Mary Jane Question: Vasquez Cirque

I grew up skiing WP/MJ....but now have been out in Tahoe for 10 years or so. It looks like we will be moving back in the near future, and I am spending 4 days in WP next week too. :yourock:


So, looking at the WP trail map, it actually makes Vasquez Cirque look pretty cool. It is obviously a huge pain in the ass to get out of there, but how is the terrain?

Open? Straight Runs? Hucks?

I am coming back home with new eyes since skiing Squaw, so I am just trying to figure out what is in CO that I wouldnt have known about years back.

cirque is not yet open, but that might change since they've had pioneer closed and it is expected to open this weekend. i'm not sure about coverage though, it will be up to patrol as to whether or not they will open it.

terrain wise, you can straight line easily since it doesn't have much vertical. If you go further along the catwalk, there are some decent hucks, when its open.

next season expect the old outrigger lift to be installed on the backside of parsenn and the following season will see timberline replaced w/ a 6 pack starting at the base of sunnyside.

Well, from my experience,(when it's actually open) it's a long skate to get out there and a long exit to the ridge. There are a few fun lines to be had, but as always, seem too short. Sometimes there is a rope stopping your skate at the end of west headwall (before alphabet chutes). For some good trees, check out Backside parsenn.

The staple run out there for us is skate out to west head wall air the little rock in the middle of it and then ski the trees below. The downer is that you need to ride 3 lifts to repeat the lap. Always have an eye out for a patroller that will pull you out there with his sled :) .

http://www.skiwinterpark.com/mountai...uezCirque.html

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Originally Posted by Huckwheat

So, looking at the WP trail map, it actually makes Vasquez Cirque look pretty cool. It is obviously a huge pain in the ass to get out of there, but how is the terrain?

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The Cirque is cool on the right day. I would avoid it if there is fresh anywhere else on the hill. It is a long slog out there. Your best bet is to hit it just as before they close the gate. That way they will drag you out there on a sled so they don't have to wait for you to walk/skate for 30 minutes or so just to get there.

Fun lines. Keep traversing left after each shot and you can pick up some nice hucks and powder.

Not something you will do more than a few times per year at best.

I strongly doubt that it will be open next week. In my recollection, it is never open in December, but this year might be different.

I second the Dude's suggestion to go to the far left if the Cirque is open, There are some good pillows small hucks in the trees if you keep keep making your way to the left after hitting the headwall to the far left. Could be boney if its open at all when you are there. Backside parsen can be fun too.

Its well worth the extra effort. Some of the time I've gotten lucky and been pulled out with snowmobile and even a cat onetime but the hike is flat and you can skate half of it in 20-30min tops. Like others have said the top part is nice and open with a good pitch but it flattens out and dumps you into thick trees followed by a long run out. Its a great view and worth doing once a day.

Thanks for the info on the lifts Dude. I've been curious what the timeline for that project is. The lift on parsenn will be nice so you can lap it without taking 3 lifts.

Ummmmm

the don't call it vasquez joke for nothing.

Moderately entertaining at best IMVHO. A nice skate though, good exercise. I do usually end up going there if I'm at the park though soo..... And patrol ALWAYS has the only "fun" lines closed. Lame.

Also, the thought of moving from squaw's shots to the cirque's shot makes baby jesus cry.
[/downer block]

The upside, is that you'll be within 10 mins of one of the sweetest ski areas in the US.

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Originally Posted by powwrangler

I second the Dude's suggestion to go to the far left if the Cirque is open, There are some good pillows small hucks in the trees if you keep keep making your way to the left after hitting the headwall to the far left. .

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Good advice.

I skied alot back there a couple of years ago. Patrol managed to get EVERYTHING open. Always try to go as far out, or left, as you can. That gives you the longest run, and cuts down on the traverse out of there.

I think it's worth the hike. Alphabet chutes are very steep, and the trees at the bottom are full of pillow drops. Sure, having to take 3 lifts to get back sucks, but it keeps people out of there.

Probably only worth it if you have a season pass, though. It takes alot of time.

take some time and check out the backside of parsenn as well, there are decent lines through the trees and it doesn't get tracked out much. There is also the gate directly across from where you get off of the pioneer lift. If it's open, there are some decent tree runs through there as well.

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Originally Posted by The Dude

There is also the gate directly across from where you get off of the pioneer lift. .

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Where is the Pioneer lift?



Here's a reference . . . if you go all the way to the rope, you'll get the most out of your hike (past waterfall).

http://www.skiwinterpark.com/NR/rdon...quezcirque.jpg

pioneer lift is the lift that services Vasquez Ridge, it would be the first lift you would ride after the skate out of the cirque

Oh, ok. I never know all the names of everything. :o

So that gate your talking about . . . does it take you back down to Pioneer?

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Originally Posted by Dr. Gaper

Oh, ok. I never know all the names of everything. :o

So that gate your talking about . . . does it take you back down to Pioneer?

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answer is yes, I'll usually go through the gate and will stay high as long as possible. There is a grove of aspen trees in there if you don't go in far enough, that will sometimes get thin for coverage. If you can go in about 100 yards, you'll have some nice lines through there. Eventually you'll hook up w/ the catwalk that everyone uses to come out of the cirque.

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Originally Posted by The Dude

stay high as long as possible. .

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Yeah, me too!!! :wink:

Good info, I'll check it out next time I'm there. :)

The terrain in the cirque isn't bad, but the steep, above-treeline runs are pretty short. A long way to traverse for only a few hundred feet of steeps.. But, below treeline, there's a lot of good stuff to be found, and the snow accumulates deeper in there than it does even over on the Jane.

Worth it a few days after a storm or when you want ten minutes of good skiing and half an hour's worth of traversing in some beautiful spots.

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Originally Posted by lemon boy

Also, the thought of moving from squaw's shots to the cirque's shot makes baby jesus cry.
[/downer block]

The upside, is that you'll be within 10 mins of one of the sweetest ski areas in the US.

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HA.....funny shit.

I am sure your comment is true, but I have just looking around to see where I might find some kind of above treeline (Squaw-ish) shots. So, I guess Berthoud is the best call for all that stuff huh?

Any other resorts have good zones I might not know about.

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Originally Posted by Huckwheat

HA.....funny shit.

I am sure your comment is true, but I have just looking around to see where I might find some kind of above treeline (Squaw-ish) shots. So, I guess Berthoud is the best call for all that stuff huh?

Any other resorts have good zones I might not know about.

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Berthoud . . not really. Most of Berthoud's goods are in the trees. There are some above treeline steeps around Berthoud, but they are dangerous most of the time.

Copper's got some good stuff in Copper Bowl, Resolution Bowl, and Union Bowl.

Crested Butte?

Breck?

So what did LB mean by "The upside, is that you'll be within 10 mins of one of the sweetest ski areas in the US."

Berthoud or MJ?

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Originally Posted by Huckwheat

So what did LB mean by "The upside, is that you'll be within 10 mins of one of the sweetest ski areas in the US."

Berthoud or MJ?

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Berthoud I'm sure. But not for what you are looking for specifically.

the only line i've done back there is the alphabet chutes.. easy walk skate over there... long skate back but it was freaking sweet and well worth it imo.

hoping to get back there a little more this year.

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Originally Posted by Dr. Gaper

Berthoud I'm sure. But not for what you are looking for specifically.

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Gotcha.....makes sense.

Thanks for the fun discussion.

I know it will be a different world from the Sierra's but I am stoked to get back to CO. The variety of everything out there will be good. You have Trees for one! We dont have those at Squaw (Cushing cut them all down).

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Originally Posted by Huckwheat

HA.....funny shit.

I am sure your comment is true, but I have just looking around to see where I might find some kind of above treeline (Squaw-ish) shots.

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HAHAHAHAHHAHH BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA Squawish? In colorado? ummmmm NO.

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So, I guess Berthoud is the best call for all that stuff huh?

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Ummmm well sort of but as mentioned the minigolf really was better when it was operating. I was talking about bert though, the skiing there is really first rate.

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Any other resorts have good zones I might not know about.

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Yep!

Seriously, it's not that I'm trying to disuade yet another california asshole from moving here (said with all due irony). Colorado is just super different from Squaw/CA skiing. There's a lot of good skiing here that you probably didn't see 10 years ago but we don't have the minigolf so much. As a general rule folks around here stay out of the uncontrolled above timerline consequence laden shots till spring.

Just come, you'll see that there's plenty to ski: Loveland, Basin, CB, Asspen etc...we gots the goods, they're just different.

It really all depends on your perspective. The one time I did the Cirque was a couple of years ago. The guy I went with is one of those guys who loves hiking at the resort to get the sweet powder line, even if it means getting just a few runs a day. So, we did the alphabet chutes, the snow was deep and light and untracked, the sky was blue, it was probably some of the best turns I had all season.

For my buddy, it was 150% worth it, he didn't care that it took 1 1/2 hours out of our ski day for little more than a dozen turns. Myself, I thought the turns were spectacular, but no way was it worth it. YMMV.

There's some schweet 18 footers out there last year.

Best memory of the year two years ago:

Patrol drops rope on the skate, girl and I start out. 1/4 way across, BWAAAAAAH and patrol pulls up in a snowmobile and the dood tosses 4 ropes off the back. Everyone pulls up and hangs on. Patroller yells "Hang on!" and drops the hammer. The front of the sled lifts a foot off the ground, the track digs a trench 2 feet deep and in four seconds we're goin 30 miles an hour. Much swearing and thumping behind me. I look back and all of the five boarders have fallen and taken out another five skiers that had the misfortune of being behind them. Next thing I know we're doing directed skiing on B into some sweet drops above Eldorado. WAHOO!

The high wears off half an hour later when we're STILL not back to civilization... damn, it's far out there.