Ski

It's two months from now. The US Ski Team is coming to Elk. Unless they are chasing points somewhere north, how can anyone involved in racing not go? That's crazy.

Agreed...If I just had one set, I'd def have a slightly long SL ski.

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I saw the notice on PARA, but not the details. That's amazing. Ligety is the next Bode, just without the booze and creepy attitude. He was 2nd in the WC slalom standings until last weekend. Chip is a longtime US Ski Teamer that just hasn't stepped it up. Mancuso is one of the best US women...my second fav behind Kildow.

NH racing is all good, 'Dude. But the races at Sunapee and Cranmore are Tecnica Cups, which are like PA Cups for NH. Are they really 'opens'? If so, then send an entry ASAP. Any Tecnica Cup race would be awesome. They are on great slopes and rival VT races. Great points, too. Smuggs? Dunno, but I imagine they are top notch, like any of the other big VT resorts.

Yeah, but you'd have had a good time with me today anyway...

Well, two out of three will be fun for me.

I'd use cheap metal poles instead. I was given really sweet Leki carbon fiber poles at some point and they are useless for race starts. Jeff's slalom poles aren't fancy, but they are stiff as hell.

A yellow jacket. One guy has it in for me from last year.

It's really hard to hide at Montage. Best to just say Yessir and then go do it again.

I didn't know you were planning on skiing any slaloms, Doug. But, yeah, Metz, don't put guards on curved GS poles. If your regular straight poles are thin carbon fiber and the guards are too big, then just buy a cheap set of recreational poles. It's better to have cheap straight poles with guards than top of the line GS poles with guards.

I thought this was mildly interesting...I took a few runs on my rock skis, but the North Face was really nice today and it was absolutely empty, so I grabbed my SG skis. Boomer had one slot today to try my GPS watch and my 191's (my 193's are in a dumpster someplace), although there was a gnarly cross rut toward the bottom of the headwall that kept trying to kill me. So I slipped it once, then took one run standing up (48mph). I didn't drop my jacket, so it sorta felt like the wind wanted to rip it off---maybe an extra 4 or 5mph without a coat? Maybe more. The surface was crusty and fast. I skated maybe four times, then dropped into a tuck. I'm not sure if top speed was toward the bottom of the headwall, or when you hit the runout. I used LF7 wax and PTFE for runs 2, 3, and 4. So without a coat and without that one damn cross rut, I bet you could do 75mph on Boomer. Maybe next week. Run 1: 48mph Run 2: 61mph Run 3: I got yelled at. Run 4: 64mph

Man, you and Justo have no sense of humor about this. Bow down as in to the Gods. Toast, they are talking behind your backs AND wishing they were one of you? IDK, it just sounds like the same old crap that's been going on at summer camps, too. Racers, jibbers, boarders? What's new? It's soccer vs. football and baseball vs lacrosse and wrestling vs. basketball...no different. If kids on one of my teams were trash talking other teams or other guys in a different sport, I'd slap it out of them. It's a waste of time and you only end up looking like an *sshole. And if you have 70 kids on a team, I guarantee you'll have 10 kids wishing they were playing some other sport and another 5 that would be complaining about any team they were on. If Blue can build another program and offer a whole new alternative to racing, then GREAT. But don't take being given a hard time and being dissed by race coaches too personally; right or wrong, every new program has to earn respect. Six won't do it. One year won't do it. Blue needs to build it and demand respect----asking for respect is weak. Yeah, that worthy of being fired. That's a pretty dumbass thing to do.

Yep, fog is the worst. I saw a weather chart somewhere that showed fog melting snowpack up to 70% faster than rain at certain humidity levels. Rain pelts then generally penatrates the surface, before running off; fog is like a warm, wet washcloth laying on the snow. Scientifically speaking, fog sucks.

"so, you're not trying to be a dick?" Actually, Justo, Toast called them Gods...I was just goofing. I don't believe in Gods. So your problem really seems to come down to being jealous? It's cool that you admit it. And the general public gets p*ssed that slopes are sometimes closed? Oh, well, tough sh*t. People get p*ssed when parks are closed for youth soccer and little league baseball games. Some people are just selfish *ssholes and want to begrudge kids sports. I hear gripes every summer how some guy can't let his dog run around and poop because of the d*mn soccer players. And Blue coaches take the race kids through the terrain park? Why not? Is it closed? Just throw a shovel at the littlest ones and make 'em build the lips back up. And you've overheard a lot of racers wishing they could be freeriders? Sounds like a mutiny is brewing, eh? Might be the end of Blue's race team. Think of it this way: if you have a little kid that can barely ski, which kind of program is going to build his all-around skills better? C'mon, be honest. Little devo kids aren't learning gates, they are learning to carve arced turns. Hate and jealousy won't do any good, Justo. Just bow down and try to get along with them.

I agree with most of that, Rob...little kids should be all mountain skiers first.

BTW, MS, I'm not trying to be a dick to Justo or Toast...calling race coaches *ssholes and claiming the huge and very talented young race team that has almost 70 kids in J3 and younger park rat wannabees serves what purpose?

Racers are the Gods of the mountain, Toast. And coaches should be cocky *ssholes. It's the way of the world and it's good that you understand that. Man, something really p*ssed you off, eh? There's so little terrain open for the J4/5 and little development kids that they are either on Switch for the one hour of gates, or getting in your way in the park, with the excuse that it's cross training.

Hahahaha! That's just dumb. Not if six people sign up again.

K. Ty has earned a day off, so I'm solo tomorrow. (And if I ever saw either of those two actors I would punch them in the head.)

And the Australians came out with vitamin laced underwear. Not really ready for those...

The course was for rock skis, 'Mom. Not terrible, but two spots would have made me cringe on my good skis. They run it from 10:30am until just before Noon, when it's shut down for the J4/5 and development kids to rip it up...then the PM session is 1pm until 3pm. It's not reset or slipped for the PM, so the course is usually pretty beaten. Tomorrow? I'd def call 800-GOT-SNOW and ask for the ski school sometime between 8:30am and 9am. They have always known if Jim is setting. We missed the AM session today and each just took one very careful run through big slush piles. Skiing on the North Face should be pretty decent. Give me a call if you are coming.

Yep, that's what they are for. And I was surprised that they don't bother me inside my boot. I normally never leave anything but my sock in my boot.

My guess is that it would take a decent snowstorm to prompt them to move guns over to the left side. Funny, the mountain looks like it should be closed from Rt. 81---or from any of the hotels.