Lando

Yeah I'm pretty stoked about the whole trip, I have an AT setup from the time I spend in UT each year. Its Naxo 21s with Armada ANTs, it works well though I am not looking forward to all the touring in alpine boots. I would love to have AT boots but I don't have the money considering I am changing careers. By the way did you see the new Marker Dukes ? I am totally in love with them now, only good product marker has ever made.

Your desire to go has forced my hand to some degree, last night my cousin and I decided we are going two weeks from now right after I quit my stupid job. I have no idea what we are going to find but I'll post a TR. As is the usual with our planning we still have only the basics figured out.

legally you can't sign away you right to sue regarding negligence. Basically all waivers at the end of day are BS if you got enough money and time there worth jack.

This shouldn't have happned, in Colorado, between the Skier Safety Act of 1979, and the Senate Bill 80 of 1989, it is extremely difficult to bring this type of case to court. It has been tried, and most have been summarily dismissed. Even appeals to the State Supreme Court have not been successful. These laws are NOT applicable when machinery has been involved (snowmobiles, lifts, snowcats, etc). In my opinon similar laws should be passed nationwide. The ruling is based on about a billion things some of which have nothing to do with the design of the hit, thank god the judge stepped in and cut the award in half.

I could be more respectful but I won't be. His decision is not what this thread was about. Sorry, I didn't see there was a thread already on this. I'm a corporate attorney, generally I'm litigation but our firm has a long relationship with the insurance industry. Also my cousin is snow sports director of a midsize ski area. I didn't want to start a discussion over the moral question, rather what effect this will have on small areas. There is a crap load of talk in the industry about this right now and it would frankly suck to see a McPark approach to snow sports.

In case somehow you managed to miss all this here is the original story http://www.saminfo.com/news/article.php?tid=1333 I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of the decision the dude made to pursue litigation, rather what effect it will have on the smaller resorts. I don't have any hard stats on this but it does seem like the influx of riders because of the parks has kept a lot of the smaller mountains going. Doe failed but Bear seems to be doing pretty well from what I heard though that has alot more to do with the hotel and stuff. Because of the career I happen to be in I have heard a ass load of talk about this, some mountains killed the bigger hits, others have talked about no park next year and still others have done nothing. The only thing that is certain is that insurance premiums have and will continue to rise. Youths tend to drive sports and if you take them out of the snow sports equation things are going to get amazingly boring. Any thoughts ? P.S. About a billion people hit this jump before the tool bag above did, all had no problems.

Yeah the driving is a pain in the ass, sometimes it seems like my whole life is spent in the car. The west is definitely the place to be but if you got to be here there is still stuff to do. I can show you were the good stuff is but I'm calling for a ski off! hahah Highway Starr reference maybe some of you will know who that is. I think what we really all should do is just get it over with and move to Alaska.

A little EC stoke - all at Stowe One more at a secret location

I here nominate the haven't been to the right places. Tuckerman is mad mad steep and icy, the hairest skiing I can remember was at Tucks. Stowe has stuff everywhere that would give you a run for your money, it isn't Chugach but stump, the steps and the real kodak moment Waterfall would put your nuts in your stomach. 20 to 25 foot cliff with a landing that at best runs uphill all right under the gondi. Mansfield is covered with challening terrain and so is Big Jay and Little Jay. If you want to get real crazy and get into the BC stuff, Gotham in NY is straight insanity look in up online its in ADK's near Camp Peggy O'Brien. Tugs hill too. The point is there is so much stuff on the EC but alot of it isn't on the trail map and even more isn't at the resort. The east can challenge you just as much as the west but not alot of people are doing it. Check out Meatheads films. They cat ski in Newfoundland. Oh and your sig is slightly distracting

You can definitely do, but you have to ask yourself some questions first. Do I have winter camping gear? Do I know how to winter camp? Do I have avy gear and training? Can I ski 50 degree shit that isn't groomed? There are some more questions of course but if you answer any of those with possibly the exception of three in the negative stay home. Gapers f themselves up there all the time because they don't use there head. It may be 60 at noon and -20 six hours later. I highly recomend that if you go that you go with a partner or a group. If you can't find someone pm me and you would be welcome to join ours. Also Mt. Washington is on the EC but generally is far nastier than alot of the 14ers out west. In 2000, we stood on the summit in 50 degree sunny weather by the time we hit Hermit Lake the weather went completely ape shit. 70mph winds and incredably cold. The BD tent more than paid for it self that night. If you want to ski Tuckerman but don't want the above do it as a day trip. If you are there by 8 you can ski for a 5 or 6 hours and leave the same day. (even more if coverage on Sherbourne is good) Go prepared and have a blast the place is really cool.

Too bad the mountains flat....Slowkemo

I have skied for almost my entire life, mostly on the east coast but I have taken trips to almost everywhere and lived at a bunch for a couple of months. In all my travels I have never seen a orginization that is so dedicated to its customers. At Alta you can't ask the general manager questions, at Stowe AIG doesn't drop 50+ million into overhauling the mountain, at Kicking Horse they don't have customer apreciation days. You get all this at a 500ft vertical mountain in SE PA that has some of the most progressive park features on the east coast and all things considered does a pretty good job of being open as much as is possible. Stop bitching they don't owe you anything, and as far as mother nature is concerned there are no promises. Its a bussiness they have to make money, so realize as much as theortically they may want to stay open or give you free food they still have to make money end of story.

Yeah I got Tuckerman's chute but the top section of the mountain of the tram was getting blasted. Only at Jay can you get 40" and the top 1/4 of the mountain will be nothing but ice. Dipper was insane but I missed the XC trail back and had to walk 242. Everglades, Cayon and Staircase were just sick. I'm at Stowew next week and Smuggs the week after that but I could come over to Stowe. I got a small crew of guys from UV in Burlington that know the goods at Stowe BC who would be more than happy to show you around. Its not cockwaving so if you go to Stowe all the time I apologize in advance. Let me know if you want to meet up .

Beautiful pics, the Mt Clayton Gate of Great Western is some of the best meadow skipping in UT and I never see anyone out there. Just remember to come back left when you hit the creek bed or its a walk back to Brighton.