Where was your Training Grounds?

[ill-advised strategy]

"Jeremiah was a Bullfrog"

worst song everrr

[Danno]

although I had skied at other places before, I didn't become a decent skier until I moved to Durango and started working at Purgatory.

[StokeSmack]

Not when you're 6 yrs old - it was funny and you could remember a few words - I mean, please, Jeremiah? Bullfrog? Great big ol chorus? Like shooting fish in a barrel

but- worst song ever... well, another place and time for that

[DJMingus]

I can't even believe the amount of Pennsylvania representation here... especially beb42000! Fucking Spring Mount, are you kidding me?

I did my first ever day at Spring Mountain in 1975 or so - one of my jeans-wearing crew had a half pint of Southern Comfort in his back pocket and fell down on it. We were such total gapers... Second day was with my girlfriend, a friend of hers and a friend of mine at Jack Frost. Since this was the days of the GLM (graduated length method) the rental place put me and my buddy on 145s or some such. The girls were on their own old school full size (way over the head) skis and got pissed that Russ and I were able to tear around (well, gaper-style of course) on these llittle snowlerblades while they floundered on 60s style gear. Third day was also at Jack Frost and they had about 18" of freshies - thus began the insatiable quest for pow.

Skied a few times a year at Camelback and Elk for a couple of years then moved to Boulder where I actually learned to ski eventually.... sort of.

[Verde]

More East Coast rootz.

1st time: Van Cortland Park rope tow (yes, skiing in da Bronx)
early days: Belleayre, NY

[funkendrenchman]

I can't even believe the amount of Pennsylvania representation here... especially beb42000! Fucking Spring Mount, are you kidding me?

Spring Mt was where we went on our middle school ski trip. It was bad, even for suburban Philly.

[The Dad]

More East Coast rootz.

1st time: Van Cortland Park rope tow (yes, skiing in da Bronx)
early days: Belleayre, NY

I had no idea they had a tow in VCP.

I did Belleayre once. IIRC, that place made Hunter look aaaahsum.

[CRACKER]

Bear Valley, CA.

My old man still rips it there.

Hey same here.

Ive had 2 sweet Grizzley and Snow Valley powdays there in the last couple of weeks.

[nesta]

Mostly Fortress & Lake Louise, Ab with a bunch of time at Fernie Snow Valley from age 4-18 and then on to Whistler for 7 years.
Sad that I still suck at skiing.

very very sad

[s.p.c]

sugarbush for first time on skiis;
stratton for first skiing i can remember and progressing.
w/ a super healthy dose of hunter, bellayre, windham, mt peter, holiday, thrown in for races and powder days when vt. wasn't an option.

[Ridgehippy]

Started out climbing the hill by my house in Sunburst, MT....Dad had made some wooden skis with leather straps. One winter we bought a snurfer (remember those?).

Rode my first lift at Teton Pass...........the one in Montana.

This crazy sport got etched into my soul at Bridger in the late 70's/early 80's. First tele turn was there.
I know it can't be true, but my memory still tells me that virtually every day there had magic in the air; great, great years.

Been playing around Mammoth every once in a while since then. Lots of lean years but starting to ramp the days back up a little this season.

[yentna]

First time on skis was in Alaska, age 4, cross country. The little kid skis with metal elastic to fit over moon boots. XCed for quite a while off and on, a fun thing to do with the siblings and the doggies.

First time on downhill skis, was in NE China when I was 21. One afternoon, totalling 2 hours, with no instruction. Crazy, but I liked it.

- Worked as a liftie 2003-2004, learned to snowboard that season.
- Became an instructor later that season and got good at boarding.
- Learned to ski 2004-2005 (10 days total on skis that season).
- This season split my time evenly between skis and the board.

Addicted........

[Squirrel99]

Big Powderhorn Mtn, MI

after learning to rip the rope tows at Four Lakes, IL

[Bawheed]

Cairngorm, Nevis Range, and Glencoe. Powder capital of the world I tells ye.

[stayalert]

golf course>Maple ridge>Willard/Hickory Hill/gore/Scotch Valley/White face/Stowe/others

[jtwassoc]

Ski Tonka, now some rich guys estate, near Lake Minnetonka in Big Minnie.....

[baseWeldr]

Birch Park baby, just into wisconny near stillwater, w/skipatrol parents...
"50 ways to leave your lover" blaring from speakers everywhere, fresh hot doughnuts on sunday mornings, torn up rightside armpit from ropetows...
good times

[flanker769]

At age 5 I learn't to ski at the Big Mountain in Whitefish Montana. At age 10 I started ski racing at a local hill then know as West Castle and now better know as Castle Mountain, Alberta. It wasn't until I was about 23 that I really learn't how to rip and I would attribute that to skiing 30 + days a year for the last 8 years at Fernie, British Columbia.

[Johnny Gunn]

Started at age 5, when my parents came back from a ski trip in Tahoe with a pair of board's for my brother and me. We started out at a small hill in South Eastern Alberta called Hidden Valley. Didn't really ski much until I was 15 (since hockey took precedence), when I dicovered Castle Mountain. Skied mostly Castle up until last year when I started skiing Fernie and now I seem to ski Fernie a lot.

Craziness... I never thought that I would really enjoy skiing Fernie.

[BmillsSkier]

Mt. Brighton, MI kicked it all off at the ripe ol age of 2. From there it was a traveling circus of the 600' vert, fixed triple, and neon one-piece until college. Thank God I got a Job with great travel!

Boston Mills/Brandywine, OH... nice to see the representation
Holiday Valley, NY for freestyle
Boyne Highlands/Mtn./Nubs Nob, MI
Perfect North Slopes, IN

Beaver Creek, CO
Summit Co, CO
Timberline, OR
W/B, BC

[osh]

7-springs

[gforce]

Boyne Mt, Boyne Highlands, MI. Michigan powder is just louder then western powder.

[Tippster]

Hmmmm, do I know you cause we did the same thing at roundtop

.....early 80s?

Yep - late 70's to early 80's. I'm from Bethesda, MD and graduated HS in 1984.... You?

[0BernhardFranz]

only lech then 2 val d isere/ tigne 3 weekers

[Below Zero]

who really still isn't learning something new everyday?

I learned today that you suck at skiing.