DCSki Forums

The Colonel

February 25, 2007

Member since 03/5/2004 🔗

3,110 posts

Went up to Whitetail yesterday, arriving about 1:45pm for four hours of skiing. Used the valet parking to avoid carrying my gear from lot to lodge, NICE FEATURE! Lots were full with quite a crowd on hand. I had my semi-new skis...K2 Apache CrossFire (174). Have used them on three trips...first at Snowshoe in early Feb...was a dream; then last weekend at BK and Seven Springs in chopped up powder...not so good, seemed far less responsive, and then yesterday.
Anyway, the slopes were crowded, even on the experts side. Lift lines OK as long as Whitetail employee directed traffic, otherwise every man, woman and child for themselves (like in Europe).
Must admit, I did not enjoy my skiing. If I pointed them down the hill I picked up too much speed and the snow was hardpack or ice with plenty of chopped up loose granular. When I turned to control speed I found I was having to put too much weight on downhill edge causing sharp short turns. GS type turns were downright dangerous with so many folks (especially boarders) bombing the hill and not paying attention to turning riders in front of them. Not sure my problem was my skis, fear of being hit from behind, or fear of going too fast myself for conditions...but the bottom line: I skied 9,500 vertical feet in less than four hours but really did not enjoy it, especially after the sun began to set and the trails turned to ice.
I saw a lot of skiers that seemed to be "surviving" rather than skiing.
Oh well!
The Colonel

JimK - DCSki Columnist

February 25, 2007

Member since 01/14/2004 🔗

3,013 posts

COL, Glad you escaped unharmed.
WE looked for you for a while at Blue Knob on Sat 2/17 around 1pm at summit. Were you there then?

The Colonel

February 25, 2007

Member since 03/5/2004 🔗

3,110 posts

Yes, I was there, but did not arrive until about 1:15.
I skied most of the trails but found the going hard on Stemboggan, conditions changed too often. Maybe it is my new skis, for some reason I am having trouble checking my speed without sharply edging the ski which causes a sharp turn. And I am having trouble transition from ice to piles of loose snow, etc.
Sunday last veed I skied at Seven Springs...same sort of problems. And worse...I got to the Foggy Goggle at 8:55 but the other skiers that were meeting up from 8:45-9:00 had already left.
The Colonel

Craig

February 25, 2007

Member since 01/24/2007 🔗

22 posts

Quote:

I skied most of the trails but found the going hard on Stemboggan, conditions changed too often. Maybe it is my new skis, for some reason I am having trouble checking my speed without sharply edging the ski which causes a sharp turn. And I am having trouble transition from ice to piles of loose snow, etc.

I was at Blue Knob this Friday and found exactly the same thing. Conditions are so widely variable there that rock hard ice and soft powder snow often coexist in the same trail. I was either winding up with one ski on ice and one ski in powder, or saw quick transitions between the two surfaces so I was always a bit off balance.

Towards the end of the day I was getting pretty good at detecting the slight variations in the snow pattern that told me if a hardpack patch was lurking underneath and I'd just ski around them like a mine field. If I did hit one I'd just try to stay as flexible as possible and not make any sudden changes.

Stembogan was icy at the headwall, but a skier I met pointed out that most of skier's left was still soft powder once you got over the initial lip, so I stayed over there. That bowl looks like it'd be amazing when the snow is still soft.

jimmy

February 26, 2007

Member since 03/5/2004 🔗

2,650 posts

Quote:

Sunday last veed I skied at Seven Springs...same sort of problems. And worse...I got to the Foggy Goggle at 8:55 but the other skiers that were meeting up from 8:45-9:00 had already left.

Not there yet actually, my crew is chronically late. Sorry we missed you. Did call Laurel Hill Crazie when we got there, Rob was running late as well. Met him in North lot, found johnL & Tromano on the goggle deck a bit later.

tromano

February 26, 2007

Member since 12/19/2002 🔗

998 posts

Quote:

Sunday last veed I skied at Seven Springs...same sort of problems. And worse...I got to the Foggy Goggle at 8:55 but the other skiers that were meeting up from 8:45-9:00 had already left.
The Colonel

Actually, you were probably early

. I got in right at 9AM and was the first / only one there. The other guys arrived at like 9:15 or so. I didn't make first turns till maybe 9:20. It took a while for everyone to get it together.

wojo

February 26, 2007

Member since 01/17/2005 🔗

339 posts

I ski WT on Sundays frequently. When I feel the way you do I move to the green hill (and the slow lift

) and take it easy. They now have a semi-decent park to jump in on the green run too. The quality of the snow on the green run tends to be a bit better, in my opinion.

Quote:

Quote:

I skied most of the trails but found the going hard on Stemboggan, conditions changed too often. Maybe it is my new skis, for some reason I am having trouble checking my speed without sharply edging the ski which causes a sharp turn. And I am having trouble transition from ice to piles of loose snow, etc.

I was at Blue Knob this Friday and found exactly the same thing. Conditions are so widely variable there that rock hard ice and soft powder snow often coexist in the same trail. I was either winding up with one ski on ice and one ski in powder, or saw quick transitions between the two surfaces so I was always a bit off balance.

Towards the end of the day I was getting pretty good at detecting the slight variations in the snow pattern that told me if a hardpack patch was lurking underneath and I'd just ski around them like a mine field. If I did hit one I'd just try to stay as flexible as possible and not make any sudden changes.

Stembogan was icy at the headwall, but a skier I met pointed out that most of skier's left was still soft powder once you got over the initial lip, so I stayed over there. That bowl looks like it'd be amazing when the snow is still soft.