lonbordin Posted December 16, 2017 Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 PP opened at 1300 today... We got there around 1715. All in all it was a decent first night and first outing for the season. Not the best snow but I'm impressed that they opened! Kudos to the mtn ops. Got my new boots about 90% dialed in... Need to tweak the new bindings a bit. It's amazing how much lighter my setup is running F2s and Geckos vs TD3sw and a plate. Sux the Atomic Backlands don't fit anymore.. then I'd be a true weight weenie. The 425s are all right. Should be getting the 425 pro conversion kit in the mail any day now. Running double BOOSTER straps until then... Need to work on blue springs for the BTS system. Maybe I'll get back tomorrow if I can fix our broken sump pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted December 16, 2017 Report Share Posted December 16, 2017 wow. rock board? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted December 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2017 23 hours ago, bobble said: wow. rock board? Nah... Kept to the center and the depth was 12" to 18". One good thing about Paoli is the lack of rocks... Mostly dirt and mud. Made it back last night. Snow was soft but not super soft.. still working on the new setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted December 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2017 At Paoli right after the rains stopped yesterday afternoon. Same snow different day but much better groom across the hill. I think I've got my equipment dialed in just need to work on my form. A fun day... A daytime shot of Grabber's (PP's "black"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted December 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2017 Welp... Tonight was the last night for Paoli Peaks for awhile as they are closing due to warm weather and rapidly disappearing base. My son and I had fun tonight. It was more firm than yesterday and certain runs were fairly smooth. We got there around 1700 and went to close (2100). It was eeirely quiet in last hours... Probably less than twenty people on the whole hill including staff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 (edited) oh man... the back at PP blues... I just don't know how they can make more than 60" of snow with no temperatures above freezing and end up with such Bah-lone-ney! I understand PP needs to bank snow for the warmer times. But turning the entire hill into a BMX course is a step too far. Backless snow whales everywhere. Unintentional air for everyone! Then add boilerplate underneath a tiny bit of sugar, season... damn I miss Spirit. This sucks. Only "carvable" run was Walnut Alley. (Picture is of Powerline/MindBender) Sorry... I try to stay positive (No Pow, No problem mentality) but the conditions were so poor when they could've been exceptional. Edited January 6, 2018 by lonbordin Is it really that hard to properly groom a hill?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 Short day, just there for demo day (skis) for the kid. Same Stuff Different Day. Left early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2018 (edited) The weather forecast this week is looking particularly schizophrenic. Edited January 8, 2018 by lonbordin We've had ~12 hours of mist... black ice everywhere, ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2018 (edited) Recipe: -60" Man made snow with high particulate matter -Groom it in till it's bowling ball hard -Add one day of rain/mist -Then add heat, preferably +20F of the day before at minimum -Plate and serve with minimal crowds. -Eat with weight on rear foot. It's PAOLI POWDER!!! Video of me playing with the snow- https://photos.app.goo.gl/fq09ko1I8CeUwtni1 The trenches were deep... and gave way easily. Not a night for hard/deep carves. Really playful conditions for Paoli though, so soft. Stayed until just before close. Edited January 10, 2018 by lonbordin To be clear this isn't slush and it's not snowcone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 13, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2018 The last 13 miles to get to Paoli was behind a line of traffic ~a mile long going 25mph due to the lack of driving ability/preparedness for snow. No inspections in Indiana. I'm the only person I know that has snow tires on their vehicles. Yet we get serious snowfall ice several times a year, crazy... Seriously, WTF. So it was 60 F today at Paoli and 24 F tonight at Paoli with sleet and snow but thankfully a lot of snow. It was anywhere from 0" to 8+" on top of an icecube. But we had a lot of fun finding the right line and the unridden "pow". I actually floated several times tonight, w00t! Those times your edge sunk through and found the ice brought one back to reality in a hurry. When the college crowd arrived around 1900 we decided to pack it in and not go for the 0300 closing time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 First chair at PP this morning... only one lift running (CTEC 1 doesn't count!). The triple lift apparently burnt out last night in it's marathon session (1000 - 0600) so it will be out of commission for several days. Fun snow, ok groom, no people... Awesome! Really enjoyed riding in the terrain park (photo)... didn't enjoy the super-slow double lift that stops all the time... sigh. Rode 0900-1200... good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigwavedave Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 Best looking pic you've posted from P.P. Sometimes the park is da best place 2 carve! Tho not enuf room for the Kessler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 15, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 9 minutes ago, bigwavedave said: Best looking pic you've posted from P.P. Sometimes the park is da best place 2 carve! Tho not enuf room for the Kessler? Yeah, the PP grooming crew seems to be investing a disproportionate time in Pioneer Park since the new management this season. So I've just got to up my park game! No Kessler yet... it's seven days overdue... USPS says bad weather is the issue... it's been Status: In-Transit, Delayed since the 8th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 At the peaks from 1700-2030 tonight. They were blowing snow almost everywhere. MindBender was mostly clear of the guns and was pretty fun. I was on my game... got compliments from a group of ski instructors and hoots from the lift, so w00t! Bumps everywhere... Joy in repetition... Cold smoky Paoli... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 (edited) Back this afternoon. Nice snow... C- groom. Oak was the best. Boy that Kessler wants to run... Needs a wide run for full carves. That ptex top sheet and the Apex V2 plate (TD3sw) is soooo damp... almost a dead feeling. It's been awhile since I've been on a full isolation plate. The weight of that setup verses the weight of my Nirvana and the Geckos(F2 RC) is substantial. Rode the Coiler for the rest of the day. The Geckos are superior for free carving, IMHO. Edited January 20, 2018 by lonbordin Yes BWD, I'll ride the Kessler naked, just not today. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) Got to the hill a tad late today. It was good early fast and grippy... As the day progressed it got slower with the sun on it. Groom was B- Met a guy from Spain who was SB carving his Jones board. Had a nice talk on the lift, forgot to ask his name or where locally he was coming to PP from... He's hard booted before but his carving stuff is back in Europe. Hopefully I run into him again. Crowds were in increasing exponentially so I headed out. You see interesting things around these parts... Edited January 21, 2018 by lonbordin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Back today... WOW! 51 F when we got there... warm south winds. Groom wasn't possible in such soft conditions... they did smooth out some of the bumps. The park was the best run. So much snow is gone. What a difference a day makes! The forecast is for warm temps for until the 29th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Nightriders! It was good to wait. Still soft, no rain/sleet, no one had ridden all day on most of the hill. It turned out to be a really fun night. My second run started off as sketchy... did not see the crater until too late but managed to ride it out. whew... Someone has to add balance to all the beautiful tracks on here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 i can feel and hear the ice underneath from those pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 24, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 (edited) On 1/24/2018 at 7:29 AM, bobble said: i can feel and hear the ice underneath from those pictures. LOL, it was actually fairly soft. OK sometimes you might hit a patch... I'm kinda used to it now so i might not always notice. Edited January 26, 2018 by lonbordin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 (edited) So it's been kinda warm here since the 20th... and looks to be warm until the 29th: Back tonight at the Peaks to focus my l33t skillz. Slush carving extraordinaire! Really it wasn't quite to the watery slush state... more a frozen mash... it would hold an edge... just not a fully laid-out edge and it did allow you to keep your speed. Still one could lay some trenches suitable for cable installs. Edited January 26, 2018 by lonbordin I post my photos to balance out BWD's beauty shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Back at PP yesterday (Sunday). Had to wait to leave due to the black ice and freezing fog. Super treacherous in the early am... like an ice rink on everything near my home. It was below freezing for a few hours at Paoli before sunrise. The "firmness" lasted less than an hour from open, sigh. I got 3 runs on the Slalom board... not really enough for any kind of deep insight, it was fun though. That effort will have to continue to wait. The day was very warm... I was down to snow pants and a t-shirt before noon. Always feel kinda naked without a jacket and gloves on... The snow wouldn't support full laid out carves but it wasn't super slow and it was fun. Not huge crowds for a Sunday... I'm not looking forward to the Olympic participation bump... I'm so spoiled. I brought my son's GoPro and did some chase footage to learn the best setup. Hopefully I'll be able to improve that going forward. Convergence/Divergence- Album of pictures here-https://photos.app.goo.gl/OrNzx4qktlxchFiX2 And a Paoli Panorama- _________________ Mahalo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 Back to reality... PP blew snow Thursday... they must've left the guns on after it got too warm... big frozen water all over. Variable conditions everywhere. Cube ice, soft, loose, crunchy, dust on crust, etc. Super thin in places even with the new snow. There also shifting (dare I say biasing) the runs to different sides of the slope and I don't like it. Put Grabers back the way it was biased toward Bobcat! Oh, and the triple (one of PP's main lifts) caught fire again for the second time this season. Makes one wonder just how safe it is... The crowds showed up in earnest by 1100 so I left. Really kind of depressing after riding Pine Knob... the snow was so nice there. Ah well they don't have Amish riding around Detroit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 12 hours ago, lonbordin said: Back to reality... There also shifting (dare I say biasing) the runs to different sides of the slope and I don't like it. Put Grabers back the way it was biased toward Bobcat! ... but is it forward or reversed biased? which is which? is it gilmour or is it not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 10 hours ago, bobble said: but is it forward or reversed biased? which is which? is it gilmour or is it not? It's not Gilmour he wouldn't be caught dead here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.