sibhusky

Timeless, where are the pictures from? Went to your Photobucket and couldn't tell from that, either. Are these at Blue? Must be the east since there is still grass showing through this late in the season....

Is there no way the mountain would allow an "outside" group to set up gates and train? Although our mountain has sort of cast us off, it is possible to PAY for part of the mountain to be used at night for midweek training, etc. And if the parents can get a fundraising engine going, they should be able to pay for coaches. On-mountain office and team space becomes an issue, but maybe it can be rented? After all, now (unless they were bursting at the seams space-wise) they have empty areas in the building not being used because that is where the team was. I would think that if the mountain is approached in a way for them to see this "race club" as an outside group willing to pay for services, this situation (given sufficient parental support in terms of labor and fundraising) could be turned around. I think the mountain's motivation needs to be figured out and then a way found to accommodate that and re-think the way the team is operated. After all, most places accommodate bus groups, etc. This would be sort of a regular "special group".

Jeff thinks this is his personal playground and uses it to "spin" discussions all the time. No news there. I remember when this site was in its infancy and was a spin off from a site that had corporate-type moderation (no criticism of the ski area allowed), now it's "moderated" solely to please Jeff.

Wow. And that's East Coast pay. Siblet was paid more than that and she had no Race Coach certs, only on-hill experience. She plans to get some of the certs before next season to justify a pay increase. The coaches out here that travel due get gas and food and hotel reimbursement, not sure about the hours. The head coach, however, was a salaried, not hourly, employee, not sure about the two "main" assistants. Anyway, Rolf Mair has Level 200 certification. He also has various "officials" certifications. Reece McGregor has strictly "officials" certifications, no coach certs.

Type 3 just means he likes his bindings cranked up, it means ZIP when it comes to actual ability. There's all kinds of idiots out there cranking up their bindings to make up for the fact that their balance is off.

I have an interest in the death of any racing program, even if it's not my mountain. It's a sad sign of the times.

The POINT is that the ski bending is good. And, Jeff, if you weren't such a gaper, you'd be able to ski them on anything. I think your requirement to use bigger skis is just a sign of how much help you need to ski certain conditions. Or a conviction that anything bigger must be better.

Jibhonk, you're participating in a thread and you don't care about the topic, so why participate? GSS is right, if this were affecting you, you'd care. That's his point.

Sounds to me like they didn't like people getting a glimpse of other mountains, they didn't like paying coaches' expenses for trips, didn't like the higher salary demands of race coaches, and saw going elsewhere as lost revenue. Good luck on the kids skiing as independents, they must find a coach to "represent" them in captains' meetings. I'm sure coaches from other mountains will be just thrilled to worry about kids they are not being paid to represent. As a parent, I'd go elsewhere for racing. Not clear to me is if the head coach has changed? That might explain a lot. They have to be race coach certified beyond just local hill training in order to attend races, etc. The salary that the mountain is willing to pay might not cover the demands of a program director/head coach. Our Foundation has always subsidized the salaries of the main coaches in addition to what they were paid by the ski school. Just managing the logistics of who is going to be gone where each weekend for the different levels of competition, along with transport and any other trip requirements is way beyond the duties of a guy who just shows up to train.

From Volkl: From Backcountry: From theskiingexperts.com: So, I'll revise my statement that they are not meant for racing to they are meant to handle off piste while still handling the groomers. And basically, he's not asking if they are the BEST for powder, he's asking if they should bend. They do.

Yes, I initially thought the number unlikely, thought they must be counting AJ Kitt and friends in their coach numbers. Then I counted our coaches, compared it to the "roster" on the USSA site for the kids on the team and came up with roughly a 4 to 1 ratio here as well. I'm not sure that all the kids are USSA members, however, since some of the younger ones, on the Junior Race Team, I don't think ever went to "real" races, only Tommy Moe. But once you start considering you have someone setting courses, someone at the top of the run, someone at the bottom, coaches with kids elsewhere on the mountain who are not currently running gates, then more coaches with the kids on the team who are away at races, you start seeing how the number of coaches needed really adds up.

Doug, the training is the LEAST of it. And parents in PA should be thrilled to be in the East. When Siblet was at Camelback, an overnight was maybe once/twice a year. Rarely was transport more than an hour or two. Distances out west are another thing entirely. Every competition here except races HERE involved overnight stays and, as she climbed the ladder, even airfare. I figured the first year here, we dropped $10,000 on her racing, including equipment, lift tickets, comp fees, lodging, food, gas, airline tickets, and training. The next year I didn't add it up, knowing it was more, but preferring to remain ignorant. I remember a race at Mammoth, where they NEVER had a race that didn't involve cancellations due to weather or course conditions, it cost us $1500 a RUN. (After than go-round and based on past history of races at Mammoth, I stopped allowing her to go to those races, it was nuts.) If your kid is better than Siblet, who raced FIS, but did not qualify for all the Elite events, then it's even more. One of her friends ran through all her college savings chasing race points in hopes of making it big and ended up only being able to apply colleges that would give her a "full ride". She got in one of them. Fortunately, her grades were top notch and they had a ski team. Even more fortunately, when she injured her back and couldn't race after one year, they didn't rescind the scholarship.

Just to give you some perspective, here are the past season's rates for the race programs here: Program Price Junior Race Team (Sat. 9AM-3PM ages 8-12) Designed for those who want to take a step further towards the competitive skiing path. Participants are generally ages 8-12. Our coaches will blend all-mountain skiing, intelligent gate training & drills, terrain park & other tools in a curriculum designed to develop a strong skiing foundation. Participants should be strong intermediate to advanced skiers. Jr Race Team starts with Holiday Camp Dec 27-31, then trains on Saturdays through March 19th. $650 1 Day Per Week (Sat; Ages 8-14) The Saturday only program is designed for those just getting started with our programs. The focus is an introduction to Alpine Ski Racing. Our focus on sound skiing fundamentals development is guided by proven race training curriculum and includes both free-skiing and gate training. $900 2 Days Per Week (Sat/Sun; Ages 8-19) $1100 3 Days Per Week (Sat/Sun/Wed PM; Ages 8-19) $1350 4 Days Per Week (Sat/Sun/Wed PM/Thurs PM; Ages 8-19) $1650 Race Team Academy (Ages 12-19) For those competitors looking for a more intensive and comprehensive training environment, we offer the four day Academy that includes full afternoons of on-snow training on Wednesdays and Thursdays, as well as regular weekend training and competition opportunities. 4 Days per Week: Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays 1-6pm and Thursdays 1-6pm $2,350 "Junior" (i.e. ski school, not race team) Programs: Junior Programs Reg Price until Dec 31st Buckaroos ( ages 3-4; limited enrollment! first come, first serve ) Wed 10-12pm; Sat or Sun 10-12pm or 1-3pm Starts Jan 5,8,9; Ends March 9,12,13 Combo ski & play with kids center $305 Half Pints ( ages 5-6 ) Wed 10-12pm; Sat or Sun 10-12pm or 1-3pm Starts Jan 5,8,9; Ends March 9,12,13 $235 Development Program ( ages 7-17 ) Sat or Sun, 9:30-3:30pm with break 12-1pm Starts Jan 8,9; Ends March 12,13 $300 Custom Half Day 9-week program for kids; 8-week program for adults Price is a flat-rate for the group. Form your group of similar skills and interests. Pick your day, instructor, topics to address, skills to develop and activities to explore. Follow an existing program format or create something new. We can also help you plan a multi-day clinic or a different duration of a weekly program. Get a group together and coordinate with our staff to design the right program for your group. Participants should be of the same ability level, and children should be of similar ages. Based on availability. 2 hrs for Adults & Half Pints, 2.5 for Devo. 9 Week Program. Based on Availability. $1785 Custom Full Day 9-week program for kids; 8-week program for adults Price is a flat-rate for the group. Form your group of similar skills and interests. Pick your day, instructor, topics to address, skills to develop and activities to explore. Follow an existing program format or create something new. We can also help you plan a multi-day clinic or a different duration of a weekly program. Get a group together and coordinate with our staff to design the right program for your group. Participants should be of the same ability level, and children should be of similar ages. Based on availability. 4 hrs for Adults & Half Pints, 5 for Devo. 9 Week Program. Based on Availability. $2400

Timeless, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the Mantras (even if a junior version) the male version of the Auras? If so, they're for soft snow and SHOULD bend. They're not race skis, they're for off piste conditions. You roll over the edges and without needing speed the ski's camber inverts and you get the ski to turn easily in the powder. So I'm not sure what your issue is. The stiffer the ski, the tougher it is to ski off the groomers. I should know, my Outlaws are just a bit too stiff for me to enjoy tighter trees. Now, Siblet has the Auras and loves them MOST of the time because she's a racer at heart and an EXTREMELY GOOD SKIER in all conditions. The one issue she has is they are not quite wide enough for some of the conditions we've had here this year, but she likes that "race heritage" that Volkls have and in demoing other skis has found them lacking for the groomed areas of the mountain. I'm sure she'll continue demoing, but the fact is that I know she's commented that the Auras, while not being HORRID for tearing down groomers like some powder skis are, do tend to CHATTER when she rips it on the groomers. They are not as stiff as her race skis are because of their softer flex. Hence, they turn conditions which would be WORK (deep snow and chop) for her race skis into pleasure. (I used to have to listen to her complain a bunch before she had them.) Just yesterday they had the employee day on the mountain where the mountain is open for an employee picnic. She, her patroller boyfriend, and another patroller (who is very full of himself for his skiing abilities) went down something called Whitey's. Now Whitey's was nice just last Thursday, but since then we've had sun on it. So picture large clumps of sun-softened crud kicked up during the sunny day, on a very steep slope. Now freeze it hard as a rock. The patrollers, skiing much wider skis struggled like the dickens. She just hopped from one spot to another down the hill. They arrived shaken at the bottom and the guy who thought he was such a hot skier turned to her boyfriend and told him, he had to admit it, but Siblet could out ski him by a mile. Some of this was the skis, much was the skier. Getting back to the Mantras (assuming they are the male Aura), to me they are performing as they should be if they are bending. They are not as soft as some powder skis, but they have enough backbone to handle the firmer stuff. An "all-mountain" ski should never be confused with a "powder" ski. I'd call at this point, my Outlaws "all mountain" skis. They are in trouble when I have to make tight turns in heavier powder. To enjoy those conditions, I need to find a more flexible, wider, ski. And I plan to do that next season. But, for you, pick one. You either need to get him "all mountain" skis, which are never PERFECT for all conditions, or you want to get him "powder" skis to handle POWDER. I'm thinking he still should be on junior skis at his age. Unless he's darn heavy. Maybe he's "aggressive", but he needs to be able to bend the ski either by his weight or using skill plus speed. The speed factor will get to be an issue in off piste conditions.

Well, the race team here has been sort of given the boot, but that's not the way it was expressed. Basically, although the mountain will provide team rooms and coach space, support their events, etc., financially they will no longer support the team. It's on its own. First we lost the NorAms because in the mountain's accounting they lost money due to course prep expenses relative to lodging and lift ticket sales. Now the coaches, including Siblet, will no longer be mountain employees and fund-raising and coaching fees alone will be available to pay them. I think the mountain is letting its website be used to collect fees and then they will turn the money over to the Foundation. They see the little they will be doing as still "supporting" the race team. Given that with the recession, fund-raising has been WAY off, I don't know how the team will manage. I think mountains all over are increasingly looking to operations rather than real estate sales (about time!). However, with that mindset every department has to support profits and if the team doesn't PROVE how they MAKE money for the mountain, then they're in trouble. Here, I think a bad job was done of proving how much lodging was due to events initially. If they'd done a better job have having people use coupon codes when booking, they'd have more proof that they didn't cost the mountain as much money as thought. However, even though coupon codes were used, they weren't really advertised enough I think. Or people got housing in town instead and that wasn't fed back to the resort as at least supporting ticket sales. I've been sad to see this happen as even though Siblet is no longer a racer, I'd been thrilled to see the level of support from this resort relative to what we saw at Camelback. Now, from the initial wording of this thread, I got the impression that the team had been misbehaving and drawing complaints from other customers, which I used to see a lot of at Camelback and on and off, a bit here. I can't tell if that was the case or not, I'd like to see what was actually said. But if the coaches don't stress consideration and lack of racer cockiness from their kids, other customers get pissed off. The kids are probably being trained on the same trails as others and may be screwing around in lines. Being a race parent, I know how racers can be at that age. Here, on the other hand, a man I know was having his skis all stepped over by one of the kids, just happened to mention it to me (not knowing a thing about Siblet, just as a general complaint). I relayed it to Siblet along with a description of the kid. She knew immediately who it was and she and the Head Coach confronted the kid, whose jaw just dropped asking how they knew it was him. If coaches don't make this a priority then people start getting aggravated and the race team becomes a liability to the mountain.

Nah, they'd all want it for free because they're such good pals.

It is now. Last run view today. CLOSED FOR THE SEASON.

Okay, I uploaded it. By the way, there is still some kind of size limit on the pictures.

Unfortunately, to him that is "scenery", therefore not eligible.

More pics from today: East Rim Face in the AM, leaving my "signature": Langley trees in the AM, too bad the sparkles in the snow didn't show up: East Rim Face around lunch time, still NICE stuff: The nose at East Rim, friends coming down. The zoom takes away some of the sense of height and steepness. I came down this with Siblet a couple days ago, more to the right in the pic, beyond that rock. I now find out it's a double black, which I have a rule against!!! No wonder I was so freaked.

They always close Hellroaring Basin (which has the "best" skiing, but the worst lift) on March 31, at least since I've been here. And, I think it makes sense that the "back" side close as well, the habitat is similar. But...the front? We're allowed to hike for two more weeks after closing, does that sound like they are worried about bears? No, the real reason is they've told the employees since last year that a certain day is the last day. Many of the employees DO have other jobs lined up and there's a handful of South Americans who have already left. So, while I believe that if they polled their employees and did some shuffling of jobs that they could run Chair 1, it might be tough to keep open the restaurants and stuff. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM, THOUGH, IS THAT IN SPITE OF OUR PHENOMENAL CONDITIONS, THE PLACE IS EMPTY. On Monday and Wednesday, for instance, I heard that the total number of people was in the mid-400's, which includes people like me who have season passes. Unless all the tourons are getting shitfaced in the bar, you can't keep paying the salaries of all the employees. Yesterday was busier, but you'd still ski right on the chair at any of the lifts. I'm guessing there might have been 700 people yesterday. And, who is showing up for ONE day midweek? You got it, locals, aka season passholders. It makes for longlasting terrific conditions, of course, but it bugs me because I want them to make enough money to stay open longer!

View from The Face today in the PM. Wind blowing, refreshing the slope every run. FABULOUS! East Rim Face:

Our area closes this weekend, i can't believe it, there is over 12 feet of snow at the summit and 6 feet at the base. Today was just about the best ski day YET, deep powder everywhere and just unbelievable on every run. But....it's "grizzly habitat" and supposedly they MUST close because of their agreement with the Forest Service. Driving me NUTS!!!

I've said it before, "The best camera is the one you have with you." I stopped with the SLR-type camera years ago. Too much aggravation carrying it around. It's fine if there is some close up that you planned for, etc., but that's the rare picture IMO. Yeah, I could take somewhat better shots with a better camera, but most shots end up not being printed and blown up these days, most go on computer screens and you don't need hyper good quality for that.

Good grief. I think that "better than" is relative after a certain point. It all depends on your priorities. If you like EATING, like Doug does, well, then I'll grant you that the town of Aspen is a great place to do it. I would certainly say it's better than Bridger. It's even better than Montana Snowbowl.