Uphill Battle

[marcski]

I’m not surpriser but I’m still a little baffled by that gondola and trail. And didn’t that Highmount project get approved at some point? What are those developers waiting for? Are we supposed to fund the construction of their golf resort too?

Yeah, I heard those guys have been hanging out with Ariel Quiros and Jim Barnes.

 

[Benny Profane]

Someone should start up a mountain without chair lifts etc and create place for uphill travel skiers rather then trying to piggyback off a place that is designed for chair lifts, who cares about someone laughing on the other side of the pond

Bluebird Backcountry in Colorado, near Steamboat. I just saw a blurb yesterday that they had to close due to Covid, which, on the surface, is ironic, considering the lack of lift crowding, but maybe they had issues with patrol, like Hunter.

85 - Good Timing: Colorado's Bluebird Backcountry

<p>Uphill equipment is flying off shelves in our new Covid world. </p><br /><p>My guest is Erik Lambert, co-founder of <a rel="nofollow"href=&...

castbox.fm

 

[Benny Profane]

Who wants to skin up a ski trail? For me, skinning is just as much to get away from people as it is anything else. It's about exercise and gliding on soft snow, not man-made groomers. Even if you're at a resort, just climb in the woods.

Well, I do, right now, because I'm a newbie Jong, and just want to see if I even like it, in a nice, safe, comfy environment with bathrooms and taco trucks. But, even then, I want something to bridge my aerobic exercise conditioning I get from road biking from March to late November. I'm not a racer, I'm actually pretty slow, but I do it to get exercise and stay healthy. I'm tired of getting heavy and slow in the winter, and I don't care if the skinning is in a nice, controlled, safe place, as long as I get the heart rate up for a few hours. But, nice scenery helps. And tacos.

 

[marcski]

Well, I do, right now, because I'm a newbie Jong, and just want to see if I even like it, in a nice, safe, comfy environment with bathrooms and taco trucks. But, even then, I want something to bridge my aerobic exercise conditioning I get from road biking from March to late November. I'm not a racer, I'm actually pretty slow, but I do it to get exercise and stay healthy. I'm tired of getting heavy and slow in the winter, and I don't care if the skinning is in a nice, controlled, safe place, as long as I get the heart rate up for a few hours. But, nice scenery helps. And tacos.

What about the last sentence that you quoted? Skin in the woods at a resort. You'll have you bathrooms and taco trucks.

Also, while you say "I'm a newbie Jong" you need to add cranky, Benny. (Said with and love..as Ringo would say it).

 

[Benny Profane]

Newbie jong to uphill.

What woods? Hell, we're lucky to have groomed trails with this weather so far.

I've been thinking of getting back on the snowboard lately, just to show those little brats that old cranky guys can ride switch, too.

 

[Ripitz]

I’ve been doing downhill laps on my XCD setup. It’s terrifying. Feels like I’m learning to ski all over again.

 

[sig]

I've been thinking of getting back on the snowboard lately, just to show those little brats that old cranky guys can ride switch, too.

go get them benny. old guys rise up. its our time

 

[tirolski]

Yeah, I heard those guys have been hanging out with Ariel Quiros and Jim Barnes.

Don’t know bout Belle but these folks have plans approved for Gore y’all. https://frontstreetpartners.com/real-estate-ski-bowl-village/

 

[sig]

this has so much potential, especially if it revitalizes north creek. walking to the first chair or walking into town for dinner and drinks would be a unique ski experience for the north east.

 

[JTG]

While I generally side with marcski, I get that there are circumstances where skinning in bounds up a groomer makes good sense. In the spring, when the WF summit is closed, skinning up there via trails is great. Otherwise, most of my skinning at WF has been in the woods. Generally though, skinning for me is about freedom, nature, and access to terrain you can’t get to otherwise. I don’t care about the exercise aspect of it, I do enough other things to stay in shape and get my heart rate up. That’s why something like the WF uphill program holds no appeal for me. I don’t care for the exercise of it, and when I want Summit views I’ll take the lift. Sure, just like sunrise on a surfboard can be pretty cool, I’d imagine sunrise on the Summit could be cool...but not worth the effort, for me at least.

It does make a lot of sense for people new-ish to touring to do so in resort. The equipment and the transitions are enough to learn, without having to worry about route finding in the woods on your own, although I’m sure there are plenty of established trails and skin tracks out there.

Benny....when the world permits, Magic is the resort to skin at. Not only is their uphill policy one of the best, when there is snow you can head over to Timber Ridge. Good skinning over, decent skiing on the abandoned trails, and a relatively straightforward return. One time I did zig when I should have zagged on the return and ended up skiing down a snowmobile trail that required a little backtracking, but even that was fun.