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Hobbes and Destiny talk winter sports and Olympics


Destiny Skywalker
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1 hour ago, Destiny Skywalker said:

Haven't been up since last week because my dad is visiting, but its been pretty lousy snow anyway. A lot of pass closures and freezing rain, limited terrain and lifts open. So at least I'm not missing out.

We are getting a winter storm tonight through tomorrow night.  It is starting now so I’m sure roads will be shit all day tomorrow so I won’t make it up till Thursday.

oh—I didn’t want to derail the Christmas thread—but I bought a comfort hybrid maintain/city bike a year and a half ago for all the reasons you described.  Mountain biking was starting to be a lot and road bikes hurt my ass.  Basically it’s for around town and easy trails.  You can adjust the amount of work it does and on full assist it goes like 30 mph with a range of 30 miles.  It does great in the snow and I put a front and rear racks for going to the store and such.  Last year I rode it to work most days but I can’t now bc I take my son with me.  But if riding a bike even some of the times makes sense—you should check it out because it is soooo much fun.
 

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1 hour ago, Hobbes said:

Snoqualmie pass came up on my TikTok feed this morning (a trucker was showing a bunch of Jack knifed trailers) and I was like “oh oh I know that place!!!”

It really has been a hot mess the last few weeks. The day after we went, they had to close I-90 for hours because of pileups and jack-knifed semis. US-2 to Stevens Pass (owned by Vail, so you know it's stupid crowded) is even worse, and they will just shut it down for days. I-90 is rarely closed all day.

5 hours ago, Ms. Spam said:

I am looking at getting an electric bike for just the reasons above. 

You live in a warm area most of the year. You'd get way more out of it than I do. Someone once scolded me for not biking to work when I lived 2 miles away. Yes, in professional work wear, in the rain, and along major roads (40+ mph, some with no bike lane) for 80% of the way.

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Yesterday I tried to go and Q wouldn't get her pre-teen ass out of bed. I was pretty pissed but then I said fine we will go tomorrow (today). Then I looked at the website and saw that only Central was open, out of the 4 mountain areas. So I said we better get up early. They open at 9. We didn't even leave the house until 9:20 because she couldn't get her new contacts in and she was slow. Drive is great. Then we get to the exit. I spent 30 minute just on the ramp so that I could turn around and drive 75 minutes home. I could tell there was zero parking. I was furious. They way oversold lift tickets because they didn't anticipate passholder demand. Yes you did anticipate the demand, you just didn't care. They issued a social media apology. I might be finding a new home mountain next year. The 2 hours to Baker might be worth it to not deal with Boyne vs Vail race to the bottom.

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On 1/2/2023 at 10:36 PM, Destiny Skywalker said:

Yesterday I tried to go and Q wouldn't get her pre-teen ass out of bed. I was pretty pissed but then I said fine we will go tomorrow (today). Then I looked at the website and saw that only Central was open, out of the 4 mountain areas. So I said we better get up early. They open at 9. We didn't even leave the house until 9:20 because she couldn't get her new contacts in and she was slow. Drive is great. Then we get to the exit. I spent 30 minute just on the ramp so that I could turn around and drive 75 minutes home. I could tell there was zero parking. I was furious. They way oversold lift tickets because they didn't anticipate passholder demand. Yes you did anticipate the demand, you just didn't care. They issued a social media apology. I might be finding a new home mountain next year. The 2 hours to Baker might be worth it to not deal with Boyne vs Vail race to the bottom.

That is the worst!  How long is it without traffic?  

Didn’t you say Mt Baker is Epic?  If so—fuck Epic and especially fuck Vail.  Those workers are essentially indentured servants while Vail is charging over $245/ a day and they oversell their season passes so unless you go on a random Tuesday you are spending half the day in a lift line.  

Anywho—Purg received  nearly 4 feet the last few days.  Honestly, I can ski in powder that deep and I hate how choppy it gets—it kills my knees.  Steep groomed blues and blacks are my love.  My boys start snow burners (lessons) this Sunday so I’ll make it up then.  

 

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Stevens is Epic. Baker is still independent. They're only open 9-3:30, though, so we'd have to commit to all day Saturday or Sunday, no night skiing.

It takes about 60-75 minutes to get to Snoqualmie depending on conditions and traffic. It can take as long as 2 hours in really bad snow. Baker is probably a good 2.5 hours away, but rarely any traffic. Stevens is about 2 hours away and the road is terrible (2 lanes, closes often, poorly plowed). Stevens is apparently operating much better this year but I've had too many bad experiences the last 5 years.

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Had the first night of lessons last night. Got there at 4:15 and it was totally dead. Like a 3 chair wait at the busiest lift. Cafeteria was dead too. Less busy than last season, and I thought last year was pretty light. It got busier around 6 and then lessons started at 7, so I went as far east as I could, away from the main lift. Probably got in 9-10 runs last night, and I ended up waiting like 20-30 minutes for Q's class to get back (bad move on my part, definitely could've gotten in another run). I am realizing this mountain is not in good shape. They are understaffed and things like lighting is starting to become an after-thought or pushed off to save costs. One of our favorite runs is temporarily closed at night because a bulb or two is burned out, but I also noticed they stopped grooming one of the closed sections so I assume its also to save on grooming. I also heard they are down to one snow-cat (they posted that they had to close a chair because one broke down, so hopefully its not that one!), so no wonder grooming is non-existent. Now that they are owned by Boyne, there is no excuse for shit like that.

Skier etiquette is at an all-time low. I cannot believe how many asshats I saw loading 2 at a time on quad lifts when lines were long. On 3 runs, I rode by myself because people intentionally boxed me out at the last minute so their 3 could ride without me, or I had a group of 2 paired with me and held back so they wouldn't ride with me and get their own chair. The number of people who think they are special and deserve a private chair is ridiculous. It's one thing if its a 3 chair wait, it's another when it's a 10 minute wait to get on. I felt like a total ass riding the chair by myself because I figured people assumed I was one of those princesses needing their own chair. It was almost 4 times but once another single rider jumped on with me and we had a nice chat on the way up.

Q is doing much better now with her contacts in. She is in the level 5/6 intermediate class (parallel turns,  not quite up on edges yet), which is the highest level they offer for youth under 16. I actually kind of missed skiing with her, because she can keep up with me now. Her instructor said she did well (glad to hear I was right about her placement). He did say she is a good skier, but needs to slow down a bit so she can work on technique, which is exactly why I put her back in lessons. I don't want her to start in with the bad habits and get stuck there like I am. At the same time, she is used to skiing with me now, and I am a fast skier for a woman (tall dudes with long skis are way faster than me), with the exception of women who have skied on a race team or something. (Side note: my GPS died so I don't have an exact time, but pretty sure I PR'd Alpine last night and got down in about 3 minutes.) They did tell me that she can start being an assistant instructor at 13 (unpaid volunteer, but I wonder if it comes with a lift ticket), and can apply to be a certified PSIA instructor at age 15. Seriously, she might be interested enough to do it, and I would definitely help get her there if she wanted to do it. Once I dreamed of being a ski instructor but ain't nobody got time for that with 2 busy kids.

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18 hours ago, Destiny Skywalker said:

Had the first night of lessons last night. Got there at 4:15 and it was totally dead. Like a 3 chair wait at the busiest lift. Cafeteria was dead too. Less busy than last season, and I thought last year was pretty light. It got busier around 6 and then lessons started at 7, so I went as far east as I could, away from the main lift. Probably got in 9-10 runs last night, and I ended up waiting like 20-30 minutes for Q's class to get back (bad move on my part, definitely could've gotten in another run). I am realizing this mountain is not in good shape. They are understaffed and things like lighting is starting to become an after-thought or pushed off to save costs. One of our favorite runs is temporarily closed at night because a bulb or two is burned out, but I also noticed they stopped grooming one of the closed sections so I assume its also to save on grooming. I also heard they are down to one snow-cat (they posted that they had to close a chair because one broke down, so hopefully its not that one!), so no wonder grooming is non-existent. Now that they are owned by Boyne, there is no excuse for shit like that.

Skier etiquette is at an all-time low. I cannot believe how many asshats I saw loading 2 at a time on quad lifts when lines were long. On 3 runs, I rode by myself because people intentionally boxed me out at the last minute so their 3 could ride without me, or I had a group of 2 paired with me and held back so they wouldn't ride with me and get their own chair. The number of people who think they are special and deserve a private chair is ridiculous. It's one thing if its a 3 chair wait, it's another when it's a 10 minute wait to get on. I felt like a total ass riding the chair by myself because I figured people assumed I was one of those princesses needing their own chair. It was almost 4 times but once another single rider jumped on with me and we had a nice chat on the way up.

Q is doing much better now with her contacts in. She is in the level 5/6 intermediate class (parallel turns,  not quite up on edges yet), which is the highest level they offer for youth under 16. I actually kind of missed skiing with her, because she can keep up with me now. Her instructor said she did well (glad to hear I was right about her placement). He did say she is a good skier, but needs to slow down a bit so she can work on technique, which is exactly why I put her back in lessons. I don't want her to start in with the bad habits and get stuck there like I am. At the same time, she is used to skiing with me now, and I am a fast skier for a woman (tall dudes with long skis are way faster than me), with the exception of women who have skied on a race team or something. (Side note: my GPS died so I don't have an exact time, but pretty sure I PR'd Alpine last night and got down in about 3 minutes.) They did tell me that she can start being an assistant instructor at 13 (unpaid volunteer, but I wonder if it comes with a lift ticket), and can apply to be a certified PSIA instructor at age 15. Seriously, she might be interested enough to do it, and I would definitely help get her there if she wanted to do it. Once I dreamed of being a ski instructor but ain't nobody got time for that with 2 busy kids.

What happened?  I thought last year you mentioned they were planning some extensive renovations--I think it aall comes down to greed.  Ski resorts here pay low and the cost of living in these towns is off the charts.  People will pay regardless of costs. 

Just reading about the lift situation made me upset.  Honestly, I don't blame the skiers--that is more on staff not regulating the lines.  I ski alone and I get made at my fellow solo skiers that on the 6 chair joining a group of 2 or 3 and not moving over for me.  Maybe because I am bigger, but I don't think I have ever been boxed out--but if you are boxed out you look like an asshole skiing up by yourself!

Congrats to Q!  That is awesome.  I agree, I didn't even start skiing till i was 21 and other than a few tips from friends, I am 100% self taught and have bad habits.  I am really focusing on becoming better at carving.  I have been watching videos on different drills to do and I think they are working since I started doing them  I kind of want to buy this:  https://getcarv.com/products/carv  Have you heard of it?  I am a pretty fast skier but whats holding me back is being able to effectively carve to control my speed in a manner that is better distributed throughout my line.  Purg had an adult carving class that was lead by a former Olympian but it was on Wednesdays during the day.  Any suggestions? 

 

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Oh I have totally seen the ads for Carv and realized I am shit lol. I also just like to ski in control, though. I want to look like an effortless skier. I hate/love those people.

I'm short and my skis are 156. I'm easy to box out.

I think the issue is that there really is no place close to live to the mountain, so no one wants to work there. It used to be a bunch of south American kids working there in the winter for skiing while it is summer back home. Since COVID, though, those kids are gone. The pass is out in the middle of nowhere, and there isn't a lot of local lodging. It's not a resort town. There's a couple of cabins up there but it's not ski-in, ski-out. But yes, I'm also sure those kids make absolute crap money, too.

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I totally know what you are saying about the love/ hate relationship.  I am so insanely jealous.

I bought Carv.  It is $300 for the tracker PLUS $150 a year for the app.  Honestly--skiing is my favorite hobby/activity/ sport/whatever.  I am a pretty aggressive skier and I am afraid that unless I improve my carving now I never will, so I see it as an investment.  The faster I improve my technique the longer my longevity in the sport. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tonight was a hot mess. I have never seen so many middle school ski busses in one night. The place was totally over-run by early teenage dumbasses. Q went to lessons and her and her instructor got taken out by a snowboarder right in front of the lift. I actually saw it happen right after I loaded and I set a new Strava record for getting down the hill to see if she was ok (I apparently had already set a new PR today but then I broke that by a full minute). No need for ski patrol, thankfully.

She's progressing well, but I'm not sure about doing lessons next year. Might take another year off to just ski. She's with a group of older boys and keeping up with them, mostly because they are dumbass middle school boys. I think private lessons would be overwhelming, though. But she is working on getting forward in her boots, which is exactly what I want.

I think we are taking her rentals back and asking for an exchange. The brake seems bent or too wide, I'm not sure. I don't think it actually affects her when she skis but it does make carrying them a total pain in the ass. Not sure we are going back to this ski shop next year. Play it Again is double the price but they had better quality skis.

Not the best night. Hoping next week is better.

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Middle school ski busses strike again. Q's instructor took them to another part of the mountain so they were super late getting back. He said he is seeing lots of progress in her. He did say she's sitting back in her skis a bit, though, but he also said it might just be muscle maturity (or lack thereof) because she's so small. So we're going to practice our stance in the living room this weekend lol.

I'm not sure I like my new skis. I think going to 156 was the right decision. I'm just not sure I like the wide underfoot (went from mid 70s underfoot to 91). I think maybe I should done something more like an 85. I am not really getting up on my edges anymore. I finally found them briefly tonight on a flatter portion. I feel like I am doing a lot of work in these skis.

Tonight's conditions were Cascade Concrete. The last few weeks have been dust on crust, which is not my favorite. It's easy on the knees but hearing that scrape and chatter is like nails on a chalkboard. Tonight the snow was thick, wet, and heavy, but not fluffy like powder. On more than one occasion I caught the back of my ski on something and almost ate shit. However, this made for good conditions on Triple 60, which is basically my nemesis. It's steep, it's never groomed, and it's mogul hell. It usually has random ice patches that jump out and get you. I refuse to ski it unless it is a powder day or a day like today. With the snow being thick and heavy, it's a little more forgiving and slows you down. So I hit it 3x and my thighs will never forgive me.

I took the picture on the blue (ha, really a green, but I think they say blue to keep the idiots away) part. It was very foggy and misty tonight, so not the clearest picture.

20230127_205325.jpg

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20 hours ago, Destiny Skywalker said:

Middle school ski busses strike again. Q's instructor took them to another part of the mountain so they were super late getting back. He said he is seeing lots of progress in her. He did say she's sitting back in her skis a bit, though, but he also said it might just be muscle maturity (or lack thereof) because she's so small. So we're going to practice our stance in the living room this weekend lol.

I'm not sure I like my new skis. I think going to 156 was the right decision. I'm just not sure I like the wide underfoot (went from mid 70s underfoot to 91). I think maybe I should done something more like an 85. I am not really getting up on my edges anymore. I finally found them briefly tonight on a flatter portion. I feel like I am doing a lot of work in these skis.

Tonight's conditions were Cascade Concrete. The last few weeks have been dust on crust, which is not my favorite. It's easy on the knees but hearing that scrape and chatter is like nails on a chalkboard. Tonight the snow was thick, wet, and heavy, but not fluffy like powder. On more than one occasion I caught the back of my ski on something and almost ate shit. However, this made for good conditions on Triple 60, which is basically my nemesis. It's steep, it's never groomed, and it's mogul hell. It usually has random ice patches that jump out and get you. I refuse to ski it unless it is a powder day or a day like today. With the snow being thick and heavy, it's a little more forgiving and slows you down. So I hit it 3x and my thighs will never forgive me.

I took the picture on the blue (ha, really a green, but I think they say blue to keep the idiots away) part. It was very foggy and misty tonight, so not the clearest picture.

20230127_205325.jpg

On a 156 a 91 is nearly a powder ski--and if what is pictured is typical conditions no wonder your knees/ ankles are killing you!--you are doing all work! 

That's awesome about Q.  Muscle memory is a thing, but after really studying up on how to kill it carving, so much of what I was taught I have to unlearn.  For example, rocking backwards and forwards in the skis and NOT keeping you skis too close together.  My CARV hardware arrived but the left sensor is broken and they are sending me a new pair that should be here by next weekend.  I am excited for the real time feedback and I am curious what my skier IQ is...how good am I actually?

My boys have lessons tomorrow and ill try to grab a shot!

Anywho, last week my oldest made it off the magic carpet and we made it to the bunny hill!  I did have to ski him down halfway, but check out the two turns at the bottom! 

 

 

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Nice job buddy!

I've always felt that I have too much of an "athletic stance". I don't keep my skis very close together, especially on challenging terrain. I feel like I need to be ready to go in any direction and spring. Basically I am a goalkeeper on skis lol.

I agree that they are too wide for what conditions I usually have, but everyone keeps telling me this is an all-mountain ski and I should be able to get up on my edges so easily. That Under 90 is only suitable for perfect groomers. Here's the thing, technically I'm on groomers. Except they are doing a shit job on grooming because they don't have enough employees, and because I think they're trying to cut costs where they can. Obviously people are still coming, so they know they can go without. There's a reason I avoid my favorite runs now unless conditions are perfect. Because they're essentially expert only/double black when they're not groomed. They only groom now when they get an absolute dumping of snow, and we haven't had one of those for awhile. I was starting to see some brown patches where it's starting to get a little bare because we've had a few pineapple express systems come through in the last month. But realistically packed powder is a good day out here. Otherwise it's crusty or the wet heavy stuff.

Q and I are going to try to go Monday because school is out. Unfortunately, only our regular area is open. I'd really like to take her on some other terrain, and me too. There is an ungroomed area that is essentially a big beautiful open run, but there's no lift (it's between an upper and lower crossover). I wouldn't attempt it at night because its unlit, but I'd like to try it during the day. I'm sure it is moguls galore, but if it's not steep, that's not so bad.

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Edison was on the magic carpet all morning and gaining alot of confidence.  He probably has another week on the magic carpet.  He is definately more of the Apres Ski type kid.  They have a waffle hut at the base that he lives for--theres a dog, hot cocoa, and a waffle sundae that post-lesson skiing can't compete with. 

 

Bennett on the other hand...

They were short staffed so they jumped him a level and went straight from the magic carpet to the main lift.  When I picked him up, they said they step he missed was the follow the leader turning down the mountain lesson and recommended I do that with him a few times on our runs together on the easy beginner green lift.  I was like, "sure thing".  Bennett was insistent on going on the big lift again so I did the old "just send it and I will pick you up when you fall" teaching approach...

 

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Send it! He looks like he's doing good! Edison cracks me up, he looks like he's gonna be a racer. Watch out!

I took a video of Q today, it's on my Facebook page. Conditions were super icy, so she's not quite as stable as usual. Working on getting her forward in her skis. We talked about edges today and she thinks she got up on them once. She said it felt weird but good.

It was a glorious bluebird day, but it went from Cascade Concete (a little warm, almost melty) to super freaking cold the last few days. It was 7F when we left, it warmed up to about 22F when we arrived. We tried a black run at the beginning and even I ate shit twice. Decided to stick to blues after that. We got in 12 runs today! The longest lift line was maybe 5 minutes. MAYBE. Next year we are totally doing this again for teacher grading day.

I met up with Jacob, Tami, Katrina and Cereese for dinner, they got to see my windburnt cheeks. (The ones on my face...)

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On 1/31/2023 at 12:07 AM, Destiny Skywalker said:

Send it! He looks like he's doing good! Edison cracks me up, he looks like he's gonna be a racer. Watch out!

I took a video of Q today, it's on my Facebook page. Conditions were super icy, so she's not quite as stable as usual. Working on getting her forward in her skis. We talked about edges today and she thinks she got up on them once. She said it felt weird but good.

It was a glorious bluebird day, but it went from Cascade Concete (a little warm, almost melty) to super freaking cold the last few days. It was 7F when we left, it warmed up to about 22F when we arrived. We tried a black run at the beginning and even I ate shit twice. Decided to stick to blues after that. We got in 12 runs today! The longest lift line was maybe 5 minutes. MAYBE. Next year we are totally doing this again for teacher grading day.

I met up with Jacob, Tami, Katrina and Cereese for dinner, they got to see my windburnt cheeks. (The ones on my face...)

Sounds great!  Why did you eat shit on the black--catch an edge?

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Just super icy and deep moguls. If anything, I probably knocked my tips into each other. I'm finding in my new skis that I do that occasionally. Not sure if its the length or the width. I am skiing faster now, Strava tells me that. But I feel less in control when I'm not up on my edges. I'm still really considering getting another new pair at the end of the season.

I'm getting a lot better at moguls as long as it's not super icy. I'm starting to think about hitting some new terrain soon. If it's good snow I will go for it next week. Q and I hit Triple 60 again this week. She fell a few times but no yard sales or sliding down half the hill. I am trying to link turns better on it. Snow was good. A little crusty in some parts but we got fresh snow today that turned into freezing rain for the lower half of the mountain for the last hour. I got soaked despite all the Goretex.

And I ate shit on a completely flat part in front of a lift after mostly skiing black runs tonight. Nasty ice patch. Felt like it jumped up and got me. Now my ass hurts.

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