Johnny Style

I understood why they moved it. Raceway is a semi-hidden trail with bad lighting that is on the side of the mountain where the beginners are. Of course only the diehards would find it. Having it under a major lift near their base area makes sense for attracting new customers. The one major flaw with that theory is putting it on a hill that has no pitch. When the tubing hill right next to your course has more pitch than the race course, you have problems.

That is my normal Thursday plan, but with the change of the NASTAR course from Raceway/Widowmaker to Finish Line, I just don't feel like participating. I would rather give Bear Creek my money for their NASTAR course on Tuesday. There were lots of grumblings on Monday night among the race crowd about the new NASTAR course. I overheard a Blue race employee state that Blue's management thinks they will get one new participant for every old timer that leaves due to the course change. So far, they haven't.

Hi all, I'm back from a nice morning session at Blue. I expected cold temps and high winds but didn't really have to deal with them today. The drive through Cherryville by the carwash and school is a bit treacherous due to the winds blowing snow from the fields onto the road. The Sun is shining and the temps are crisp. The snow is oh so carve-able today. They had both the quad and the six pack running. Razors was the worst run of the day. I had to wait for them to finish grooming it and all they left were cookies and other assorted ice-things. Other than that, it's a great day out there. So if you are stuck at work reading this, come on out for a RAW session and you won't be disappointed.

I'm heading up early to remember how to use slalom skis.

I second the motion.

Great, thanks.

I was thinking the same thing, "Does the Sun every shine on the face of Blue." That flat light is a killer. I figured it got Sunnier in the afternoon; I guess not. It must be the Sun angle.

Great shot, I also like his pink Oakley Wisdom goggles.

I showed up two years ago with skis that turned at 24m when I needed skis that turned at 11m. I also had an outfit that made me look the Michelin Man. I skied the course "shouldering" gates like I was Phil Mahre in 1984. The point is, it doesn't matter, it's just for fun. I've seen you ski Justo, you'll be fine.

Worse case scenario: We head up on Monday. I'll bring a sign that reads, "we need racers for our team" and I'll walk around looking for new meat. I know there are people out there reading this saying, "I would love to do this, but I don't know if...." I felt the same way two years ago and am so glad that I decided to show up and participate. Do it.

I was up this morning and had a different opinion. I left by 11 so maybe things began to deteriorate, but I was thinking that the conditions were real nice today. Granted, I was on brand new tuned race skis so I didn't have a problem digging into the snow. They groomed over the bumps on Main Street so the trail is real wide. IMO, make the bumps on Challenge and leave Main Street wide open. Props to the guy today who was going inverted on the last feature on Sidewinder. He was getting lots of comments from the lift. For anyone interested in the first NASTAR race tomorrow, they are grooming Finish Line and it looks like they are trying to build up a bit more pitch. It's still hard to tell, and I'm not sure where they are going to put the starting gate yet, but sadly, it looks like the tubing track is more difficult than the NASTAR course this year. So come on out and enjoy the mountain, the conditions are fine.

There was a woman last year from one of the local towns that wanted to race. I can't find the old thread, otherwise I would give you her user name.

The turnpike at mile 60ish was closed down this morning as well. I like the 145 route because there are gas/food/bathroom options along the way. I'll check out the next exit on the turnpike and compare it to my normal route next time.

Thanks for the directions. That 309 route seems pretty good. 22 has been nuts the past two days.

The drive up to Blue was typical East Coast B.S. I left a little past seven and hit the slopes around ten. Three hours from Philadelphia to Blue is horrible, and I almost turned around. One of these days I am going to arrive at Blue in a good mood, rather than angry from being stuck in traffic. The skiing was real nice and I love being able to make the big turns on these empty slopes without fear of being hit by a local. It's cold out there today so I only skied for two hours. You folks heading up later should have a real good time. Toast may be one of the toughest guys I know. He had his wisdom teeth out two days ago and he skied in the equivalent of a wool blazer today, while I hid shivering behind a balaclava.

I made it up for a rare mid-week morning session, and let me tell you, that is the way to do it. You really have the mountain to yourself. Blue was relatively protected from the wind today and I stayed warm enough to be out there for a few hours even though the temps were raw.

I'll do it.

Seven Springs is legit. They don't have vert, that's a given, but they have the infrastructure. High speed lifts, apres ski options, hotel, etc. Seven Springs is owned by the Pittsburgh Pirates owner and they throw money into the place. I stopped by on two separate occasions back in 2008 while I had business in Pittsburgh. The Foggy Goggle bar is pretty cool, and it's not uncommon to find people in that bar that don't even ski. They just show up because it is that cool of scene. Seven Springs is the anti-Blue mountain. Back in the 1990s they were one of the few mountains that had seeded bump runs and mogul competitions. I don't know if they still do. If you live in western PA, Seven Springs rocks.

Exactly.

The "transition" is one of the issues I have, but not the only one. By the way, the "transition" has a name that I will not mention in this public forum. I don't think I have given you my opinions from last year yet; perhaps I will when we share our first chair together. Mbike-ski; I want to race but I don't have a team. I'm in for Monday nights. I just don't have any friends that want to race with me. I crashed and burned last year making that post asking for others to race with. If I do the Monday night races than I will do the Tuesday night clinic to get some gate training. I probably won't do the clinic if there is no Monday night team. P.S. - I am writing to you from inside the hallowed halls of justice in City Hall, Philadelphia. Don't tell the client. "No your honor, I'm not ready for my cross-examination, I have to finish my post on PASR first. May I request a recess?"

I kind of think I made a mistake, but we'll see. It will be good to ski with all of you, it's the regular Blue patron I worry about. Last year was not a good one for me at Blue.

Reluctantly, I made the leap.

Shot in Breckenridge; but that one dudes cowboy outfit pretty much captured some of the characters you might see.

Yes it is. You can see the driveway from the house at the top jutting off. You also captured most of Snowmass Creek. Great photo.

I remember that guy because he was way too laid back to be working in customer service. It took him forever to figure out that situation. Hopefully he was faster this year and didn't give you grief over your expired school ID.