Will you ski in any conditions

[marcski]

When I was a kid, I'd ski in any conditions, weather or snow. Now, as I've added some years, I am slightly more picky. More to do with snow conditions than weather. However, if it is super super cold...say real temps -10 or lower, I'll probably stay away. However, it also depends on the situation. If i'm away on vacation staying slopeside, i'll go out at least for a few runs.

I'm more apt to stay away if its really really cold, after a NCP event.

 

[riverc0il]

for the nay sayers on rain, i understand your point of view. but light rain isn't really that bad.

 

[andyzee]

for the nay sayers on rain, i understand your point of view. but light rain isn't really that bad.

Love skiing in light rain, no crowds and the snow has nice texture to it.

 

[RISkier]

Weather / conditions have certainly kept us from driving from souther RI to go skiing. I've skied in light rain and kind of enjoy it -- sugar snow. But if it's raining on Thursday or Friday and then getting cold, I'm not driving 150+ miles to ski. I also expect that at some point cold/wind would keep us away, but cold hasn't really stopped us yet. We've also had a few days where snow storms have kept us from driving to go skiing.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Love skiing in light rain, no crowds and the snow has nice texture to it.

Good points on a hard argument to make.

 

[andyzee]

Weather / conditions have certainly kept us from driving from souther RI to go skiing. I've skied in light rain and kind of enjoy it -- sugar snow. But if it's raining on Thursday or Friday and then getting cold, I'm not driving 150+ miles to ski. I also expect that at some point cold/wind would keep us away, but cold hasn't really stopped us yet. We've also had a few days where snow storms have kept us from driving to go skiing.

I've got my season pass and a share in a ski house. In may case, the drive up doesn't bother me because all I'm paying for is gas and food.

 

[ga2ski]

Assuming I have a season's pass and I'm at the mountain. I'll ski in any weather. I will not drive long distances to ski in the rain, but anything else is fair game. That being said some of my best days have been in the rain . . .. . nice soft corn snow.

 

[Terry]

As long as I have a pass to the mountain, I will ski in any weather. I skied in hail at Sunday River last spring! I did take a break during the lightning storm though. I was at the top of t2 and the upper lift shack was open. Thank god I had my flask with me or it would have been a long wait!:beer:

 

[Zand]

I won't ski the extremest of conditions, but I'll ski most of them. I've skiied in temps below -10 plenty of times as well as rain and 60s. I won't go when its like -40, but you get the drift (pardon the pun).

 

[Sky]

I would say I wouldn't ski in any condition....but I actually have, so what does that say about being bi-polar?

SIed in the fog, because I paid for the bus ticket/lift ticket...and by the time we got there...it was still foggy.

Raced in the rain last year @ Wa. Wished they had called it off that night (they did at least once last year due to rain)...BUT...since we were there...AND it was race night...I skied. I also skied @ Wa last year for their Rade-em and Rank-em event which started out in the rain (the cloud cover was half-way down the summit!). So...rain get's a check.

Skied @ Wa when it was below zero (man the snow squeaks like mad @ that temp). I think it was -10 or -12...nothing worse...AND no crowds!

But giventhe opportunity to stay @ the house (home or the ski house) in crap-o-la weather...I think I'd be tempted to watch a good movie...drink some beers and enjoy other aspects of life.

 

[thebigo]

I cant imagine a temperature that would keep me away from the slopes. You can always add more layers. There was one day last year at kmart where the rest of my group went in to warm up while i played in snowdon trees and i actually had little frostbite spots on my face the next day. Nothing serious but they did itch.

Rain is a different story. I have skiied in rain before, even bought a ticket but i would not drive more than 2 hrs or pay to ski in rain again.

 

[Geoff]

As I've gotten older, I've gotten more selective. If it's subzero at the condo, I'll wait until it's close to zero before heading out. If it's really howling wind, I'll bag it. The skiing is great in a light mist but I'll pass on pouring rain even though I have the gear for it. If it's groomed death cookies after a thaw/refreeze cycle, I might take a couple of runs. I absolutely won't go out above the tree line in flat light.

 

[AdironRider]

Maybe its because Im young and dont know any better, but I will ride in anything, and probably stay the majority of the day doing so. Ive riden in -15 degree temps, taking gondola runs at Whiteface, bombing to mid, thaw out for ten minutes, head to base, thaw for half an hour, then do it all over again. Some of the best riding is to be had to the days that put hair on the chest, noone is on the hill. I remember one day a few years ago when I was literally the only person riding. That was really wierd.

I dont understand how you all hate to ski in the rain though. As long as you have some decent gear, its really pretty good. The snow is soft and carvable, and as long as its not a lake out there, its awesome.

Regardless, Im making the trip there. While I havent been around long, Ive been around long enough to know that the weather report isnt always right, and for that reason Im always going to check it out.

 

[bvibert]

If I'm on vacation somewhere or I already have a pass I'll ski in just about anything.

 

[ajl50]

Like many I have to drive a few hours to ski. Therefore, if it's really pouring I'll tend to stay away as I hate driving in heavy rain and I don't like having to change into dry clothes to drive home. If on vacation and it's raining I'll survey the situaiton more closely. If it is an isolated rain and I have a few extra days I'll just kick around the town. Otherwise, if I don't have the time, I'll just ski and get wet.
Cold-weather wise I'm pretty good to go in any conditions.

 

[bigbog]

...All Conditions!.....%$*$&^$*#_#

...It's raining or 50+ mph winds....

So highpeaks....it sounds like you made it up to the Loaf last April !!?;-);-) In that case...it was much more like the dreaded early Spring "raining AND 50+mph winds" , but you know...even with the snow turning to mush then...I like those windy days, particularly when you're trying to make your way down secluded trails.
My favorite ski days are when I'm out during a snowstorm...especially off-resort :smile: Just love how sound is blotted out by the falling snow...along with the accumulating powder....cannot get enough of those days!
Those brutally cold days will be interesting with my better fitting boots, Hotronics, and better skin layer materials with a better shell than in previous times...
Steve

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

I have skied in every conceivable condition, including a thunder-blizzard in Tuckerman in February of 1991. (Skiing out seemed like the safest option when you're in the chute and the lighting is close enough to make your hair stand up:blink: ).

I've had to patrol on many shifts that most people would pack it up on. Will I always ski no matter what? No. There are a lot of factors. I've skied some great conditions in poor weather, rain, cold, fog, howling wind. I've also had a great time skiing with poor conditions and bad weather with good company. I've also enjoyed skiing in bad weather and poor conditions when I knew I wouldn't get the chance to go for a couple of days. I might also enjoy skiing a new and interesting area in less than stellar conditions.

I will draw the line somewhere. If the weather was bad, the conditions were terrible, I'd be skiing with George W. at Okemo and I knew I'd be skiing the next day at Saddleback with good friends and a foot of Pow, I think I'd take a bye.

But that's just me.

 

[mattchuck2]

This is the most ridiculous discussion I've ever seen.

Can you imagine what someone from the West would think about this? You guys are actually bragging about how you skied in the world's crappiest conditions. Some people might see that as being hardcore. I think of it as being an idiot.

Besides, what's the point of "skiing" if you can only take one or two runs because you can't handle the cold/wind/rain/sleet? Would you people really drive an hour to ski on a mountain with three trails open? On a holiday weekend? 34 degrees and raining? With a 50 mph wind at the base? On boilerplate ice? With all of the upper mountain lifts closed? And a 45 minute wait for the one lift that is open?

Even if you say yes to all of these criteria, I contend that you are not "hardcore". I contend that you are in need of therapy.

Although, now that I think about it, If Thanksgiving weekend rolls around and conditions are like that, and I haven't skied yet this year, itching my skin in a psychotic manner to just get SOME skiing in - I'll probably be there at 8:30 when the lifts open.

Does anyone know a good therapist?

 

[tirolerpeter]

Conditions?

This is the most ridiculous discussion I've ever seen.

Can you imagine what someone from the West would think about this? You guys are actually bragging about how you skied in the world's crappiest conditions. Some people might see that as being hardcore. I think of it as being an idiot.

Besides, what's the point of "skiing" if you can only take one or two runs because you can't handle the cold/wind/rain/sleet? Would you people really drive an hour to ski on a mountain with three trails open? On a holiday weekend? 34 degrees and raining? With a 50 mph wind at the base? On boilerplate ice? With all of the upper mountain lifts closed? And a 45 minute wait for the one lift that is open?

Even if you say yes to all of these criteria, I contend that you are not "hardcore". I contend that you are in need of therapy.

Although, now that I think about it, If Thanksgiving weekend rolls around and conditions are like that, and I haven't skied yet this year, itching my skin in a psychotic manner to just get SOME skiing in - I'll probably be there at 8:30 when the lifts open.

Does anyone know a good therapist?

Ditto to all above. That's why I'm trying so hard to move west. Nevertheless, short of being able to do that in the near future, I too will be waiting for the lifts to open to ski anything reasonably slippery and hopefully with not too much green showing through.

 

[kbroderick]

I've skied in most of the aforementioned conditions, including the 1998 ice storm at Sugarloaf (IIRC we managed to get inspection in before sitting around for 24 hours or so, at which point they canceled the SG/DH series on account of it being the worst ice storm in some number of years; some of my friends were without power for a week after that, while my family was amongst the lucky ones and had power again in less than 48 hours).

For me, it's a usually a question of getting off my rear end, getting dressed appropriately, and heading outside. I've enjoyed most of the days I've spent in miserable conditions, even if it took an extra push to get me out for some of them (e.g. night skiing when the daytime high was around 0 but we had a night league race). And even though there are always better days, you only get so many days in a season...and IMO, it's quite possible to enjoy all of them.