Friends on Powder Days?

[riverc0il]

there is an old adage that there are no friends on powder days. i decided to address that adage in a short work of fiction. if i can't be writing trip reports, i might as well spend my time writing about the skiing that i am not doing

so what do you think? are there friends on powder days? kinda depends on the situation i would think. if i showed up with a friend and planned on skiing the day together or planned on tackling out of bounds, absolutely. casual skiing partner for on the map skiing? harder to call. someone random i hooked up with at the mountain? better plan on keeping up cause i expect to be left behind if i fall behind.

 

[Sky]

Great story.

Too true about first experience, I won't bore you with mine. Also too true...you can almost re-experience it through someone else...it's a close as it gets...and certainly brings you as close to your own memories of the first experience as you can get.

Addictive stuff.

So when are you back on snow?

 

[eatskisleep]

If I am staying on the trail map, friends or no friends both has their advantages and disadvantages.
As for backcountry skiing off the map, it is always with someone else.

 

[kbroderick]

I'd say yes, there are friends on powder days--because why the heck would I stay on marked trails on a powder day when there's so much fun to be had in the woods? And if I'm going into the woods, I'd just as soon have company (that company had better be able to keep up, though, or at least come pretty close).

(Of course, there are also times when I have my camera and will try to get ahead and get a few shots of people coming towards me, which means that I'm slowing things down...but if the shots come out well enough, that tends to be overlooked.)

 

[riverc0il]

So when are you back on snow?

thanks. back on snow next sunday.

 

[RIDEr]

Good story as usual Riv. Having friends on POW days is a difficult thing to say with too many scenerios taking place... For instance, when you take a lift \ tram \ gondala \ etc and hit your stash with a buddy it is great. Getting first lines is even better. When you have a chance to hit multiple stashes throughout the day you switch on and off.

NOW (different side of the coin), if you VISIT a mountain that you are not familar with and you know it is a POW day along with the 2,000 other people you better make sure you are ahead of the line and say to your buddy that you'll see them at the bottom.

Ok, so that is a mountain side perspective... how about ridges, mountains that only a few people know about that you have to hike for either 30 minutes or over 1 hour for. For those you make sure you are always with a buddy (for safety reasons), but allowing your buddy to hit the line first if a tough call. I have never been in one of those situations where we all didn't take a different line, but when you a in a tough line that there is only one line, I'm not too sure which way you can go.... FLIP A COIN or KNOW THERE A MANY MORE STASHES TO ENJOY AND LET YOUR BUDDY HAVE THE ENJOYMENT THIS TIME WITH FUTURE STASHES BEING OPEN FOR PLEASURE AND STORY TELLING.

 

[skibum1321]

I will ski with my friends on a pow day but when we're in the woods I won't usually wait for them until the end of the glade. Also, they have to be pretty close to my level - I won't change my terrain choices on a pow day or wait too long.

 

[smootharc]

How about girl-friends on powder days ?

....that might stir the discussion. The process of them becoming "ex" girl-friends after a powder day.

Or....the girlfriend who steals your first tracks. She's the one you get down on your knee (easier to do on telemark equipment) and ask "Will you marry me ?"

 

[skibum1321]

....that might stir the discussion. The process of them becoming "ex" girl-friends after a powder day.

Or....the girlfriend who steals your first tracks. She's the one you get down on your knee (easier to do on telemark equipment) and ask "Will you marry me ?"

My girlfriend doesn't ski the woods so she understands that we won't be skiing together every run. For the most part, I'll ski a couple of runs with her and then go off on my own.

 

[ssusca]

....that might stir the discussion. The process of them becoming "ex" girl-friends after a powder day.

Or....the girlfriend who steals your first tracks. She's the one you get down on your knee (easier to do on telemark equipment) and ask "Will you marry me ?"

I have to disagree. The girl that steals your first tracks is the one you immediately break up with. That’s simply unforgivable. The one lets you have first tracks and then figure 8's them is the one you marry!

 

[kingslug]

I led my wife into an area called Powder Country At Powder Mountain Utah. It turned out to be very steep and deep. She wasn't too friendly when she got buried and had to dig her self out in the middle of a 35 degree run with a tree in the middle of the line. Almost thought I was going to have to climb up about 60 feet to help her, but she got out. Problem with deep powder is that when you stop...you sink.

 

[JD]

there are NO problems with deep powder, BTW. The problem is she stopped.

 

[kcyanks1]

I always have more fun skiing with friends when we are of similar ability level, so definitely friends on powder days for me.

 

[kingslug]

there are NO problems with deep powder, BTW. The problem is she stopped.

More like skidded to a halt when she saw the run get very steep. This buried her about 3 feet. She also fell into a tree well at alta once, same prob, too slow to get through. You can't ski pow like hardpack.

 

[JD]

This is true. Momentum is your amigo.

 

[VB]

I was skiing Uppper Whaletail at Whaleback last sunday, and the whole trail was only powder, nothing but rocks and ice underneath. Even then, when I slowed down, I was fighting the powder, but When I had some good speed going, it was great, except it scratched my skis on th bottom pretty good.

 

[blacknblue]

The "no friends on a powder day" adage just means that you are justified in not waiting up for someone. If it's dumping out, then the faster skiers are allowed to go ahead at their own pace, and the slower skiers can't complain about it. This definitely includes girlfriends! Skiing with someone of like ability, though, is always more fun, and necessary when the terrain is potentially dangerous.

I like what ssusca said, "The one lets you have first tracks and then figure 8's them is the one you marry!" Still looking for that girl...

 

[smootharc]

On a serious note.....

....friends on deep powder days are a must....due to....

Non-Avalanche-Related Snow Immersion Death (NARSID)


http://blogs.king5.com/archives/2006/01/something_every_1.html

 

[lloyd braun]

YES there are friends on a powder day. The ones that can keep up!

If you are one that can't keep up, go out and practice, then join up with your group of friends when you can keep up. The slowest one should know this and not have resentment towards those that ski better and faster.

A true friend won't ask you to wait on a powder day!

 

[dmc]

Funny...
I just got back from riding POW from this "clipper"... Was bombing the moutain with a friend... He saw my girlfriend and was like "we should wait for her" - I told him "Naaah... She'd just slow us down.. She'd understand"

And that's the sign of a good woman... A woman who will totally understand when you blow her off on a POW day...