EC help needed

[laseranimal]

So, out of the blue my wife last night asked, are you going to take me Backcountry skiing next year. Now in my sick little head I had been hoping all along that she'd want to do some BC stuff since I coaxed her into doing lots of snowshoing this year and she really enjoyed being out in the woods(24 years in the city living right next to a main road has her really freaked out on quiet places, it took her 3 weeks to get a good nights sleep when we moved up to our new house in "the middle of nowhere" according to her) I just wasn't expecting it to happen next year. Here's the dilema that I have, Before this year my wife was an ok skier, solid type 2 kinda person who could ski pretty much everywhere except rutted out icy bumps and powder/crud conditions. She's now taken a whole season off to have our first child so I have no idea what kind of skiing shape she's going to come back in.

I'm definately going to put off taking her anywhere BC until she's physically and mentally ready so I'm gunning for later February/March to go corn skiing so she gets a good experience with it, I'm worried that if she goes backcountry she won't be able to ski it she'll have a fit and it will be a miserable experience for both of us.

Now here's my dilema, most of the stuff that I ski is going to be TOTALLY out of her league. Does anyone know of some good learning spots with milder terrain that I could take her to. Something that isn't too much of a slog to get too would be nice as well

If your not comfortable posting your spot here you can PM me

[acostiga]

you might be able to find a "lost" ski area to plunder that'd be a compromise between a regular day at a ski area and a backcountry hike... at NELSAP.

[Anxious Mo-Fo]

Originally posted by acostiga
you might be able to find a "lost" ski area to plunder that'd be a compromise between a regular day at a ski area and a backcountry hike... at NELSAP.

Nice suggestion.

LA, a tangentially related question... and apologies if you've answered this elsewhere, but to what extent has having a baby put a dent into your number of ski days this season?

[JMO]

My guess is Cardigan or Moosilauke in NH. You may even want to start her out on a small local lift-accessed hill where the trails are groomed and uncrowded (you wouldn't buy a ticket, of course). Some places don't allow uphill traffic but I tested out my new gear this season at a dinky place in Northern MA, did six laps and actually got complimented by the ski patrol for my dilligence.

[Aldo]

Laser, just head out into the fields with her. There is so much rolling farmland in your neck of the woods it shouldn't be too hard to find a nice pitch with the right conditions to go play on...

Oh and Anxious, just set the tone, take the kid to the hill, and share a ticket....

[half-fast]

take her to the backcountry festival backcountry festival link

[snowsprite]

Try getting her out on a lot of ungroomed trails, huge moguls, and tree runs at a regular ski area first. When you see she's handling sketchy conditions well, then take her to the backcountry and see how it goes (maybe not an area w/ the highest GNAR factor though)!
Sprite

[snowsprite]

Anxious mo-fo... I think how much of a dent depends on your situation. I mean, if your spouse doesn't ski some people can keep on going.

However, I believe that w/ a new child (esp a first child) you're usually quite absorbed in this new little person and lots of things you did before fall by the wayside for a period of time.

It's kind of like falling in love really hard. You tend to eat, breathe, and sleep that new person for a certain time...happily so. Then life slowly returns to "normal" as you adjust to the new high.

Sprite

[Anxious Mo-Fo]

Originally posted by snowsprite
Anxious mo-fo... I think how much of a dent depends on your situation. I mean, if your spouse doesn't ski some people can keep on going.

However, I believe that w/ a new child (esp a first child) you're usually quite absorbed in this new little person and lots of things you did before fall by the wayside for a period of time.

It's kind of like falling in love really hard. You tend to eat, breathe, and sleep that new person for a certain time...happily so. Then life slowly returns to "normal" as you adjust to the new high.

Sprite

Danke. Sounds reasonable. And sorry for the thread hijack.

[acostiga]

[inner monologue]attempting to conceive a child has at times cut back on my number of days skied, and more often than has proven to be a regrettable decision.[/im]

[shmerham]

Mebbe hiking across the slide brook area at the Bush and hitting some of that stuff? You wouldn't have to climb the whole mountain to get some backcountry type stuff. Probably not mild though. Rolling farmland is a good idea.

[glademaster]

I would say go with rolling hills to start out with for several reasons, easy skin up, easy, prolly pretty short descent, good confidence booster, good experience with many types of conditions. I would say take her into gladed runs at a resort, but off the beaten path(i.e. traverse way out in Chatimac at Gore, or even the Burnt Ridge North area) these would have minimal hike in and offer reasonable descents.

-Ben

[schuss]

as for skills, you could start her out with mittersill, as you get the conditions without the hardcore hiking and skinning, plus if she doesn't like it you can just go back to skiing at a regular lift-served resort.

[laseranimal]

thanks guys

anxious I'll let you know next year