MouthBQ98 said:

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Wolf creek is situated where it reliably gets a LOT of snow and holds it. By mid season, even in a bad year, it has a good base to ski on. The only question will be if you get there and it's old snow or fresher powder. Last year I showed up and it got 16-18" the day I arrived. I am not the best powder skier and didn't have the best skis for it but it was awesome because you could hit just about anything with almost zero consequences if you took a fall, and the tree/ glade skiing was awesome. The conditions can be pretty variable there so be prepared with layers and goggles that work in dim or sunny conditions.

Also, if would not have made it there in my hatchback if I didn't have a set of snow chains last time.

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Thanks!

More tough weather news for CO: once the temp breaks freezing Thursday morning, it's 50 degree highs and lows in the MID 30s through Sunday. Thats a spring style melt. At least it isn't raining but ouch that's tough on a man made open. Curious to see who pushes back their opening date. Keystone still only dropped rope on 4 runs. We pushed our open back 3 weeks because of the forecast.

Tetons and PNW getting a good November drop from this next forecast. Most of it stays North though. UT, NM, and most of CO will stay basicslly dry (less than 4 inches. Steamboat may get 6/7. Some parts of UT may also get 6ish inches but nothing like Tetons/PNW.

GFS through 11/23.

It wouldn't be Colorado without some rotten garbage from an early season melt lurking at the bottom of the snowpack all season.

I'm ok with it. I learned to ski on straight skis at Red River in the mid 80's. Grinding ice was part of the lesson. It's definitely not preferable but it's doable. Then again, an icy shaved down black is how I blew up my knee. They are skis not skates after all.

Yeah, right now I have a tentative hiking/camping trip set for mid December out in west texas, but I can repurpose it last minute if things change and head more north with skis. I don't have anything committed until January/February. If Colorado doesn't have adequate snow by then, well, that's an outright disaster.

Bachelor is wonderful this morning. Clearing sunrise with some fresh.

The base PNW built has all washed away with 4"+ rain this week up to 9k'.

Bullseye late next week, but it's a typical warm front/cold front atmospheric river. Once it pushes through we should be looking good for Thanksgiving opening for the higher resorts: Timberline, Bachelor, Ashland, Baker. Whistler might have to download, but the upper peaks will have plenty of snow.

Important to put it into historical perspective:

Right Now CO is in the 5% percentile of the 30 year median. Thats not a good start however you slice it. Especially with 14 Days of basically nothing on the way.

Ski swap this morning, I didn't need anything but ended up scoring a set of K2 Disruptions with Marker 12s for $150. They look like they've been skied twice.

It was a real hard decision between those and some Kastle DX84s with Look 11s that still had the stickers on the bottom sheet for $280.

Some better News in the CO forecast. Not really much in terms of snowfall but the temps should drop significsntly over the weekend into next week. Thatll help the snow making crees a ton.

I've penciled in so co (Purg or WC) for 28-31 Dec. I get there early so maybe I can dodge the worst lift line in the morning and go find a lift pod up top that families and most of my fellow Texans won't ski, then hope people tire out by early afternoon and it thins out.

Snow creeps into the forecast for next week in CO. It's something…

Looks like good snow hitting 23/24/25. It's a long way out but could drop 18-24 inches locally. Fingers crossed.

We've got snow in the forecast down low starting next week. I saw a prediction saying up to 18" by Thanksgiving. That would be phenomenal for opening weekend.

My fingers always freeze in gloves + smartwool liners so I'm looking at switching to mittens this year to see if that helps. Anybody have any recs on good mitts that'll keep my digits toasty for < $200? Skiing so I'll need to hold poles if that makes a difference.

I finally made the switch to leather gloves last year. Got some Hestras and they were awesome. You can make do with a lot cheaper ones if you're willing to work on conditioning and sealing then.

Splurged on some hestras for the first time this year. Can't wait to break them in. Side by side after seasoning with sno seal, love the leather

I also switched to hestra gloves last year. I really like mitts but they don't work well when dealing with kids.

Hestra claw style gloves have been perfect for me

Problem w the fall line mittens and snow Mobile mittens is they slice really easily when wet on ski edges. The fall line gloves (what I use) are much much much better.

Kinco mittens are the choice of most locals.

Kinco or bust like a good local.

But nah, I run a Hestra system as well. I skin too much that I need the different layers. I have an old set of Black Diamond mittens that I keep on me as backups. Too much history, and smell, to let go of. So always in the pack.

Wife runs Outdoor Research heated mittens.

Bleak in the PNW for Thanksgiving opening. Maybe Baker. Everything else is hammer with rain for the next week. Then some cold systems, but I'm not sure enough beyond a single white ribbon of carnage for T-Day. We just can't make as much snow here as the Rockies. Tahoe about to be hammered, though. Good the Sierras get +4'k of vert over the Cascades I guess. Eventually we win out with the Gulf of Alaska, but man our vert kills us for early season and snow making.

We are headed to Monarch Mountain for my kids first ski trip.

Need this threads advice/recommendations:

I have a few month gap in work coming up and I want to do a ski season somewhere. What location(s) would you all recommend? Want to factor in housing costs (would like to keep <2000/mo, have found several options in SLC for example, but this amount is flexible), would like some social scene (early 30s/single), want to really spend a season becoming a better skier. Would also take ability to find part time work on weekends/evenings into consideration.

Based off housing and mountain options I am looking at Tahoe/Epic and SLC/Ikon. Randomly Sandpoint/Schweitzer seems interesting to me but I have zero knowledge of or experience with that area. I have primarily skied colorado resorts and worked in the state before so not as interested in this option, but still on the table. Curious if y'all have any other suggestions and feed back.

Thanks all for the feedback on mittens/gloves. Sounds like Hestra is the overwhelming suggestion. I'm not stuck on mittens (just trying to think of anything that I could change), so I'll look into their gloves as well with all of the positive feedback y'all gave.

My only suggestion would be to make a call on which pass you want ASAP. I think epic is fixin to go off sale here shortly.

tx.ag15 said:

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Need this threads advice/recommendations:

I have a few month gap in work coming up and I want to do a ski season somewhere. What location(s) would you all recommend? Want to factor in housing costs (would like to keep <2000/mo, have found several options in SLC for example, but this amount is flexible), would like some social scene (early 30s/single), want to really spend a season becoming a better skier. Would also take ability to find part time work on weekends/evenings into consideration.

Based off housing and mountain options I am looking at Tahoe/Epic and SLC/Ikon. Randomly Sandpoint/Schweitzer seems interesting to me but I have zero knowledge of or experience with that area. I have primarily skied colorado resorts and worked in the state before so not as interested in this option, but still on the table. Curious if y'all have any other suggestions and feed back.

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I would do Epic that way you can ski Park City and Heavenly.

I think Park City/Salt lake would be the best for social/part time work. Reno/Heavenly isn't newly as big and therefore options are more limited. Either way this sounds like a blast!


Edit to add that park city snow is usually much better than Heavenly.

I would go 100% the opposite way from SLC.

If I had a complete winter to shred w no work and no kids and no responsabilities on a La Niña year, I'd be in Canada.

First, you get the currency boost (not as much as this spring but still above historical)

Second - you don't need to buy the full epic if you go Whistler/BC - you can buy the regional pass

Third - you're in a different country and Big White etc are very easy to get to from inside Oh Canada. Those mountains on a good snow year are a ton of fun of you're learning because they're empty.

Fourth - the snow will be WAY better in the PNW/BC than UT or CO or CA.

My first choice would be somewhere around whistler. If that's not feasible, id look at other places in BC or if stayed in the US something like Sun Valley or Grand Target. Somewhere in the Northern Rockies or PNW/BC. You know…somewhere else isolated but w town life.

If you want to Stay in UT/CO area, what about Crested Butte?

Any ski hill will have a plethora of 18-30 year old workers and instructors along w night life. Thats never an issue in a ski town so you don't really need a big city just a mountain town that pops during the winter/spring.

UT may have a very very variable season. High elevation PNW will get hammered.

CB would be sick. If it was me, that's where I would be if you told me I had to stay in the US

Great Hill, usually Some of the Best snowfall, gunny is a great town, and it's EASY to find a PT Vail Job that will include a free merchant ski pass. Great food night life and scenery and NO DRIVE TO MOUNATINS ON POW DAY.

If you go that route, buy the epic pass now and they will reimburse it after first day of work.

Whistler/CB are interesting, but it looks like I am priced out of those two places. Kelowna has some decent options but not sure how I feel about an hour drive when I intend to get as many days in as I can...

How do y'all feel about Whitefish? I am not familiar with the PNW/Northern Rockies at all. Also I've primarily been looking at furnishedfinder, not sure if there are better sites out there to find monthly rentals.

Whitefish?

All local ski lodgings are pretty expensive now. The old ski bum days are over.

Best place to look is honestly FB but be cautious of scams.

In Canada - Revelstoke, Powder King, Silverstar

I skied whitefish once and I liked it well enough. Not much nightlife from what I recall. Coldest I've ever been skiing was at whitefish. Glacier is right next door as well which would be cool. But not sure how much is accessible in the winter.

I live in Sandpoint. It's a small town with pretty minimal nightlife, and not a whole lot of young professionals who are single. I'm in a local men's group, and I've heard some of the guys say the dating pool is very small and there's a lot of crossover. There are a few bars/hangouts around town, but it's a town of 10,000 people. I love it here, but I'm married with young kids.

I can't really speak to the availability of housing. There are apartments in town, and you could likely find something. I think under $2k is doable. I would bet you could find some part time work around town pretty easy. Depending on what you'd be looking at doing, I might be able to help out on that.

The skiing at Schweitzer is great. The first chair of the day is busy, but give it 30 minutes and everyone spreads out.

Family going to Steamboat MLK week. Sat-Sat. Plan to board 3 days with the 10 year old while youngest 2 do ski school. Usually just do 2 days so we'll see how the body can hold up!