Your First Time Out West

[ceo]

Winter break from college in 1991, my father had been on a long business trip to Mountain Home, ID, and he flew me out to Boise on his frequent flyer miles and we went to Sun Valley... which was having a lousy snow year; we covered all of the open terrain before lunch. So we drove to Jackson Hole, which had a lot more snow. Got introduced to things like "bowls" and "really frickin' steep".

 

[thetrailboss]

Not trying to Hyjack the thread but your story reminded me of one trip I took to Colorado. One time we rented a car from I believe Hertz in Denver. On the dash board right over the glove box there was a sticker that read "This car loses 2 (or 5 I can't remember) % of power for every 1000 ft of elevation." The car wasn't that powerful to begin with. We had a pretty good laugh and then proceeded to take it over the top of Loveland Pass. It made it.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

When we visited DEN in 2010 they gave us a Hyundai entry level sedan. Yeah that was interesting going up to Loveland....and skating back down again in a snowstorm.

Of course we paid extra for an SUV in Utah on that trip and it didn't snow.

 

[darent]

first time out west was 1994 to copper mountain, winter before was first time skiing at King Pine on my sons school ski trip. Had a good diving buddy who had a condo at Copper and he set me up with lessons for a week so I could learn to ski with him. I had a women instructor who was a patient and wonderful teacher. At weeks end I could actually somewhat ski with my friend jeff and manage to make it down a run only falling a couple of times. gave me the ski bug!!

 

[StormRider]

1989. Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Changed my life. That was my freshman year in high school. Made 3 more trips during high school and college. Moved there after college. Best 11.5 years of my life. Moved back east in 2008.

 

[thetrailboss]

Now to wrap up my first trip with some more eye candy.

Day 3 at Squaw...turned into a bluebird day and it was going off everywhere. I pushed it that day...savoring every run.

Things cleared off pretty nicely:

KT-22:

Some fun with the Funitel:

This is the summit station of the White Wolf Ski Area. It is a fabled soon-to-be ski area that a local guy is building in between Alpine Meadows and Squaw. He's in talks with KSL/Squaw to sell it. It is literally across the rope from KT-22.

Saddle:

Even that had some good pitch.

Looking up Headwall:

Looking down KT-22:

Siberia:

Headwall:

Probably the steepest run I did...Johnny Moseley's Run:

Yeah, there's a horizon line there....

Women's Downhill Bowl:

Pretty sick place.

 

[Smellytele]

First time my kids skied out west in 2009 we went to Tahoe. Standing at the top of Siberia having family pix taken my the lake behind us.


My youngest, 6 at the time is getting angry and wants to go. Pictures end and he takes off behind us down the Siberia Bowl right under that sign behind us that was all bumps. He slays it and gets to the bottom before my oldest, the 5 others we were with and myself.

 

[snoseek]

I just had a long, very difficult day at work today....not a fun day. These pics are great, reminding me of why I put up with the BS in summer. I can only hope its a good year in the west, the past couple for many areas were kinda meh, especially Tahoe.