Steamboat TR March 3-6

[OutCold]

My buddy and I went to Steamboat for our last spring break ever. It was both of our first trip out west and it was pretty killer. The pics are kinda crappy, but they're there. I was supposed to meet up with Glenn one day, but I forgot to write down his # and it didn't happen, oh well. I'll probably never meet anyone from pasr lol.

 

Anyway, here goes....

 

Ill start off with a nice pic of me standing by the avalanche warning sign by one of the backcountry gates. No we didn't go into the BC. We obviously have no experience with BC, nor do we have the proper equipment. Besides, Steamboat is so massive, in our four days there, we had no chance of exploring all of the inbounds terrain.

 

 

The first day we got out on the mountain, Monday was pretty nice. They got a decent amount of snow sunday....6"+ and it was a crappy day so on monday there was still plenty of fresh. It was near bluebird conditions that day. We started off in the Pony Express area, which is mostly blacks. I don't really see the purpose of designating trails over there because its not really defined at all. I ate it at the bottom of the first run and bit a nice whole in my tongue. Kinda a crappy way to start the trip but oh well. The rest of the day, we mainly stuck to the trails, mostly ungroomed that got pretty bumped up by the afternoon. It was a pretty exhausting day both from the ungroomedness and the altitude.

 

The second day, Tuesday was the day Glenn was there. There were a few new inches of poe overnight. It was windy and cloudy and unfortunately, they closed the upper mountain in the afternoon. Tuesday we mostly hit the tighter aspen trees around the lower storm peak area. Late morning, we discovered the more spread trees of the sunshine area. Unfortunately, after our first run through there, they closed the lift. Being restricted to the lower mountain sucked.

 

Wednesday, we went back to the sunshine tree area. It was a much better day. It was sunny and there were a few more inches of poe overnight. After the morning of trees, we headed to the area they call Morningside Park on the backside of the mountain. It was nice, a couple hundred feet of fairly steep vert that runs out into a nice, gently sloped area of evergreens. I hit my first rock drop back there. It was only maybe 5 feet or so...I actually didn't see it coming and just launched off of it. That was most of the excitement for the day.

 

Thursday, we went back to Morningside. I found another, bigger drop...maybe 8-10 ft to drop off of. It was fun. We also headed to some of the hike-to terrain on Morningside Peak. It was a serious hike uphill to get to the entrance of North St. Pats. This was the sickest run I've ever done. It started off with a moderate slope through fairly dense evergreens. Then it gets mad steep and the trees clear out. It ended with a nice headwall of steep open powder with no tracks. The top of the headwall had a series of cliffs that you could drop off of, but they were all a little too much for my ability. After St. Pats, theres a long traverse out back to the rest of the mountain. After that, we went back up to morningside and hit the Christmas tree bowl. It was pretty serious too...real steep, dense trees. The last run of the trip we went back to pony express and finished with a nice run down there. My friend and I both dropped off a nice sized boulder right in the middle of the trail.

 

Ok so now that you've skipped all of that...heres the pics...nothing great, but pics....

 

Looking up at the mountain from the base area

 

My friend at the top of the headwall of Tornado

 

Me coming through the trees in the sunshine area

 

Me during a break in a clearing in the Sunshine trees

 

My friend coming out of some aspens

 

A shot to show the pow is up to my knees

 

A blurry shot of my friend coming down morningside

 

Thats it...enjoy

[nick malozzi]

Looks like you guys had fun out here. nice TR. Come back again real soon!

[NJSkiFamily]

Nice TR and your pictures are great.

[Glenn]

Glad you guys had some days better than Tues. Knee deep is great times.

[OutCold]

Yea, it was pretty nice waking up to fresh snow every day. I gotta get out west again. I'd like to go to Jackson Hole, Breckenridge, and Winter Park someday. They all look like they have some sick terrain.

 

I gotta say that at Steamboat I didn't think the marked trails were any better than what I've seen in the east. Some of them were steeper, but for the most part they were just real wide open and boring. Im sure this is probably just steamboat because its a lower difficulty mountain aimed at families. After the first day, we stopped paying attention to any marked trails an stayed in the trees the whole time.

Edited March 14, 2008 by OutCold

[Johnny Law]

Sweet TR....I don't know what camera you used but I like the way it kind of made them look old school.

[nick malozzi]

Yea, it was pretty nice waking up to fresh snow every day. I gotta get out west again. I'd like to go to Jackson Hole, Breckenridge, and Winter Park someday. They all look like they have some sick terrain.

 

I gotta say that at Steamboat I didn't think the marked trails were any better than what I've seen in the east. Some of them were steeper, but for the most part they were just real wide open and boring. Im sure this is probably just steamboat because its a lower difficulty mountain aimed at families. After the first day, we stopped paying attention to any marked trails an stayed in the trees the whole time.

I think that is pretty much anywhere you go, a groomer is a groomer. If you come out here just stay in the trees.

[OutCold]

Sweet TR....I don't know what camera you used but I like the way it kind of made them look old school.

 

haha thanks...it just so happened to be the most basic disposable camera out there. I picked it because I wouldn't have to worry about batteries draining or anything like that.

[Johnny Law]

haha thanks...it just so happened to be the most basic disposable camera out there. I picked it because I wouldn't have to worry about batteries draining or anything like that.

 

I will have to try that some time on a good pow day I think it could make for some cool pics and hauling the full camera job around some days is a PITA.

 

There is a chinese camera that was made years ago with a plastic lens that takes very cool pictures, I would like to pic one up but I can't remember the name.

[nick malozzi]

I will have to try that some time on a good pow day I think it could make for some cool pics and hauling the full camera job around some days is a PITA.

 

There is a chinese camera that was made years ago with a plastic lens that takes very cool pictures, I would like to pic one up but I can't remember the name.

Are you talking about a Holga? I have one, lots of fun, but every single shot is a total gamble since you really have no idea if it is going to be in focus or not, haha. Great for taking trippy ass pictures of landscapes though. I also love how there is a small hole in the back of them that exposes the film if you don't keep it covered. I solved that with some duck tape, and only pull up the tape to make sure the film is lined up right.

 

I'm glad you brought this up. I think I might have to dig mine out and play around with it, although it may still be back in PA.

[Johnny Law]

Are you talking about a Holga? I have one, lots of fun, but every single shot is a total gamble since you really have no idea if it is going to be in focus or not, haha. Great for taking trippy ass pictures of landscapes though. I also love how there is a small hole in the back of them that exposes the film if you don't keep it covered. I solved that with some duck tape, and only pull up the tape to make sure the film is lined up right.

 

I'm glad you brought this up. I think I might have to dig mine out and play around with it, although it may still be back in PA.

 

Thanks! That is definitley it, a friend in college had one and I remember the same thing. Every pic was a complete guess, I always thought it could give you really cool partical focus pow pics The hole thing is hilarious, still I think I am getting this one. Thanks again.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/HOLGA-120FN-120-FN-Pla...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Glenn]

I had a holga I took some cool pics with. Medium format film, so when the pics are on, you can blow them up huge and not lose the quality.

 

Not super practical, but kind of artsy and fun.

[nick malozzi]

Thanks! That is definitley it, a friend in college had one and I remember the same thing. Every pic was a complete guess, I always thought it could give you really cool partical focus pow pics The hole thing is hilarious, still I think I am getting this one. Thanks again.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/HOLGA-120FN-120-FN-Pla...1QQcmdZViewItem

Yea man, that is the holga I have. I went digging in my camera bag tonight, but i left mine in PA. I'll have to pick that baby up next time I'm out. Make sure you cover that hole in the back with something!

 

I used it for a project in a photo class in college. I took head shots of people, and then I slid the enlarger to the edge of the table and projected the huge image onto a random scattering of 8X10 paper that was on the floor. Then i processed the paper and pieced them together all crazy on a board. Made some awesome combos. Pretty fun old school pre-photoshop typ stuff.

Edited March 15, 2008 by nick malozzi

[Johnny Law]

Holga just arrived at my door stoked to try this beast out

[Glenn]

Nice.

 

In other news I was at Steamboat and the hot springs today. Both were fun. I got some pictures I will post up soon, to try to convince SK to come here next year.

 

Hey SK, if you are reading this, the hot springs are clothing optional after dark. They have chair, bed and floating messages there.

[OutCold]

What hot springs did you go to....I went to the strawberry park hot springs...sketchiest ride ever to get out there...we went at night too and it was so dark you couldn't tell if anyone was clothed or not...lots of stars though

[Glenn]

What hot springs did you go to....I went to the strawberry park hot springs...sketchiest ride ever to get out there...we went at night too and it was so dark you couldn't tell if anyone was clothed or not...lots of stars though

 

If it was a skectchy ride, then I guess I went to strawberry park. There are roads like that in the poconos if you know where to go, and like that sort of thing.

 

All the girls there had boyfriends in tow and I was getting light headed after about 40 min in the hot pool so I bounced before it got dark.

 

 

... Next time I'm bringing a date for sure.

[VTmark]

this is the first year in 3 years i'm not going to make it to steamboat. I kinda feel like part of my season is missing.