Tales from the Hinterland: 2015/2016 edition

And we are back.



It is no secret that winter is taking some time to arrive this year. Up here in the north, we did get a blast of wet gooey snow on Saturday night, leaving some of us (cough, cough) slithering around without having the snow tires on yet. This global warming thing is making me complacent.

Regular readers of the TFTH series may recall the unbelievable Snovember conditions we enjoyed a year ago. Not so this season, and today's outing was more to brush off some cobwebs and just get sliding on snow.

It is nice to have a friend along to admire your tracks. I'll be honest, the only turns done on this hill were kick turns. The five inches of partially set glop over sticks, rocks and fallen branches did not quite inspire me to crank out any other kind of turn.



The beavers are living life on the edge with their pond-skimming skillz:



With any luck, this snow may survive the thaw forecast for the next few days, leaving us a nice base for future adventures. Meanwhile, the ground is till a bit wet:



EDIT (Nov. 30):

Harv asked me how many TFTH threads there have been, so I searched for the previous editions. The link will take you to page one:

2010/11: Tales-from-the-Hinterland-an-ongoing-saga
2011/12: seems that we missed this winter, though there were a few random TRs, like the Dog Day Ski Adventure
2012/13: Tales-from-the-Hinterland-2012-13-edition
2013/14: Tales-from-the-Hinterland-2013-2014-edition
2014/15: Tales-from-the-Hinterland-2014-2015-edition

So I think I may have asked you before SBR so forgive me if this is a repeat but, where are you exactly or the general area? What's your max vert? What's the population of the surrounding area (It sure doesn't look crowded!)? And what kind of land are you touring on, is it private? Public? City? And, I'm guessing you and your friends do some maintenance? What does that entail?

It sure looks pretty and I'm a huge believer that it shouldn't take super epic monster mountains and extreme descents to get out and enjoy some powder turns and the great outdoors with good friends and family.

Anyways, cool pics man. It looks like you have your own little slice of paradise there!

One doesn't ask about the vert. It's just not done!



Just remember they call it powtario not vertario.

Pow turns... vert... meh.  Sometimes it's nice to just be out sliding on the snow.

Harvey wrote

One doesn't ask about the vert. It's just not done!



Just remember they call it powtario not vertario.

Gee, thanks Harv.  RA, we live due east of Georgian Bay (Lake Huron).  So we're blessed with lake effect snow, much like the Tug Hill area of N.Y.  (Or as NJ calls it, fake effect... ).  And similar to Tug Hill, our vert is somewhat limited, the max is 600', and our new favourite, minutes from town is a measly 300'.  So sessions are yoyo laps..... We're very opportunistic.  Hence our love of XCD type skis.  Meadow Skipping, Schwacking, Thicketeering, Schussing the Backbush, Dawn Patrol Poaches of the local ski area... It's all skiing, and that's all that matters.  

T.D.

That sounds like a little bit of paradise to me. Good on ya. This is the soul and exactly why I love this forum. Please post up much more of your adventures!

Thanks RA.  I've skied all over, from epic pow weeks in the Alps, to Scandinavia, and of course, the nNorth American West. (Including Snow Bowl in AZ....).  Guess what... I have as much fun here in our humble vertical but snow blessed home as anyplace.  The key is that it's home.  We can ski literally from our door steps... Yoyo off a few laps after a half hour ski in, and return home.  There's so much opportunity here in the winter, snowmobiling, ice fishing, playing hockey outdoors on frozen lakes,, etc, etc... Yet I inevitably hear people moaning about the winter... Too bad.   The only whining about Winter and snow you'll hear from me is right about now. ...C'mon Ullr,   Send it...

Ahhh TD and SBR. ...you brethren with your Hinterlandian  adventure  excursions  ,schwacking and Bushteering in the pristine backwooded slopes and gullies outback breathes life into this season for me ,as i sit this one out and rehab. Strong and long so i can have a strong return next season .  Many thanks for sharing


What  you guys do is the perfect medicine for this ole fart .......keep. On sliding n gliding out there guys and sending us pics of the goods

Thanks for the support, RA and Warp. Sadly, it may be a while before the next installment. All that snow has disappeared and the forecast is not promising. Might have to resort to riding a lift and skiing the WROD.

In answer to RA's question about where we ski: as under the radar as much as possible. Mostly private property, crown land (same as state land) or utility right-of-ways (eg. hydro cuts). The place we call The Pipeline, is, in fact, a right of way for a natural gas pipeline. The only areas we prune are on private property and are very far off any beaten track. And we just use hand tools, no chainsaws. Though I have used my battery powered reciprocating saw with the tree-cutting blade on occasion.

warp daddy wrote

Ahhh TD and SBR. ...you brethren with your Hinterlandian  adventure  excursions  ,schwacking and Bushteering in the pristine backwooded slopes and gullies outback breathes life into this season for me ,as i sit this one out and rehab. Strong and long so i can have a strong return next season .  Many thanks for sharing


What  you guys do is the perfect medicine for this ole fart .......keep. On sliding n gliding out there guys and sending us pics of the goods

Thank you Warp Daddy-o. You write kind words... .   As soon as it snows, we'll dedicate an excursion or two to you.  Kharma is a two way street.   Peace, love and a ton-o-snow out...  

TD

Every year I look forward to the shenanigans that go on in this thread....it's official , winter is upon us.

Yowzaa ... A fan!  Thanks Camp.  You da man.  Sad news for Ya... We ain't got no snow.  Nuttin.  Nada.  F-all.    You'll have to wait for a reboot.  Winter 15/16 v2.1.  

Now before you get all bummed out, just remember... The longer we hinterlandians have to wait for Winter shenanigans, the more stooopid our skiing adventures become.  Desperadoes in desperate times............you just wait and see...

TD

This is pretty awesome, we have made it to page 2 on bro love alone.

You guys are setting the expectation level pretty high, we had better represent.

Sick Bird Rider wrote

Never underestimate the power of the chair!

The chair is my altar to Ullr.

Sick Bird Rider wrote

The chair is my altar to Ullr.

I shared this on FB, no one bit.  A song about a skiers relationship with Ullr...when the weather is as it is.
<nabble_embed>http://youtu.be/nPOy7TPjfkE</nabble_embed>

Telemark Dave wrote

I shared this on FB, no one bit. A song about a skiers relationship with Ullr...when the weather is as it is. <nabble_embed>http://youtu.be/nPOy7TPjfkE</nabble_embed>

Fixed it for you (Dave: click "share" on the youtube vid, then "embed." Copy and paste embed code into NYSB post WITHOUT Nabble embed tags. Then click box that says "message in HTML format" and it all works). I can't explain why this one is strangely stretched.

Ahhhh thanks SBR.  Is that some sort of Nabble/Apple matter-antimatter dimensional instability... Who knew??? (Not I)

Well, if you can't ski, you might as well make the skiing better. Took our friend Mr. Ryobi on the dog walk today and removed some leg-breaker punji sticks that the beavers left behind on Bonk Hill. Will have to train them to cut lower:



I am beginning to regret pitching my ancient ice skates. They were Langes, even. This ice is not quite ready for pond hockey.

Well that does it.  I'm heading up to your place tomorrow to go give those JONG f-Tard Beavers a severe tongue lashing.  (ok, cue Snowballs.. .. Might as well turn this thread up to 11, given the lack of snow. )