Quality vs. Quantity

[ChileMass]

This seems like a ridiculous thread . . . nobody would be arguing for quality if they only got 2 days a year and everyone else was skiing 60-70 days a year.

I'd rather have 100 decent days over 1 epic day . . . because within those 100 days, there are bound to be some very near epic days.

Well said.............:beer:

 

[JD]

Fortunately we don't have to decide between 1 great day or 100 mediocer days. It's more like 30 great days either way, I just skip groomer days.

 

[JimG.]

This seems like a ridiculous thread . . . nobody would be arguing for quality if they only got 2 days a year and everyone else was skiing 60-70 days a year.

I'd rather have 100 decent days over 1 epic day . . . because within those 100 days, there are bound to be some very near epic days.

Indeed, well said.

Like I said before, when it comes to quality or quantity I only do both.

 

[Kerovick]

I live in Maryland, I don't have an option. LOL I've only ever skiied on ICE and crud.
Kero

 

[Skibum_dan]

For me, I'd say it's a matter of timing. If the snow is great, and I know the woods are really good, I'll sacrifice a few rides to the top for less but better runs in the woods. If the weather is total crap, the groomers, although less desirable than the woods for me, would still be seen as skiing. As a pass holder, I would still try to get some runs in on a crappy weather day. I'd focus on edging or something.... It probably wouldn't be one of those days that you remember and you certainly can't even begin to compare it to a day of knee deep pow but it's still skiing and skiing is fun.
So...quality versus quantity? I have no solid answer. "Depends on the weather" would be the closest thing I have to an answer. If we just got dumped on I'd much rather have two or three runs down freshies in the woods that I have to hike to than 10 runs down the trails on the map.

 

[Greg]

Still in the quantity camp. Got in 35 days this season which is not much by some standards, but pretty good for me. I skied with AZers on 2/3 of those days. With the quantity I found a lot of quality this season. Still, I didn't ski the V-Day snow until the 16th, nor the St Patty's Day snow until the 19th, but I did score a powder day at Sugarbush and a 14 incher at MRG on Good Friday so I definitely got some fresh snow this season. Those days were great, but I'm still a quantity guy.

 

[tjf67]

If you get 80 days at a resort chances are you are going to get untracked pow 30 of them.


I skied 35+ this year and got untracked 6 to 10 times.

I guess I take the 80

 

[riverc0il]

I only got 46 days this year and my previous record high was only 39. Considering I had a season pass and am now living in Vermont, this is substantially below my expected total number of days. Disappointed? Not a bit. The quality of the days I got was exceptional with just barely under 50% powder day ratio. Quality over quantity every time. Quantity and reps are valuable for working technique and building skills, but is tremendously boring compared to the awesomeness of good quality days. Some of my best days this season I got less than 10 runs including a pair of days at Mad River and a few half earned turn days at Jay.

Here is the true test for quantity vs. quality for the 2006-2007 season: who skied 10+ days in December? More than 5 days in November? 5 days during the first half of January? Despite a season pass, I didn't get out much during that period, generally only once per week with exception of the quality during the last week of December. Even the days I did ski, many I was board line thinking it wasn't worth the drive, while a few truly were not worth the drive. I had some days in which I only skied 4 or 5 runs off the Jet and called it a day. Sometimes it just isn't worth it. But when it is worth it, man oh man would I ever trade all the inferior days for twice as many quality days. I would gladly only have 23 days out instead of 46 this season if everyone of those days was top notch. Then again, my powder ratio of this season can attest to the quality factor.

This may be a matter of perception of what is a good quality day versus what is not. If you subscribe to the philosophy that "a bad day of skiing is better than a good day at the office" (I don't) then your perception of a typical quality day is probably a lot higher than mine. Skiing with other skiers is often a direct influence on quality, many if not most of my best days this season were shared with other skiers. But the perception issue essentially comes down to if your perceived difference between good days and bad days is more extreme than the average skier, you will probably value quality that much more. At least that is my experience as I was once a quantity guy.

 

[snoseek]

quantity for me. this is just a side effect of skiing new england. good dry powder without rocks, ice or crust is too hard to come by. i got plenty of powder days this year, but if i only skied on those days then i would feel very empty.

 

[millerm277]

I would say that there might be something like a 5:1 ratio....5 groomer days is about as good as an epic powder one.

 

[Skibum_dan]

I am grateful that I experienced a great quantity of quality days this past season. We had some great dumps (Valentines Powder Day Massacre!!!!11eleventy!, St. Patrick’s Day, and a few days before Easter…just to name a few) This was a great season. I was pleased with the amount of, knee deep, thigh deep, face shot, ear to ear smiles, and god honest powder days. I got a fair share of resort, back/side-country skiing in and some good hikes. All in all, I’d say I am still a quality guy.
Although, sometimes in the pursuit of greater quantity, I often get some good quality. I’m talking about that time of year when all the lifts are closed but you can still skin up places, stretch your season, (get more quantity) and ski some nice corn (quality). This year was great for that because we had such a good base that stayed for a long time. I had a great time skinning up Bolton on 4/20 after they were closed, set some folders chairs up at mid station and watched the sunset (quality)….only had one run but it was pretty sweet.
I don’t recall how many days I got in this year, prob around 40-45. I’d say 1/2 of those days were stellar. I’m pretty happy with the quantity and quality of days skied this past season.

 

[loafer89]

My season started off with day one at sugarloaf with 5-9" of new snow, but December was warm and snowless. Early/mid January was the same with limited snow. I missed the Valentines Day snow, leaving for Colorado the next day, but we had a 14" powder day at A-Basin and 4-8" snow's nearly every day. I hit the grand daddy of snowfall at Sugarloaf and we skied in 55" of new snow from April 13th - 18th. Overall February and April where very kind, but out of 45 days, I would say that 30 where quality days.

I made sure I smashed my old record of 33 days in a season, and it will probably be a while before I can beat this season's record.

 

[kbroderick]

There are two reasons I'd vote for quantity over quality:
a) it builds character and technical ability--being able to ski on hard snow sure comes in handy when you're halfway down that gnarly tree line and find that the wind direction blasted snow off of it rather than onto it, as you had expected (or, more succinctly, ski the crap or ski like crap).

b) I've yet to go out for some skiing and come back in and say, "Geez, y'know, I really wish I had just stayed at my desk." I have, on many occasions, come back in and said, "Wow, that was a lot better than I expected." That's why I count days--it's an encouragement to get out on days when I'm wavering one way or the other. And those days that aren't better than expected? They're still better than sitting inside.

Now, granted, I have a couple of advantages over most folks in this debate--my marginal cost for an additional day of skiing borders on zero most of the season (limited to wear and tear on equipment and clothing), and my travel time is zilch. Even so, I had a couple of trips to other Vermont resorts this year where the weather didn't match my hopes, and the skiing was still worth it.

 

[Skibum_dan]

"Wow, that was a lot better than I expected." That's why I count days--it's an encouragement to get out on days when I'm wavering one way or the other.

I def had a few unanticipated powder days this year because I head up to the mountain as a default plan for any weekend/day off.

 

[Skibum_dan]

I think I posted once last fall about how my quality/quanity assessment depends entirely on the weather. If it is an awesome powder day, I'm going for quality. I'd rather do a little hiking or whatever is needed to get the freshness, rather than getting more runs on tracked out trails.
If the weather is crappy (woods suck, bullet proof snow, only man made) I'd still rather be at the mountain than on the couch. As mentioned by others, it's a good time to hone your skills. Skiing when the weather kinda sucks also makes the good days seem all that much better.

 

[Greg]

Bump

 

[cbcbd]

I'll take quality... but sometimes it takes quantity to get quality - or at least some sort of decision making that gives you more quality.

I've had days that I chose not to ski (but did do something else outside) because well, the snow just wasn't there or it was going to be pretty crappy conditions...

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Quantity...if you ski enough days..some of them are bound to have virgin untracked powder..

 

[deadheadskier]

I've always had the philosophy, the more you get yourself out there, the better your chances are at hitting the slopes when 'it's on'.

I think most of us have HAD to work during epic days. You can't always pick and choose. I just go as often as have time for and afford and at the end of the season, look back and cherish the good days.


besides, you never know. It might not have snowed in a month and the mountain recently did a great job seeding a bump run or through down a bunch of man made and buffed out a pistine groomer. I actually had a couple of 'powder' days at Sunday River last winter where the temperature was just right and the snow under the guns wasn't setting up fast and it was gorgeous.

So, in my situation, the higher quantity I ski, the more quality I'll ski throughout a season.

 

[Terry]

I definately agree. When you least expect it, you find awesome conditions. You never know so I go as often as I can to maximize my good days!