sibhusky

I have a really loud whistle on my neck when I ski. The question, of course, is whether I can get to the whistle without causing more snow to fall around me. Same with getting skis off. I read somewhere (maybe in that article?) that now snowboarders are more likely to die in tree wells (the two here were both boarders) because they don't have release bindings and poles to get to them so they can't get their equipment off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lePo_lF_jloVideo, lots in East Rim Video of the Day, lots filmed in East Rim

Those of you skiing out West this year may not be as safe as you think skiing off piste. Here at Whitefish, we've now had two snowboarders die in tree wells. Both supposedly CAME with friends, but the friends were not around when they needed them. Please, read this article (hitting Next through the whole thing) and especially remember: It is critical to ski or ride with a partner who remains in visual contact with you at all times. If you and your partner choose to ski or snowboard in ungroomed areas your partner must: Always stay in visual contact so that they can see you if you fall. Visual contact means stopping and watching your partner descend at all times, then proceeding downhill while he or she watches you at all times. It does NO GOOD if your partner is waiting for you in lift line while you are riding down. Stay close enough to either pull or dig you out. If you have any question about what "close enough" to assist someone in a tree well is, hold your breath while you are reading this. The amount of time before you need air may be how much time your partner has to pull or dig you out of danger. Other factors such as creating an air pocket or the position you fall in, may affect this critical timeframe. Remember, if you lose visual contact with your partner you could lose your friend. It is important to know that most people who have died in deep snow or tree well accidents had been skiing or riding with "partners" at the time of their accident. Unfortunately, none of these partners were in visual contact so they were not able to be of help in a timely manner. I personally was scared a bit when reading Big Mountain ski-related death history to find someone had died on Good Med in a tree well. I ski there all the time without a buddy. I'll be giving those trees a wider berth after seeing some of the tree well pics in that article.

Wow, I thought Elk was better than elsewhere. I always lock my skis, even here in Montana, because sometimes people take the wrong ones AND not everyone skiing here is from Montana. I always wonder about all the locals not locking their skis and think, "Don't you read the Police Blotter?" During a race at Red Lodge, I came back to find a major kink in the wire where someone tried to cut it. (With what I don't know, because the cable isn't all that great.)

When are you guys coming again?

I appreciate beer because it costs less to develop a palate for different beers than it does to develop a palate for wine.

If you're "core", here's your event...race up, then race down, and up and down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpf2PpKGzMI&feature=player_embedded More info If I'm catching the right place, Picture Chutes. Siblet once took me there. I about killed her. I think I cried (well, almost) the whole way. She thinks it's fun. I am too afraid of dying. Sling Shot or Gray's (either side) are fine, but keep me away from cliffs, please.

Did everyone watch the video?

YESTERDAY was great. Got my first run in Good Med since April 09 (which I only got to at the end of the season due to recovering from knee surgery). Before that was the 07-08 season. Good stuff. Today, not so good. We got another 6 inches of heavy stuff and even the groomers were really really tough to get through, because it came AFTER they groomed. I left after 3 runs, figuring I have a whole season ahead of me, why tear an ACL this early? Yesterday in Good Med:

Not real estate. They are just penny pinchers. We no longer have the NorAms here because they lost money (supposedly) on the event. Next year they are cutting loose the race team, in spite of the fact that last year they made a profit. The new management philosophy is if the department doesn't make money, it doesn't have a future. The plan is to make money on operations and not rely on real estate, because in the long run, you don't have any more real estate to sell. So, they don't do "glossy". I.E., there are some SLOW chairs, they don't blow much artificial snow, they don't groom the entire place to death. Although it is family-oriented, it is really SKIER ("core") oriented. We have to be. The fog will deter the people who only ski 6 or 7 days a year.

http://espn.go.com/a...ng-whitefish?as And I love this part: "After lunch, I skied with Donnie Clapp, the resort's PR director. On one chair ride Clapp's resort radio crackled and a voice came over the airwaves, "Total resort visitors today: 983." Clapp gave a little, "Nice" as he heard the news. Really? Under a thousand people and the PR guy is stoked. I was shocked."

Take it up with him. He's got 30 years worth of records.

Tony' Crocker's site has moved. New La Nina page.

You must think I have a job to pay for that! I can barely afford to pay for the lift ticket and locker here. Maybe when Social Security starts....

Hey, Jeff! Bad visibility and flat light? Welcome to my world.

What time do the lifts open? And where exactly is the lift (never been there)? I'm sure on a holiday week we'd have people at the lowest lift at that time, even if it was -7.

Nice report, even food info thrown in for Doug. Like pic 2. What time of day was pic 1?

I'm sure he said it just to irritate.

Good reason to put the bar down. Won't always save you, but it would cut down on the likelihood a bit.

I don't know where exactly his condo is, but some of them are a good ways up hill and over.

The holiday crowds have arrived here. This trail is normally totally empty.

The Village at Camelback is the name of the condo development on the mountain. So, dick bag, maybe you should pay attention to what he is actually talking about. Normally, to get back home from there, you either head down the Birches or head up the far right chair, then get off and cut through the trees to your house. Every once in a while, they surprise you by shutting down Birches or that far right chair. Major hassle to get home then. I had a place there for 20 years.

Years ago I headed down Mark Antony in the AM, hung the right after the elbow turn and continued down to Oak Lane (or whatever the Oak thing is) and ended up at the base of the bunny hill. No chairs were running. I had to hike up the damn hill to get back to the Sullivan chair. I complained to Sam Newman, who was president at the time and he had the nerve to tell me that part of the mountain was closed off and I wasn't supposed to have skied it. Well, there was definitely nothing blocking the trail down anywhere when I went down, no cones, no poles, no ropes and I not the "shortcut" type. I was steamed!!!

One of my favorite places in the world is the town of Neustift which is in that valley. I've been several times there for "hut hopping" in the summer. I hope to go back sometime (again the summer) with Siblet. I learned to ski in Austria many many many years ago and one thing I learned, that is the Rockies have the best skiing, but the towns of Austria and the apres ski experience makes the lower quality snow worthwhile.

Now here's our standard view: