lonbordin Posted February 28, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2021 Rode with @Mike Blanz and his son. Barely carvable at open... much too soft shortly thereafter. I don't even think we'll make the 3/14 closing date if this weather holds. I had a blast. Weird thing... last run up we see a carving skier in neon come down the run as we rode the lift. I'd never seen this guy... he was ripping. Mike had to go so I set off in search of the skier. Nowhere to be found. That must've been his only run. I rode for awhile looking... no dice. Super odd. Ya' had to watch where you were going: Mixing it up... a different view: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted March 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2021 (edited) I don't know how many inches of rain Paoli received since yesterday but I'd say several inches at minimum. It tore the hill asunder and as such the quad serviced side of the hill was completely closed. I talked to the GM... he thinks they'll be able to get Walnut and Grabers going again... but he wasn't sure about tomorrow. On my way in it was easy to see the river was way over the bank- Another foot or two and the whole place would've been done- Yeah... not much left of the season now... likely will not make the 14th- The Paoli pro shop is liquidating... I guess Vail want's ownership of the on hill shop. Look at the sweet deals- This is such an iconic Paoli picture (historic bridge that was just recently restored after a wayward semi destroyed it, road closed sign moved to the side on a rising river, car driving across.)- Conditions were challenging and FIRM as all the surface snow was melted away... we were riding on the compressed layers. Had a renewed sense of focus... good day to test the ice techniques. I was pleasantly surprised at my abilities.W00t! Edited March 1, 2021 by lonbordin They did recieve more rain tonight and some more on the way... that might be it folks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted March 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2021 (edited) March 7th is the official end. Went this afternoon. Took softie setup and hard setup. No idea what I was getting into... high 40s, all runs open @1500 and I arrived on the slope 1530. Close to freezing the night before. Took the softie setup down Family trail. Soft... surfy... slushy without the water. Nice. Tried to layout a heelside... snow did not support that! Next run I went down the park run... wait-a-minute... super nice easily hold an carve... pretty fast. Made the decision to goto the car and get the hardboots. Noticed my phone was missing. Must've come out when I slid out... could see people near where it was... Strap in at the top and speed to the spot... a dad and a wee little girl... I asked them did they see my phone? Dad says, "Yes!" proceeds to drop his little girl who he was holding up (she falls down losing a ski) and reaches into his pocket to get my phone out. (I'm stunned at this point)... I say thank you and sorry about that. He waves happily (yup, no visible mask) and proceeds to help his daughter get her stuff on. Get the hardboot setup on and wear myself out on mindbender... Tried some of the other runs... no bueno. Hard and crusty on top with a soft middle, ugh. Around 1800 the sun was hiding behind the hills and the snow started to get REALLY firm, by 1830 it was downright harsh and my previous runs were a hazard. I packed it up. Did find out that Vail want's the Pro Shop to be their Pro Shop. Talked with the owner for a bit... he's got a spare bootfitting press... thinking about buying it... hmmnn. Edited March 3, 2021 by lonbordin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Back this afternoon. Mid 40's, sunny... S O F T! But where there's a will, there's a way... The end is drawing near- Oh man... I was having too much fun... They've already used up all their snow stores keeping the runs together. This weekend will be dicey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted March 6, 2021 Report Share Posted March 6, 2021 What a difference a week or two makes! Looks like they are still grooming it well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted March 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2021 7 hours ago, GeorgeS said: What a difference a week or two makes! Looks like they are still grooming it well. They stop grooming tomorrow... last day. They groom after sunrise so the temps at grooming are actually below freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted March 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) Beautiful day. Here's just before open: @Mike Blanz showed up shortly after open and I enjoyed his company. It's been great to ride with other hardbooters in this pandemic season. We both rode our Backlands today, just not at the same time. I need those link levers and the order is in! I stayed until 15:30. I got a second wind. I'll be there at open for the last day... no talk of carnival stuff... maybe I'll figure out something different. Edited March 7, 2021 by lonbordin melancholy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted March 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) Last day. I had a great day. Was so hot had to get down to my sweatpants and shirt. No room for phone so no pics. Looked like yesterday. I did get to talk with one of my inside peeps that I haven't seen all season. I learned way too much about many of this seasons changes and the Vail/Paoli relationship. It's all sad. Hopefully 2022 will be better. Mahalo. Edited March 8, 2021 by lonbordin Really sad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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