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I'm planning a driving route into Jackson Hole from the south and am wondering which is the best approach if there's a possibility of snow around JH on the drive in. Any goons have experience driving into JH and have thoughts? 3 main options seem to be: 1. I-15 through SLC up to Idaho Falls then cut over to Teton Pass (Swan Valley > Victor > 22) 2. Cut through Park City and take 89 all the way until it hits 191 just after Hoback (also could cut over to 89 from further up I-15, going through Soda Springs I believe) 3. Take 191 in from Rock Springs (going through either Denver or Avon) With clear roads it looks like option 1 would be the fastest for me (especially since it spends the most time on Utah interstate), but not by that much. Also looks like this route spends the least amount of distance on windy mountain roads. However, it sounds like Teton Pass is the most likely to close in the event that there is a bad storm. In the event that the pass closes, it sounds like 89 is probably the next best option (and gives me the option to monitor pass conditions and not make the call until I'm getting close to SLC). That sound right? In any event, I can't wait to not send it off Corbet's.
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Feb 1, 2020 01:33
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I'm looking into getting a second pair of skis for days when there is no chance of powder (but still may involve off-piste crud and such, i.e. not just for carving groomers). I've been one-ski-quivering for the past 10 years w/ a pair of DPS Wailer 112 RPs, which can still be surprisingly fun on non-powder days when the snow quality is still good due to how short they ski (and I have adjustable bindings to move to a closer to center-mount position on those days). However, they are less than ideal when the snow quality starts to drop, as due to the short effective edge on hardpack, they don't hold well when things start to get icy (which is quite common in Tahoe). They also only have very minimal camber underfoot. When I looked into this in the past, on recommendation was the Moment Tahoe (which seems appropriate as that's where I ski primarily), but it appears they don't make that model anymore. What's on my radar currently after some initial research is the Blizzard Brahma (82 or 88) and the Icelantic Pioneer (86 or 96), mainly just because I've looked into those brands before and have seen them recommended as well. Any other recommendations, things to consider, trip reports, thoughts on waist width (e.g. 82 vs 88, 86 vs 96)? Preferably something more on the cheaper side (whatever that even means for skis these days...seems like a lot of stuff that used to be 500 is now more like 700-800). I'm also seeing some good deals on used demo skis/bindings, are those worth considering or is that risky in terms of how beat up they are?
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Nov 4, 2021 00:45
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Nice, I'll check out the Enforcers. Looks like some places even still have last years model at a decent discount. I'm not set on a narrower model, I just kinda assumed I should be looking for a larger gap between the 112 RPs and the new pair. Sounding like I should be looking more in the 90-100 range than the 80s. Is the gist that slimmer will feel great/fast going edge-to-edge on groomers while fatter will be more stable over crud and off-piste in general? I've literally only ridden the 112s since I got them in 2011, so I don't really have a concept of how different widths feel anymore.
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Nov 4, 2021 07:16
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Anyone have recommendations for women's ski rentals from Sports Basement (or anywhere really if they're comparable price wise)? The SO just got an Ikon pass last minute and we're looking to pickup a season long rental to go along with it. The basic package is only $240, but they also have some packages with upgraded skis in the $340-520 range. Would any of those be worth the upgrade? She's in the beginner-intermediate skil level now (can get down blues) and will likely be a solid intermediate+ by the end of the season. I feel like the Black Pearl 88 would be ideal, but at that price it might make more sense to just buy skis. Soul 7s are much better price wise, but not sure a powder biased ski like that would really be appropriate yet (though I imagine they ski quite short due to the early rise, so might not be that difficult to manage on piste). The Pinnacle 95s also are priced well and the shape looks decent, but would those potentially be too stiff (listed as an advanced ski)? We're in the Bay Area / Tahoe, so there aren't any Evo stores around here. We'll primarily be skiing at Palisades, probably a few days at Mammoth, and we've got a Steamboat trip already planned as well.
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Dec 10, 2021 23:41
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Palisades people, how likely is Friday to be hosed due to wind closures? Thinking of getting a day in Friday before my pass is blacked out, but this is my first year on Ikon (and haven't skied Alpine in close to 10 years and Olympic Valleywood in over 15 years), so I don't have a good gauge on how much of the mountains close in which conditions. Are we talking similar to Heavenly's "almost entire mountain closes if someone blows in its general direction", or can you still have a decent day if the wind is blowing? It sounds like there may be a bit of a break in the storm on Friday, but Bryan is also saying the high winds may still persist. IIRC Alpine is less exposed than Olympic, so that might be the move.
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Dec 22, 2021 23:19
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Steve French posted:Yeah I wouldn’t count on anything upper mountain being open on Friday. Alpine can be a better bet except for Summit. If you’re around, you might as well find out and play it by ear, why not? If you’re not already up here… I would not advise driving up at this point, especially given the low likelihood of much terrain being open. Even if winds die down enough for the lifts to spin safely, after two days being closed with heavy snowfall I’ve got doubts that patrol will clear it that day anyway. Yeah, pretty much what I expected. Weren't up there, but had a spot to stay tonight. Ended up cancelling not just due to poor lift forecasts, but 80 looks like it is going to be a mess (or already is).
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Dec 24, 2021 00:07
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How much of a zoo is Tahoe/Palisades & 80/89 likely to be tomorrow, assuming everything opens up? On one hand: mid-week/pass blackouts, on the other: epic conditions/holiday week. Having flashbacks to a driving to Alpine for a random Friday powder day years ago where the 89-S exit was backed up miles down 80-E (ended up taking 267 > 28 > 89-N to get to Alpine, which probably saved us an hour+ of traffic). Debating trying to get a day in one of Tues/Weds/Thurs despite being blacked out (friends have buddy passes, but even with those it's still ~$175 x_X) as the conditions sound like they're going to be epic.
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Dec 28, 2021 00:30
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Looks like 80 didn't reopen until late afternoon (and 50 opened this morning but then was stopped for most of the day due to a semi accident). Can't remember the last time it was closed this long without a break (3 days or close to it?!)...truly and epic storm. Jealous of those that made it out in Mammoth/Tahoe today, the videos look amazing. Some friends tried to head up from the bay this morning...took them 15 hours to get to Alpine. Probably would've been just as fast to just wait for 80 to open than to try to take 50 in the morning.
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Dec 29, 2021 07:08
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spwrozek posted:I really don't understand people's thought process sometimes. Where in the brain was it a good idea to attempt the drive? I can understand a bit more of you address trying to get home but still. Crazy stuff. I think the thought process was "50 is open, let's do it" (in normal snowy conditions 50 might only add 1.5-2 hours compared to 80 for getting to north lake assuming 89 on the west side is closed for avalanche danger). What hosed them was 50 re-closing for 5 hours due to a semi crashing once they were already in the mountains. At that point you're already somewhat committed and have no idea on the ETA for re-opening, so you wait a bit instead of turning around, and then you're even more committed etc. I think they at least spent a good chunk of the day at a bar/restaurant playing pool waiting for 50 to open back up rather than just sitting in the car. Still though, I had already decided not to go the night before, but had I woken up and saw 80 was still closed I would've bailed, as 50 still would've taken forever (due to getting all the north lake traffic as well as south lake) even without the accident. At least they're staying right at Alpine so they're probably having a great day today and didnt need to deal with any more driving to get to the lifts.
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Dec 29, 2021 22:48
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Posted a bit ago about adding a low tide pair of skis to my quiver to compliment my DPS 112RP skis that are more for powder days (but that I've been using as a 1 ski quiver for around a decade). After 6 days of on-piste only conditions @ Palisades this season thus far, and with 4-5 days coming up @ Steamboat the week of Preisdent's Day that seem like they will be dry, I'm considering pulling the trigger shortly. Since then I demoed Enforcer 94s @ 179 and Bonifides @ 183 (probably a little long for me as I'm only 5' 8" ~160-165, but they worked out fine) and both felt great. I preferred the Enforcers, but part of that may have just been that I swapped to the Bonifides after lunch after I was a bit fatigued (this was a Wednesday so there were no lines, lots of laps). Half of me just wants to pull the trigger on the Enforcers, but the other half is thinking I should also demo some other types of skis first (e.g. the All Mountain "more forgiving"/"freestyle" categories on Blister, rather than just skis from the AM "more stable" category). For Nordica, I believe that would be a Soul Rider 97, but the demo spots I talked to in Tahoe didn't have those. I've also read good things about some J Skis models (masterblaster and others), but there aren't really any options for demoing those. Moment is another one that keeps coming up, but they're sold out of most stuff and I think I may look into something wider from them when it's time to replace the DPS'. I love ripping at high speed, which is what attracted me to the Enforcer/Bonifides, but I'm also no stranger to finding natural features to jump off of. I'm by no means a park skier (I'll hit the medium sized jumps occasionally but don't really do tricks outside of basic forward facing grabs) , but with the way this season has been going I wouldn't be surprised if some days start turning into "well I guess I should hit the park and learn some new tricks". I guess my concern is the stiffness/weight of something like the Enforcer may almost be too limiting to handle everything I may want to do on a non-powder day, but I have a feeling it's not actually that significant, and I could always find some cheap used more park-centric skis if I actually end up doing more of that type of skiing (aaand this is how I end up a 6 ski quiver within 5 years isn't it). Anyway, any ski recommendations or advice based on that wall of text? Steamboat does seem to have a great option for demos: Ski Haus $34/day for under 4 days, 4 days for $108 w/ advanced rates (which is less than the cost of doing 2 days at Palisades even with midweek Ikon discount, and barely anymore than doing 2 days from an off mountain spot like Tahoe Daves). So that has me leaning towards more demos as long as they stock some skis that I'm interested in. Also while I'm here, any general recommendations for Steamboat (runs, off mountain activities, food/drink)? I believe we already have an evening booked @ Strawberry Park Hot Springs.
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Feb 12, 2022 01:38
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The best ski movie is obviously G.N.A.R.: https://vimeo.com/18809446
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Feb 16, 2022 01:06
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Kalman posted:FYI, J’s policy is that if you don’t like a set of skis from them you can return them (as long as no more than 5 days of use and I’d assume no damage is an unspoken part of that.) Eejit posted:My J Fastforwards just got in, haven't been able to ski them yet, but I got them in lieu of Enforcers because they are very similar and were about the same price for me. I would just pull the trigger on the Enforcers unless there was something you didn't like about them. They're really good skis. Actually ended up pulling the trigger on Fastforwards "Larches" @181 due to these posts (and more 'research' of course). I somehow missed that these existed, probably because they were new this season so a lot of what I was looking at only referenced the Masterblaster from previous years. From what I gather, they don't have quite the edge hold of the Enforcers, but they have more pop and are a bit more playful outside of carving (the Fastforward has a bit less metal). Also had access to a 10% off coupon, which made the Fastforwards ~$100 cheaper than the Enforcers (that, combined with the 5 ski-day guarantee is what ultimately made me go with the J Skis). My hope is they'll still be good enough in the edge hold and stability category, while being a bit more fun all over the whole mountain and on jumps. But I'll find out soon enough: they should be here in time for Steamboat next week. It also looks like the Steamboat forecast has improved and might get some snow both this week early next week (when we're there), so it's feeling like everything is coming up Splinter right now.
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Feb 16, 2022 07:09
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Eejit posted:I'm literally taking those exact skis to get mounted today. They were supposed to ship in Dec but got here a week ago due to issues at the factory. Should be taking them out for a test run next week when I get back in town. Nice. Mine are scheduled to arrive Friday, should be able to ski them on Tuesday. Are you going with the recommended mounting point?
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Feb 16, 2022 22:47
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Blowdryer posted:I'm a snowboarder but this is amazing J Skis are getting mounted today. 15" @ the Steamboat summit over the past 2 days. Another 8-12" expected next week. Skiing Tues-Sat. Forecast really took a turn for the best, a week or so ago they were only expecting a couple inches over these 2 weeks. Really sorry to hear about all that bawfuls. Hope your wife has a speedy recovery, and may your next trip be blessed with endless fresh tracks.
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Feb 19, 2022 00:07
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That looks like an absolutely incredible trip. I can't believe I wasn't invited.
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Mar 9, 2022 05:32
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Eejit posted:
I got 4 days on mine in @ Steamboat a few weeks ago and like them as well. We got around 15" of snow while we were there, but no real powder days. They were fun pretty much all over the mountain: trees, the chutes, groomers and also felt pretty good popping off natural features (more so than the skis I had demoed). I thought they were fine in the chop/leftovers, but since we never got more than a few inches / day while I was there, it wasn't that choppy. The only unknown for me is really how they compare to the Enforcer 94s (other ski I was leaning towards after doing a few demos) in the more icy, no-fresh-snow-in-weeks Tahoe conditions that I demoed other skis in. Those are more the primary conditions I want these to perform in, but I'm sure I'll get a shot at something closer to those conditions in Tahoe in the next week or 2. I got the same top sheets + pivots, but unfortunately my on-sale pivots are just a boring gray, rather than that dope colorway. You need to remove the mount-point sticker though  .
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Mar 14, 2022 22:06
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spwrozek posted:Breck in early January has a sunrise about 7:30 so it will be come 8:30. It is worst for further north resorts. So basically expect 8:30 open times to push to 9:30. As long as they push closing back by a similar interval to account for later sunset time, it doesn't seem like it'll make a huge difference. More just a mental thing about what the times of 8:30 (or 9) vs 9:30 (or 10) connote. The suns still in the same place. It could be nice for weekend warriors, as if you get in late Friday night due to traffic / weather, you don't need to be up quite as early Saturday morning. Similar with day trippers: can leave a bit later.
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Mar 16, 2022 01:21
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Residency Evil posted:Is there any reason to choose Ikon vs Epic for next season if my wife and I will have a kid and we'll be trying to switch in/out as we're skiing? In terms of sharing a single pass, or like easy lodge access so you don't have to trek too far to switch off? For both it depends on your local mountains, but in terms of the former, IME Ikon doesn't care/check nearly as much.
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Apr 1, 2022 19:27
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What kinda person starts forecasting weather when they're 13
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Nov 8, 2022 00:23
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spwrozek posted:Have you heard of Joel Gratz? Around these parts we call him Bryan
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Nov 8, 2022 01:10
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Looking like I'm going to be ditching work tomorrow to try to make it up to Palisades early Friday AM. And by that I mean spend half the day sitting in traffic on 89. Might actually stay in Auburn tonight or something to make hitting the 89S exit closer to 7am more realistic...
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Dec 1, 2022 18:25
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Steve French posted:I’ll be there, making GBS threads up the show with you 
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Dec 1, 2022 21:00
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Ended up staying in Olympic Village instead of Auburn because there was randomly a cheap as poo poo hotel room available 100 yards from the parking lot. Funitel/Gold Coast took a while to open but after everyone left for Alpine we got about 5th chair and then it was fresh tracks with almost no lines the rest of the day. Wasn't as deep as expected but way less people showed than I was expecting. 10/10 early season Palisades day.
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Dec 3, 2022 01:26
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I got one of those 3 brush sets when I first started doing my own maintenance. Overkill for sure as a weekend warrior, but I like the brass for helping clean the bases before waxing, then nylon or horsehair after waxing to smooth everything out. Just a nylon or horsehair would probably be fine. All the swix stuff I have is great, definitely recommend them for any tuning related products.
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Dec 16, 2022 09:59
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jamal posted:I have a 500ml soft flask (this one but there's lots of stuff out there) i just put in an inside pocket of my ski jacket along with snacks and then don't have to wear a pack and can ski a good part of the day without stopping in the lodge. This is a great idea, but I'm not sure it'd work for me as I do like to have some water on me as well
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Dec 21, 2022 22:27
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Jokes aside, one thing I'll do when I don't want to bring a true backpack is wear a little 50oz CamelBak that's essentially just the bladder with almost no additional storage (think it's the HydroBak) underneath my shell. It's small/thin enough that I can wear it on the lift with no issue, and since it's under the shell it never really freezes even if it's well below freezing outside. It's also generally enough water to last all day. Those Stows look cool. Can they work OK for alcohol or is the flow too slow? Sure would beat one of us carrying around a glass fifth when I'm out with buddies.
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Dec 22, 2022 01:42
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Speaking of Moment, I've been looking at getting a new set of powder skis and as a Tahoe skier have maybe somewhat irrationally decided to go with Moment rather than get stuck deciding between 10 different brand's offerings. These skis will replace my 11 year old DPS 112RPs. The 112RPs were a ton of fun in bottomless pow, but I didn't feel like they were that great once things started getting chopped up as they seemed to get knocked around more easily than I'd expect. So I'm looking for a harder charging pow ski this time around. My current low-tide skis are J Skis Fastforwards (92mm underfoot, metal laminate), and they're honestly pretty fun/fine even in < 1' of fresh, so I don't need something that also does well as a DD. I primarily ski Tahoe, but also do tend to do 4-5 days out of state per season as well (e.g. UT, CO etc). I'm thinking my options are Wildcat or Deathwish, or even the Wildcat 108. Should I just go with the Wildcat, or maybe due to the lack of true powder days in Tahoe these days (and how fast they get skied out when they do happen) maybe consider the Deathwish or Wildcat 108? I've heard great things about all of these.
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Dec 22, 2022 23:57
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Steve French posted:My big skis are the Wildcat 190, which are 118 underfoot (the smaller sizes are 116). I think they're still pretty great in non-powder, though I did find myself kinda being disappointed in them skiing some chop the other day until I realized I was skiing them like the Commanders and needed to just point them downhill more and blast through stuff, and I started having a much better time. Those big ones might still leave a bit of a gap if your other skis are 92; perhaps if you go Wildcat just go at least one size down to the 184 and they'd be more maneuverable and versatile. I also doubt the 108 would feel bad, if you wanted to play it a bit safer for the less legit powder days. Thanks for the info and advice. I think 190 might be a bit big for me anyway, 184 is probably what I'd go with. I do regret going 178 with my DPS' as with the early rise they ski so short. Wish I had gone 184 with those. And you're right I should just talk with Moment.
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Dec 24, 2022 05:08
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California Ski Company is the boot fitter in Berkeley. That's where I got my boots. I think they're the probably your best bet in the area outside of going up to Tahoe. IME they're pretty good but it kinda depends on which employee you get. I had to get some post initial fit tweaks done twice (which if you purchase your boots there are all free as long as you own the boots, which is nice), and the different techs I worked with had very different ideas on how to handle my two issues that needed to be addressed. I think one of them did more harm than good, and didn't correctly identify the source of my pain.
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Jan 26, 2023 01:07
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Well...did you send it or what?
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Feb 10, 2023 05:27
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Steve French posted:just closing the loop here Wildcat 184s arrived today. Taking them in to get mounted tomorrow. Looks like I won't have to wait long to put them through their paces.    
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Feb 16, 2023 23:22
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Well at least my dog had a great time this weekend playing in the powder in Bishop
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Feb 28, 2023 04:11
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bawfuls posted:Several slides ran across 395 north of Mammoth as well, some nearly watching Mono lake. Gonna be awhile before everyone digs out of this storm cycle. From what I've heard it sounds like they're expecting to be open into August this year
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Mar 1, 2023 22:34
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Steve French posted:And holy poo poo I think I have this closure to thank for minimal lines skiing the 6+ feet of fresh blower at palisades today. Amazing. From what I could tell they never opened upper mountain today, yeah? Sounds like tomorrow could be another epic day.
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Mar 2, 2023 04:26
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Tahoe people (Steve French?), does anyone know if you're still able to sleep in your car in parts of the Palisades parking lot? I've been seeing mixed info on this: sounds like Placer county made this illegal at some point but that it's not necessarily actually enforced (at least when it's not snowing)? And if not, are there any other spots in the north lake area where this is possible?
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Mar 8, 2023 00:21
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Steve French posted:Hasn't been allowed for a number of years AFAIK. I don't know what the enforcement is like, what I've generally heard is that it's not a big deal if you're not interfering with snow removal overnight. That said, it's been clear that some people are doing it anyway Yeah that's kinda what I suspected. Have noticed some cars/campers that definitely look like they spent the night when I've showed up early.
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Mar 8, 2023 23:37
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casque posted:As far as I know, the first time violater gets a warning left on their car that next time they'll be towed. I know several people who have gotten the warning but none who have dared a second night. I've seen SNO-PARKs mentioned in the past, but it looks like that also currently isn't allowed at Donner Summit or Blackwood Canyon due to various forest orders.
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Mar 8, 2023 23:52
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I've been considering heading out to Utah to ski LCC on Thurs/Fri. Those familiar with that area, with a significant storm expected Wednesday, tapering off but still snowing a bit on Thurs, should I expect Thurs to be a good ski day? Or are these the type of mountains that will still have most lifts closed on Thursday in a situation like that? Palisades operations has me stressing that I'm going to head all the way out there just to sit around watching closed lifts. Also, on a similar note, any recommendations for whether I should hit Alta or Snowbird first given the conditions? Also is it worth considering checking out Brighton or Solitude if I end up also skiing Saturday, or should I just stick with Altabird if I only have a few days there?
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Mar 21, 2023 21:12
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bawfuls posted:Snowbird supremacy, it’s steeper. Thanks for the detailed response. I'd be staying in SLC, so how early do you think "real early in the morning" is in general? And for BCC, I'd probably only have 1 day there, so any recommendation between Brighton and Solitude?
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Mar 21, 2023 23:32
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 06:38 |
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Steve French posted:Beautiful day at palisades for some powder day leftovers with a little 2-3” refresh on top. I was only gonna take a few laps in the morning before work and then my boss, who is on vacation, texted me that he was coming over from alpine on the gondola so I stayed for a few more laps with him and showing his older kids some of the steeper stuff he couldn’t take the young ones on. Oops. I was up there Tues-Thurs as well. Tues I was only out for 4 runs on a WFH break in the afternoon, and while the snow was decent it was pretty wet out due to it being at or just above freezing. Weds and Thurs were amazing though. On Weds I didn't get to KT until the 1st chair people were already getting down, but I was one of the first 20 or so people on Granite Chief which meant fresh tracks the whole way down. We ended up running that lift for most of the morning and early afternoon, traversing more into Hidden Bowl side of the chair as the day went on to keep finding fresh tracks. It was a pleasant surprise that they were able to get most of the mountain opened for the pow day (including Siberia and Headwall eventually opening) as that doesn't seem to happen very often. Sun even came out for a couple Siberia laps before we called it a day. In general it seems like there's so much snow up there right now that it's mellowed out some of the steeper sections/drops a bit. This was also a trip that made me very happy to now have a 2 ski quiver for Tahoe. The Wildcat was great (if not a bit overkill) for Tues/Weds, while I was very happy to have the 92mm waist Fast Forwards for Thurs. The Wildcats were also what I'd hoped they'd be in terms of a pow ski that can better handle the chop/bumps/variable Tahoe snow after things get tracked out compared to my old DPS pow skis. Top of Emigrant Thurs AM:  Looking @ Headwall Thurs AM:  KT Weds ~9:20 AM:  Granite Chief Weds ~10: 20 AM, only ski patrol tracks:  Snow accumulation @ The Dub Tuesday night: 
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Mar 31, 2023 23:00
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