What's the coldest you've braved?

What's the coldest full ski day you've put in and where? For me it was Mont Blanc in Quebec --near Tremblant-- a few degrees below zero not counting windchill-- and Mt Gore nine degrees but whipping winds made it like 25 below! The winds actually felt like tiny needles piercing any exposed skin. Needless to say I covered up everything! I stuck it out though. it was pretty funny because after a while when I tried to talk I couldn't even move my mouth--totally unintelligible. That's when I knew it was time to take a break.

Call me crazy but I think I'll be braving a similar situation at Sugarbush this Saturday. A roasty high of one degree!!
Sprite

I remember sticking my fingers to the metallic top plate of an Olympus OM-1 on the glacier at La Plagne when the mercury was lodged at -23. Not fun.

I know this is not skiing but it was cold

One night walking out of Dos Rios in Gunny, and it was 34 below.
The beer that I snuck out of the bar started to freeze before I made it to the "Safe Rides" bus.

Its gotta be a tie for me, it was at Pig Sty, Mt, with actual tems at about -28 witha windchill in the negative 30's. I braved it out till the wind kicked up and they shut the lifts off.

the second was at Swiss Valley Michigan probobly about 15 years ago, -20's with brutal winds, got stuck on a chair for a half hour, froze my ass off, proceeded to lodge to thaw out then returned to slide on 200 vert in -20 as happy as a clam.

Guys, please specify units. I think bad_roo's -23 is Celsius, others are Farenheit. Or did you convert to F, roo?

drC

Magic Mountain, VT last MLK weekend: - 19 for first chair, I think it warmed up to a high of - 11. Kept the snow nice 'n chalky though.

Anyone see the temps at Whiteface today? - 12 at base, -16 at summit.

-14F at Bolton Valley. One of the best days, actually. Nobody was skiing, blue skies, great snow. We had the mountain to ourselves.

I also raced at Wildcat on a -12F day in college. The cold weather froze the chairlift and we had to hike the slalom course. I DQ'd on the first run (thank god) and then spent the rest of the day keeping warm in the lodge. [edit: that was also the day a UMASS student tried to summit Mt. Washington but ended up crawling into his bivvy sack and giving up the ghost.]

The coldest I braved was -40 F (-40 C) In Hazelton BC. I was only XC skiing but it was faking cold. None of that kick & glide shit, I was going for the most movement for the least travel to keep my temp up and the wind down.

skiing was -34 at lake louise. we were supposed to race, but they couldn't even fire up the lifts for a few hours.

non skiing was around -44 C walking to school in banff.

Skied a few days that began -15 at A-baseweld (two runs, lodge, two runs, lodge, two runs, beers)

Tuesday I went hunting and it was -15 when we got off the highway and warmed to minus 12 at the river

All temps in (F)

high of -15 F at 1pm at alta in mid-february. it was ~-30 that morning

Did a couple of seasons in HS on jr patrol at a crappy little hill in N. Alberta and skied more than a few days at -40c (-40f as well). My cutoff point now is about -25c (-13f).

I know this has been done before, but what the hell...

I never remember exacts, but I've skied Jay Peak and Owl's Head when temps hovered around the -30C (-22F) mark. That's before windchill. Coming over the top on the Bonaventure Chair at Jay...I don't even want to guess what that was.

Oh, and the cold Owl's Head day was the first time I tried fattish, shaped skis. Hauling ass on the groomed run under the chair, my face froze in a crazy grin.

Sick and ashamed and happy (and that was also the first time I ever took a break to warm up (playing pool in ski boots is fun - even more so when your partner has to wear his prescription goggles 'cause he's too lazy to get his glasses from the upstairs lodge)),
d.

-22F temp and 30 to 40 mph winds, in Leadville, CO., going BC, don't know what that equals but it froze the mayonaise on my sandwich into a brick.

Oh and Gunny is freaking cold, slept one night in the back of a buddy's camper when all the hotels were full and we didn't know anyone, woke up at seven to -18F and got in the truck, put her in gear, and the freakin' clutch cable snapped, reall cold walk into the nearest open restraunt on a Sunday morning.

4-5 years ago at Copper the wind was howling in Res bowl and I actually stopped and sat down with my hands covering my face. Later one of the lifties pointed out to me I had a large patch of frostbite on my nose, prolly -25 to 35 that day with wind chill.

it wasn't much if any warmer at Bert this year when myself,iskibc,billow and md9 were hiking up the west side in some of the most brutal conditions i've been in for a long while, and yes the frostbite on my nose returned again.

-40 (pick your measurement unit) at Stoneham, Quebec. Not a breath of wind, not a cloud in the sky. They threw big blankets on you on the chair. It wasn't that bad.

Quote:

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Originally posted by iceman
-40 (pick your measurement unit) at Stoneham, Quebec. Not a breath of wind, not a cloud in the sky. They threw big blankets on you on the chair. It wasn't that bad.

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Yeah, wind's the killer. Without it, it's all the same after -20C.

Sick and ashamed and happy (and loathe the Green Mountain Freezer on a cold day),
d.

sounds like board needs a facemask :)

-40° C (or °F if you prefer) with out wind chill though it wasn't that windy. Wife was stuck on chair for 30 minutes. That was cold.

Now I remember the coldest. Was at Mount st Anne, all week was -20 ° C ( -4F) but with wind chill was -30 to -40. Day I left had to walk about a mile to main lodge. It was -40 , with wind chill -60c. ( = -76°F)
Wind chill factor has been modified acouple of years ago so now thay won't peg it as being so cold.

One day at Sunday River Maine about 8 years ago the temperature at the base was -20 degrees, somewhere around -50 or so with the wind chill factor. Everything froze immediately, we would do one run, then go inside and defrost and repeat. The best part about it was that the mountain was empty and we had all the runs to ourselves, I wonder why? :p I won't lie to you, it was cold that day my friends.

-46C at The Lake about 12 years ago. They finally got the lifts going at 11 am and since I've never left a hill without getting in at least one run, we went up and nearly died from the slight wind chill on the chair. Came down doing nice slow sweeping turns to keep the speed down. Actually did another three runs after warming up inbetween each one.

Coldest last season was -35C at Sunshine. Don't exactly remember why I didn't bail because the snow sucked at the time anyways. Stayed the whole day and it got up to a balmy -29C in the late afternoon.

All time coldest (non skiing) was a looong time ago up in northern Alberta at my grandparent's farm near Lac La Biche. The thermometer they had outside the window went all the way to the bottom reading of -60F and then the mercury disappeared into the little bulb. We decided not to going sledding that day.:)

Got stuck in Snowshoe WVA with temps in the minus 40s with the wind chill. Actual temp was somewhere in the minus 20s I think. The diesel fuel in my truck turned to parrafin, so I had to wait it our for some hillbillies to come warm my engine. 2 guys with 2 huge space heaters and some thick drop cloths, going around the lot and thawing engines for $100 a pop. This was before cell phones, especially in West Virginia, so me and a buddy had to wait it out in the car. All our clothes on, in sleeping bags, with a blanket over that.

By the time they got to us, they were frozen and couldn't go on, so they said they'd get me the next morning for free. Broke college kids, no money for a hotel up there, we wound up trading the front desk guy some kb to let us sleep on the lobby's couches.

Tough night....

One day on the way to Burke in VT, the bank sign in Lyndonville (?) said -20. Plus, it was wicked windy at the top...had to be around -40/50 with wind chill. The first and only time I've worn a facemask.

But when you drive the 5hrs from SE Mass to the Northeast Kingdom, you're gonna ski...come rain or freezing cold.

They just shut the lifts down at Wildcat because of wind and cold. The wind chill is reaching -65 F today! Brutally cold.
Weather across the street..

I just remember being a kid at Killington and needing to stop for hot chocolate .... after walking from the car to the base lodge.

Crazy cold. I give all of you East Coast skiers serious props. I'm a soft Cali girl now and i start to shiver when it drops below freezing - just ask the Kwood crew - we were all bitching about the cold and it probably wasn't below 20 F.