Anti-racism education thread with a skiing problem? What have I stumbled into here?
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Anti-racism education thread with a skiing problem? What have I stumbled into here?
Stop using the default signature on the app to advertise and add unnecessary bulk to your posts.
Look, as long as no one pluralizes Sierra - we're cool.
How 'bout that forecast?
Looks like Tahoe is practicing a Dry January.
Dunno. I don't think we had a snow problem. Hopefully we get back into it next month. This abstinence is not doing it for me.
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Some fun facts about California and US Skiing I've been exploring.
I don't think the traffic in Tahoe is Alterra's or Vail's fault even if their solutions are as exciting and aggressive as the bunny hill was to Shane McConkey.
We’ve cut supply and increased demand, in the US and especially in CA.
- The population of California has doubled since the last major ski resort was built in 1972. (Northstar)
- We’ve lost 20-30% of the ski areas in the state to closure in the same period and around 50% nationally. (it isn't a lack of demand and I don't think it is greed, it is broken economics driven by a failure to balance preservation with access fueled by user groups suing each other or stalling.)
- Meanwhile, skier-day records were set last year and the percentage of the population participating in winter sports has risen ~35% since 1996.
-Just this year 200k acres of snowmobiling terrain in Tahoe NF was closed and in the Stanislaus National Forest now only 13% is open to sledders.
-Japan, a country with similar land mass and 3x the population has 17 times more ski areas than California. (500)
- There have only been a handful of new ski areas and arguably 1-2 major resorts built in the US since 1981. All other attempts have failed.
Why is skiing so expensive? Greed is an easy response but a big part of the cost derives from the fact that we, the passionate defenders of our mountain environment, are also its heaviest users while we decry development and sprawl, yet contribute to the very traffic and overcrowding we lament.
We can't afford to be paralyzed by competing interests like we have been for most of my life. Shit, I've been trying to build a garage at my house in Tahoe for four years, I've spent more money and time on the preparatory bullshit than I thought it would cost to build the thing.
What's some of the history of the builders?
-Walt Disney, challenged by the Sierra Club, passed before he could open Independence Lake or Mineral King, a resort designed to address traffic with trains and gondolas connecting it to a highway rather than creating a new version of Highway 89.
- Bill Hewlett blocked the creation of new terrain in Coldstream that could have been serviced by train and near Interstate 80 by buying land to help block the project.
-Troy Caldwell has a chance to open new terrain in his lifetime but will he be young enough to ski it the way he imagined when he bought it? Will I?
- Next, Peter Christodulo has mustered the courage, or arrogance, or insanity, or unshakeable vision and passion depending on your point of view to attempt new lift-served terrain in the Ruby’s. Will he be able to build it? Five others have tried and failed since 1955. Only two new "major" ski areas have succeeded in opening in the US since 1980 (Tamarack and Bohemia) and new terrain at Deer Valley in 1981.
Where are the Walt Disney’s who envision bringing 20,000 people to the wilderness with minimal cars and traffic?
Where is the entrepreneur who can set up a single lift on a ridge granting access to endless terrain like Japan or New Zealand or Silverton?
Our desire for preservation and outdoor recreation crowd everyone into the same roads, on the same days, in the same 4-5 towns.
Let's not pave paradise; but find a more realistic balance between preservation and enjoyment, between cost accessibility and bloated operating costs, between this year vs. in this lifetime.
Any billionaires wanna become millionaires but have fun doing it?
Any towns want to put a 2000' lift up in less than 2 years to serve their community?
Never take B2B as an alt to KT. Always stay with the radness in the KT line. B2B sucks. Really sucks.
Speaking of Mr. Caldwell...Quote:
Originally Posted by maskinut
Attachment 509641
This is all very nice flutterbutter but let’s be realistic: any new ski development in Tahoe is going to be a waterpark, not a single Silverton-like lift, as long as the ski duopoly exists.Quote:
Originally Posted by maskinut
Speaking of skiing...who is going to Fear the Firm this weekend? You know where to find me.
Was actually quite nice today. Prolly best skiing of last 3 days (Mt.Rose for last coupla hours)Quote:
Originally Posted by skier666
...but Cinders tells me it's getting cold again tomorrow...so never mind [emoji52]
You can't even say S#%&W anymore. The governor banned it in between his personal Firefighting efforts.
Holy fucking hell. Any of you racist savages get this new perfect strain of the flu? I'm just coming back from 6 days of near death.
I wish that upon nobody.
I'm finished with this dry January nonsense. Let's get this party started (with snow not rain).
They look fine.
That was a bill the governor signed two years ago that went into effect 3 months ago. But hey keep piling on
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Crash on 89, Friday 4pm'ish
Attachment 509756
F I R M
Yup.Quote:
Originally Posted by skier666
Looking at upcoming holiday weekends (MLK, President's) - - how's Sugar Bowl for crowds on those weekends? Is it like Ikon resorts that are actually less crowded than usual due to pass blackouts?
Attachment 509808Attachment 509809
Today’s tour had 12 kinds of snow, from sun-crust to pow to corn.
Repost:
Have bc skis and bindings to sell. Mentioning it here before a proper posting. Don't know how much to ask/accept.
*New and unused*
Fischer Hannibal 100 skis in 170. (130-100-116. 170. radius 20,6).
Fischer, Dynafit Alpine Tour Bindings "Tour Classic Brake 105", in box.
Prolly from around fall 2016.
Would be grateful if you can suggest best/worst value, or want to make an offer?
(Please PM, or email Turxski at Gmail).
We are in Carson City, can bring to you anywhere around, or near to, Tahoe. Don't want to ship.
I skied freshly tuned SL skis today. I was on rails. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by skier666
Quote:
Originally Posted by lepistoir
Last saturday--end of xmas break + fresh pow + parking reservations required at Palisades= parking shitshow. They announced changes upcoming--more car pool parking, more paid preferred parking and more shuttles from remote lots--to be in effect for expected busy days. The lines themselves were long but not epic when I left at noon last Saturday. Parking was the main issue. As always, it will depend on the weather/snow. I would not expect less crowded than usual.Quote:
Originally Posted by El Chupacabra
Epic shitshow. Parking full. Lift lines minimal. Hill empty except groomers packed.
North facing skied fine. Everything else was firm, but carvable ec style. Nothing south facing warmed enough
BC north facing has to be pretty good.
If someone wants you to ship and you're OK with it, I have several cardboard ski boxes if you need one.Quote:
Originally Posted by TurxSki
SB parking lots were full by 9am yesterday.Quote:
Originally Posted by old goat
With the agenda of the new CEO, expect SB parking to be a lot more like PT. Also expect that she's looking for ways to get more folks on the mountain so that those short lines become long lines. All you need to do is look into what she did to her home mountain to see what her plans are for SB.
On the upside, if it keeps on, she's going to save me a couple thousand dollars next year. I won't buy the family SB passes to stand in line when PT offers vastly superior terrain on both sides. It might mean a few more BC days or going back to owning a sled, but I'm OK with that.
Disney was closed yesterday. They said it was a weather hold, but it sure didn't look windy up top. It felt very much like a PT "financial hold" or a mechanical failure they didn't want to talk about.
I knew back on opening day when they sold a couple thousand $39 tickets and had lines all the way up Jerome that SB lovers were in for it. It was a good 25 year run for me....
Wow.Quote:
Originally Posted by SnowMachine
This is depressing if all true, and I suspect it may be. Last Tuesday Disney wasn't running all morning, and had just started spinning super slowly with no loading at Noon when I left. It was windy, but Lincoln was running just fine. The parking lots were all surprisingly full for a weekday, but lines were Ok. They have had a lot of mechanical issues over the last few years. The new terrain parks all seem very underutilized.
The resorts must be conspiring to save money since there were wind holds yesterday across the basin.
Or maybe you just can’t see wind when there’s no snow to blow around.
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My understanding is that SB uphill chairlift capacity exceeds the parking lot capacity.
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PT upper mountain is always on wind hold. That's the way it plays there. SB is very rarely on wind hold. Yes it was windy. East winds were blowing hard across Lincoln. Snow was blowing up there. From there you could look right down on Disney and the chairs weren't swinging. No snow blowing. Today the chair was running and swinging hard. Snow was blowing/swirling. So maybe you know something that I don't, but there didn't appear to be a weather related reason not to run.Quote:
Originally Posted by powdork
Until they expand parking capacity (in the works).Quote:
Originally Posted by bodywhomper
Look, I'm always skeptical and a bit grumpy, but between my work, clients and friends, I know a lot of people in a lot of places. Bridget was brought in to transform SB. She's done everything I would do: discounted lift tickets, expand teams/lessons, expand uphill travel, bolster marketing, bring in brand ambassadors, build terrain parks, etc.
Will it improve or ruin SB? I guess it depends upon who you are. If you're a weekend warrior that has been abused by Northstar or PT crowds, it'll be great. They'll love their new mountain. If you loved SB's low key vibes and lack of crowds, you probably won't love it.
I've already debated whether I'd buy passes there next year. My oldest is going to full time teams (5 days a week at PT OV). SB may no longer make sense, anyway. Either way, it would make me sad if the mountain gets blown out. It's been my home mountain for a long time. It's still the place I can go and see a crowd of my homies on the Judah deck on any given day.
Last edit: crowds weren't as bad today, but it was cold and firm. I think that kept folks away. My kids were done by lunch time and just wanted to come home.
If you think Sugar Bowl (or any resort) is going to shut down a large part of their mountain for a money hold on a busy Saturday then you’re probably vulnerable to many of the other conspiracy theories out there.
Is that you? Because your posts make it sound like it is.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by powdork
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Pass holders also got an email from Bridget last weekend apologizing for the traffic shitshow and promising solutions (to a problem that her policies created). I dunno, sometimes in business you bounce shit off the wall to see what sticks.Quote:
Originally Posted by powdork
Shut a lift on a busy day that you can blame wind and see what happens. Do it two days in a row and people get pissed. Who knows, today was definitely worse than yesterday and it was running. Maybe it was a mechanical, but that isn't what they listed.
I don't do conspiracy, but I do business. I'm married to a corporate bean counter. I've watched the inside decisions made. When you want to make changes there are two ways to do it: slow and calculated or fast and loose. These changes are looking pretty fast and loose.
Let's talk about it in a year.
[emoji1] You make joke yes?Quote:
Originally Posted by bodywhomper
Isn't that true of like *everywhere* we ski? I bloody well hope so!
Think how many days you have to cruise around looking for a spot? Or head out/up/down to distant parts of lots? But it's pretty mellow out on the hill.
It's not just wind speed, it's direction. I very much doubt this was a money closure. This is the same resort that started loading chairs at 8:25 last Saturday. I get really tired with the conspiracy theory bullshit, unless it's sarcasm.Quote:
Originally Posted by SnowMachine
Definitely not buying into the money hold - mechanical is much more likely, and SB has had some chronic issues.
I'm also curious about wind direction - possible that the more easterly the wind, which it has been lately, might impact Disney more than Lincoln.
It's been my experience that Lincoln shuts down sooner than Disney with a true northerly.
Wind was ripping on the crest yesterday. I watched smaller kids having issues getting 'into' the Sibo groomer due to the strong East wind.
I came off the weekend with a smile on my face. Groomers were great especially in the morning this weekend at PTOV. Not a lot of steeps open due to slide for life conditions but I managed to find really enjoyable skiing under Oly Lady, 3 Trees, Skiers right of CII bowl (all that was open), and upper Red Dog chair line steeps. I rarely saw anyone else in these zones so add another reason why I love skiing at this place.
Yesterday all the East Coast transplants came into the locker room with smiles on their faces due to the classic Vermont-styled “packed powder” conditions which have been persisting at The Star for the past several days.
For a born and bred Cali skier such as myself, the conditions were what we in the coaching profession call “character building.”
Conditions also hi-lited the importance of well tuned skis, which mine currently aren’t. :eek:
The fun was in spending the day(s) trying to find those hidden pockets of “good” snow, which existed, but weren’t always obvious.
NW and NE were the sweet aspects.
But some of the lift -served patch skiing options were fun in a quasi masochistic way…:D
Hill was really empty today. Methinks a lot of folks bailed after skiing on Saturday due to the boilerplate condis.
Also, today was CAF in the morning. I made my crew straightline to the bottom so I could pick up some mittens as my fingers went numb on our first run. It warmed up a tad after 10, but from 8:45 - 9:45 it was beyond brisk.
It was real cold this am, but the winds and cold temps kept the snow dry and from freezing into a rock. The groomers were really fun.Quote:
Originally Posted by dookeyXXX
None of my crew really expected or dressed for it. We bailed fairly quick.
Nothing exciting in the 10 day.
Let's revisit this in a year.Quote:
Originally Posted by old goat
Saturday at PT-OV was definitely firm, but the Sports Basement ski bus was still full.
The usual steeps off KT were closed(West Face, Dead Tree, Rock Garden,C75, Mosely's), but Red Dog Ridge did hold some character building combination of carve-ible pockets with some hard fast transitions between. The Youth Freeride comp in the Enchanted forest area was impressive in the balance of ripping it and managing the hard conditions. I heard a few dad/competitor conversations on the lift talking about completion and holding it together. Gnar...
You guys have any recommendations for warm/toasty gloves or mittens for Tahoe? I've chilled my fingers too many times over the years and now it doesn't take much for me to end up with numb fingertips for a week as I learned during our brief storm 9 days ago. I'm a guitar player so it kinda sucks when it happens. I have the Hestra Vertical Cut and they are just not warm enough for me anymore on chilly days..Quote:
Originally Posted by dookeyXXX