They are more worth it when you dont ride a chair up.
Rope drops aren't fun
+1,000It's not just the traffic or the lines that bother me. It's the aggression, the powder panic, and the sense of urgency that I don't enjoy anymore. I can't stand getting in a line and feeling like I have to skate hard to get to my line of choice - and then feel the pressure of 10 skiers right behind me.
You should have been skiing with me. My groups skied good powder all day long. I was surprised in that cycle how uncrowded it was and how much basically untracked or very lightly skied snow I could find even at the end of the day. Of course fog, wind, and flat light combined with 30 years of local knowledge helps. I was bummed when the sun came out and ended the blower days.Last year at Jackson Hole it snowed around 10" every day and by the end of the week I was praying for sunny weather just to put an end to endless AM lift lines and the exhausting powder panic that makes every one crazy and a little inconsiderate. I'd rather ski regular old good conditions than battle the masses for 2 untracked turns. The only way to get powder turns these days is 1. backcountry 2. snowcat/heli 3. small ski areas way off the beaten track
Yeah I had the same experience one day last year when they dropped the rope into Heather Canyon at Mt Hood Meadows. It was a great ride but mostly remember dodging the folks in front of me and trying to see through their snow haze.I've decided I'm pretty much through with the powder frenzy if the area I am in is getting congested. During the last frenzy I was behind a boarder and a skier with twin tips and I just pretty much inhaled snow the whole way down and couldn't really see. I would have liked to have pulled over but was nervous to do so for fear of getting clipped from behind.
So I've decided once and for all I'm out if there are quite a few skiers in the area.
That just doesn't look like fun somehow.Aww, this looks great-