Belleayre 12/26/09

[thinnmann]

We were in the fog to varying degrees all day. It was difficult to see because of the fog flattening everything out, and because of the freezing stuff on the sunglasses (had to ditch the goggles because they were too dark). There were a lot of fallen small sticks from the trees that actually made it easier to see the terrain much of the time. One good thing is it wasn't too cold, hence the damp conditions. The precip was really light most of the day, and was mostly frozen rain (not snow). It didn't get sloppy until it was time to leave anyway, at about 2:30 PM.

Lifts were all operational, and not a line to be had anywhere. We got a lot of skiing in in 4.5 hours. (See data link below.) Probably a few hundred people on the entire mountain.

The mountain was groomed well, and there was no ice. No mogul runs either. The snow on Dot Nebel and Seneca was really great. In the morning it felt like we owned Tomahawk, and we were cutting fresh tracks over there through a few inches of heavy powder.

I always wondered about distance and speed while skiing, so I wore my Garmin 405 today. Including lift rides, I traveled 26.29 miles - a little more than a marathon - and my top speed was 41.1 miles per hour. I was wearing my Blizzard 155 CM SL race skis, which are not really as fast as some longer skis I have. Top speed was attained while in a tuck heading down to Tomahawk lift. Here is the satellite map data.

 

[NE Transplant]

Garmin Info

Great TR and thanks for including the Garmin 405 link/info.

I've got a 405 as well...did you have to strap it on your wrist outside your shell to get the GPS reception, or could you put it in a pocket? I've only used mine for running & biking in relatively milder weather. The strap is not that long, I would think it would be tough to fit over layers outside of a shell.

 

[thinnmann]

Great TR and thanks for including the Garmin 405 link/info.

I've got a 405 as well...did you have to strap it on your wrist outside your shell to get the GPS reception, or could you put it in a pocket? I've only used mine for running & biking in relatively milder weather. The strap is not that long, I would think it would be tough to fit over layers outside of a shell.

I wore it as normal on my wrist, under gloves & jacket. I turned it on before my first run down to Superchief lift & locked the bezel. I just left it on until the end of the day. I should have used it today because with more GS-like skis and a clear day, we were flying! I will try it again tomorrow.

 

[NE Transplant]

Cool, thanks. Good to know it doesn't need "line of sight" to the sats...