Andy Mink
Everyone loves spring skiing but not in January
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It comes from sheer exhaustion! Those runs will beat you to death.
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In Praise of Skiing the Blues (and Greens)
- Thread starter Kent
- Start date
Blues are great.
Telluride has been on my bucket list as I saw it on one survey as #1 for scenic beauty at ski resorts. Unfortunately, it is Epic, not Ikon...
Yeah, that's Canada! I think the list I saw was for the lower 48 of the USA.
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2015
- Posts
- 25,009
You’re allowed to go there now.
Yes, that one is on the list as well. Western trips will have to be chosen carefully what with our investment at Killington.
Time and again, while chatting (a rare thing I do on lifts, and only if I am up to, otherwise I tend to remain silent and keep to myself) the chat goes :"oh, is this a black/red/blue/green run? Is it difficult?".
I inevitably reply: "I wouldn't know, they are all white to me".
I inevitably reply: "I wouldn't know, they are all white to me".
That steep shot he took after passing under the gondola station was Milk Run, actually a black. It looked like he wanted to take See Forever (blue) as far as possible, and to get to the Chair7/8 base area, Milk Run is about the only groomed option. It's been 8-9 years since I've skied Telluride; I've probably put in more miles there than at any other resort. That video almost brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for posting the video!
Runs like Lonestar and Japanese Flag Glade don't get the love they deserve.
I was sad about Japanese Flag Glade last season after the wind storm... curious to see how much they may have cleaned out - or not - in some of the glades in the offseason.Runs like Lonestar and Japanese Flag Glade don't get the love they deserve.
They're working to clear all of the fallen trees now, and *might* be done by opening day. Saying there's a lot to do is an understatement. Healthy trees with 24" trunks were snapped like twigs, or uprooted entirely.
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2015
- Posts
- 6,342
hmm missed this thread thus far. Don't really hold with greens as basically they are usually commute transitions or cattracks but blues are just fine. Often fail to distinguish in Europe between blues and reds anyway. The key to me is traffic and secondarily surface condition. Nice edgeable snow and a blue cruiser, not too wide can be a delight.
I like a bit of corkscrew and rollers for variety - Ridgerunner at Blackcomb is a great run as is Prosser at Northstar (15min/ lap goodness - I know it's marked as a black but it's spiritually a blue and the grading keeps the tourists off it)
I like a bit of corkscrew and rollers for variety - Ridgerunner at Blackcomb is a great run as is Prosser at Northstar (15min/ lap goodness - I know it's marked as a black but it's spiritually a blue and the grading keeps the tourists off it)
Whistler Blackcomb has probably the best green/blue groomer run in North America. 5000+ vertical groomed run. Cruising for miles on green and blue while watching the scenery sounds like a dream. Did I mention the peak is only 7k feet, zero acclimation required.
W/B tends to be on the wet side. Makes for some icy surfaces after repeated grooming. The snow surfaces tends to be of better quality in UT & CO.
W/B often can be challenging in terms of visibility. I remember in 2017 gathering, taking a group across to ski Pakalolo. Saw sun on Couloir Extreme and had a change of plans. Got few complains about that couloir being on next day's agenda. I said we are skiing it since the sun is on it. Few bailed and continued to Pakalolo instead. The sun never shone on that couloir for the next six days of the gathering.
This is a pic @Lady_Salina posted of W/B in 2017.
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2016
- Posts
- 541
Ripping GS turns on a firm, groomed blue is like driving a Miata. You are less likely to be a danger to yourself or the general public on the flatter terrain and lower speeds but you can get the pop from a good turn.