Where are you going to ski?Not yet. Planning on taking lessons next season.
Mammoth. Was in Vail this past weekend and regretted not having any ski clothes to take some lessons.
50-75 is a ton of days--what hill?love it, but have only been up once over the past 5 years. prior to that 50-75 days/year.
I lived in Breckenridge, worked in Vail from 01 - 11. Mix of Vail, bc, Breck, keystone, a basin, copper..... every once in a while winter park and steam boat.50-75 is a ton of days--what hill?
Yes, and yes.Any skiers here? Did you have a good season?
Back bowls at Vail are spectacular when there's fresh. What were you doing for Vail?I lived in Breckenridge, worked in Vail from 01 - 11. Mix of Vail, bc, Breck, keystone, a basin, copper..... every once in a while winter park and steam boat.
Does the mountain really matter that much if you're a beginner?Then probably not
No, but in my mind the weather does.Does the mountain really matter that much if you're a beginner?
I'm not following you. I assumed it will be cold where ever you ski? My question is more toward can a guy in good shape who's a decent athlete get good enough skiing to enjoy himself in his late 40's? And the same for his wife minus the decent athlete portion.No, but in my mind the weather does.
And black and blue toes. Had that experience with rental boots, and they felt like anvils trying to make turns. Middle-grade boots that I was properly fitted for that were my own made all the difference in the world, much lighter for turning and more comfortable.I'd say buy boots and rent skis. The fit on rental boots is gong to have a huge impact on your day, and on your ability to enjoy skiing.
Sure, you can pick up skiing late in life, no problem. And as a guy that learned on the East Coast and spent a lot of time at Snowshoe, Wisp, and Seven Springs... if you can ski well on an east coast ice mountain, you can ski anywhere.I'm not following you. I assumed it will be cold where ever you ski? My question is more toward can a guy in good shape who's a decent athlete get good enough skiing to enjoy himself in his late 40's? And the same for his wife minus the decent athlete portion.
I think it is worth learning how to do. From there, you can decide how you want to ski. There can be a certain zen to just coasting on corduroy or fresh powder.... or you can challenge yourself with steeps and moguls (or build up to it). it is also something the family can do together for years.Let's say we're almost 50 and our skiing experience was going a couple of times in high school. Next season, is it even worth trying to learn or is it the kind of thing that takes years to get good enough to have fun. And lets also say that our wife would be joining us who's in decent shape but not a particularly good athlete.
Yes. Maybe not necessarily the exact mountain, but certainly the snow conditions make a huge difference. Skiing back east will almost guarantee you rock-hard/icy snow conditions. There's always exceptions, but skiing out west will almost always guarantee you better conditions, which will make your skiing experience more enjoyable. If you want your wife to get into it, I do not recommend bringing her out on a cold icy day because "we're beginners and it really shouldn't matter where or when we ski." Maybe you can't get out west to ski and if that's the case I'd find another way to spend quality time with your wife. I've skied back east one time and IMO it was a complete waste of money - I can't imagine enjoying myself at the age of 50 trying to learn to ski on concrete.Does the mountain really matter that much if you're a beginner?
Yep. Colorado mountains are expecting a 2-3 foot dump this weekend. BAM!In Colorado, Utah, etc. the base of snow is great enough that they stay open until mid April usually. As a result, you have the ability to learn to ski when it's between 35-50 degrees and bright sunshine. With the occasional 10 inches of snow overnight.
I may have driven you up the pass a few times.SKIING RULES!
I was addicted to skiing when I was young. Would go on family ski vacations and those were my favorite 5-6 days of each year. I decided to become a full-time ski bum after I got my college degree so I moved to New Zealand during their winter and then moved to Winter Park for their winter. Between NZ and WP I got about 150 days in my first year, including at least 15 days backcountry skiing on Berthoud Pass. I stayed in Winter Park and the next winter I got about 110 days in. The next year I was then lucky enough to get a job using my degree and I have been in WP for over 20 years. But I do miss those early days. While I barely had enough money to pay rent and buy a six-pack, all those face-shots on deep powder days easily made up for it.
I gave up downhill skiing about 15 years ago and now just telemark, which is lots of fun and a great workout. I get out with my family about 15-20 times a year (which has been a good bonding experience) and I still sneak out from work on big powder days.
The $400 helmets will probably fit and look better but I haven't heard that they offer any better protection. They probably also have a longer service life but that probably doesn't matter unless you plan to wear it >200 times.I was going to buy one in addition to my goggles and gloves. Any huge difference between the $80 and $400 ones?
i do now. i decided to do it in order to be a good example to my daughter.Do we all wear helmets in here? I noticed 80% of the people in Vail were wearing them.
why so long? i used to ski 200+. now i 175-185 max.I picked up a couple of new pairs of skis for next season. Killer deals on both.
192 cm DPS Wailer 99 Pure for everyday
189cm DPS Lotus 120 Pure for when it DUMPS
First skis I've bought in 6+ years. I blew out the edge on my old Volkl Mantras.
38 days in 16 and 32 days in 17. 18 is shaping up nicely. Headed to Mammoth for thanksgiving for the 4th straight year. Deer valley for a week for New Years. Gotta plan 18 more days, so I can get another year with an entire month on the slopes. F’ing love skiing.just stumbled on to this thread. this year rocked, we got in 11 days at mammoth! timed 2 huge storms perfectly. this year really got my wife into it and my 9 year old daughter is starting to be able to hang with me . i used to ski a ton and now that the family is on board, we're already planning next year. i'd love to hit 14 days+ next season.
Met a dude last season that rocked Clark Kent’s under his goggles.Apple Jack said:Anybody have experience with prescription goggles? I just had to get glasses for the first time and wondering how I'm going to handle skiing. Things were pretty blurry for me last year and it makes for some unnecessarily dicey moments here and there. Do you wear glasses under your goggles?
Haven't been in a while. I liked Breck as a base of operation as it gives easy access to Copper, Keystone and A-Basin. If you need to, Vail is less than an hour away.Love skiing. We are debating warm weather vs ski trip over Xmas. Either Breck, Vail, or Tahoe. We do not go nearly as often as I would like.
That high elevation terrain(Imperial) at Breck is pretty rocky and even in early season is shut down in many cases. But Breck is a great place to go for a lot less money than Vail. I prefer the fall lines at Vail - both front and back.I'm no expert, but Breck will be at the higher elevation so should be almost guaranteed to be fully open by X-mas.
Get there real early - I mean real early and you can park in the main lot at A-Basin and walk to car between runs. Granted it is better when Pali is running - which would be a miracle on Thanksgiving - but for you the runs at A-Basin are a nice rolling set of gullies that will give you some good turns and a few drops. There should only be about 2,000 other dogs in the lot.I've never been to Keystone, or A-Basin.
Wife and I are beginner skiers,but want to hit the slopes on Thanksgiving morning since none of our families are in town. By the looks of it, A-Basin won't have much in the way of runs for us. We'll only do 3 or 4 runs and then head back down the mountain since we have dogs who will need to be let out. Which one would be easier to park/get onto the mountain?