lonbordin Posted January 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2021 (edited) LOL, they are blowing as well... tomorrow could be interesting.@GeorgeS Park by the red x and enter up the concrete steps where the arrow points. The whole COVID thing has the traffic flow all FUBAR. This is the way. Edited January 28, 2021 by lonbordin This is the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted January 28, 2021 Report Share Posted January 28, 2021 Got 5 runs in so far not bad lots of fun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 29, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2021 (edited) I've now ridden with yet another hardbooter at Paoli. Do they not read this thread? Do they not heed my warnings? Still they come... Is it the challenge? Have they lost the will to live? It's out of my hands dear reader... Big thanks to @GeorgeS for coming to Paoli and creating those fine lines with his Donek MK. Conditions were typical Paoli... Unexpected and variable. That said definitely above average with actual snow, below freezing temps, and variable groom quality. Hey this is Paoli Peaks... I'm not going to sugarcoat it and risk @bobble showing up. Crowds were light and no one closed off anything for a racecourse. There were even hints of Minnesota firm in some places but not that firm... this is Indiana after all. I had fun and I think @GeorgeS did as well. Also rode with my son so extra bonus!!! Rode the 179 Donek freecarver with "secret" construction I stole off @nitro. That board is so fun hope you are doing well! THis iS YoUR FiNAl WaRNiNG! 300' of vert 1 minute down 5 minutes up Variable conditions Narrow trails with ill defined borders You've been warned, STAY AWAY, save yourself! Edited January 29, 2021 by lonbordin The idea that there could be a day with FOUR carvers riding together... Ludicrous!!! 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurch Posted January 29, 2021 Report Share Posted January 29, 2021 (edited) @lonbordin money to be made here - this exposé should form the lead of eVailco's marketing campaign to lure more survivalist carvers to PP. Edited January 29, 2021 by Lurch Tell me George is not locked in your well... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted January 30, 2021 Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 Well, I did have fun and made it home!(not in a well!) The top of Walnut Alley was very nice, plus the border was well defined by trees! Paoli reminds me of the 1st resort I Snowboarded at, back when I appreciated the use of a chairlift after hiking uphill for a season. Nice riding with you and your son, I did try to keep up. My daughter wants to go now so we may be back up next week, I'll let you know. She can check out the lessons before we bring my grandson up. Heck, she should buy my lift ticket since we moved to the south east because of my grandkids. I can't even look at the snow reports from Central and Southern California right now. May have to fly back soon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 1 hour ago, GeorgeS said: I can't even look at the snow reports from Central and Southern California right now. Just remember all the traffic. The road in... The parking... The lift lines... See Paoli isn't so bad, mwahahahahA! She definitely should pay for your lift ticket! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 30, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2021 (edited) Another great day at Paoli boarding with ANOTHER hardbooter. The man with a connection from Columbus @Mike Blanz came BACK with his son. Another smooth rider... Conditions were even better than Thursday... Still variable in spots but much better overall. SHOCKING! Is Paoli Peaks going legit? Is this the Vail Co. touch? Crowds weren't unbearable so I stayed until a little before 1500 when it started to rain. It's snowing hard here in Bloomington as I type this... 50 miles and a world of difference. Edited January 30, 2021 by lonbordin Thanks Mike I had a blast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted February 2, 2021 Report Share Posted February 2, 2021 Well, I’ll be back tomorrow. So see what you’ve started! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2021 Never know who might show up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2021 (edited) Oh yeah. Great day. Really fun conditions for Paoli. A "new" run opened. Got to ride with my son. AND got to ride with another hardbooter @GeorgeS. Who can ask for more? not me! Moar snow and new run- Yeah we were here- Edited February 3, 2021 by lonbordin and got to meet George's daughter and a softboot carving boarder from Italy. Banner day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2021 (edited) Went Saturday from 0900-1130. Great fun on the limited runs. If I hadn't had an appointment I would've been there much longer. They started to blow Saturday night and they haven't stopped since, which made today, Sunday, interesting. You know what else made it interesting? Riding with the man who knows his engines @Mike Blanz. Yup another day with another hardbooter at Paoli. Unbelievable. Thanks to Mike's experiment I've learned a lot about splitboards! I don't foresee me putting that knowledge to use anytime soon but good to have nevertheless! Also interesting... The conditions were variable and a bit cold at the start 9F. Not nearly as cold as my northern brothers. Man I remember those -35F days in Duluth, brrrrrr. I talked to a couple of the OPS... They aren't planning to turn the guns off until the hill is covered... Late this week could be epic Paoli, especially since there is natural snow in the forecast. The one good thing the did last night was to connect Mindbender with Power line... that was sorely missing Saturday. Edited February 8, 2021 by lonbordin I'm a little tired tonight, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2021 Epilogue- My heelsides on my Donek were horrible and weird today. No! Worse than baseline goon on meth! I couldn't figure it out. I swapped boards for awhile and it was better. I did the edges on the Donek Saturday night so I though I had screwed something up. Well I did but not the edges... When I put my front binding back on I accidentally put it at 57.5 rather than 52.5 (back was correct at 47.5) The additional splay and angle steepness screwed with my turns and has made my front knee a little sore tonight. I'm such a fragile flower, sigh. At least it was an easy fix... Looking forward to next time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted February 8, 2021 Report Share Posted February 8, 2021 10 hours ago, lonbordin said: Went Saturday from 0900-1130. Great fun on the limited runs. If I hadn't had an appointment I would've been there much longer. They started to blow Saturday night and they haven't stopped since, which made today, Sunday, interesting. You know what else made it interesting? Riding with the man who knows his engines @Mike Blanz. Yup another day with another hardbooter at Paoli. Unbelievable. Thanks to Mike's experiment I've learned a lot about splitboards! I don't foresee me putting that knowledge to use anytime soon but good to have nevertheless! Also interesting... The conditions were variable and a bit cold at the start 9F. Not nearly as cold as my northern brothers. Man I remember those -35F days in Duluth, brrrrrr. I talked to a couple of the OPS... They aren't planning to turn the guns off until the hill is covered... Late this week could be epic Paoli, especially since there is natural snow in the forecast. The one good thing the did last night was to connect Mindbender with Power line... that was sorely missing Saturday. wow! i could almost see myself buying a lift ticket. this must be a really good season? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2021 4 minutes ago, bobble said: wow! i could almost see myself buying a lift ticket. this must be a really good season? Certainly better than last season where the Peak's were closed most of January. And hey... Other hardbooters! Certainly a welcome change from previous seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2021 Packed powder .. packed f*cking powder. Unbelievable. My only regret is I didn't bring one of my huge SCR boards. The snow seemed to be able to hold no matter how hard I pushed. Ended up riding the Nirvana (12-14) for most of the day. I'm exhausted... W00t!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2021 (edited) Ok, I've been focused on work/life... That's my only excuse. Went to Paoli this afternoon and They got 2-4" after grooming?!! Holy sh*t! Real airy powder over groom. Mindbender and Grabers were damn good. Broke out the Nirvana to start... After a couple of hours I had to swap for the smaller scr Donek as the crowds were swelling. Last two runs of the day got hoots from the lift, so I've got that going for me. Look at the white hills!!! Edited February 13, 2021 by lonbordin So old, so tired... 😴 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 13, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2021 (edited) Ya' know what... I went back for more this morning. I was rewarded and got to ride with @Mike Blanz aka Diesel Mike from 9-12. His Turns per meter (TPM) rate is quite impressive. Mindbenders even earned the patented Blanz approval for quality groom and good carving. Winter storm forecast for Paoli from Sunday late through Monday late. Stay tuned. Edited February 13, 2021 by lonbordin give me snow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted February 15, 2021 Report Share Posted February 15, 2021 (edited) 5 to 9 inches forecast for today and 3 to 5 more tonight. Thanks for all the pics and updates. Thanks for letting me try that Coiler, it was softer than my board and made me order a softer Donek than my MK. Here is a pic of your figure eights from two weeks ago! Edited February 15, 2021 by GeorgeS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2021 I was at Paoli from open. The drive there wasn't too bad. Most folk were staying home. I get south of Orleans and the snow stopped. There was no one at Paoli for the first two hours. I even rode my softie plastic fantastic setup for a few runs. Not enough pow... kinda meh. Went back to the Nirvana which was fantastic. Some of the best snow in recent memory. Saw some of the locals on the way home. The drive home was rough... this was a decent stretch... nothing like fishtailing 2WD pickups with bald giant tires in the snow... nothing like it. It's nearly whiteout conditions in B-town as I type this... saying we could get 12+ inches by Tuesday morning. I'm feeling contentedly tired. Great day. Looking forward to seeing you on that new Donek @GeorgeS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 (edited) Went Thursday evening with my son and our friend. Fantastic conditions. It was great riding with them!https://i.imgur.com/WLV1tfM.mp4 Went back late afternoon today. Couldn't get a reservation so I snuck out there... LOL. Snow was fantastic... can't remember this long of stretch of below 0 days. Tracks, even the sun wanted to arc- There was a downside... the longest lift lines I've ever seen at Paoli. I think I'll do other things tomorrow as it's supposed to be even more crowded... I'll go early Sunday... Edited February 20, 2021 by lonbordin that was a 20 minute wait! every third party has an issue getting on the lift at Paoli.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 10 hours ago, lonbordin said: I think I'll do other things tomorrow as it's supposed to be even more crowded... I'll go early Sunday... jesus.. .is that a line for one lift or two? that's far worse than anything i've personally seen. i would call it quits for 1/10 of that photo. i would be tempted to walk up the run. i have walked up a few times last season but they require everyone to wear a mask. no joy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, bobble said: jesus.. .is that a line for one lift or two? that's far worse than anything i've personally seen. i would call it quits for 1/10 of that photo. i would be tempted to walk up the run. i have walked up a few times last season but they require everyone to wear a mask. no joy. One lift and you can imagine that every third chair had issues... so lots of starts and stops. I spotted a person up near the front solo and asked if I could join them... they accepted. Or yes I too would've walked. In the end I think it probably took me approximately 20 minutes to get to the top... I'm pretty sure I can walk up in ten. I left right after the photo. They only had two lifts running as they are still operating on a skeleton crew. I'm not going today as they are maxed out on reservations and I know they will only have one additional lift running (Double) which only serves the very top so no real relief of that lift (Triple) which serves the easier terrain side of the slope. I had spend the day up until that point on the other side with the more steep terrain which is served by the Quad lift and had very short waits... like a few chairs at most. I definitely paid for that oh, I'll just take a last run over here... Edited February 20, 2021 by lonbordin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 1 hour ago, lonbordin said: One lift and you can imagine that every third chair had issues... so lots of starts and stops. I spotted a person up near the front solo and asked if I could join them... they accepted. Or yes I too would've walked. In the end I think it probably took me approximately 20 minutes to get to the top... I'm pretty sure I can walk up in ten. I left right after the photo. They only had two lifts running as they are still operating on a skeleton crew. I'm not going today as they are maxed out on reservations and I know they will only have one additional lift running (Double) which only serves the very top so no real relief of that lift (Triple) which serves the easier terrain side of the slope. I had spend the day up until that point on the other side with the more steep terrain which is served by the Quad lift and had very short waits... like a few chairs at most. I definitely paid for that oh, I'll just take a last run over here... holy shit. that's bad. it usually takes me about 12-15 minutes to walk up the run but when i reach the top i need time to recover. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 (edited) Today was the last day before we descend into the freeze thaw cycle that will likely last until the end of the season. The snow was still fantastic. Yes that is groom. I was focusing on my heelsides today and made some real progress. Did I mention the conditions were fantastic for Paoli. There were a lot of people on the hill but they never seemed to be around me or in front of me in the lift line??? Lucky stars and all that... Edited February 22, 2021 by lonbordin was out 0900 to 1300 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted February 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2021 (edited) 6 C to 7 C at start today. Slipped out to the peaks today for a mid-day invasion. Fantastic. Warm. But the snow still held an edge... and all the tweaks realized. 20 to 30 people on the runs... gorgeous skies... OMG. My tracks in foreground and background- more- MOAR! everything is working... the flux capacitor is online... the warp drive is aligned... engaged... make it so.. what... f*cking... ever... it's all working.... I'm done. The tweaking is over... Edited February 24, 2021 by lonbordin Time for phase 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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