Failed ski/snowboard trips

[BlueB]

In a wake of my own thread "Where have you skied/snowboarded?" and of course this spring's fiasco, let's do a reflection on failed trips. 

So, you were all set to go and it didn't happen... Or, you went and didn't ski at all... Why? 

[BlueB]

Here are mine, that I remember offhand: 

When I was still a boy, our family paid up for a trip to Poland's famous resort, Zakopane. Few weeks ahead, my mom and dad went for a ski weekend to a local resort, but never made it there. Their car slid of the road (safety barrier destroyed from previous accidents), down a 70m steep incline, borderline cliff. The doors of our cupe fell off, dad fell out in the first roll, mom in the 2nd, car got completely destroyed by the bottom. They survived, but recovery was long, so obviously no Zakopane... I would have died if I went with them (I begged to go). Also, they would have died if they had the seat belts on. 

In grade 8, I was supposed to go to Popova Sapka in Macedonia, with family. I ditched them when I heard that school was organizing a 2 week ski trip at the same period I had great time and the first long trip without parents. 

This spring I was all set to go to Mt Tremblant, for my L4 exam. Then Covid happened... 

[philw]

I may have told this before, in which case apologies.
---

Back before global warming had really taken off it was sensible to travel from the UK to Europe for early season riding. One year I made the trip to Les Deux Alpes. I arrived one afternoon in early November. I bought a new snowboard at the resort - you could buy boards in the UK, but our shops were very limited and expensive. I checked into one of the few open resort hotels which was nearly empty. After an excellent dinner topped off with chocolate moose I and crashed out in preparation for an early start.

Les Deux Alpes has the steep runs down to the village, and a big flat glacier at the top. The next morning after breakfasting I headed up the cable car over the patchy lower slopes to the glacier base at 3,200m. I felt a bit queasy, but the glacier is pretty high for someone who lives at sea level and you can expect to feel a bit odd.

I completed one run through about 15cm of fresh on the glacier before I was forced to retire to the bathrooms with some urgency. Sensitive people may want to stop reading now.

I made it into a cubicle and dumped my gear only just in time for the first set of inevitable multi-orifice violent dehydration events. I was shocked by the force, and surprised when after a short while the cycle repeated itself. Again and again. After perhaps a quarter of an hour a lady concierge came to ask me if I was dying. My French is pretty good on rude words, and I managed something including "merde", which I think was all they needed to know. She left me to get on with it.

After an hour or so I was visited by a delegation of pisters, who were not quite so easily dealt with. I'm not sure what their rationale was, but they wanted me out of the cubicle. I explained to the best of my ability that I'd need two buckets in order to leave, and that I just needed more time before I was happy to move. They wouldn't go away, and threatened to break the door down.  I figured they were coming for me one way or another, so with my pants around my ankles I opened the door. I was greeted by half a dozen ugly French pisters checking out my worldly goods. When you're fighting for your life dignity loss is irrelevant, so I stared them down and they left, apparently satisfied. I should have asked them to wipe my arse, but I was too far gone. North American readers will need to understand that this isn't a customer service culture.

I closed the cubicle door and continued to be very sick. Eventually the original concierge came back, and I persuaded her to lend me a plastic bucket. I knew roughly the time it would take to download to the village, and I knew the frequency of my "events". Once it looked like I had a fair chance, I made a careful descent in the cable car sitting on that bucket, which I left (empty!) with the lifties at the bottom.

At the base I was I was in a pretty bad way, close to being hospitalized. I drank lots of fizzy pop for re-hydration and managed to get things back together enough to get myself home over the next few days.

My chocolate moose must have been from the previous season and rife with something virulent and disgusting. As I did get one run in this may not technically count as a failed trip.

 

[Keenan]

Last season, I had never been to Ski Bluewood in SE Washington State.  I bought an online deal 3 advanced tickets good for any day for $40 off retail price.  The closest town is Dayton (about 45 minutes from Bluewood).  I shopped online and chose what appeared to be the least offensive of the two fleabag motels. I drove 5 1/2 hours on Thursday and checked in.  After paying I noticed a small sign behind the counter that said "No Refunds".  Now when travelling alone I have pretty low standards, so I thought, how bad can it be?  I moved into the room, I was the only one in the hotel and they had just "cleaned it".  The motel was from the 1950's and I'm pretty sure it was all original, the sheets, towels and carpeting all so thin you could see through them.  The stench was too much.  I ended up moving to the Best Western and forfeiting about $250 for the room.  I drove to Bluewood the next day and it was raining so hard that I did 2 runs.  I was on a 175cm board with fresh wax and I couldn't turn because it was too sticky.  I almost went head over multiple times.  Back at the hotel I watched the ever changing weather pattern, heavy rain.  I got online and bought a 'good for one day' ticket to Anthony Lakes in Eastern Oregon (about a three hour drive).  The next day Bluewood was closed due to flooding, so was the highway out of town. So I had to drive an extra 2 1/2 hours around the flooding.  When I got to I-84 (the way to Anthony Lakes) it was flooded.  I drove home.

14 1/2 hours of driving, $550 on lodging,  4 purchased lift tickets and 2 runs.

I was able to make it to Anthony Lakes 3 weeks later where I paid about $22 a day for lift tickets and had  great time.

 

[pow4ever]

Philw:

Keenan:  That show passion!

I thought i was the only crazy person that does these type of thing lol... aka 'screw loose in the head" as family/friend/coworker put it.

Took a ferry/bus trip to VT.  Bus broke down on the ferry.  Got a nice tour of Bridgeport CT.....
Took a bus trip to VT.  The Bus never came.... 
Drove to Killington in mid/late April because jonesing for snow(was going to stay over).  I am not a choosy beggar when it come to condition  but draw the line the line at have to hop over grass/bare spot, best trail was top to bottom mogul.  5 hours drive up/5 hours back.

Lost count at how many rain/icy condition.  However fortune favor the bold.  Some of the best powder day are also because of my "poor planning".

 

[Allee]

Keenan, I had a similar trip to Panorama a few years ago. Drove three hours to get there, did three runs on my weekend pass (if you could even call them that) on sheer blue ice, and called it quits. The motel that I'd booked was at least decent and the town is cute, so I stayed and wasted the afternoon rather than driving home. The next morning when I went to leave both the main routes out had avalanched overnight, and it took me nearly seven hours to drive home. Ugh.

 

Edited August 10, 2020 by Allee

[lowrider]

Ha Ha just remembered this jewel  !  Took two kids on a spring ski trip to Tremblant one was 4 the other about 7 . Loaded up the Mercedes wagon with every conceivable gadget and toy i thought i might need as well as  all  our skis and boots, didn't forget a thing. It took two trips just to load up the stuffed animals. It rained all the way there 4 hr trip turned int 5 1/2 because of fog. Hotel called home to see if i was  still coming. Wife  was home with newborn and assured them i would be there. (Pre.  cell phone days obviously) arrived late and stressed but after second trip back to car to get the rest of the stuffed animals we were all tucked in for the nite. Next day tickets purchased up the gondola  then half way down the first run they were ready to go home. Yes it was still raining but that's not an excuse to stop is it  ? Back in the car half way home from the back seat comes the question that haunts me to this day. Why did we only do one run ?

[monodude]

Rented a motor home with 2 friends for a trip from Portland, Oregon to Squaw Valley. Got there and one of those OMG Sierra storms started. Had to go out several times during the night to shovel the roof. over 3 feet had fallen overnight with no end in sight. We were stuck in the parking lot and the lifts weren't turning. It continued for three days. Around 10 FEET total. Had to clear the roof countless times. We never got to make a turn, just sat and drank, three guys stuck in a 24' motor home.. They couldn't open, nobody could get there. The Maintenance Dept. got us more Propane and supplies. When it stopped they plowed us out and we went home. We did catch a day at Mt. Bachelor on the way home.