Jack Frost Mountain 3-3-08 with photos

[RidgeRacer]

Hey all,

 

Just back from a sweet outing at JF. I got there around 9:45 or so to beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine and fairly empty parking lot. It was a bit chilly so I wore the jacket but that changed as the day wore on so I ended up regretting the jacket. I made my first run down Thunderbolt...The snow was groomed very nicely yet somewhat slow. (I really couldn't get any speed anywhere today.) From there I, of course, made my way over to East.

 

The east mt lift was pretty busy for a Monday in March. I think there was a fairly large youth or school group there today. I hit the usuals like river shot and Floyds. There is still lots of snow in the trees although it's pretty sticky, yet still skiable. I ventured over to Risk It but I really couldn't find a skiable line so I headed out to Floyds which was, once again, icy and probably the only trail that didn't have a wet sticky surface. Although it does look like they're letting it bump up once again which will be nice once spring corn harvest arrives.

 

I did hit the upper portion of Challenge / Challenge Glade then to exhibition..which again was a bit slow but really fun. Back to East to ski River Shot and into the gully on the final headwall to skiers right which was LOTS of fun. There is plenty of snow to plow down there...There are even moguls forming in it...I must have done this 6 to 8 times before calling it a day. Overall an awesome spring day at JF...Of course, due to the nice weather, I broke out the camera phone so enjoy the photos below.

 

Last river shot headwall on the run out towards the lift

 

Lot's of fun skiing off the side of river shot today which is fairly steep and requires hop turns or bombing it

 

Lift view of East mt and the Lehigh River

Edited March 3, 2008 by PA Ridge Racer

[method9455]

Yea I was hitting that gully on Saturday and have to say, it was the first thing that has given me pause free riding in a long time. I stopped on the edge and looked down and was like, ok I'll turn there, and there, and there, and pop out there. And I dropped in and immediately was at the point where I thought my 3rd turn would be, it was definitely the steepest thing I've ever done in PA. A lot of the gapers where looking at me like, what? Isn't that a cliff? East Mountain was kind of overrun with them from WMMR day.

[method9455]

Wow jump turns in PA..

 

Yea I'm warry of doing it on a weekend one bad snowboarder snow plowing down it would ruin it I bet, don't let the secrets out. Luckily it kind of gets refreshed as snow flows off the edge of rivershot. It was an interesting feeling on Saturday with the fresh snow getting loose under neith, very cool. The east mountain of Jack Frost is the most interesting terrain in PA. I did a glades run up top with fresh snow down to the steepest trail around here, what more can you ask for?

[Ski]

Nice pics, PARR! Really.

[RidgeRacer]

The east mountain of Jack Frost is the most interesting terrain in PA. I did a glades run up top with fresh snow down to the steepest trail around here, what more can you ask for?

 

Yeah East is kinda boring if you stay on the trail...The fun is venturing off it.

 

 

Nice pics, PARR! Really.

 

Thanks Ski ... I tried to avoid getting that darn blue barrel in these shots.

 

Wow jump turns in PA..

 

Yeah believe it or not. I mean you could bomb it down there but I personally wouldn't do it. That may be dangerous as snowsnakes are everwhere

Edited March 4, 2008 by PA Ridge Racer

[RidgeRacer]

Snowsnakes are scary..some of my worst falls have been from Snowsnakes..Ridge Racer are you skiing JF today? I wish I could get out and ski Blue before the Monsoons come..but I'm at work until 3:00PM or 3:30PM at least..by then there will be thunder and lightning..

 

I'm drinking my coffee now and should be out there in about 1/2 hour or so. I don't know how long I'll be there. Look for the TR later on.

[jordan]

Lot's of fun skiing off the side of river shot today which is fairly steep and requires hop turns or bombing it

thats the elevator

 

btw, you do a good job of making JF not look sucky in your photos

[RidgeRacer]

thats the elevator

 

btw, you do a good job of making JF not look sucky in your photos

 

lol....that's because I'm not taking pictures of "Frosty" and "Powderpuff"

[Miguel]

Yea I'm warry of doing it on a weekend one bad snowboarder snow plowing down it would ruin it I bet, don't let the secrets out. Luckily it kind of gets refreshed as snow flows off the edge of rivershot. It was an interesting feeling on Saturday with the fresh snow getting loose under neith, very cool. The east mountain of Jack Frost is the most interesting terrain in PA. I did a glades run up top with fresh snow down to the steepest trail around here, what more can you ask for?

 

Ah...another angry skier. First off....snowboarders don't "snowplow"....skiers do. Second....."hop skiing" does far more damage to the terrain than any snowboarder could ever do.

 

It's been my experience that when snowboarders slide sideways down the mountain, which they occasionally do, it doesn't really scrape off the snow so much as it's simply smooths it out. You could probably think of us as an army of community minded mini groomers. Seriousy....do you think that skiers don't disturb snow on the mountain? Where do you think mogels come from? I see very few skiers using their edges....most are swishing there tales around pushing snow just like the boarders. That argument about boarders ruining the snow is so old and lame....can't we just let it go. Please.

 

 

I'll leave you with my favorite T Shirt quote..."A day without snowboarding is.....well......like a day on skiis".

 

Have a great day, Miguel

[rgrwilco]

HAHA funny thing is miguel, method is a snowboarder.

 

anywho, sweet pics. ive always wanted to hit that but there was never enough snow when i was there.

[JibHonk]

what is a snowsnake? Are they like barking spiders

[toast21602]

Ah...another angry skier. First off....snowboarders don't "snowplow"....skiers do. Second....."hop skiing" does far more damage to the terrain than any snowboarder could ever do.

 

It's been my experience that when snowboarders slide sideways down the mountain, which they occasionally do, it doesn't really scrape off the snow so much as it's simply smooths it out. You could probably think of us as an army of community minded mini groomers. Seriousy....do you think that skiers don't disturb snow on the mountain? Where do you think mogels come from? I see very few skiers using their edges....most are swishing there tales around pushing snow just like the boarders. That argument about boarders ruining the snow is so old and lame....can't we just let it go. Please.

 

 

I'll leave you with my favorite T Shirt quote..."A day without snowboarding is.....well......like a day on skiis".

 

Have a great day, Miguel

 

Very few skiers using their edges? lets be real. where do you ride at? CK? your statements lack any factual evidence of anything and you basically freaked out over nothing.

 

oh, and the last thing i think of when i see a group of boarders is.. 'oh hey, look at the army of community minded mini groomers'

[Miguel]

HAHA funny thing is miguel, method is a snowboarder.

 

anywho, sweet pics. ive always wanted to hit that but there was never enough snow when i was there.

 

You're right Dan..that is pretty funny. They say self deprecating humor is the best. (slamming one of your own) It's just that I hear that argument all the time and it becomes really old after while. I believe that skiers do just as much damage to the terrain as boarders. The vast majority of skiers and boarders are simply sliding their tales around and thus pushing snow. They both hockey stop which pushes more snow. They both slide sideways when it becomes too steep. In fact skiers are doing all of the above with two edges and boarders with only one. It's a lame argument always initiated by skiers. If I didn't know better I'd think there is some form of latent jealousy thing going on. BTW....you ever notice how many skiers convert to boarding. You don't seem to see that going the other way. Just an obsevation. Heck...even the legendary Jean Claude Killy became a boarder.

 

Miguel

[Miguel]

Very few skiers using their edges? lets be real. where do you ride at? CK? your statements lack any factual evidence of anything and you basically freaked out over nothing.

 

oh, and the last thing i think of when i see a group of boarders is.. 'oh hey, look at the army of community minded mini groomers'

 

CK? You must be a local. I don't even know what CK means but I'll assume it's some sort of petty put down by some sort of fish living in a really small bowl. Regarding facts....I wasn't attempting to initiate some sort of scientific inquirey, just making some obsevations based on many years of experience. I don't really think stating a few casual observations would hardly qualify me as "freaking out". Regarding the mini groomers....it was admittedly a rather poor attempt at humor....you may have heard of itsometime.

 

Regarding carving...I stand by my statement. Most skiers and boarders don't really carve...they slide their tales. Personally I ride race boards with hard boots and plate bindings and have been doing so for over twenty years. Carving is what I love and crave. I do on ocassion switch to softies when conditions warrant it.

 

Perhaps we could hook up for a carving session. You may wind up as your name so appropriately implies...Toast. Give me a break Dude.

 

Miguel

[method9455]

You're right Dan..that is pretty funny. They say self deprecating humor is the best. (slamming one of your own) It's just that I hear that argument all the time and it becomes really old after while. I believe that skiers do just as much damage to the terrain as boarders. The vast majority of skiers and boarders are simply sliding their tales around and thus pushing snow. They both hockey stop which pushes more snow. They both slide sideways when it becomes too steep. In fact skiers are doing all of the above with two edges and boarders with only one. It's a lame argument always initiated by skiers. If I didn't know better I'd think there is some form of latent jealousy thing going on. BTW....you ever notice how many skiers convert to boarding. You don't seem to see that going the other way. Just an obsevation. Heck...even the legendary Jean Claude Killy became a boarder.

 

Miguel

 

Ha yea, I am a snowboarder and a skier but primarily a snowboarder. I'm not saying that good snowboarders, hell even midly decent snowboarders, are bad. But on Floyds that day there was just a train of people on their heelside edge scraping down Floyds that should not have been there. Then to add insult to injury they did the same thing down the line under the chair lift exposing all kinds of rocks which is one of my favorites. Contrast that with the noobie reaction of a skier - the snow plow. In reality the snow plow displaces the snow sideways where as the falling leaf just pushes it downhill, ruining the trail. When people go down a trail out of their league they revert to that noobie instinct and on the weekends it trashes eash mountain.

 

My feeling is that there is a big difference between pushing snow around sideways (ie moguls and the chop you get in the afternoons) and scraping it off. The first is repaired when the groomer goes over it again each night, the second is not because they generally groom going downhill so it doesn't get pushed back up. Plus in this case we're talking fresh snow on an off trail line under the chairlift, so that is just never getting repaired until the next snowstorm.

 

As for the skiers going to boarding, I skied for 10, snowboarded for 6, and last year I bought ski boots again. It is not an either or thing, they are both great for different things and I missed skiing. On an icy day? Give me two edges please. Everything else I'll do on either, but on a powder day for god sakes give me a snowboard. I do find snowboarding more fun but once in a while I really like the feel of skis just laying out one turn and rolling into another is great. And the best snowboarding I've ever been good friends with went back to skiing. So much so that the sold all his snowboarding gear and went back entirely. Hardly an indication of a trend but from my point of few there is a period of time where people switch from skiing to snowboarding, and life is good. Then you realize that there is not much room left to get better on a snowboard with the terrain we have, and you get bored, so you go back to skiing and it is fresh and new again. Someday you switch to tele skiing and that is new and hard, its all about having a new challenge and more fun. But you never switch to ski blading because no matter how you slice it, that is just plain gay.

Edited March 8, 2008 by Method9455

[rgrwilco]

CK? You must be a local. I don't even know what CK means but I'll assume it's some sort of petty put down by some sort of fish living in a really small bowl. Regarding facts....I wasn't attempting to initiate some sort of scientific inquirey, just making some obsevations based on many years of experience. I don't really think stating a few casual observations would hardly qualify me as "freaking out". Regarding the mini groomers....it was admittedly a rather poor attempt at humor....you may have heard of itsometime.

 

Regarding carving...I stand by my statement. Most skiers and boarders don't really carve...they slide their tales. Personally I ride race boards with hard boots and plate bindings and have been doing so for over twenty years. Carving is what I love and crave. I do on ocassion switch to softies when conditions warrant it.

 

Perhaps we could hook up for a carving session. You may wind up as your name so appropriately implies...Toast. Give me a break Dude.

 

Miguel

 

how can a skier or boarder slide a tale? is that some sort of english major slang? and i wasnt slamming method at all, it was more of a slam to you?

Edited March 8, 2008 by Dan S

[RidgeRacer]

Ah...another angry skier. First off....snowboarders don't "snowplow"....skiers do. Second....."hop skiing" does far more damage to the terrain than any snowboarder could ever do.

 

It's been my experience that when snowboarders slide sideways down the mountain, which they occasionally do, it doesn't really scrape off the snow so much as it's simply smooths it out. You could probably think of us as an army of community minded mini groomers. Seriousy....do you think that skiers don't disturb snow on the mountain? Where do you think mogels come from? I see very few skiers using their edges....most are swishing there tales around pushing snow just like the boarders. That argument about boarders ruining the snow is so old and lame....can't we just let it go. Please.

 

 

I'll leave you with my favorite T Shirt quote..."A day without snowboarding is.....well......like a day on skiis".

 

Have a great day, Miguel

 

Miguel I don't think Method's intent was to to slam snowboarders, since he is one himself (as his avatar and user name suggests). I apprieciate your passion for snowboarding; that being said...I'd really hate to see my TR turn into a frivolous argument that has been beaten to death a million times on a million message boards. Like you said...the argument is so old and lame...and I agree so why start it?

[Miguel]

Miguel I don't think Method's intent was to to slam snowboarders, since he is one himself (as his avatar and user name suggests). I apprieciate your passion for snowboarding; that being said...I'd really hate to see my TR turn into a frivolous argument that has been beaten to death a million times on a million message boards. Like you said...the argument is so old and lame...and I agree so why start it?

 

Amen and peace to all.

 

Miguel

[method9455]

Boarders do ruin the bumps..the bumps at Mad River Glen are some of the best bumps I've skied...

 

Thats just because Mad River Glen stores the bumps in the summer well