method9455

Are you serious? It's not discrimination its the facts. Discrimination would be not hiring a guy to be ski patrol because they're black, not because of what gear they use. Fact is - most ski patrol hire both. But IF you could do both equally - I think 90% of the time you would want to ski instead of snowboard on the days you are patrolling. Thats what I'm going to do. It is mind boggling to me for snowboarders to think that they can get around as well as skiers - it just doesn't work that way. Do you ski? If you have skied do you ski as well as you snowboard? Snowboarding is great going downhill but snowboards are designed to be fun. Skis were designed as all terrain vechiles by the nordics hundreds and hundreds of years ago. They are used by the military to reach places that you can't on foot. We just play with a really refined version of it for fun - but originally they were designed to travel through snow both up and down hills faster than you can on foot. On a snowboard you are only going downhill, fast, and while its fun no one would think of using a snowboard to get from one town to another during a snow storm! For reference: At my shop of the guys who are out there all the time, there are 5 guys who can ski and board equally well and travel a lot. There are 2 snowboarders only and 1 skier only. Of the 5 guys who do both, (including me) all started skiing, skied for about 10 years, switched at some point to snowboarding, snowboarded for about 5-6 years, and are now all switching back to skiing. Why? Because it SUCKS when you are in a mixed group of people in the back country to be snowboarding. If it was all snowboarders sure its fun and no one cares. But it is so much faster and easier to traverse on skis than on snowboards. Last week a bunch of guys from the shop where in Whistler - they got about 12 inches a night. If you had to unstrap and get off your board you'd sink down to your waist in snow. The skiers just walked through it no problem. When you are traversing out sideways - it is much easier to do it on skis. On a snowboard you need snow shoes in your pack or you need to boot pack a trail which is SLOW! I'm not saying it isn't do able, but it is slower. If I'm a patroller - things that slow me down from getting to someone is an issue. So sure, it doesn't really matter on the east coast - but out west, its a different story. And if you go back and look this whole thing started as a debate about skier versus snowboarder - and the patrol does a lot more than just drag sleds around so doing avalanche control on a snowboard isn't all that easy either.

Yep, completely downhill. I'm not sure its really the park crew's fault - they just haven't been open enough, and when they have been open so little terrain has been open there is just no room for a park. This jibs are quality and the setups are nice, they just have had a space smaller than 1/4 of the Freedom Park at JF or 1/2 size of Come Around at Blue for it. Imagine if the Jiblab guys had snow of Laurel Glade at Camelback what they could do? Instead they were given a piece of snow about 50 feet by 200 feet both times and are expected to accommodate a couple hundred park riders. Its ridiculous.

Well you'll probably get a lot of the park people going to JFBB from the northern jersey area - a lot of the guys from Mountain Creek have moved to JFBB now. I've noticed that most of the more serious guys in my area (Morris County NJ) have moved to JFBB already since Creek has had nothing - where as in the past none of us ever went. Even on the Mountain Creek forum, last year 0 of us went out to JFBB, now all the regulars have converted. So a lot of people who ski at night after work might end up going to Camelback instead, but a lot of park people are going to JFBB now instead so its a wash. Its just a different crowd but I bet it is a better business decision for JFBB in the long run. They just don't have the terrain at Big Boulder for it to be competitive on the regular skiing riding side, so this is something they can do that will push them into #1 despite their small size. Probably the best solution would be put some lights on JF, maybe 1 trail on East Mountain, Challenge, and DeMatts and Exhibition. Then after school/work skiers could hit up east mountain/Challenge off 1 lift, and DeMatts Exhibition off another. THats only 2 lifts running, minimal services, and you need to add lights. That would satisfy pass holders.

It's no longer a trail actually. I think they just consider Pipeline all the way down, and they disconnected the part that came off of Southern Sojourn. I believe there was originally thought of more trails to the skiers left of pipeline that would dump down onto Granite View - because it didn't make much sense really. It took a lot of snow for almost no skier traffic. As a snowboarder, barely possible to make it down that trail without unstrapping at some points. Its not the first trail that no longer exists, its too bad that skimaps.com is dead but you could see there used to be more trails on South and Vernon.

If any day is going to be epic it will be Tuesday. By next weekend and beyond things will start getting to their normal Pocono state. I.E. hard as hell from daily melting/freezing/grooming cycles. Right now we still have the "fresh" man made snow, but it gets beat up without natural snowfall refreshing things. The atmosphere is setting up for some natural snowfall but nothing just yet, so looks like things are finally open but the sooner you take advantage the better.

Moguls and snowmaking whales are too different things. To make moguls you should flatten the trail first and then blow more on top for the moguls. Otherwise the middle of the trail ends up being really high compared to the edge. I've never been a fan of moguls in the poconos - it seems they get iced up and scraped off a lot more than moguls in Vermont or out West, which means they just become a bitch.

thats fucking rediculous

Well the setups are undeniably a hell of a lot better. Boulder is like a properly set up race course. Blue is like a racecourse where there is a gate, and right next to it a giant mogul right where you should be going and it throws you completely off. And there is no reason for that mogul to be there. Boulder is just smoother, and done right. Blue has a lot of potential but the setups are wrong. Note - that is based on last year, I haven't seen sidewinder this year but doesn't sound any better than last year.

Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. I think putting a sign up somewhere that says do not walk across the top or your ticket will be clipped - and then have a ranger clipping tickets for it scare people off from doing it will solve that problem real quick.

ha that has to be one of the more classic posts of all time. i have no idea what part of that is true/untrue or what the fuck it means, but thats just great

Hey, so not much activity in here but a little on the current state at MC. Parks: Half moon with a beginner flat box and a beginner battleship box, and small table top is open. From there go down horizon to Sayonara where there the same setup of 4 big jibs. That is a flat box on the right into the 50+ foot down flat gap down box. The left side is a 40 foot double barrel into a flat gap down box, about 60 foot total. Snowmaking on Sugar Jib & Khyber. No snowmaking on Independence or Exhibition yet, tiny bit on the pipe but not much. Park features probably coming to Sugar Jib next, then the main park excluding Independence. No promises on dates but they're making a lot of snow. Freeriding: Great Northern and Indian Pass are open for free riding. A lot of snowmaking the last few days, and they opened them ungroomed. So man made powder, now bumps. Not sure how long that will last but I suspect they will just fire up the guns everynight and put more and more down as they get closer to building stuff. Should be lots of fun for the next few days. Lower eagle is in the same state as well. Zero G and Upper Eagle are close to open. The long green trail (Horizon) is in excellent shape, as well as a few more on Granite. Once Zero G and Upper Eagle are open, snowmaking on Pipeline and Devils bit will be next and they'll be 100% on Vernon & Granite for free riding. Parks are coming soon. Not sure exactly what the deal is with South yet. I've heard rumors a pump is broken, and they're awaiting parts. I've also heard they plan on opening it eventually - still plenty of cold weather left and weekends left. I'd probably rather they just pump out more on Vernon and Granite and stay open later at this point but not sure whats going to happen with that.

Hell yea when I'm 60 I'm still going to ski through the park to see what kids are doing - I'll just stay out of the way.

I like the QP at the bottom. The skiers left wall looks pretty rough on the height although it doesn't really matter since you only use a 6" wide section at a time, it is just unsightly. That is one of those rushing to get it open things, usually they let the snow sit in piles for like a week and then push it around so it is denser, but I appreciate CB being one of the first to open a pipe. The size looks good, a little less than a super pipe but enough that you can actually ride it the right way. I'm looking forward to hitting it.

you know whats sweet - Firefox 2.0 has spell check built right in so it corrects your comments on a message board and you never have to worry about spelling again

Right, it has nothing to do with the person, it is just the fact that skating is really inefficient on a snowboard, standing is a bitch, moving uphill is a bitch, etc etc, its not really contentious and thats why I said if I do ski patrol I'm going to switch back to skis for it. I'm a snowboarder at heart, but some day I think I'm going to switch back since skiing is easier for stuff like that.

Thats awesome. I love when its really cold those fan guns make a ridiculous amount of snow.

Seriously guys, watch a 91 Words for Snow, watch the Best of TB series, watch anything about avalanches - and what do you see? People on skis doing avalanche work, and when they're done snowboarders go in and ride it. It isn't a knock on snowboarding or snowboard culture - it is a fact. Its like saying you want to plow a snow covered street with a motorcycle. Ok great, the motorcycle is more fun, but there is just no doubt skis can more easily access areas and people, and do it faster. To me that says they make better patrollers - its not hte people, its the gear.

I really like East mountain, some real skiing to be had in PA. As for cats on steep slopes, a winch cat would make it possible - Mountain Creek has one to groom Pipeline and Camelback has one as well. check this picture out: From the Mount Hood blog - read the Dec 30th entry on grooming one of the steepest bowls in the northwest.

I won't deny that it seems like a lot of people attack you and seem to think they know who you are. I'm undecided on Peak. They brought in a lot of money for snowmaking and parks - but the Parklogic move was bullshit. I would say to me its neutral - someone else could come in and do better, but people could certainly be doing worse.

Sidenote Aspera joined 2 days ago - and then goes and attacks DHarrisburg and Oakley who are among the more intelligent of posters here in his first post. Not to mention his home mountain is Breck and hes posting on PASkiandride. When you want to talk about looking like an idiot - maybe you should read your own posts first. You took a generally uncontroversial topic and started yelling and acting like a moron so, good work. Maybe Teton Gravity is more your place - they're brutal over there.

Thats true its the CB MB crowd probably has been forced to come over here, its not the people who have been here a long time that are fighting. Although CB MB died about a year ago, the new website just made it official. I dunno - as a snowboarder and a skier I think it is easier to control a sled from skis. I don't think anyone can deny that skis have some all terrain advantages over snowboarding. It isn't culture or anything, it is just simply easier to do some things on skis. Traversing flat ground in powder - sucks hardcore on a snowboard. Moving uphill, not very easy. Standing upright for a while, not great. Watch some backcountry snowboarding videos and you'll see a lot of the guides are on skis. It is just easier. Why else do they split boards? So you can get to where you need to be, and then you can come down as a snowboarder.

I still have faith it is going to snow soon

yea but weather wise bear creek and mountain creek are much closer to each other than JFBB - almost all the early days JFBB made snow Mountain Creek couldn't have except for like 3. Also Mountain Creek's SnoLab 26 is based on a 26 degree wetbulb temperature for optimal efficiency, although I believe they can make snow at warmer temperatures than that.

Thats sick. With the snow around it looks a lot more sane, can't wait to hit it. It will most likely be the best feature in PA this year, I expect a lot of good pictures from it.

Lucky for your one pieces are coming back in style. Quicksilver had a ladies one, there were plenty of one pieces for sale in the catalogs - and next year its even worse. (Although thankfully most clothes next year are tamer than this year)