Justo8484

not all the guns, just the new ones they put on there last year. and they don't blow sidewinder as often as other trails because it takes so much more time to reopen it after blowing because they can't just run a groomer straight up the trail. it seems like they only blow on it either when it's super cold and they can put out a ton of snow or when conditions get so icy they just can't do anything with it otherwise, which is unfortunate. fresh snow more often would absolutely help on that trail.

i could be wrong, but i thought the guns on razors, paradise, and the new ones on sidewinder were all computer controlled and modified the air/water mixture for optimal output based on the current temp/humidity. maybe not?

yeah i think it was 3 years ago. i learned 7s on that jump. 62 seems about right, although the 65 footer at boulder was a much 'bigger' jump, in that it actually had a real lip that put you into the air. blue's just didn't have much pop to it, which made it very easy to over/undershoot if your speed wasnt spot on. i'd be stoked on a nice floaty 45 footer in that spot instead.

the biggest boulder had last year was 65 feet, and it was much, much bigger than anything blue has ever had, regardless of what the magical tape measures said.

so basically boulder's team and a few kids from temple? how does one go about getting invited?

so you're writing for ski the east now? that's sick, congrats!

am i the only one who's insanely bothered by blue mountain's spelling of crew? it's crew, not crue. crue is not a word in the english language. honestly, it makes them look stupid.

as in, confectioners' sugar? i can't wait to see doug doing lines off the picnic tables... what ever happened with her and ski patrol? not pursuing that anymore?

you know snowgrind made a lot of that older stuff right? seems to me like management, park crew, and snowgrind are just all more on the same page these days. they're turning out a lot of nice looking stuff for this season. and the bonzai box will absolutely go down in blue mountain playground rail history, except it might actually be fun. the thing is absolutely massive in person.

has anyone seen the food stands at the bottom lodge? they look straight out of little people big world, or some sort of disney ride or something. that said, i'm sure they'll absolutely make bank for blue. if i stop at the bottom for food, i would always hit up the carni cart instead of going inside, it's way quicker on a nice sunny day. sounds to me that blue is finally trying to make the place look like something other than a bomb shelter, which i'm all for. 10% off food for passholders is awesome too.

i guess the other option would be not open at all? haha about the temple rail jam... snowboard only?

cool, makes sense in that they've got to get the cat there, which obviously takes someone to drive it. i was just unsure of the whole pole in the middle of the trail thing. never seen (or at least noticed) that anywhere else before. i guess the driver for the second cat could just be working on other hand grooming in the park while the cat is being used as an anchor, so not quite as much loss there as there would be for grooming regular trails. lets hope it gets cold soon so they can start using the thing!

how do you figure? i've never driven a cat so i'm not entirely sure, but i don't see why they'd have to keep the anchor cat running and have someone sitting in it the whole time? as dumb as it may sound, it really wouldn't surprise me if people end up skiing into that pole at the top of challenge. bluebomber, i'm well aware of the benefits of a winch cat and how it in theory should make grooming steep sections of trail easier. your point about them paying someone to sit on their ass doesn't address the fact that they are planning on using the thing in the park as well, where they will have to have an anchor cat sitting on the deck of a jump.

so for some reason they can't anchor the winch to another cat? they've gotta put a pole in the middle of the trail? i hope they realize that they can anchor it to another cat so they start using the thing to make better landings for jumps on sidewinder.

rider judged... this is gonna get interesting. count me in.

i was up there biking last saturday and there most certainly was a large trench dug up to the top of challenge, and a random pole in the middle of the trail at the top of the first headwall. there are others from this board that were up there with me that could vouch for that.

you could throw a heel lift under the footbed in the boot to raise his foot in the boot a little bit. that usually gets you a little less than half a size, but it will change how he feels in the boot and might negatively impact his riding ability, especially toeside carving.

i'm not super familiar with the metron as far as the ski goes so i can't comment on that, but atomic bindings terrify me. i've never seen so many bindings consistently fail when they're only two or three years old. you might want to check out some of dyanastar's ladies stuff. you might come in a little over 300 for ski and binding for anything decent new though. i wouldn't waste your time on getting an entry level setup if she's interested and moderately athletic; she'll be outskiing it before the season is over. she'd be better served by getting a lower intermediate ski thats a year or two old if you've gotta stick to the $300 budget.

either pasr nuclear holocaust, or they somehow would have magically gotten along perfectly. i don't think there would have been any in-between.

marker has pretty much addressed that with the duke/baron bindings. haven't tried it huh? it's pretty fun. it certainly makes blue a lot more interesting.

i don't think you realize how quick liquor adds up at a casino... bottle service in AC is like 500 or 600 minimum. between that and food, that's not leaving you very much money for your hooker!

several points to address here... first, i'd steer clear of really jumping on the prophets. it's also not really a great bump ski. they've got a sheet of metal in them that makes them stiff. metal, when stressed, doesn't always bend back into place the same way wood/fiberglass does. i've seen some laminate skis get pretty beat from bumps, and hitting a jump and landing the wrong way could definitely cause the same kind of damage. second, absolutely agree about boots. if you can only afford to sink a certain amount of cash into it this year, boots are where you do not want to skimp. having your boots fit properly means the direct link between your body and your skis will be as responsive as possible, making everything easier for you. sloppy boots mean your skis don't go where you want them too, almost having a mind of their own. no fun. third, poles are generally used to help initiate a turn. think of it this way. when you want to turn, you bend your wrist of the direction you want to turn and plant your pole on the ground. your next move is to use that pole as a focal point to base your turn around. this kinda goes out the window once you start getting better and there are certain times when you will or won't use your poles, but when i was teaching kids, that was the easiest way to explain it. they also help get you in a rhythm and help keep your turns consistent, and i find them to be very useful in the bumps because of this.

this is why i wish they used cheesegrater... i was up biking today, and they repainted thw wallride and cement mixer. they're also digging some giant trench up challenge for i think more snowmaking and all guns and lights are in place on nightmare now.

i haven't done any sort of scientific method backed research, but from my general observations, the steps actually attract more people than they deter. when they first opened sidewinder last year, they didnt have enough snow at the top to use the steps, so you could ski right in to the trail. pretty sure sidewinder opened early january, so there was a decent crowd at the mountain. as soon as they had enough snow that the steps were mandatory, the park was filled with morons, even though it was actually more difficult to get in, and not necessary more crowded on the mountain overall. if the steps are going to stay, then yes, they need to dig them out so you absolutely have to take your gear off to get up them. park passes, if implemented in a smart (free/cheap, but you must watch a part etiquette/safety video first) way, would be a much better option in my opinion.

i'm probably the minority, but i've been checking out your blog pretty regularly now. its nice to see something skiing related that written above a 4th grade reading level.