Steamboat Conditions

Sick Bird Rider wrote

 This thread is really starting to set the tone for Snoloco's trip.

What, there'll be old canucks giving him crap ?

Snowballs wrote

Sick Bird Rider wrote

 This thread is really starting to set the tone for Snoloco's trip.

What, there'll be old canucks giving him crap ?

It's a tough job but someone has to do it.

Sno - don't over analyze your plan too much. You will be a bit overwhelmed when you first get there, so just have a general idea where you want to go and head there. Just feel things out, and be open to exploring.

When we have gone, unless it was a powder day, my wife always liked to head to the Sunshine area early to warm up. Especially when it was freeze/thaw days - it typically would thaw before much of the rest of the mountain. Then work your way skier right. That would probalby make your mom happy. At some point though she will end up at the Sunshine lift and you will end up at Sundown. I guarantee that will happen. Just plan to meet at the top.

The snow quality will make a huge difference in confidence levels - both for you and your mom probably. Once you are comfortable don't be afraid to point your skis down almost anything there. Cyclone (I think) can get very bumped and actually icy a bit in the troughs - they get very deep on that one. Besides that I've never seen a spec of actual ice at Steamboat.

If you want to challenge yourself a little but not get into the Chutes, then ski just skier left of them down a trail called "The Ridge". If it's too steep for you just go farther left and it mellows out.

As for Morningside - it gets a bad rap because it's just a short pitch then pretty flat - but it's actually pretty fun. Beware there can be tree wells in there, and an occasional odd hole for some reason - so stick together. Go right off the lift and you can find some places to air in the first pitch if you want, then head left and just cruise through the trees. It's also fun to drop into Morningside off the back of the Sunshine/Sundown lifts - there are a few gates there and it's short, relatively steep, and gets choked down pretty narrow in a couple places. And I was serious about the bird food - hold out your hand and the birds will land on you while you ride the lift or at the top. Another thing that pleases my wife.

You should find Triangle 3 area pretty fun too - well spaced pines with some interesting pitch and you can explore your way through.

But really, the best way is to just get there and explore. There is always another good line to be found. Don't worry about skiing stuff WE tell you to ski - ski what looks interesting and fun to YOU and your parents.

JTG4eva! wrote

The sign should have been more honest.
"Billy is not skiing WITH YOU today."  
I bet he ditches all the Griswalds on a primo powder day!

Undoubtedly true, but we still had a lot of fun with it, and still do.

billyymc wrote

Sno - don't over analyze your plan too much. You will be a bit overwhelmed when you first get there, so just have a general idea where you want to go and head there.  Don't worry about skiing stuff WE tell you to ski - ski what looks interesting and fun to YOU and your parents.

Probably the single best piece of advice in the thread.

billy's spot on... totally agree on  morningside

my first trip out west was steamboat a few years back with my wife, I imagine most of the terrain we hit will be similar to what will be on your radar sno... here's a link to that tr to get a feel

http://www.paskiandride.com/forums/topic/16469-steamboat-228-32/?hl=steamboat

enjoy!

Pony Express opens tomorrow.  Earliest it's opened in a while.  The only lifts left to open are Bar UE, Rough Rider, Priest Creek, and Christie 3.  All 4 should open by the time I arrive.  Should that happen, Steamboat will have made my 12/26 cutoff.

if it doesn't happen will you inquire for a refund?

No, because the only lifts that wouldn't open would be redundant with other lifts, and would most certainly be open if there were enough people.  The Pony Express was the last lift they needed to open to access all mountain areas.  

Yep, that same terrain is accessed from already running lifts. They will all run for the Christmas/New Years holiday weeks period.

Another thing I've noticed.  Buddy's Run and a whole bunch of glades surrounding it funnel down to a single runout on Tornado Lane.  This looks to be a massive choke point unless Dropout, Vortex, and the Bar UE lift open soon.  Can anyone speak from experience?

What is the 12/26 cutoff really supposed to measure? Is it a measure of a operational capacity or early season snowfall?  How much you have open on 12/26 or any date is a combination of things out of your control (weather, terrain) and money.  There are probably hundreds of mountains that could open most of their terrain on 100 inches.

Tornado Lane is busy no matter what. Drop out used to be a natural and bumpy run. No idea what it's like now.

snoloco wrote

Another thing I've noticed.  Buddy's Run and a whole bunch of glades surrounding it funnel down to a single runout on Tornado Lane.  This looks to be a massive choke point unless Dropout, Vortex, and the Bar UE lift open soon.  Can anyone speak from experience?

OMG dude, just stop worrying and go have fun. You can't plan for perfection, and lifts get crowded and then thin out. Nobody can tell you exactly what will be happening at a given moment.

For the amount of terrain that funnels into that area I don't ever recall that lift getting too busy. They move people on pretty quickly at Steamboat. It seems like the longest lines I've ever seen there are on the Sunshine/Sundown lifts. And even then I dont' think we ever waited more than 5 minutes or so unless a lift went down (rare).

If one lift looks to crowded, keep moving and find another one. Worst case if you end up at the gondi which is only crowded in the morning.

RA - the last couple times I've been there (most recent was Feb 2014), Drop Out was groomed on left, heavily bumped on right.

Harvey wrote

What is the 12/26 cutoff really supposed to measure? Is it a measure of a operational capacity or early season snowfall?  How much you have open on 12/26 or any date is a combination of things out of your control (weather, terrain) and money.  There are probably hundreds of mountains that could open most of their terrain on 100 inches.

Measures snowmaking capacity in the east and early season snowfall in the west.

Hey Sno.
Most of the mountains out west hold off until the holidays to fully open,,It is a economic decision.. It is quite obvious the Boat has enough snow...

They do have plenty of snow and have all the lifts open that are needed to access all the terrain.  They did say they should be 100% open by the holidays.

Can anyone who has flown into there before tell me how easily HDN is affected by delays/cancellations.  They're supposed to get 1-3 the day I fly in, and I don't want to get stranded in Denver when I should be skiing.

So you are flying into DEN then transferring to a flight to HDN?

Just rent a car and drive..

Yes.  4+ hours on snowy, congested roads was not appealing.  Also being done on a Friday evening, so even more traffic.  Every source I've seen says that one doesn't need a car at all in Steamboat.