All time coldest skiing experience

[ak_powder_monkey]

It was cold and clear -20° down by my house the sun was just coming up, two good runs were had at hatchers pass, an inversion made the high country quite comfortable and the sun beat down on us as we hiked the savage beast that is darkness in november swallowed us temperatures dropped probably from 0 (quite comfy) to about minus 30 (not quite as comfy) when we had the bright idea to stop for lunch, while chewing frozen cliff bars and drinking awesome hot chocolate my gloves decided to freeze. With now frozen hands we started scouting a place for a kicker but in the cold all I could think about was my hands not freezing off. I threw off my gloves and put my hands on my bare skin to warm them up, no sooner were they warm and in the gloves then they were cold again. That was the only time I've been afraid of frostbite. I did get frostbite on my nipples once when I did a race in -4° weather before I learned that long underwhere goes under your spandex, sure as hell taught me a lesson

[shmerham]

This year at Sunday River, there was a day where the high was minus 1 F. Not terribly bad; seen worse. But the winds were sustained around 20 and gusting well over 50. You have to love the wide trails at the River. They get that wind cranking up to hurricane force all the time. I have a Karbon race jacket from ski team in college. It's bombproof, and it blocks the wind perfectly. On this day, it cut through it like I had a mesh shirt on. I decided to traverse over to one of the peaks on the far side of the resort. I got over there, I got in line and as I was about to get on, they stopped me and said they were shutting the lift down. Missed it by one chair. Turns out they recorded 100 mph winds that day at the top of the lift. Took another chair to head back, and just before I got to the top (the part where it's all exposed), it stopped. I waited in the gusting winds for 10 minutes. Skied down, took another lift, and the same thing happened: got stuck at the top. I never seemto have a problem with the wind getting in around my goggles and helmet. That day I did, and it was enough to give me a headache.

One of the worst experiences I've had is trying to jump start a car in -25 F weather. The cables become so stiff you can hardly untangle them. Then you have to get the jumpers on the battery terminals. Any glove with enough dexterity does nothing to keep your hands warm.

[mr_gyptian]

spring break about 4 years ago at JH. 60 mph winds, everything worth a shit closed. frostbite under chin that did not thaw for about two days and under goggle line. I spend 3.5 years in Chicago and never experienced wind like that. My least favorite weather element took on a life of it's own that day.

[watersnowdirt]

There was this one day in Tahoe it was, like, 25 degrees. Freaking cold as shit ! We had to go in between runs for lattes.

[tonghands]

I used to live across the street from Buck Hill in Minnesota and remember walking home one day convinced I was going to die before I made it the half mile to my house. Dunno the temp, mebbe -20? Windy too. Got two runs before I bailed, which took about six minutes.

[elevens]

Two times -

Skiing at Jackson for a few years I experienced some cold ass days waiting in line for the tram. Typically it can be -30 to -40 at the base and around 0 at the top of the hill. Nothing to do but try and keep the toes from freezing in tram line.

Skiing at Stowe as a kid. I remember getting stuck on the single chair (yes I'm that old) without a blanket during one of those balmy January days. Anyone else remember the blankets they would give you at Stowe? I would love to find one of those.

elevens

[road trip]

Sugarloaf, Maine.

December 2001.

"Gee, why isn't anybody riding the Timberline lift to the top?"

...because the winds were so horrible that they pushed me back up the hill as I was trying to bomb down.

Note: only bombing because it was so friggin' cold I didn't want to waste a millisecond before getting into a lodge. I believe I actually plopped myself down in the middle of an entire family who was sitting together... didn't even apologize.. didn't have to.. they knew.