Ski

The Boys Reformatory in Annandale? What a small world!

Excellent! Congrats! Build it and they will come.

Ha, no you weren't on his team---just better in the bumps than most of his kids. Jeez, my memory sucks. Didn't you go on to become some musical genius with a cult following?

Yes, it's just a joke. Elk somehow became acceptable to admit to having skied by VTers. Elk has a rep for it's great snowmaking, grooming, and natural snow. They've done a great job marketing to Ski Mag readers, for sure. You guys should look into these claims.

I was at Hunter in the late 80's, then again just for a year in '98 or '99. Bryan (Schafroth?) seemed to know you pretty well...I just happen to remember that you skied the bumps better than most of his team. Bryan was the guy to hang with. Girls thought he was the greatest looking guy on the planet and swarmed around him...it was a place to catch his discards.

Ha, funny that people only admit to skiing Elk. I bet I saw your car parked in the shadows of the back lot at Shawnee. Peace.

Firstly, I'm not a moderator. Secondly, I'm the last person to claim to be classy. Someone acts like an *sswipe, then I'll call them an *sswipe. Imagine a tiny little ski area that faces bankruptcy on a yearly basis. Insurance payments have eaten all the profits and now have taken them into the red for the last three seasons. A ski area that had gotten USSA PA Cup races, but then lost them. Thank GOD for MB's like your's to beat them down. Where would skiers be without honest watchdogs like you to refute their claims and mock their marketing department (uh, one guy that has three other jobs)? " I standa by my statement that the marketing people at Ski Denton are clearly hacks." Good for you. You are right and I'm wrong. Denton is headed for the PA version of NELSAP and screw 'em, right?. Heck, the kids in that area don't need Denton when they can just drive to friendly Hunter. Keep up the great work!

By the way, AlpineZone, let JimG. know "thanks, but no thanks for the Hunter tour". I worked there back when Bryan S. was the bump coach and had my fill of Hunter weekenders to last a lifetime. Is suggesting I get laid considered escalating it? Classy. Assuming DMC is the Doug I used to know (and respect), then I've already skied with some of you guys. Nothing special.

Okay. We're hillbillies and you're dorks. Everyone happy?

I was explaining to Sib and the other members why their comments were indeed bashing. I put it into actual context as to what they were really saying. It is THEIR words. They came here after trashing PA skiers/boarders. Do I care a lot? No. But this is an MB and a place to express opinions. Someone calls you a gun-toting hillbilly, then asked for a favor. Papa, go be tired if that's how you feel. Do you want me to stop posting my opinions? Should I run them past you first? Are only nice opinions allowed? Flame war? I never once posted on their board. They refered to us in a very derogatory manner, then came here for information so they could trash Denton. Let them work those issues out with Denton themselves, I say. Now, Papa, go ahead and bend over...show us how it's done.

Okay, Sib, this isn't bashing and we should be more polite while being called a gun carrying potential murderers: 1> "The scary part about Ski Denton, which I shall now refer to as The Extreme Skiing Capital of the East, is that Avalanche, with it's 66 degree pitch, isn't even the most difficult trail there. No, my friends, that title belongs to none other than Bear Run. Why, you might ask? I tell you. Forget single fall lines. I don't even want to hear about your puny, pathetic double fall lines. This trail sports a TRIPLE FALL LINE!!! That's right, it goes downhill, slopes a little to the right, and then actually bursts through the space time continuum such that by the time you reach the bottom, you're only starting again at the top!! Looks like The Extreme Skiing Capital of the East went to the wrong department from the local community college when they were recruiting their ace marketing guru. Instead of the the Marketing department, they took a wrong turn into Creative Writing. This stuff is priceless." 2> "About the most exciting thing about the one time I skied PA (Roundtop) was seeing Three Mile Island from the lift. Almost as scenic as Mount Airy Lodge in the Poconos - Blecchh!" 3> "All those guys in the woods of PA (skiers included) carry guns, dude ! They'll be hiding in the woods near Paradise, and Goat, and The Black Hole, etc., etc., just a waitin' to pick us off one by one. I'm moving to South America..."

Wow... you seem a little indignant when someone makes fun of you for mocking a ski area you've never heard of. Good luck with that Farmer's Almanac thing.

So your MB's method of deciding that Denton is full of sh*t is to simply post that it is, without ANY fact? That's your way of being keeping them honest? Sounds pretty lame to me.

I didn't post on your MB, but you come here to tell me to chill out? You're the *sswipe that posts "Steepest Slope in the East" is a pretty sweeping statement. Do you actually buy into that?" without having even heard of the place, let alone ski it. I'm not a Denton local or even a fan of the place. I was just making fun of a group of dorky sounding guys that were ragging on a PA hill, which, in my experience, is an indication of their real abilities. You've never heard of the place, don't know if it's in the lake effect snowbelt, don't know anything about the place, but they are liars and therefore it's reasonable to make the connection that PA skiers have guns and are planning to shoot you? Classy MB, you have there. So, yes, there's at least one person here that thinks you sound idiotic.

Every big mountain local can tell you a secret stash spot, or some part of a run that is somewhat hidden and only skied by people that really know the area. It's usually off of a slow lift that toursists avoid, or a lift that only gives you laps on the upper third of the mountain. I have a favorite spot at Mt. Snow (part of Ripcord), Sugarbush, and even Belleayre. All these secret spots are between 700 and 1200 vertical feet and you can find some pretty amazing skiers/boarders that rip them up all day. Is my point too subtle? I just think trashing my spot at Montage, or Atomic's favorite spot at Blue is completely ignorant, meant only to proclaim what a superior skier you are.

Sure wish we could be more help to a bunch of VT and Hunter weekend skiers that feel the need to trash talk a PA ski area. Hmmmm...starting to feel some deja vu... The vast majority of people that I've met and sometimes taught in Vermont that have a chip on their shoulder about "local" skiing have one thing in common: they are crappy skiers that want everyone to think they are better than they are. Have any of those guys skied Corbet's Couloir? Come trash talk after you have, guys. Otherwise, get over yourselves.

Good to hear...most ski shop owners don't invest much money in new 70 to 90cm skis.

Oh, I agree that seasonal rentals are MUCH better than daily rentals. I just think is crappy that they charge more for seasonal rentals than it costs to buy brand-spankin' NEW gear. The selling point is that you can exchange the boots if the kids outgrow them. Ty has three sets of top end Atomic race gear and the most I spent for any set was under $100. All done on eBay. Doesn't every parent have an eBay account?

Man, that's expensive. I suppose it's okay for people that can't or don't want to make the effort, but toddler/junior rental gear is inevitably crappy rear entry boots and straight skis from the 80's. And they include poles (not needed) but no a helmet? A ski/boot/binding package NEW is about $129...add $35 for a decent helmet. Not aiming this at you, Papa. I was pissy at Bear Creek Ski Shack (near Montage) for nailing our friends for a $119 junior package. They leased gear that was had been rentals for about 10 prior seasons and was beat to hell. Pelican did the same crap to other friends. $139 got them gear so trashed that they didn't know what brand the ski was. Lesson learned? Call ahead to be sure that even toddler gear is shaped and isn't from the rental stock. Also make sure you are getting front entry boots. Otherwise, buy a package new. Get a great fit. Spend $150, then stick it on eBay in the spring and get $125 for it.

Yeah, what 'Dude says for sure. The best method of cleaning your bases is to hot wax and scrape. Why? Because it pulls the dirt, oils, and other crap out of your bases in the scraped off wax.

I drove by today and there's nothing blackened near the slopes or lodge and no smoke at all. I'd like to know where that guy Phil was during this...

Rome-area native hits the big time in snowboarding By BRIAN FEES, Towanda Daily Review, The Associated Press September 11, 2005 In the world of professional snowboarding, Eddie Wall is a star. He has endorsement deals for nearly everything you can imagine, from boots and bindings to goggles and boards. He's been featured in a number of videos, and if you're a fan of ESPN you could have seen him in the past two Winter X-Games, where he took ninth in the slope style event last year. Want more evidence of his popularity? Check out the October issue of Transworld Snowboarding. It's an international magazine found in just about any newsstand and you'll see Wall right there on the cover. That's the Eddie Wall the world knows. The Eddie Wall who is one of the best in the world when he takes to the snow. What many of those people don't know is where this all started. Before he was a snowboarding star. Before he appeared in his first video or got his first endorsement, Wall was just a young kid in Rome going to Northeast Bradford. Yeah, it's true, one of snowboarding's big stars didn't grow up out near the mountains in Mammoth, Ca., where he currently lives. In fact, Wall didn't really know anything about snowboarding as a child. At the age of 13, Wall got his hands on a skateboarding video and that's where his journey began. "I started watching the video and it was just the coolest thing ever," Wall said. "I started skating all the time. "In the winter I couldn't skate so I went up to Greek Peak and tried snowboarding. After a while I started getting really into it." The thing was, when Wall got into the sport, he was alone. This was 10 years ago, before the snowboarding scene really took off and Wall knew few people into the sport. "I was definitely the only skateboarder/snowboarder in school," he said. "My whole life I was the only one, I didn't have friends in the sport." At the age of 15, Wall headed to Wilkes-Barre to attend Wyoming Seminary. He could go to school there and snowboard at Montage Mountain. Still, for Wall, learning the sport took a lot of time. "The learning curve was ridiculously slow," he said. "I didn't have anyone I was working with. It wasn't until I moved out here to the West coast and met other kids like me. From there I started learning more and more and was able to do tricks." It's in California where Wall got his first breaks in the sport, where his professional career really began. While Wall got his big break in California, it was a challenge. Wall didn't just come to the West Coast and become an instant success, he had to work for it, more then most people probably realize. Some people in the world of extreme sports have it easy. They try and make it in their sport while their families support them financially. It was never that way with Wall. His parents gave him love and support, but he had to support himself. "They never gave me any money," he said. "I worked as a nighttime janitor, a dishwasher, whatever it took." It wasn't the most glamorous work by any means, but working at night meant Wall had his days free to spend at the slope. It's where he wanted to be, where he knew he should be. That doesn't mean his family always felt the same way. "I really wanted him to go to college," Eddie's mother, Elaine Wall, said. "But, he really loved snowboarding and, like he's said, he needs to try it while he's young. He's a really hard worker and a good kid, so we support him." For Wall there really was no decision at all. He wanted an education, but he knew that professional snowboarding is something you can't put off until the future. "For me it wasn't a hard choice at all," he said. "I thought to myself that I can go to college in 40, 50, 60 years. You don't have to be young to go to college. But, this is the only time I can pursue something like this." While his mom would have like to have seen her son in college, she knows how hard he works to be successful. "It was very hard," she said. "My other children went to college, they graduated and I had hoped Eddie would to. "But, he did a lot of work. He had been renting a lot of videos and he went out and worked hard to see if he had the talent. When he first went out to California he didn't know a lot of people and he did go to college for a semester, but this is what he wanted to do and he's worked to do it." For some, the world of professional snowboarding begins and ends at events like the Winter X-Games. And, while Wall competes in these events, he knows that they are far from the most important things to a professional. "Basically we are independent contractors," Wall said. "We sign contracts with board companies, bindings, goggles, everything you can think of. Basically our main focus is to film a video part. "The biggest thing for us is snowboarding movies along with that magazine coverage and then the contests." To date, the biggest deal for Wall is probably the magazine cover which brings him international exposure. "That's huge," he said of the cover. "That is a huge international magazine. You find it in every airport and every 7-Eleven you see." While Wall has been on the cover of a major magazine before, in Japan, he knows how rare an international cover is. "It's an amazing thing," he said. "There are major, major professionals who are crazy famous in our world and they've never been on a cover before." After the magazine cover, the videos become a lot more important for Wall than the competitions. "I've done the competitions like the Winter X-Games and the Las Vegas Rail Contest," he said. "But as far as sponsors go, the goal is to be marketable. To have kids want to emulate you. "If you do a contest only, it is one day and then it's over. Sure the X-Games might replay on TV a couple of times, but that's it. With videos you can get a 2 1/2- or 3-minute part and the kids watch the video literally every day." They say fame is fleeting, that everyone gets their 15 minutes. Wall knows that his career won't last forever, that not everyone has young kids wanting to be like them. "It's really cool," Wall said. "I've definitely been fortunate, I just want to keep doing it while it lasts. "I'm really just trying to enjoy it for what it is, a 100 percent dream come true. I really am appreciative of what I have, I really have been fortunate."

They just don't seem to understand that a website is a marketing tool. But it's always nice to know March Madness begins March 6th...

Ha, thanks for the tease!

So you are shooting film? All the better when you do it yourself. Before there ever was a Photoshop, we used to develop and print color 8x10's on deadline. Did you know you can dodge and burn color pretty much the same way as b&w? Using the same wand or hand masks... Some of my favorite pics were shot on b&w. I used to do a lot of Third World stuff and b&w made for better images. More stark, you know?