Challenging vs fun

[kingslug]

I did one of the headwalls at Squaw last spring. The scariest part is standing up on top and worrying about it. I try to minimize my "getting scared time" (a trick I learned years ago when going to the dentist made me wet my pants). I will look long enough to scout out a line and a strategy and go. I've always gotten to the bottom and said, "that wasn't so bad." That fear though is a good thing to have - it instills respect and seriousness, such that my risks are always calculated, it's never a crapshoot.

More often, I get scared when I encounter something I didn't anticipate and only had a split second to make a plan. Still, that's what I like about skiing. I don't like boulevards that you can see straight shot down to the bottom - they are too predictable and "boring" for me.

I'm having a great time skiing at this point of my career - I know all the moves, not flawlessly, but good enough, and I have enough skiing "activities" that I can mix up what I do from day to day. I tend to go through phases - high speed carving, slalom racing, woods, etc. to either match the conditions, the company or my mood. Right now (or at least until last Sunday), it was powderhounding...
:beer:

Worst thing about Squaw is the "hidden' cliffs. they only mark them with a tiny sign about knee high, if that. I did like the fact that I got out of that situation, especialy when I found out that someone had died falling off the same one the day before. But I think that is entering the realm of the truly scary, which I could do without. Skiing huge steep bowls is more like it. Nothing like looking back up and going "damn, I did that"?
Then again there have been time when my wife cracks me with a good right hook after saying "I can't believe you got me into this"!!!!!!!

 

[dmc]

I like to scare myself, not everytime of course but I go for the challenge.

yup... I spend a lot of money to go out west and scare the crap out of myself... And I like to be scared on every run; riding outside of my "comfort zone"..

 

[kingslug]

yup... I spend a lot of money to go out west and scare the crap out of myself... And I like to be scared on every run; riding outside of my "comfort zone"..

I found Squaw to be the all time scariest. JH is too but you can see what you're getting into. Squaw is like Europe................go ahead...kill you're self...we'll find you in the spring.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I agree Jackson Hole does a good job marking inbounds cliffs..I feel that some of the terrain off the Tram at Big Sky is way scarier and exposed than most of J-Hole..

 

[Warp Daddy]

BOTH!!!!!!

But NOW @ 64 THE RATIO OF FUN TO SCARED SHITLESS IS ABOUT 4:1 -------------

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Bump

 

[Geoff]

I'm somewhere in the middle. I like to be interested. When the conditions are good, the groomed manmade terrain is merely a way to get to the trees and ungroomed natural snow terrain. I can be equally interested social skiing on somewhat easier terrain than I would tend to pick skiing by myself. I do get really bored skiing green circle and blue square groomed terrain. On groomers, I prefer to have some pitch and make short radius turns.

30 years ago when I had a higher testosterone level and intact ACLs, I tended to head for the no-fall areas on western ski trips. I now tend to pick smaller places with fixed-grip lifts with the good snow surface. My west skiing this year was Mt Baker and Eldora. Last year was Monarch. The year before was Wolf Creek and Ski Santa Fe.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I like to ski Big Spruce at Stowe and the Casper lift at Jackson Hole late in the day on powder days because they're intermediate areas and overlooked by most of the powderhounds. Untracked powder on mid-angle terrain is way better to me than skied off chowder on the steeps. Plus anywhere tight or with some brush is usually untracked as well..sure wide open powder is great but I'll take what I can get....I never turn down the oppertunity to shread virgin pow..even if just a few turns of it..

 

[Zand]

To me, if the challenge is present then that's where I want to be because skiing real challenging stuff is pretty rare for me seeing as I only get 6 days or so outside of MA and southern VT. However, I don't need to be challenged to have fun. Take my day at Okemo for example... nothing challenging about the place but probably one of the most fun days I had all year.

I'm also a fan of exploration so I find it fun sifting through the woods. I don't need to be roaring through hitting cliffs and stuff, but poking around and just experiencing nature is a lot of fun too.

 

[mondeo]

Wait...I thought challenging and fun were synonyms?

I get bored if I'm not pushing myself. I'm not really an outdoorsy guy; most of my enjoyment comes from the challenge. Every once in a while I do enjoy taking an easy bump run under a lift and just shredding it, though. Ego boosting can be more fun than a challenge.

Skiing with friends is a different dynamic, though. I still want the challenge, but it can also be fun just hanging out, and just so happening to be on skis when doing so.

 

[Greg]

I agree with Mike. Challenging is fun for me most of the time. Sometime not being so aggressive and just laying back is cool too though. It just all depends on the terrain, conditions, weather, company, etc. I like to keep the gas on most of the time though.

 

[hardline]

I'm somewhere in the middle. I like to be interested. When the conditions are good, the groomed manmade terrain is merely a way to get to the trees and ungroomed natural snow terrain. I can be equally interested social skiing on somewhat easier terrain than I would tend to pick skiing by myself. I do get really bored skiing green circle and blue square groomed terrain. On groomers, I prefer to have some pitch and make short radius turns.

30 years ago when I had a higher testosterone level and intact ACLs, I tended to head for the no-fall areas on western ski trips. I now tend to pick smaller places with fixed-grip lifts with the good snow surface. My west skiing this year was Mt Baker and Eldora. Last year was Monarch. The year before was Wolf Creek and Ski Santa Fe.

the whole not having my acl thing has changed the way i ride. i try to keep my airs under 10ft but sometime (normally in the spring when its soft) i go for the float. big airs can be really fun if the transitions are smooth but most of the park hits throw up up not out. i think thats because the kids now don't like to hit things with speed.

 

[mattchuck2]

There has to be at least some kind of a challenge for me to have fun. If all of the upper lifts are on wind hold or something, there had better be some trees, a park, or some way to hike up. I mean, who among us would drive 3 hours to ski the bunny slope all day and call that "fun"? (Besides total beginners, of course).

This applies double when I'm out west. If the mountain itself isn't challenging, I feel like I'm wasting my time. I skied Northstar at Tahoe once, and if not for the views of Tahoe and Squaw, I could've sworn I was somewhere in the east. For me, the whole point of going out west is to rip the toughest terrain I can handle, because it's not something I get everyday.

 

[Greg]

What's up, Matt? Long time, no post.

 

[mattchuck2]

Yeah, I know . . .

I've been totally and completely busy all winter and spring . . . I'm picking my way through everything I missed . . . this might take a while.

 

[Greg]

Yeah, I know . . .

I've been totally and completely busy all winter and spring . . . I'm picking my way through everything I missed . . . this might take a while.

I was getting the feeling that after Mount Snow in November you didn't like us anymore...

 

[mattchuck2]

Haha . . . I had a great time that day . . .

My resolution for next season is to do at least 3 AZ outings. There's no reason I shouldn't go to the ones at Hunter.

 

[JimG.]

Haha . . . I had a great time that day . . .

My resolution for next season is to do at least 3 AZ outings. There's no reason I shouldn't go to the ones at Hunter.

No reason whatsoever.