ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 Sunday 1/18, Day 53: 3" of new overnight but temps are at or above freezing all the way to the top of the mountain. At low altitudes there is a tiny amount of rain. Baldy is mostly in clouds. I went over to Dollar and found that everything had been groomed in the eary morning. No new over groom and the rain had made the cord really dense, firm, and really fast. Goggles are wet and steamed up, the light is flat, the surface is weird. It holds an edge well enough but all of the other factors don't add up to good carving. Up at 8:55, out at 9:30. Lots of kids are lined up at Half Dollar for ski lessons down Poverty Flats. They are having LOTS of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 Monday 1/19, Day 54: It was well above freezing all the way into last evening, then dropped into the teens. The wet snow was groomed and it set up scary firm. No new overnight and today is kinda sunny. Because there was no temperature advantage of going to the upper mountain this morning, I was hoping for the best and took the Oxess to Warm Springs. It is probably a great racing surface, but it was too challenging as an old man freecarving surface. Good turns require perfect form while going uncomfortably fast. There are stripes between passes that aren't that big, but the firmness creates a washboard effect. I got one run down Greyhawk, Lower Warm Springs, and Cozy before heading out. A better decision would have been to take the short-turning Coda over to Lower River Run. I could have carved that without freaking out. When I was walking into the lodge I spied a new Coiler that I hadn't seen before. It turned out to be a visiting carver from D.C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Tuesday 1/20, Day 55: It was kinda cold this morning and I was wary of super-firm groom and on top of that I overslept. I waited until Noon to go up. What the heck. It is Tuesday and the crowds should be gone. Jerry was driving out of the River Run lot as I was getting my gear on and he said that he had a great morning on the hill. I head for Seattle Ridge with the Oxess. It is sunny and in the mid-teens. The snow here is surprisingly soft and a little pushed around. I have to pick the right spots to initiate turns. Guns are blasting Muffy's and it is clear that snow was made on the other runs as well. Snowmaking is working hard to de-crapify the hill after the rain event. 3 runs here then up Mayday. From Lookout a couple of paragliders are seen working thermals over Christmas bowl. I get some not-bad turns down Blue Grouse and Canyon, then do a few laps down on LRR where guns are also making snow. Tomorrow should be pretty good if it isn't negative-ass cold in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Wednesday 1/21, Day 56: It was negative-ass cold this morning. -3F in the valley but 16 on top. I get to Seattle Ridge around 20 minutes late from open and the snow is good with guns going on Gretchen's. Grooming is ok but not great. It seems like the piles from snowmaking are being pushed around and groomed in, but it would likely require double passes to get it really flat. Christin's is a little bumpy, Muffy's is better but I threw a few floating rocks off the run. Regardless, the carving is pretty good with a total of 5 hardbooters. Red jacket guy is really smooth. Who is red jacket guy? I took Mayday out and managed to catch a paraglider launch at the top of College. Is it me, or are these wings a little small? Is there such a thing as a semi-speed wing? Broadway Face, a Jerry favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 Sweet! ! Thanks for the photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamby Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Hi EtheF, I was in red today, so it could have been moi. Came across your ride board posting for SV a few weeks ago and I have enjoyed reading about your days. Will look for you on the mountain. Best, Lamby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Thursday 1/22, Day 57: We are firmly fixed in inversionland. Sunny with low single digits at the base and 24F up top at open. Maybe 6 carvers hit Seattle Ridge. Muffy's was the best run, Gretchen's had a soft stripe down the middle and Christin's right side was really soft with gunpow. Broadway face was groomed and most everybody made a loop up Mayday to hit it at least once. Jerry was ripping it up on the big Burner, going well over twice my fall line speed. Heck, maybe 3x? He had a friend shooting some video, so we will all expect to see it on YouTube soon. I went out via Lower Broadway, going slow. Sure enough, there are still floating rocks down there. Getting a little crowded after 10:30, out at 11:30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Cool!! Look forward to seeing Jerry back at it!! 57 DAYS!!! Damn!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 Friday 1/23, Day 58: Sunny and inverty again. 16F base/24 top at open and warming up. From the lift it looked like Muffy's had the best groom so I ran laps down it with one excursion to Broadway Face and mid-Christin's. Maybe 4 carvers on a "Friday SV crowded" Seattle Ridge. Good snow, good grip. On my first trip up the Seattle Ridge chair I was with a local guy who remarked that the groooming on Gretchen's didn't look good. Indeed it was stripey. He claimed that grooming last season was much better. I don't know. All I know is that I paid a crapload for my pass and SV is supposed to have the #2 best grooming in North America next to Deer Valley where we can't carve. Does grooming at SV live up to this reputation? Not yet, it doesn't. It is too early in the season to judge, but so far I wouldn't say that it is sooooo much better than at any other major resort. Diesel should be way cheaper now. Let's burn some fuel and do another pass. On another lift ride I met an older woman who coincidentally went to the same Elementary, Jr. High, and High Schools that I attended back in Seattle. We quickly agreed that we're quite happy to not be there anymore and we're never going back. Good hard-charging carving today. When I first got the new Oxess I was concerned that after learning to ride Skwal on Mr. Flaccid, I might have purchased a board that I wouldn't be able to turn effectively. But now I feel pretty strong and confident as long as the grade isn't too steep. Since SV has some really good steep groomed trails, I need to commit to challenging myself on them in order to improve. It would be a waste to leave here without taking advantage. Crazy warm weather is in the forecast thru Tuesday. The local TV weatherbabe says that February may bring warmer than average temps with lower than average precipitation. That isn't good, but at least I can say that SV snowmaking is nothing short of world-class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Saturday 1/24, Day 59: 16F Bottom/32 Top at open. Cloudy at first but breaking into sunshine. I get 2nd cabin on the gondola, then 1st chair at Seattle Ridge cuz I passed some skiers on the Guntower Lane cat track. They were audibly bummed about this. Everything is groomed smooth today. It looks like extra effort was made for a busy Saturday and I get first tracks on Gretchen's. The extra attention to grooming did take a toll as they tilled into dirt at a couple of small patches on Muffy's and Broadway Face. Many people are streaming in and the light is flat, so I go up Mayday and do 3 loops on Broadway Face which is one of the few runs that faces directly into the morning sun. Out via Mayday. There's a bumps competition on Roundhouse Slope, so there are kids zooming around the upper mountain. Over at Dollar the halfpipe is almost finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Sunday 1/25, Day 60: Sundays are short for me because I want to make a morning Yoga class. Going up to Seattle Ridge and back takes time, so going to Greyhawk is faster. This morning is warm, 21F bottom, 38 on top. I think that it was above freezing all night on top. I get to the Greyhawk lot at Warm Springs early enough to get one of the spots on the edge of the run. For the first time ever, I am able to park half of my car directly on groom. Just before open I greet carver JP at the base. He heads up Challenger for the top. I go up the Greyhawk lift. Upper Greyhawk is a really steep black but it is groomed today so I don't have to take the cat track from the Warm Springs run. At first I pretty much have to skid it until I get to Mid-Greyhawk. Snow on Mid-Greyhawk is smooth, flat and firm with good grip but not hero. Sun reflecting fromt the other side of the valley makes for decent vis. Mid-Greyhawk is a blue and definitely steeper than the Seattle Ridge runs where I have been riding for the past week or so. Even just halfway down my first run I can feel my legs burning out. Riding every day is exhausing, even if each day is short. Race gates are being set up on both Lower Warm Springs and Hemingway, but fortunately the racers are warming up on LWS and staying off of Greyhawk. I only do three runs. By the third run I was able to link a few turns on the steep black section but it took the entire width of the run to recompose myself after each one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 (edited) Monday 1/26, Day 61: Warm. Something like 20F Bottom, 30 Mid, 40 Top at open and quickly rising. The top was again well above freezing all night and it is a bright sunny day. I get 1st chair at 9 AM. Upper Greyhawk is not groomed today, so I start on Mid-Greyhawk from the cat track. Greyhawk is on the lower mountain and is near perfect this morning. Just a little skitchiness in a couple of places. After a few runs I hear reports that the upper mountain is pretty soft. I do 5 or 6 runs then out just after 10 because of leg burnout. A quiet, very uncrowded Monday. This warm spell is not good. We need more snow. As soon as temps come down again we will be saved by snowmaking but evidence of grooming into dirt is showing up in more places. Too Warm! Edited January 26, 2015 by ExcelsiorTheFathead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 Tuesday 1/27, Day 62: Good Greyhawk Morning. Something like 24F bottom/36 top at open and a little cloudy. After days of grooming with no new or manmade, Greyhawk is like a grippy bowling alley and a good time. On one run I arrived at the cat track start of Mid-Greyhawk to find a group of 8 skiers. One-by-one they started skidding down the run, but one person just fell over on the first turn and started sliding. After a few moments, it was clear that the person was making no effort to slow down, and was picking up speed, headed for the side of the run where the gun towers are. One of the better skiers in the group tore down the run to get in front and try to act as a brake. Finally the person slid off into the rough and stopped, nearly a third of the way down the run. Weird. When I went up the lift I could see that they were all coming down, so there must not have been an injury. I've never seen anybody slide that far like a beached whale. Out a little after 10AM. Greyhawk from below. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 "Human Bowling Alley" We have a large area called "Heather Canyon" it is largely ungroomed steep area on the edge of the ski area boundary. When they do winch cat groom it , it becomes a steep open run straight down into a narrow valley. The HBA happens when a group of skiers decide to take it on. The better skiers make turns to the bottom and stand there waiting for the rest of the group to work their way down to the rest of the group and claim their badge of "Gnarly Dude" at the bottom. The last skier's brain is saying "This is not a good idea" and makes two turns and falls, no urgent self arrest follows the fall, so they pick up speed almost instantly and find them selves the "Ball" . Hurling at great speed at the "PINS" at the bottom. The rest is to be expected. Slow recognition from the Pins , laughter turns to screams of panic at the impending doom. So goes the "Human Bowling Alley" and the many to experience it for them selves for ever more. One of few reasons I will stop and enjoy the view from the top when conditions are "JUST RIGHT" for bowling!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Wednesday 1/28, Day 63: It rained last night at base elevations but left maybe 2" on top. Today is sunny with a few clouds, above freezing down low and maybe 30F on top of Baldy. I'm pretty tired and figure that the upper mountain snow will be soft and break up quickly, so I decide to do something different. I head to the bunniest bunny slope at Dollar and try to ride one-footed while futzing with my bindings. More in the Skwal thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www.oldsnowboards.com Posted January 28, 2015 Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Art, I hope you will not risk your health to keep the "Everyday" quest going!! I hope you are hot tubbing , and getting allot of rest along with your yoga. Don't feel pressure to keep going if you are tired out!! DUDE!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2015 Nah. I feel pretty good, but thank you. Even if I only ride for an hour, I often go to the gym for some easy cardio and to do some upper body work to offset all the crazy leg work from riding. I let myself get fat in Park City and I'm trying to turn that around. I'll go in the hot tub or the sauna, hoping that naked freeballing guy doesn't come in. My legs are tired, but it feels good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 29, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Thursday 1/29, Day 64: Up to Seattle Ridge at open. Pretty sunny and in the high 20s. After the warm temperatures and 2" of new up on top, the snow is kinda variable. Soft on top but with a hardish underlayer in places, and some cookification. Grooming is stripey. It all adds up to uninspiring blah conditions. Broadway Face looked smoother, but it was skitchy firm. I keep seeing floating rocks here and there, everywhere. Up at Lookout I asked a paraglider dude if Baldy was considered to be beginner (P1) air. He laughed and said that a P3 certification was required to fly there, or a P2 local student under instruction. Down at the bottom I found a new hairline scratch on my base, complete with little curly-Qs of raised ptex. I'm not taking the Oxess out any more until more snow falls, except maybe to Greyhawk. Short day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Friday 1/30, Day 65: I had a conference call in the morning so I took the Coda to Lower River Run at noon. Temps around 30 and the snow is a variable mix of soft gunpow, firm snow, and various bits of crunchy stuff. I managed to find a good line and whip out those fast, short turns. Out at 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Saturday 1/31, Day 66: Sunny and inverty, around 30F on top. Given the crappy conditions of late, the snow on Seattle Ridge is admirably good. It is clear that snow has been made, the cookies have been tilled back into small particles, and at least Gretchen's has been double-passed. On the downside they continue to till up rocks. Near a thin patch at the top of Gretchen's I throw a rock off the run that is as big as a brick. South facing off piste areas are getting noticeably bare. Riding the Coda again, because I'd rather bang up a $549 board than one that costs three times as much. The Coda is a good carver, but it has to go much slower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Sunday 2/1, Day 67: Cloudy and 20F at the base. Warmer up top, but I'm in a hurry. I get 7 excellent runs down Lower River Run, the easiest trail on Baldy. The snow is near perfect, and I'm able to whip short turns at a heart attack pace. On the way out I get to meet Lamby at the base for the first time. Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted February 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 Monday 2/2, Day 68: Kinda cloudy, kinda sunny, maybe 24F on top. Yet another day with no new snow. I hit Seattle Ridge at open on the Coda, making my first run down Gretchen's. The snow is firm, smooth and not bad. The 9.5m Coda doesn't work well on steeper runs like this as it wants to turn too tight for the conditions and I end up with chattering and such. All of the other runs I do down Broadway which is more of a "real" green trail and I can go at just the right speed to carve nicely. The steeper the trail, the more the floating rocks and thin spots. Broadway was good, but I threw a fist-sized rock off of Gretchen's. On my way out I noted many floaters on Lower Canyon. The unfortunate scuttlebutt of the day says that snowmaking is now over and done with, and the problem is electricity. SV supposedly buys power in blocks, and they don't want to shell out any more $ to extend their operations. Here's how I feel about this: If conditions continue to deteriorate, there's going to be some loud complaining around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamby Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 Yeah, this is about the time of year when the spigot gets shut off, but maybe we'll get lucky with the weather -things are looking pretty unsettled at least. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted February 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 Tuesday 2/3, Day 69: A trace of new, but nothing significant. High 20s at open. I want to ride something with a bigger SCR but can't risk the Oxess with all these rocks, so out comes Mr. Flaccid to ride again. Mr. Flaccid has a kink in the topsheet across the frontmost set of inserts from being over bent. This spot aligns well with the front of the Catek OS2 base disk, so I'm pretty sure that the small-footprint binding contributed to this injury. In order to "splint" Mr. Flaccid I put on a set of old Thias-branded Snowpro bail bindings. These bindings have a long footprint that completely covers the kinked area. I think that the kink might be completely cosmetic and limited to the topsheet only. I'm at Seattle Ridge again at open. Gretchen's and Chistin's have some cookie action, but Muffy's is pretty darn good. Except for the rocks. The thin area at the top of Muffy's is a continually vomiting maw of rocks. By the end of a few runs, I have tossed more than a few off the run. Mr. Flaccid is performing admirably, and I don't care if he gets banged up. On the way out after 10:30 I got good turns down the steep Upper Canyon. That always feels rewarding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcelsiorTheFathead Posted February 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 Wednesday 2/4, Day 70: A pathetic 1" of new, around 25F at open, kinda cloudy. Muffy's is still the best run on Da Ridge (except for the rocks). Firm, tight, and smooth. A little crusty stuff, but overall nice carving. Upper Canyon was good again. While sitting on the lip of Lower Canyon I watched a ski school class skid down one by one. Then the instructor tore down the run and carved the heck out of it just to spite me. Lower Canyon is tight, heavily bowled-out and has guns on one side. I figured that if he could do it, then so could I. It turns out that I couldn't. Maybe one day. I just have to get over the fear of slamming into the guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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