2 was good.

bakki - top was uneven groom passes, and ball bearings for snow. bottom half was ok.

dan's dive was great if you like rollers launching you between turns!! oh, wait, the snow was ball bearings and there was a drop off to skiers right where the snow hasn't been filled in. fail!!

got a comment from a skier in the afternoon..... "nice turns!". which would've been cool, except i was on skis! argh!!!!

[bobble]

trent, greg, and myself.

single digit temperature. snow was fast and crappy. the cord was crunchy and/or broke apart. there were pock marks on the Lookout everywhere. as greg put it, "its like riding over ball bearings". 1st and second run on Lookout i wiped out toe-side at the top. felt heat from sliding across the cord. hurt to drag gloves on snow. after that rode upright and carved on greens.

the warm temps from yesterday really messed it up.

we left early. i went to buck.

[trent]

just a heads up... there will be d-team racing on sunday at welch. afton, mt. kato, and welch d-teams will be out in force. i think they'll be on lookout, lower jon-jon, and bakki or dans.

-trent

[bobble]

Morgen

snow at welch was very good on lookout and dan's dive. jon-jon needs remedial help. bakki had gates. GREG, trent, myself. caught up with dan and pete. pete somehow injured a rib or something.

First World Problem #49

thought there was something funny about the rear boot heel (besides having loose screws on the rear binding). i noticed that fintec heel was not very tight. at home i discovered that the t-nut spun freely in the hole.

what else could go wrong! this is t-nut that was inserted into hole along the outside of the boot and furthest away from the toes.

<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JtBeZAj-5RTqUKio7JXpW7MoB-Ue_yrO9pQCSEdKXbs?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4Mnv4RK_Qc4/UQ7kPScLD-I/AAAAAAAAAu8/SHQX95lw_a4/s800/DSC00821.JPG" height="533" width="800" /></a>

same thing happened last year at welch (click to read).

while i was at it i replaced another t-nut. going to look at the other boot tomorrow.

Edited February 4, 2013 by bobble
I'm an idiot

[trent]

another awesome day! hero snow at welch, and bluebird skies.

lookout and bakki were awesome! bulletproof, hero snow. i was giggling between whoo-hoo's the first two runs! :D dan's dive was ok, but since the front was so great, we only took one run there. only downside was the wind again today. it was blowing straight uphill on lookout.

get. out. and. ride!

-trent