Opening "expert" and rocky terrain with marginal conditions

This year, here in UT. we are seeing it a lot. Snowbird basically opened the entire mountain with a sub-30" base. The entire Cirque is basically p-tex point. PCMR opened McConkey's and today most of 9990, even though there is a 22" base. Empire (not sure about the chutes) is open at DV.
At least, this keeps ski techs busy repairing core shots, and orthopods busy repairing ACLs. Personally, I just don't know whether it's worth trying to avoid the sharks that linger in low tide.
It's a long season

I wonder if capacity limits have prompted resorts to open things up more quickly than they would have in a normal year? More terrain open = more skiers allowed on the mountain.

just because it's open, don't mean ya gotta ski it....

I would think this would be a good thing. Get some skier compaction on the shit snow you have there.

A lot of our expert terrain is expert terrain because it is rocky and conditions are marginal in spots.



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Originally Posted by Caucasian Asian

A lot of our expert terrain is expert terrain because it is rocky and conditions are marginal in spots.

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I thought that was how it is everywhere.

I'm confused. Is this a bitching thread?

At mission ridge, big sky, and many other dry hills, rocky AF and limited base is typical every season. 30" base is good skiing at places like that.

Our shop in Whistler use to charge more for core shot repairs that went from 6 to 9, and less for shots that went from 12 to 6. If you were pussy footing through the rocks you deserved it, if your ripping a line and caught a shark fin you were unlucky.

Repeat after me: “Every ski is a rock ski.”

Please tell me you’re not actually complaining about early openings before full coverage......cuz you would officially suck if that’s the case
Tools not jewels......suck it up buttercup

To each his/her own. We find gluttons for punishment everywhere.
Personally, I learned the hard way that the season is long and to allow others to do the "snow compaction". I'll wait for the 75" base, or the 2' pow day before skiing a lot that the Wasatch has to offer.

If you don't like them opening terrain with minimal coverage, I would be super stoked to trade your patrol staff with Loveland's.
Don't worry, they won't open anything where there might be a rock showing.

All lifts open = full ticket price. They'll do that regardless of snow coverage.

Always have. Always will.

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Originally Posted by schindlerpiste

To each his/her own. We find gluttons for punishment everywhere.
Personally, I learned the hard way that the season is long and to allow others to do the "snow compaction". I'll wait for the 75" base, or the 2' pow day before skiing a lot that the Wasatch has to offer.

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Bless the human probes.

As I skied over rocks and dirt yesterday, I was putting my levitation skills into full effect, multiple times. It's second nature now. Levitate and point 'em until you get over the rocks, then dump speed on the good coverage. And if there happen to be rocks where you need to dump speed...well then you get a core shot. :D

Meh, McConkey's was fine yesterday other than the line. I'm guessing the Bird is pretty rough in spots right now.

Spend a lean season or two in Crested Butte and it's all gravy in comparison.

sending the idiots off piste where they only hurt themselves sounds like a wise decision when the alternative is allowing the entire mountain's skiers on to just a few intermediate runs where the idiots are crashing into the tourists that are paying the bills.

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Originally Posted by snowaddict91

Meh, McConkey's was fine yesterday other than the line. I'm guessing the Bird is pretty rough in spots right now.

Spend a lean season or two in Crested Butte and it's all gravy in comparison.

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Beat me to it, sounds like par for the course for CB !

I paid to have ptex repairs this week from solitude myself. It was thin for sure. I got back today and to be honest, I didn’t mind they had the terrain open, I wanted to ski, but after witnessing the 6 th sled from ski patrol off of apex and moonbeam no less, I did question whether many should have been on the mountain in the condition it was on those lifts in particular.

Those people presumably are the ones who pay the bills. I live in North Carolina and this is my 31 season at solitude, the grooming and rocks and hard pack where the worst I’ve ever seen. I’m fine opening powder horn because the masses who pay the high prices during Christmas week di t venture there, when the moonbeam “head wall” results in carting off the tourists, it’s not good for business long term.

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Originally Posted by ncskier

...I didn’t mind they had the terrain open, I wanted to ski, but after witnessing the 6 th sled from ski patrol off of apex and moonbeam no less, I did question whether many should have been on the mountain in the condition it was on those lifts in particular....

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Agreed, not too worried about my own skiing I just really don't like seeing people wreck themselves. Probably 3 years ago now helped ski patrol get to and cordon off a skier at the bottom of long chute west zuma who had gone over a blind roller fast into rocks and punctured both lungs. Admittedly they had it roped off but even still I prevented at least two dozen others from following his path.

yada yea yea skiing has its risks accept the consequence, but tourists gonna tourist.

We are all used to the SOPs of opening terrain of our home hill, so it's kinda funny how UT resorts lowered their standards drastically this season unexpectedly.

Responses in this thread will vary due to average snowfall and also factor in density of snow though. Bridger and Crested Butte skiers will scoff at it all, and people from the PNW will have zero idea of what this thread is about.

Whitefish cares more about my skis than I do. If there's the slightest bit of gravel showing they freak out. You guys are skiing a 30" base on rocks. Whitefish will barely open a 30" base on smooth beargrass.

Yeah, come to big sky. There is stuff open that is literally bare scree fields right now. There are sharks in April on a fat year too.

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Originally Posted by muted

We are all used to the SOPs of opening terrain of our home hill, so it's kinda funny how UT resorts lowered their standards drastically this season unexpectedly.

Responses in this thread will vary due to average snowfall and also factor in density of snow though. Bridger and Crested Butte skiers will scoff at it all, and people from the PNW will have zero idea of what this thread is about.

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Do people at other areas not have to side step down a bunch of rocks a couple times a run? :D