Steep and Deep: The Snow Skiing/Boarding Thread

[Goatnapper'96]

I thought you were an Eagle Mountain condo guy. Moving up in the world.

HA! I missed this. Lets just say the vacation home in Babylon is a lot more comfortable! The EM unit is for business and the PC one is for play. As for skiing I got out 7 times and I think that is the breakeven on an Epic pass at PC. What a crappy year. My twins were laughing all winter on their missions how the winter they missed better go down as the worst.one.ever.

[All-American]

A lawsuit was filed against Vail and Altera on Monday, alleging anticompetitive conduct. They complain about a lot of stuff, but the main thrust of the claims are that Vail and Altera both tied access to smaller, "regional" resorts to access to larger, "destination" resorts. In other words, to get access to the small hills, you had to buy the Epic/Ikon pass, giving you access to the big hills.


https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gf...2020260323.pdf
https://www.reuters.com/legal/govern...es-2026-03-24/

Of all the anticompetitive conduct they could have made as the basis of the suit, this strikes me as not the most compelling. It's a curious strategy.

[All-American]

More complete report from Colorado.

Vail works to get Keystone up early and hold Breck open until late in the season. The snowmaking facilities at Keystone in particular are impressive. Anything connected with the artificial snowmakers had a solid base through about this week, but won’t last much longer. Anything that relied on natural snow was sketchy at best, if it opened at all.

This year, when Arapahoe Basin announced their opening date, Keystone quickly opened for a few runs the afternoon before and claimed the status of first resort to open the season, which is awesome.

We were at keystone this last week for spring break. Nobody in our group could stand to have winter gear on in the afternoons, and some wouldn’t wear them in the mornings. It was just too hot. The first run of the day was icy due to the overnight freeze. Runs from late morning to noon or so were awesome. After that, you had to find shaded or higher elevation runs or you would be skiing through mashed potatoes. Looking around at the nearly snowless peaks was just depressing. That said, the family that joined us from Utah said what we were skiing on was far superior to what they saw in the Utah resorts.

It’s an all-time bad ski season for sure. The snow never really arrived, and what did arrive didn’t stay for long.

There was still plenty of fun to be had, though. Our family is now at a stage where all four kids can do blues, and the oldest is not yet too cool to ski with her dad. It’s definitely payoff season for the years spent teaching them. I got more vertical feet in this year than in any prior year.

[All-American]

Worst ski season in memory.

Still better than work.

[BigPiney]

This year sucked at Mammoth. I had one good day. Thinking of not getting a pass next year.

[Donuthole]

It’s been a dud of a season for us. SoCal skiing was basically nonexistent this year, with no snow until February (and minimal then) and lows in the 40s or higher and highs in the 60s and 70s at the resorts all season. We haven’t gone once, and places are already closing for the season.

I grabbed a cabin in Tahoe City back a few months ago for the kids’ spring break this week. We’re here and going up to Palisades this morning, but it’s been warm here as well, and we’re not expecting much. Not a great year for Ikon passes and season ski rentals.

How was it in Utah/Colorado/elsewhere?

This year was pretty gradual and shallow, If i'm being honest. I made my annual pilgrimage to Brian Head, but it was in January, before they had any great storms. So it wasn't great. I understand it got better, but i think it still was a very down year.

[Joe Public]

It’s been a dud of a season for us. SoCal skiing was basically nonexistent this year, with no snow until February (and minimal then) and lows in the 40s or higher and highs in the 60s and 70s at the resorts all season. We haven’t gone once, and places are already closing for the season.

I grabbed a cabin in Tahoe City back a few months ago for the kids’ spring break this week. We’re here and going up to Palisades this morning, but it’s been warm here as well, and we’re not expecting much. Not a great year for Ikon passes and season ski rentals.

How was it in Utah/Colorado/elsewhere?

[Shaka]

I am heading to my condo next week down at PC. I don't know how much we will ski.

I thought you were an Eagle Mountain condo guy. Moving up in the world.

[Goatnapper'96]

I hope it’s better for you Utah/Idaho/Colorado folks (I haven’t checked). Dry and highs in the 50s still at the ski places near me, and we’re almost to the end of December.

I got out at Big Sky the day after Thanksgiving. It wasn't bad-4 runs open and only one was excessively icy from the man made stuff. It was snowing pretty hard so that helped as well. At that point in the year only Big Sky and Brianhead were open on the western side of the Rockies AFAIK. I am heading to my condo next week down at PC. I don't know how much we will ski. Opensnow dude indicates that a decent storm, with cooler temperatures, ought to hit 25-27 Dec. But ya-this is some pretty insane weather this year so with PC/Canyons being a lower altitude resort I expect it to be a soupy mess.

[Joe Public]

I hope it’s better for you Utah/Idaho/Colorado folks (I haven’t checked). Dry and highs in the 50s still at the ski places near me, and we’re almost to the end of December.

[beefytee]

I went to see the UHC play Edmonton on Thanksgiving Weekend. It was a blast. My clan enjoys the hockey games better than the NBA games. I really want to watch a hockey game in Canada to get the real effect. I am quite sure I could spend at least a day in the LDS settlemenxs-Cardston even has one of those goofy melodrama theaters like West Yellowstone with a gazillion mormon thespians doing their thing.

I had to miss that Edmonton game because my daughter came home from her mission that night.

The game on Saturday against the Lightning was spectacular though and I've enjoyed most of the games I've been to this year. Since they are so close to making the playoffs, the games are pretty exciting with each point being super important.

I've only been to one NHL game in Canada. It was in November 1994 when the Leafs played the Oilers at Northlands Coliseum. It was fun. Hockey Night in Canada (Saturday Night) is the time to go.

There are a few summer theater places. Cardston has its Carriage House theatre. Lethbridge has New West theater. If you are going through Glacier, the Big Fork Montana theater (Big Fork Summer Playhouse) is pretty good. I saw Bonnie and Clyde there a few years ago.

There is also the Carriage Museum in Cardston. My grandparents were friends and neighbors with the Remington's who collected the carriages. They took us for rides on them before the museum. So, I have some nostalgia for the place.

Sorry to all the skiers for hijacking the thread.

If you are looking for skiing in the area, the best bet is Whitefish Montana. In Canada itself, there is Fernie BC. The closest to Waterton/Cardston, but the smallest resort with the shortest season is Castle Mountain (West Castle back in the day). When I was a kid, they only had T-bars and no chairlifts. Looks like they have 4 chairlifts now.

[Goatnapper'96]

Cardston looks like a town right out of Eastern Idaho, LDS churchs throughout the town, Temple dominates the skyline and it's all surrounded by these rolling farm grounds.

MY PEOPLE!

[RC Vikings]

I went to see the UHC play Edmonton on Thanksgiving Weekend. It was a blast. My clan enjoys the hockey games better than the NBA games. I really want to watch a hockey game in Canada to get the real effect. I am quite sure I could spend at least a day in the LDS settlemenxs-Cardston even has one of those goofy melodrama theaters like West Yellowstone with a gazillion mormon thespians doing their thing.

Cardston looks like a town right out of Eastern Idaho, LDS churchs throughout the town, Temple dominates the skyline and it's all surrounded by these rolling farm grounds.

[Goatnapper'96]

I went to a wedding last August up the mountain at Lake Louise resort. It was kind of fun taking the chairlift up in some dress clothes. We did see some grizzlies on the hill, but they have pretty good fencing to keep them away from people.

It is gorgeous but pretty crowded place in the Summertime. Waterton is a great place, smaller, and not as crowded usually.

As far as the Mormon settlements, the Cardston temple is pretty cool as it is the only thing in town and really sticks out. Otherwise, it is just a bunch of small towns. Unless you have some ancestors or history there, I don't know that there will be much to see. There is a carriage museum in

The Flames play in Salt Lake on April 1. You could easily check them out then. I haven't ever been to a home game in the Saddledome. The environment at the Delta center is great though. I've loved going to the games. It will be perfect when they fix the viewing angles. My seats will be fine once they move the surface up a little bit.

I went to see the UHC play Edmonton on Thanksgiving Weekend. It was a blast. My clan enjoys the hockey games better than the NBA games. I really want to watch a hockey game in Canada to get the real effect. I am quite sure I could spend at least a day in the LDS settlemenxs-Cardston even has one of those goofy melodrama theaters like West Yellowstone with a gazillion mormon thespians doing their thing.

[beefytee]

I always wanted to take a March ski trip somewhere during our spring break. One of the problems is however that I am not a fan of spring skiing conditions. I find little joy in conditions going from Ice Hockey rink to snow cone over a few hours-mixed in with ACL tearing terror and fear anywhere there is shade on a run and you go from snow cone to hockey rink with each bit of shade. First world problems I understand but that is why I do my skiing in January and February and then once track season starts in March I hang up the skis for the year. But I always wondered what Banff would be like in mid to late March. So here is what I learned last week-Banff is fabulous in March. Conditions reminded me of Park City in February-cool but not bitter cold and very little of Mister Scratchee or Mister Slurpee. Well. a little Mister Scratchee above tree line at Lake Louise and Sunshine but once you got below trees and things were not wind whipped it was beautiful. Besides that is there a more gorgeous place on earth than Canmore and Banff? I felt like Canmore was surrounded by a dozen Materhorns. Insane natural beauty-especially for those of us particular to the intermountain west. I gotta do a summer vacation up through Alberta where I can hit Cardston/LDS settlements, the Chuckwagon Races at the Calgary Stampede, hike in Banff NP and fly fish both the upper and lower Bow River runs. The Canucks are even willing to endure the fact that we elect assholes for our Presidents. Our Home and Native Land! Only thing I feel like I missed was not going to a Flames Hockey game.

I went to a wedding last August up the mountain at Lake Louise resort. It was kind of fun taking the chairlift up in some dress clothes. We did see some grizzlies on the hill, but they have pretty good fencing to keep them away from people.

It is gorgeous but pretty crowded place in the Summertime. Waterton is a great place, smaller, and not as crowded usually.

As far as the Mormon settlements, the Cardston temple is pretty cool as it is the only thing in town and really sticks out. Otherwise, it is just a bunch of small towns. Unless you have some ancestors or history there, I don't know that there will be much to see. There is a carriage museum in

The Flames play in Salt Lake on April 1. You could easily check them out then. I haven't ever been to a home game in the Saddledome. The environment at the Delta center is great though. I've loved going to the games. It will be perfect when they fix the viewing angles. My seats will be fine once they move the surface up a little bit.