sibhusky

I guess as someone who has skied Elk, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, Shawnee, Blue, Blue Knob, Seven Springs, Mountain Creek (and back when it was Vernon/Great Gorge) and Camelback over a 25 year period, I have to comment. First of all, any mountain you ski all the time will gain from familiarity. That is, once you know the mountain's rhythms, the crowd issue diminishes. You know how to time your breaks, when to get there, when to ski which trails, etc. I like Elk's ambiance, but haven't found a trail there that keeps me challenged. I love cruisers, though, and they have some GREAT cruisers, so when you combine that with the ambiance it's a winner. I think over time the slow lifts would drive me nuts, though. Jack Frost, Big Boulder, and Shawnee are the pits. Once you know how to ski, there is NOTHING there to interest you for more than about 15 minutes. Maybe there is some terrain park there for boarders, but as a skier they are not worth the trip. Seven Springs has the unusual feel in Pennsylvania of being a "destination resort", but the runs are spread around a lot and the integration of the various sections leaves a lot to be desired. They don't funnel into a base area very well, and some of them are really short. Plus, it's clear on the other side of Pa. Blue had a terrible cafeteria set up with the smoke from the bar getting to most of the eating areas in the place. Some of the black runs are terrific, but the bottom of those runs has safety issues with the boarders, beginners, and experts all converging into what I can only call a large field. Blue also has the same ice and crowd issues that Camelback has. The only benefit is there are less NYC people, so that the populace is more "blue collar", less "glitz". I don't feel there is good integration of the two parts of Blue into "one mountain". Camelback is well located from an access standpoint, which is why it gets so many crowds. They have a great variety of dining options and those who know can actually have a relaxing lunch without a lot of stress. Most of the buildings are smoke free. They have one challenging run, Cliffhanger, and some runs that are challenging, but way too short (all the central blacks) as they dump onto runouts half way down. They do a good job of managing their crowds and as many of us have said, there are "secret chairs" if it gets really bad. They do seem to have a high level of skiing jerks there, possibly because they are so accessible. They do a good job with their snow. Major problem areas in past years (I once called Honeymoon Lane "Suicide Alley") seem to somehow have been improved over the years to where they are not quite as bad as they used to be. (I think that the new groomers have created a surface that holds up a couple of hours longer, enough for me to get all MY feet in, anyway. I used to leave at 2 PM, last year I skied there I was able to get thru until 3 or 4.) Anyway, comparing any of the Pocono areas to each other may be splitting hairs for the most part. Most of their problems come with their location -- lack of real vertical, closeness to large metro areas, lack of natural snow. The reason Elk keeps getting mentioned is it doesn't have these built-in problems to the degree the other areas do. It would be nice if they ever got enough money to throw some more of it on the lifts and the mountain, but the lack of crowds actually causes their lift issue.

There were a number of incidents of bears ripping off garage doors and demolishing sheds. We apparently had two very busy bear people darting bears and transporting them elsewhere. The siblet saw bears on six different occasions while driving in the AM. I, of course, only saw my bears when hiking in Glacier. Yesterday AM there was a herd of elk, though, crossing the street right in town. At least I got to see them!

The ski area here doesn't mind if you ski when they are closed as it's mostly federal land which you have a right to access. BUT supposedly the grizzlies mind. In the autumn they are trying to pack in as much food as possible before they go to sleep. (This year we had a problem in the valley with both black bears and grizzlies because the huckleberry crop was poor.) In the spring it's been a long time since they ate, so when they wake up they are feeling pretty ornery. SO, you can ski, but you better be ready with your bear spray, and watch those blind corners on the way down the hill!

He's not the addicted picture taker that I am.

It depends on the forest service rules at the particular resorts. But, basically "Altitude is better than latitude" when determining where the best snow should be. So, check out the base elevations of your proposed destinations to guess at potential snow quality at the end of the season. In Colorado, that would mean your best bet would be Copper or, of course, Arapaho. I think early April is a terrific time to ski, but would have severe reservations about any snow in May. After all, if you are going to spend all that money getting there, it should be prime stuff, not messy leftovers. Another thing to check is the timing over the years of precipitation. Frisco, Colorado gets most of their inches of snow in December and January, a slight lull in February, then two more hits in March and April. Steamboat gets hit in December and January; Aspen January and February. We get ours in December and January. The link for all of these annual records is Annual Snowfall Averages Up here we close when the grizzlies wake up, so our closing date is already known -- April 10. That's why we open so late as well. I am sure if we ever become more commercial, money will take a back seat to grizzly habitat.

You can't tell me that wearing a pair of rental boots for one day will give you ingrown toenails.

EMT?

Yeah, right, I can see Sam snowboarding!

Better tell her "the lady with the bell who moved out west" or she'll never know who you're talking about.

Yes, I know both of them and I knew a bunch of that gang stayed down there.

June as in Shelley's friend? If so, tell her I said Hi.

The reason it was called Hell Half Acre was because of all the idiots not paying attention to the skiers' responsibility code and having collisions with each other, not because of any special terrain dispensation. They ended up with too many injuries. This was right where Big Pocono used to join Honeymoon and people would come hotdogging down Big Poke right onto the green trail without looking uphill, etc.

All I want to know is does it have a foot rest? I loved Alta except for the lifts. Everything else was perfect, especially the relaxed low key ambiance. No piped-in rap music, no glitz, just people who wanted to ski in perfect powder in a PEACEFUL setting. Wonderful. Being right next to Snowbird, the mirror opposite, made it even more apparent how much skiing has changed over the years.

Texas? Where in Texas has snow?

That's a pic of Bode Miller, NOT ski999!

As soon as I saw it, I knew they would delete it. And really, you shouldn't bad mouth them quite so publicly and then in the same post tout this board as it makes it look like this board is dissing them. You don't want to make problems for our board here.

Pictures from October 18th at 7:15 AM (it's starting to get light late here): Back deck: Two of the front of the house: Trees by the wood pile:

What nasty remark? I was just trying to analyze where the "cisco" and "1980" came from. Hit a nerve? If so, it was entirely by accident.

FOUR! YIKES.

The roof view is from siblet's room.

We have a large dog yard for all the huskies to play in.

The Kenmore grill is a hand-me-down from my brother's move to Scotland years ago. Which makes it about 28 years old and still working. Not bad for a free grill.

First dusting arrived last night. Not a lot of snow, but definitely snow:

It looks like I may have some snow pictures to put up in the next week. It's supposed to precipitate every day for the next week. Rain during the day and snow at night. As soon as I have visible snow on the lawn, I will post it.