Scott.Creer Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 12/12 - first day for me They only had 2, 5, 6, and 8 running for lifts. Terrain was even more limited. Place got crowded and sporty quick. Not worth it to go right now. The best runs I got were on the rope in the rail yard which was empty till 10:30ish. Otherwise most of the time was spent in lift lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted December 12, 2021 Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 53 minutes ago, Scott.Creer said: The best runs I got were on the rope in the rail yard which was empty till 10:30ish. Otherwise most of the time was spent in lift lines. yikes. i heard that afton lines were really bad yesterday. buck was nowhere near as crowded as afton. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted December 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2021 1 hour ago, bobble said: yikes. i heard that afton lines were really bad yesterday. buck was nowhere near as crowded as afton. It wouldn't have been so bad if people weren't shoved into 25% of the hill/lifts. The trail under 1 looked perfect, but it was closed for some unknown reason. Conditions were stellar otherwise. It will be great when things open up more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted December 26, 2021 Report Share Posted December 26, 2021 has afton opened all the runs yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted December 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2021 18 hours ago, bobble said: has afton opened all the runs yet? Not yet, as of Christmas Eve. Also, they must be having staffing issues or something because the hours are more limited. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted January 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 (edited) 1/11/2022 I snuck out today for a few runs. With not opening till 1, shadows came quick on 7 and 2. I am not a fan of the mid week hours. I went all over and I don't understand the lift choices. I get that there are staffing issues, but 13 as the lift choice to service all the Highlands. I know it is a triple, but it is painfully slow, and it makes skating needed if you want to use more than just 2 if the runs. There were some pretty spectacular looking mounds from the snow guns around. Edited January 11, 2022 by Scott.Creer Cause I am dumb and can't spell 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUD Posted January 12, 2022 Report Share Posted January 12, 2022 Here is an update. I skied on 1/10. Snow was great, most runs are open, about 1/3 the lifts need to access the terrain. It was cold so no one but the ski teams were there. The highlands are all open, but only 13 was running again, just incase you were not cold enough. I was glad I was skiing, I did a ton of skating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted January 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2022 1/17/22 - I miss reservations I never thought I would say this, but I miss the reservation system. Limited lifts open and lines were forming before 10am. Michelle and I got a few runs in before it got sporty. 13 & 16 were open in the Highlands 7&10 were open 1&3&4&5 looked like they were running too For a holiday weekend, not ideal. Conditions were really good on snow though, with limited lifts open though people converging was pretty terrible. To get a clear run you needed to navigate between lifts. The ticket checker at 13 was saying "3 to a chair", to which I replied "even with omicron, you want to pack strangers together for a 10 minute lift ride?" His reply was "absolutely." We immediately left after that. 13 is painfully slow. I understand it is a triple, but at it's speed it is hard to believe that the uphill capacity is any better than the others that would serve more terrain. I also don't know why 2 wasn't going instead of 1. Getting bummed out fast this season. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted January 17, 2022 Report Share Posted January 17, 2022 1 hour ago, Scott.Creer said: 1/17/22 - I miss reservations ... The ticket checker at 13 was saying "3 to a chair", to which I replied "even with omicron, you want to pack strangers together for a 10 minute lift ride?" His reply was "absolutely." We immediately left after that. i wear a mask and will occasionally allow strangers to ride the chair. i try to be on the upwind side. unfortunately, my goggles always fog up so i pull my goggles off for the ride up. less than ideal. wish i could just walk to the lift and start riding without going into the ticket office llike afton. you should've seen the buck's ticket office. when i was leaving it was crammed. i didn't see many people wearing masks. lots of kids. they have completely abandoned covid protocols. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted January 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2022 1 hour ago, bobble said: wish i could just walk to the lift and start riding without going into the ticket office llike afton. you should've seen the buck's ticket office. when i was leaving it was crammed. i didn't see many people wearing masks. lots of kids. they have completely abandoned covid protocols. That is silly that buck does the seasons pass tickets like that. I can not think of another ski area that worked like that over 15 years ago. With the limited hours and limited lifts open when they are open, I don't think we will get our pass value this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted January 18, 2022 Report Share Posted January 18, 2022 1 hour ago, Scott.Creer said: That is silly that buck does the seasons pass tickets like that. I can not think of another ski area that worked like that over 15 years ago. they now have scanners. you wave your card and they hand you a ticket. its a lame compromise. they still touch the ticket. they also have a ticket window in the clock tower. i never knew it existed. they're slow to change. they haven't repainted the lift in a couple decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNSurfer Posted January 18, 2022 Report Share Posted January 18, 2022 Had my stuff packed in the car, all set to hit Afton, after a short stint at the office. The breeze of a commute made me realize what day it was. Nah. Tomorrow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted January 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2022 1/28/2022 - firm and nice We made some turns 10-12. There was a big race on 1, but from 5 over was pretty empty. Carving was nice, shower was really firm. The groomer hopped a bit when they were grooming, you could see the marks. 7 had a lot of inconsistency to it. It was also sticky with the base down, fast on edge. I impulsively ordered a kevlar OES this week. Excited for that, although I think my wife is judging me hard for getting another board. I will need to ditch either the SG or the Knapton. Not sure which, maybe both? We will see how the OES rides. Polar vortex coming, need to get boot heaters going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted January 29, 2022 Report Share Posted January 29, 2022 4 hours ago, Scott.Creer said: I impulsively ordered a kevlar OES this week. Excited for that, although I think my wife is judging me hard for getting another board. I will need to ditch either the SG or the Knapton. Not sure which, maybe both? We will see how the OES rides. give her the knapton. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted January 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2022 4 hours ago, bobble said: give her the knapton. She already has a Phenix. A guy actually stopped us on Friday to ask her about her donek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2022 2/8 It was a day to take the afternoon off. It was really nice out. Conditions were pretty good in some spots. In other spots it was variable or there were holes. Had fun on the Knapton. Rode with Trent for a while and chatted. It was nice talking to another human being who doesn't live in my house. When I got home my new toy was waiting for me. Probably going back out tomorrow afternoon to play with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted February 9, 2022 Report Share Posted February 9, 2022 9 hours ago, Scott.Creer said: i'm geographically myopic. had to view google maps to figure out the orientation of your tracks. i need to get out more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2022 2/9/2022 I was out today with the new toy. First two runs I was thinking "oh crap, did I make a mistake getting this?" Then I went to the highlands and everything fell into place. The OES rails like my alpines used to. Really damp though, it take some leg work to control. However, the board never chattered once while I was there. Toe and heels don't drag when laying the beast over. I plan on being back out on Friday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 Michelle and I rode this morning for a few hours. It was hard and fast on 7, variable on other spots with the wind driven snow only sticking certain places. under 13 was the only enjoyable place to ride. 7 wasn't that bad, but it was fast. The new OES held an edge great! I was super pumped, because a day like today would be miserable on the other softie set ups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2022 2/18/2021 We were out for about an hour today before crowds and before they had to close because of winds. It was really good on 7 and 13. 13 was sporty to carve though due to people. Saw Trent briefly. We will be back out tomorrow to do laps on the meadows carpet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted February 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2022 2/25/2022 Top 10 day for sure today. It was amazing! I had 7 all to myself from 10am-10:40, and that is when Trent showed up at 7. We thrashed that till my better half got there at about 11:30. Stayed till about 1. 13 wasn't that great. Took some gopro footage that was utterly terrible. Totally unwatchable. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox in the Snow Posted March 5, 2022 Report Share Posted March 5, 2022 Hello MN Carvers! I was referred to creating a post in this thread to inquire about gear. I'm wondering if anyone has some spare gear that they are willing to sell to help me get started in hard boot carving. I am looking for a decent board, bindings, and some quality boots size 28.5 or 29. Anything helps, thanks guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott.Creer Posted March 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2022 3/12/22 Sugar snow on solid ice base. End of report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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