Ski

Yet! People race because they like to go fast. Some jib, some like powder...I'd answer for them, but they also seem like obvious answers.

I called again and they finally put up a recording...I guess they got tired of pissed-off passholders. Opening day is pretty vague: "Week of December 20th". Boomer is the best run at Montage. Tuck the flats down to the headwall, then catch air off the blind take-off.

Look how low on his shin guard that he's "shinning" the gate, 'Dude. His line is so tight that the gates sometimes come down and hit and break his skis.

I meant Montage. Big Bear and Tanglwood both open before Montage. "once again montage f*cks up" is exactly right.

Not open until "sometime next week"....

Yeah, but Elk's twice as far for me. Montage is perfect when things are up and running. Since I have to ski at a lot of different areas during weekends, I need someplace really close that I can just hit for an hour or two on weeknights. I'm anxious to see what Big Bear at Masthope is like. I think that's where I might go next season for passes.

It is physically f%#@ing painfull how they run that mountain. I don't think they could screw things up more if they tried.

Montage raised season pass prices, but are still pretty cheap. Weekend junior passes are $35, compared to a buck more at CB; Blue is $45 if you are 16, or older. And Montage is sure never crowded. Wednesdays at CB are more crowded than a Saturday at Montage. Lifts are slow, but they have better steeps than anywhere else in PA. Don't know how the park features compare.

The paved area is what I was asking about. But I got a postcard that invited us to the "open house" to show off the changes they made at the lodge. We were rushing, so I didn't look around. The only renovation I care about is fixing the water problem that kept them from blowing on Upper and Lower Fast Track. It's nice to do laps on that every once in a while and it makes the mountain ski a little bigger.

Thanks. I guess I've never been down at the lodge when there was no snow.

You, uh, aren't actually wearing to school, are you?

Where was 'Dude to say you are a wuss anyway?

The quote is from a specialist at a head/neck trauma web site...it appears on a bunch of sites, so it seems "accepted". My kid would never ski without a helmet. There's no arguement that it's safer for kids to wear them. Ski schools in Colorado have begun making them manditory for kids in lessons. My older daughter was saved from a fractured skull after race practice a couple of years ago. It was the end of the day and she was tired and just slipped in crud on a blue run. Put a crack in the back of a high-end helmet. I hate wearing a helmet. I have to for races, but that's the only time...I figure what's going to happen will happen...

"Another concern about ski helmets is that they introduce a minor risk of neck injuries; the lower rear edge of the helmet acts as a pivot point that can cause an anterior translation spinal injury. Helmets may also increase the risk of whiplash injuries in small children because their necks are weaker."

Yep, they gave in last season and took her picture, even though they kept acting like it was the biggest waste of their time. And we picked up our passes for this year last week. I was just waiting for them to tell her that she couldn't have her picture taken and get a pass...she would have gone postal.

Yep: Jr I-II Whiteface Races Rescheduled Due to weather conditions the WF events have been rescheduled as follows - Wed Dec 15th - SL and Thurs Dec 16th - GS. Please let NYSEF know if you would like to stay in the race or would like to be pulled. NYSEF will be making refunds for the Alumni Opener that was supposed to be held on 12/11/04, 12/12/04, 12/13/04, and 12/14/04.

Yeah, holding a season pass is exactly the same as buying a day ticket when getting a free pass for a kid. Doesn't have to be your own kid, or anything. As a matter of fact, you might look into getting him a free season pass, if you plan on taking him a few times. Just call the office and tell them you have a step son... The Montage policy was that even season pass holding parents had to go to the ticket window for a comp pass for their kid every time they skied. I told them that was nuts and that if they wanted my business, they had to make her a season pass. Montage is a crappy place to take a kid skiing if you can't ski down to one of the lifts, then ride up and ski over to the lodge. It's like three long flights of stairs otherwise. There was just no way I was buying us a family season pass, then standing in line 30 times for her to ski. And they faught me over this year again, which helps explain why they lose money.

Sorry, Sib, I meant to say "Finals" (March 11-17, at Okemo), but thanks for bringing me up to speed. JO's used to be just national, but they created regionals since so many racers couldn't travel out west. I believe they've left J3 JO's alone as regional.

Where you place doesn't matter, especially racing out of state. It's how close your time is to the fastest racer. Like NASTAR in a way, since in NASTAR nobody really knows what placed they finished, only what their handicap was. In Vermont races, you may have 40 guys within a second of each other on a 50 second course. The better the competition, the more clumped together at the top they are. USSA racers are racing against every other kid in their age group in the US. 'Dude started this season the 3021st ranked slalom racer in the US among 15 to 19-year-olds. There are 6000 or so in his grouping. He probably moved up 150 spots with today's finish. The advantage to being a PA racer is that the top 2 or 3 earn invitations to the Junior Olympics. Although they are heavy underdogs when they get there, it's still an opportunity to have the race of your life and get looked at by the US Ski Team.

The 'Dude raced a slalom today at Killington against the best skiers in the East and some of the best in the US. Pennsylvania racers head north in the early season to lower their "points", which is like a golfers handicap. The better the competition, the lower you can get your points. His scoring today was the equivalent of a top 20 finish at a PA race, so he earned himself a better start bib when his PA races start.

The skis in the illustration had to have come from a Salvation Army dumpster.

~agreed~

I was rushing when I picked up our passes and didn't get a chance to ask about the change in front of the lodge. Anyone know what the deal is with the big paved area out by the Shuttle Triple chair? And the brilliant idea to hike season pass prices so high seems to be showing effects already, since they had to extend the sale period another week. One good thing is that Montage gives you a free lift ticket for every season pass you buy...CB used to just give a discount off of an overpriced tune-up.

Hehehehehehe...pile on DaveK!

And just how much of a lame sellout was it for CB to sell the rights to NBC10, then allow them to point the camera at meaningless objects 80% of the time? Then they use the excuse that "we don't operate the camera, so complain to NBC". CB could spend a miniscule amount of money and provide a nice little webcam feature, but they just can't help themselves from making a few extra bucks. They should just fire DaveK.