Gore Mtn, NY: 12/27/11

Ski Day 6: Kind of an emotional day in a skier sorta way. Definitely wanted to get out and make the most of it.

Crowd was light, but every one who was there was in line early. The first 30 gondi cars were full...




Foxlair First


One of the new Ratnik setups on Showcase


Sleighride


Showcase


View towards Headwaters


Cloud


The BIG MOUND on Hawkeye


Topridge


Zelda





OK sorry but here comes some proud father stuff:

One thing that happened, that I hadn't seen before. Neve stomped her way into her bindings without help...


No goggles, no mittens, lock and load.

I figured that by the time Neve was nine or ten, she'd be beating me down the hill. But today - at age five - on the icy parts of Quicksilver, she beat both Zelda and I. She was carving on ice. We were blown away.

The other thing that happened ... If you haven't skied Gore - Foxlair is a blue rated trail with a borderline black section at the bottom that comes into Sunway, Gore's classic green trail.  As you ski past it from below, it does look pretty steep. Neve looks up at it and says MOMMY have YOU DONE THAT? Can I do it?

And then later the classic: "I like the ice because it's faster!"




Pine Knot


Hawkeye


Open Pit


Showcase

Great report. The shots really captured Gore. Do Zelda a solid and get her some new lightweight "ski" poles. Her arms will thank you.

Great stuff, Harv.

x10003q wrote

Do Zelda a solid and get her some new lightweight "ski" poles. Her arms will thank you.

Those look like BD Traverse poles. I use those poles both for touring and riding the lifts. They aren't heavy. And the swing weight is great.

River is right.  BD Traverse.  When I was a skiing regularly in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness - ten years ago now - the skiers I knew had the BDT as their primary ski pole.

They're adjustable which is absolutely crucial in the woods.  (I also like it at Gore.  Today on Topridge I knew I was going to have to get super low to stay on my feet.  I take those poles down 5cm at the top, and it really helps keep me down.)

They are incredibly strong.  Very tough to bend, and if they do bend, it's guaranteed not to be at the joint.  The joint is the strongest part of it.

We valued strength highly.  If you are winter camping, skiing with a big pack, and you go down in deep snow it can be very tough to get up.  If you are solo, your pack is bigger and you must be able to get up.  Sounds stupid but it was something we thought about.  If with a pack in deep snow, we'd make a cross out of two poles in one hand, and push down on the snow.  Eventually you'd get up.

With regard to weight - I never even thought about that.  I always tend to go for heavier duty gear ... cept maybe for my bindings.



Thanks for the props guys, it was fun to write.

riverc0il wrote

Those look like BD Traverse poles. I use those poles both for touring and riding the lifts. They aren't heavy. And the swing weight is great.

That must be what the guy in the yellow jacket is skiing with.  It looks like he's got them extended out all the way out to 150cm: