For those who ski out west...

[kingslug]

Some questions:
1. Do you travel alone or go with someone.
2. How do you handle the altitude.
3. Do you meet up with locals or wing it on your own.
4. how do you handle the steeps and deep powder.
5. How do you handle the huge areas which are so much vaster than ours.
The reason I'm asking this, well, things didn't go as planned this last trip. Seems like someone I have skied with for years out west doesn't think I know enough, have learned enough about the area. I pretty much land and ski first day if I can. The altitude does get to me in some ways, lightheaded mostly. Coming from a small area, Hunter, to these 2000 acre resorts takes a bit to get acclimated to even though I have been going there for years. I think that following people around is preventing me from really learning where to go. Mistakes out there can be fatal, so I'm cautious. I can't rip like these guys do, they have been skiing for 40 years or more, and get in over 100 days. I'm lucky to get in 30 to 35 and half of that is here. You can't practice here what you ski there, doesn't exist. So the question is..how do you do it??

 

[David Metsky]

1) I've done both.
2) Never had a problem with altitude. Take it easy on the first few days, drink a lot of water, don't drink too much alcohol.
3) Meet people on the lifts or on the trails, or just ski solo
4) I handle them just fine, thank you very much.
5) Ski areas are ski areas, this isn't rocket science. Figure out what you want to ski and spend some time getting to know the area.

 

[ALLSKIING]

If your a good skier well then your a good skier... does not matter where you ski. are they taking you places that are over your head?

 

[St. Bear]

In planning a trip out West that fell apart this year, but hopefully will happen next year, I've told my wife that for at least the first day we're getting a guide to show us around the mountain.

 

[Edd]

Are you doing a bunch of backcountry and so forth? Otherwise it sounds like your friend is overthinking things. I've always gone with a buddy or two but I'd have little issue going alone. I didn't have altitude problems at Whistler or Tahoe but Utah got to me for a day or so. I've never researched beyond some basic forum searches but I've never skied with local friends. I say screw 'em and go have fun on your own; maybe try to bring a buddy from the east...someone who shares your perspective.

 

[marcski]

If your a good skier well then your a good skier... does not matter where you ski. are they taking you places that are over your head?

I agree with this. I think keeping in shape helped me with altitude. My avatar was taken on my 1st day, 2nd run last year after hiking up to the High Notch from the top of Collins.

 

[4aprice]

I usually go out west with family or friends but have been known to go alone (or mix in with a business trip where I am alone). I have never had altitude sickness and that includes visiting such places as Loveland after taking off from sea level earlier in the day. I have met up with locals but mostly ski with the party I came with. I love powder and always have. My first trips were to Colorado and I thought nothing could possibly be better (and it is good) but then our situation changed and we started going to Utah and I have to say the snow is better. As far as steeps my favorite powder hangouts are places like Honeycomb Canyon at Solitude, Catherines at Alta both of which are pretty steep.

As far as the resorts themselves, they are huge. For myself I tend to check out trail maps and see what looks interesting to ski. It's pretty much impossible to cover a whole resort in a short period of time. Most of my favorites have been discovered over several trips and I've still got alot to discover.

Seems to me if you ski Hunter 30-35 days a season you would be in pretty good condition to ski anywhere. The whole reason I ski the Pocono's 40+ days a year is to be in shape to ski up north and out west. I've never run across any conditions out west that are as tough as what we ski here. (curd can be bad but I avoid it) Of course very rarely do we get the powder they do out there and if thats where your having difficulty I don't know really what you could do outside of traveling out there as much as you can.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[Cheese]

Some answers:

1. Alone or with a group
I travel with a group, but inside of that group there is at least one skier that is competent to go where I plan to go.
2. Handling altitude
I hydrate more (Camel-back) and stop more frequently.
3. Meet locals or wing it
I have met up with locals on the slopes, questioned locals at apre' ski parties and hired off piste guides. This will benefit you for getting the conditions of where you're going or even get temporary use of an avalanche pack for a 12 pack of beer.
4. Steeps and deep
I don't think handling them is as important as getting a report of their conditions. There might be a reason that an area is untracked and some tracks that look to head off to a secret stash end abruptly in a stain of yellow snow. This sort of folds back into question #4 and is an important reason to chat with locals.
5. Handling huge areas
Trail maps are far more accurate than you think. Most people only notice the trails, lifts and amenities. If you look beyond these obvious features you'll see the layout of the peaks and valleys. It will show you whether a drop off into the trees will ski out or require a hike. Most cliff areas are also marked on the map so off-piste skiers won't end up trapped.

I'll pause here and let this thread take form before adding more.
__________________

 

[abc]

Seems like someone I have skied with for years out west doesn't think I know enough, have learned enough about the area.

I'm trying to figure out what their problem is but I can't.

What is it that (they think) you don't know that bother them?

I'm going out there next week. I'll be skiing with my buddies who were my buddies before they moved out west. (I've been doing this for a few years now) Since they've moved west, they put in a whole lot more days each year than I do. So they're super-duper skiers (actually boarders) compare to me. But they enjoy showing me all the secret stash in their home mountain. And some of the times, I slow them down because I'm just not as good at handling the kind of condition we don't see around here.

So, I don't know what your buddies' problem is.

BTW, I'm going to Utah. So no altitude problem.

"4. how do you handle the steeps and deep powder."

Steeps are just steeps. There're steeps here. If you can handle them here, you can handle them out there. In fact, the steeps out there will be easier because the snow is usually better.

There's no much you can do about powder. You just have to suck for a while till you get used to it.

"5. How do you handle the huge areas which are so much vaster than ours."

I'm not sure what that means.

There're trail maps and you just roam around till you need to get back to your car...

 

[Cheese]

Powder:
If you have mastered NE powder then you'll be fine in western powder no matter how deep it is. The deeper it gets, the less concerned you'll need to be with controlling your speed. The technique of skiing it is the same. Boot top wet NE powder or nipple deep western champagne both require slow smooth movements, a slight bouncing motion and the patience to wait for the skis to react to what you've commanded them to do.

Steeps:
This shouldn't be different either however I'm amazed at the number of NE skiers that think taking a slide is okay. Obviously taking a slide out west could easily end horribly. If you hit the ground, you should either strand right back up or immediately stop yourself from sliding. After you've fallen there is a very limited amount of time before acceleration begins. Practice reacting to this every time you fall not just when you're below a "No Fall Zone" sign at the top of a trail.

 

[drjeff]

Some questions:
1. Do you travel alone or go with someone.
2. How do you handle the altitude.
3. Do you meet up with locals or wing it on your own.
4. how do you handle the steeps and deep powder.
5. How do you handle the huge areas which are so much vaster than ours.
The reason I'm asking this, well, things didn't go as planned this last trip. Seems like someone I have skied with for years out west doesn't think I know enough, have learned enough about the area. I pretty much land and ski first day if I can. The altitude does get to me in some ways, lightheaded mostly. Coming from a small area, Hunter, to these 2000 acre resorts takes a bit to get acclimated to even though I have been going there for years. I think that following people around is preventing me from really learning where to go. Mistakes out there can be fatal, so I'm cautious. I can't rip like these guys do, they have been skiing for 40 years or more, and get in over 100 days. I'm lucky to get in 30 to 35 and half of that is here. You can't practice here what you ski there, doesn't exist. So the question is..how do you do it??

1) Me, my wife and 2 kids go

2) The altitude has never really been an issue for any of us. We usually go to Utah and stay up in Park City, and even in the years when we've gone basically from the airport to straight to a ski area and made some turns that afternoon, nobody in my family has ever had any altitude issues. We do make an effort to drink plenty of water both on the plane ride out and then during the 1st 24 hours we're there. And I do make an effort to limit myself to no more than a couple of beers that 1st night. Starting on our 1st full day out there, it's "business as usual" granted we've usually done our 1st full day at The Canyons where our timeshare is located so it's not like we're usually doing more than a few hundred feet of hiking (if any) to access some terrain that 1st day.

3) Usually my wife and I ski together and our kids have been in kids programs out there. We have in the past met up with some East Coast friends and/or relatives who have been out there at the same time and skied with them

4) Steeps and Powder - usually not much of an issue for me (granted I WON'T go purposely seeking out cliffs to jump off of ) and the 1st day or two I might tone down my trail selection if powder is present and i'm skiing the same run with my wife, because while she is proficient in most amounts of powder and steeps, she doesn't enjoy that combo as much as I do, so until I hear her say "you can go ski that run and i'll take this easier way around" I choose the trails accordingly

5) Big areas. #1 - I've learned to try and NOT tackle a new BIG acreage area in 1 day. I've spent too much time trying to see everything but then end up really not skiing anything. So now I look at a big new area in sections and plan on getting to know a new place over the course of a couple days. If its an area that i'm familar with, I try and use what knowledge of it that I have to figure out where the snow conditons and trails that I might be looking for would be, and then focus in on those places, knowing that if "plan A" doesn't work out that I have other options at that area and then move as needed.

 

[Smellytele]

1. Friends and family- never went alone
2. Never had an issue with altitude my oldest kid did once - head ache got tired easy
3. I have met up with locals in Tahoe but winged it in Utah and in Colorado. I did hire a guide for 1 day in Chamonix
4. We have steeps here in the east and I have skied in deeper powder here than I have in the west
5. Ski it in pods just like I do in the east.

 

[jlboyell]

haha i can relate. my first time at big sky there was 1-2 feet of fresh in the bowl. i was by myself. i had to take a few seconds and remember not to carve like im used to. the bounce thing is a weird but totally cool sensation we can all relate to. im on a board, and i moved my bindings back a notch for out here. other than that its just having fun. backcountry is a different story.

 

[ScottySkis]

Powder days in utah just put your skis pointed down and the rest will just flow, i never got altitude sickness in utah but i drank lots of water. Just try one area of big mountain one day don't try to much, and Cambel back pack that holds water is good thing to have. If sun comes out the temperature goes up a lot more then in the east coast so u probably be taking off layers after lunch

 

[Cheese]

3. Ski patrol are very helpful too. They'll happily volunteer an estimate of when they'll be done shooting/blasting and will drop the ropes. They'll tell you which peaks have been exposed to warmth or wind and therefore should be avoided or given an hour or two before arriving. They'll warn you that the 1 hour hike to such-n-such stash isn't worth it because it's already been tracked out. They might even remind you, "Yeah, the snow is deep there but the red light on that sign means the lift is closed and won't open for another hour."

 

[driven777]

I love Heavenly Mountain's powder. Last time 6 feet of fresh powder runs all day. Soooo nice. Much better than the Ice on Canon.

 

[mikestaple]

Always go with the family. So with a mix of abilities, we check the trail map and figure out general ski areas for the day.

Altitude - stay in shape and hydrate. Push water on everyone a week before you go.

Steeps - those aren't Bretton Woods blacks! Know your ability. Use that knowledge wisely. Also, you've skied in the NE so you know ice and how to ski crud. Which gives you an ability to handle sudden changes in surface and, usually, the skills to make a number of different shaped turns.

 

[Hawkshot99]

1. Do you travel alone or go with someone.
Went out with 4 of my co-workers. We are all very comfortable on nearly everything on the east coast

2. How do you handle the altitude.
We went to Park City and skied the Canyons and Deere Valley. I was entirely fine until my buddy and I decided to hike up to the top of 9999' Peak less than 11 hours after getting off the plane. Prior to that the highest I ever was is Whiteface. I just got abit light headed and tired out easier. The rest of the time I was fine(lots of water)

3. Do you meet up with locals or wing it on your own.
We winged it on our own for the first two days, then met up with a patroller from our home area who was our guide on the 3rd day.

4. how do you handle the steeps and deep powder.
The steeps were amazing to look at, but once we were in them, not nearly as scary as the ICY steeps here. The deepest powder I have ever skied was east coast by a long shot.

5. How do you handle the huge areas which are so much vaster than ours.
We got around just fine. We just went wherever looked good, didnt bother with maps.

 

[kingslug]

Cool,. My prob..is that I can't figure out what the prob was. I'm in shape, don't get sick ever, have skied 50 degree chutes off Baldy, powder..never a prob, love it. I ended up at a different lift, didn't hear they where going to another one,Had to hear about that all day, met them the next run up. I just don't know where every area is, don't know the names of all of them,Probably should get The Powder Hounds Guide to Alta, they aren't all on the map. I've taken an avi 1 course..don't know many that have, its pretty tough, no lifts, you skin up. I think I've done everything I can. I pretty much never fall, am not a danger to anyone,...ah...who knows..just sux to come home pissed off...I know other people there who I have a good time with, They may ski a little slower but that is fine.I'm not chasing them around..which is tough when you are trying to keep an eye on everything.Think its time I check out other resorts..hitting Big Sky end of the month..that should be interesting.Guess not having the best sense of direction kind of makes it tough, working on it though..I've cliffed out several times, that scares me..don't want to come home in a bag...

 

[snoseek]

Sounds like you need to ski with more laid back people. I would rather ski solo than have to please anyone else.