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 Tree taps are the new trend in 2018, make sure to tap a tree daily Skiing and Snowboarding thread 2018-19. Nobody cares about your van. Thread summary: snow is good. Babby's first day on the mountain A lot of people ask what they should do for their first day on the mountain, how to get into the sport, etc. The simple answer is to go to the mountains and take a group lesson. Prices vary, but you will get all the equipment you need, you will be guided through appropriate and safe terrain, and you will have someone to tell you how to suck just a little less. Be positive, embrace the challenge, appreciate the scenery, and feel for the magic that is sliding on snow. Equipment rental covers boots, skis, and poles or snowboard and boots. You can also rent a helmet for $5-10 if you do not already own one. The rest of the stuff is on you to buy, list and guide below. What do I buy Buy this stuff, then read below to see how it works together to keep you warm.
Layering for warmth and fashion Perhaps the biggest turnoff about skiing and snowboarding is the cold. That is pretty understandable considering that most newbies have no idea how to properly dress themselves. Lucky for you, it is not hard. Step 1: Baselayer. The purpose of a baselayer is to wick sweat away from the skin and convert it into vapor. An upper baselayer can be a t-shirt or full sleeved and should be either merino wool or a synthetic fabric like Nike DryFit or UnderArmour ColdGear. Bottom baselayers should be ¾ length—stopping below the knee like yoga pants but ending high enough to stay out of boot. Ski socks should be thin—their purpose is once again to wick away sweat and keep your feet dry. Fluffy ski socks will actually cut off circulation to your foot and make you colder than a thin sock. Ski socks can be purchased quite cheap online. There are many ways to set up a base layer system. Some are okay with a single, thin layer of synthetic material. Others prefer a synthetic tee and a loose poly-cot quarter zip pullover. As long as what is between your body and your midlayer is wicking/quick-drying, feel free to use whatever setup is most natural.    Step 2: Midlayer. This layer is what traps warm air around your body. A very lofty material like down traps a lot of heat, a thin fabric like flannel traps less. Fleeces are a good in between. Having several midlayers allows you to choose the right one for the temperature. Cold winter days call for down while flannel is good in springtime or during a heat wave. Most of the time a midlayer is not needed for the legs as the majority of pants have some amount of insulation. Since the legs do most of the work, they are also naturally the warmest part of the body. If your legs are getting cold, cut off sweatpants, track pants, or yoga pants are a good option. Note that in ski boots, this is where the liner comes in: the liner of a ski boot is what keeps your foot warm, not your sock.    Step 3: Outer layer. Your defense against the elements. Both the jacket and pants should be waterproof and windproof, which keeps you dry and prevents the wind from stripping away that hot air stored in your midlayer. However, both the jacket and pants also need to be breathable, which means that they allow water vapor to move from inside to out. Simply put, all that sweat from your body needs somewhere to go or else you will quickly end up soggy. Look for outerwear that specifically states it is both waterproof and breathable, oftentimes evaluated as two ratings (eg. 5000/5000). Avoid the temptation to get an insulated jacket. If you are still cold, add another layer or buff up your midlayer (for instance, move from fleece to a thicker down jacket). In a ski boot, the plastic shell is the outerlayer that keeps wind and water off your foot.   Step 4: Regulating your temperature. While a base-, mid-, and outerlayer system is the best way to stay warm, it also offers many options for regulating temperature. If you get hot, you can start by opening the vents on your jacket, pants, and helmet. Still warm? Open the front zipper of your shell jacket. Warm again? Open the zipper on your midlayer. Still warm? Ditch the midlayer or swap to something thinner. Additionally, it saves space and allows you to be ready for almost any conditions with one set of gear. You could have a warm start to the week and be okay with a flannel midlayer, but when it cools down later in the trip, you don't need to search for a second jacket, just swap out that flannel for your down jacket. Advice for your trip 1. Wait to book and, if possible, be flexible. Booking a January trip in October is a bad idea because nobody knows if there will be any snow for the trip. Waiting until mid-November to book a January trip will allow for a good guess as to the conditions come January. If possible, it also means that if the original destination lacks snow, the trip might be changed to an alternate resort in a different region with better snow. For people with powder as a priority, having flexible dates is even better. 2. Look around for deals. For lodging, check VRBO, AirBnB, etc. for condos if going with a large group. It is also a good idea to call the resort lodging desk as well as the town tourism bureau to look into lodging, airfare, and lift ticket specials. For lift tickets, be sure to check Liftopia. Also consider whether or not destination passes like the Epic Pass or the Ikon Pass would work considering that they cover a wide variety of resorts per pass. Good poo poo to watch Salomon FreeskiTV Real Skifi https://instagram.com/jerryoftheday - Mostly pics and vids of posters from the thread GNAR - Perhaps the ski movie to watch Places to buy stuff https://www.backcountry.com - Huge selection, excellent return policy, slightly more oriented towards backcountry equipment (duh) but has full variety https://www.evo.com - Huge selection, a bit more oriented towards resort riding https://www.levelninesports.com - Discount retailer https://www.powder7.com - Sells lots of old inventory for dirt cheap https://www.steepandcheap.com - Daily deals https://www.whiskeymilitia.com - Daily deals Useful sites for weather, other places to post, or just for fun https://www.opensnow.com - Resort specific forecasts, bunch of useful features, primary purpose is predicting snowfall https://www.weather.gov - Point forecasts and weather graphs extremely useful for determining wind and temperature for up to 7 days, not as accurate about snowfall as OpenSnow https://spotwx.com/ - Point forecasts with ability to look at several different models https://forecast.io/ - Animated weather and forecast map, big picture style http://www.avalanche.ca/weather (Canada only) https://www.tetongravity.com - Tons of professionally edited videos, articles, "interesting" forum https://www.newschoolers.com - Tons of semi-pro videos, hilarious forum https://www.blistergearreview.com - Pretty reliable gear review site Best posts u dont want 2 miss Disinterested posts a bunch of videos of how to ski bumps DON'T WEAR JEANS SKIING!!!  Never don’t go full send
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Oct 24, 2018 21:22
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 19:39 |
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Hold place one
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Oct 24, 2018 21:22
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Two place hold, JUST IN CASE
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Oct 24, 2018 21:23
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Hey y'all new thread. Let me know if you want to add anything to the OP. Pretty much anything will be better than last year so it's gonna be a good year!
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Oct 24, 2018 21:25
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Yeah there isn't really much in Lake Louise besides the resort and a very few places to grab a bite or drink. Banff is basically the Breckenridge of Alberta, in that it's a well developed, fun ski town.
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Oct 25, 2018 18:31
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Fifty Three posted:Good to know. If I could do it over again I probably would have booked a hotel in Banff rather than in Lake Louise itself. As it is we probably won't have many options for going out and getting back to Lake Louise at the end of a night. Oh well, still gonna be dope. Yeah it's worth partying in Banff for a night or two, do it.
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Oct 26, 2018 05:08
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Landsknecht posted:you'll get STIs from aussies I recall reading that sometime in the last decade, Banff was the highest for STI rates in all of Canada
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Oct 27, 2018 02:43
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I have zero loving clue what it's going to be like in CO this year. Buuut I'm dropping my skis off for an edge tune tomorrow to play it on the safe side
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Nov 1, 2018 22:38
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Socks you don't pay full price for > whatever brand you like
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Nov 4, 2018 00:42
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Biohazard posted:Just picked up a pair of these from the Evo store here in denver this weekend: Just go get the foot beds now. It's going to take a few miserable days to break the boots in anyway, might as well have the foot beds in there anyway. Disinterested posted:CO is way ahead on snowpack as of now. Breck now opening Weds. I'm at A-bay tomorrow. Yeah got a nice 8" at Snowmass according to the webcam. Unfortunately it's not quite cold enough out here to be below freezing all day, but at least they can make snow at night. I miss Abasin
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Nov 6, 2018 03:53
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Booster straps, yay/nay? Also 170 lbs and (almost) the best skier on the mountain, expert or WC straps?
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Nov 8, 2018 22:02
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Cool, that was the plan. I tried on a pair of Lange RX 130 in the low volume model and they come stock with a booster style strap, but my idiot feet are too wide to realistically make that work. I liked the feel of a locking strap a lot though. Really not looking forward to breaking in new boots, but also looking forward to boots that don't have several broken buckles and that ski at like 90 flex
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Nov 9, 2018 02:17
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Biohazard posted:Anyone have Nordica Enforcer 100's? They seem like a solid all around ski, a few people have recommended them to me. Skied a few runs on the 90 whatever version and they're nice. They're pretty burly, but still reasonably playful. Actually thought about buying a demo pair a few weeks ago for about 250 but decided that I can get at least one more season out of my current non powder skis
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Nov 9, 2018 21:53
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Aspen can have some pretty exciting landings too. Last year I think someone landed next to the runway, but once again everyone was ok. On Sunday we landed on one wheel and hung there for about 3 seconds, but it's ok, I'm still alive
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Nov 14, 2018 04:27
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Disinterested posted:Breck was amazing for this time of year. Skied off piste in mid November, albeit in avalanche debris. I'm stoked to ski. First day for me will be on Monday, but all the Summit Co posting has me wishing juuuust a little bit I was still on the Epic pass
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Nov 15, 2018 18:43
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The conditions in Aspen for an early opening are better than they were at Christmas last year New boots are torture though
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Nov 19, 2018 23:12
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Moey posted:Denverites, Powder 7 in Golden would be your best bet probably
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Nov 20, 2018 18:04
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Yeah Outer Range in Frisco is super good. Pro move is getting pizza at the whole foods across the parking lot E there honestly isn't that much to see at Vail, in terms of the village. It's all whitewashed with super premium retail and lodging. I can count on one hand probably the number of decent places within walking distance of the lifts. The riding is alright, but there are an obscene number of catwalks. There's several areas I like skiing at Vail, but overall the Beav skis a lot better. Best town in Summit and Eagle definitely goes to Breck Eejit fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Nov 21, 2018 |
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Nov 21, 2018 21:12
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th3t00t posted:Thanks for the info guys. We're thinking Feb 5-12 at this point. How much worse are crowds on weekends? 4 day epic pass looks like the best deal by far. The weekends are super awful during Feb due to Denver day trippers. If you have any weekend days as part of your trip, make that your Beaver Creek or Vail day(s)
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Nov 21, 2018 23:46
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https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2413130965381674&id=402253366469454 Apparently that's why it was closed up to the tunnel today. Not exactly a CDOT choice thing and more of a removal of wrecked vehicles thing. Honestly they just need to up the fines for ignoring traction and chain law. You simply must have snow tires with a tread or you're going to wreck in conditions like today. All it would take would be a few articles in the Denver Post from people crying about 2000 dollar fines for breaking traction law and it would fix that part of the problem mighty fast. Traveling through high mountain passes in the middle of a snowstorm is a privilege, not a right. In better news, Snowmass skied super well today. I was basically able to ski identical lines back to back and they'd be fresh, that was the amount of snow and wind effect we had. Then I got greedy and took one of the last Big Burn chairs and got caught with wind slows/stops in an exposed section with high winds and dropping temps, but it was worth it.
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Nov 25, 2018 03:40
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I too support Gandalf the Gondola
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Nov 25, 2018 05:06
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The only highlight of my skipants are the years of farts trapped in there
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Dec 2, 2018 23:12
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I was about to say, one of a beater's greatest sources of consternation is how to transport skis To wit: https://www.aspentimes.com/news/old-snowmass-carbondale-entrepreneurs-pitch-ski-related-device-on-abcs-shark-tank/ 
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Dec 5, 2018 05:28
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What You carry your skis with the ski poles looped below and above the bindings, like the handle to a briefcase. It's the only cool way
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Dec 5, 2018 20:24
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Moot . posted:I’m headed up to Aspen for a show on Sunday and I think I have my choice of which mountain to ski on Monday with a buddy pass? Would love some local input as the last time I skied there I was 15 and hit a tree on Buttermilk the first day, effectively ending my trip. It's all skiing pretty well. Even the bowl is decent. Ajax is mostly open, Snowmass and Highlands both have a large percentage. I think it just depends what you want from your day and what type of terrain you want to ski. None of the really good stuff is open on Snowmass, so maybe that will help. Honestly I would go Ajax unless you want to hike the bowl. Also I have vouchers for $39 lift tickets if you want em
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Dec 7, 2018 23:01
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Yeah I also really prefer shell jackets. I have a few different mid layers and I honestly have never been more comfortable. CO skier as well. These cold, stormy days have been made manageable by a good down midlayer. The other advantage of a shell jacket is that you're getting better waterproofing and breathability. I definitely feel like a cheaper 2L shell is so superior with regard to wind proofing that you have superior heat retention, while the breathability makes sure you're never soggy. Do it right the first time. A good shell is an investment that will last for years.
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Dec 8, 2018 04:48
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fknlo posted:I got one of these from a coworker. I might come up this week and ride on Wednesday if I feel like using it. I doubt I use all of my 5 days anyway, but a $40 lift ticket with these early season conditions is hard to beat. I'll be skiing Ajax for a few hours in Wednesday, lemme know if you come up ironlung posted:Ajax is my favorite mountain and it's skiing great right now but if you're only here for a day and have only ever skied Buttermilk, hike the bowl @ Highlands. If you're feeling ambitious you could do a bowl hike in the morning then hop on the shuttle (10-15min) and ski Ajax in the afternoon. Yeah skiing Highlands today and it's stupid good. Coverage is superb and the bowl is lit, did 3 laps because it was so much fun. Would agree the hike is probably worth prioritizing Highlands, but if you aren't going to ski the bowl, I would still probably stay Ajax
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Dec 8, 2018 21:47
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I am so glad I don't have to deal with that bullshit anymore. It wasn't unbearable, but waking up at 730 and being in the lift line an hour and a half later is such a delight Also leave earlier. No, earlier than that. And if it's snowing, find a way to leave even before it's early
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Dec 20, 2018 01:11
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spwrozek posted:Breck was so sick today. This whole zero lift line thing is awesome. Same thing at Highlands. Snowed heavily until around 1, then broke up to mostly blue skies. The bowl was disgusting, b-fore had collected boot to knee deep fluff blowing into the chute while ballroom had thigh deep wind loading along a certain ridge. And this was at like, 1130. Before that, there were like, zero tracks anywhere on stuff right under the lift. Just outrageously good. And the place was basically deserted
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Dec 23, 2018 01:27
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I'm going to be in Bratislava and Vienna in a few weeks for work and I'll have two days free. Thinking about skiing, but unsure where. I will be in Vienna when I get free, so looking more at skiing in Austria than Slovakia. I have absolutely no idea what is feasible, but wondering if anyone here was knowledgeable about that part of the world.
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Dec 29, 2018 01:22
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Holy gently caress you hosed yourself up
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Jan 5, 2019 04:01
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Settled on taking the train from Vienna to Bad Hofstein. Should get like a day and a half, which works for me bringer posted:I’d describe it as the kind of stomach ache you get when you’re really stressed, if that makes sense. I actually thought it was an ulcer to begin with, as I felt permanently stressed and my stomach hurts when I eat and also when I don’t. Still have the stomach aches and nausea but knowing there’s a physical cause has been good for the stress - poo poo’s weird. I had debilitating stomach pain for a few years and it was solved through a combination of therapy and omeprazole aka Prilosec. Literally changed my life Eejit fucked around with this message at 02:14 on Jan 7, 2019 |
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Jan 7, 2019 02:12
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I picked up two pairs of Euros brand socks for dirt cheap at a local sale and I like them a lot. Super thin but warm, soft, and comfy. I think as long as the sock is made of wool, is thin, and has some stretch but not too much it should be alright. Honestly you can tell how good a sock is by touching the material. I don't think Smartwool is magical, but they do make a good product.
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Jan 10, 2019 12:23
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Side zips have the advantage over thigh zips of not shooting a load of snow onto your junk when you take an unexpected turn through the deep On the right day it's not terrible, but even with mesh, if it's blower, it's gonna be cold. Happened to me a few times after a hike and I forgot to batten down the hatches
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Jan 12, 2019 20:07
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big crush on Chad OMG posted:Crotch zips are great for ventilation though, much better place for airflow than the outside. Usually if I go down I’m on the outside so snow coming in through the crotch zip is more rare. I do agree, and my current pants have crotch zips, but twice this year I have frozen my junk in Highlands Bowl after forgetting to zip up after hiking up
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Jan 13, 2019 20:10
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Yeah that's loving weird. My poles don't always match, are very kinked, and sometimes are sheared off a few inches above the basket and I've never had anything besides positive comments. Also it's JH not Deer Valley jfc
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Jan 13, 2019 23:00
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TMMadman posted:All this pole talk makes me want to break out and old pair of American flag poles that I last used in the early 90s and are surely from the mid 80s (or possibly before) because I took them from my dad. Send them to me
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Jan 14, 2019 10:50
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If you're even thinking about taking an intermediate lesson, do it. Guaranteed you've got a bunch of stuff you can improve to make your skiing much more enjoyable
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Jan 15, 2019 21:02
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I spent today skiing powder in Kitzbühel and it was pretty alright. Skied Enforcers and they were actually super good. Like, as good as everyone says they are. Pros:
Cons:
Overall I would say that, with very limited exposure, I prefer where I've skied in the US to Kitz. When you ski a run in the US, you're going somewhere. And even Vail is on average steeper than Kitz. But I appreciated the sense of adventure, the lack of restrictions (if you die, it's your fault), and the food and beer.
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Jan 16, 2019 16:07
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 19:39 |
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Yeah I know Chicago had a few ski shows where you could get decent deals when I lived there. The Four Mountain pre season sale up here in Aspen has had the best deals I've seen so far
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Jan 18, 2019 17:41
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