Afton Log 2010-11

[Scott.Creer]

Afton opens tomorrow at 3pm. I will not be there till at least 2 or 7 open.

[Scott.Creer]

Great day today for the first day out. I rode the VSR for a while then got to switch to the NSR for a bit. It wasn't too bad. The meadows were pretty empty, looks like 2 might open tomorrow or sunday. I am planning on heading back there tomorrow or sunday. The grooming was a little spotty, but it is early season.

[Scott.Creer]

nice day out today. they opened chair 2 which was really nice. I was able to carve it up pretty good with the VSR. It was a little too crowded and choppy to rock the NSR.

[Call me jack]

I did it up today, in soft boots w/carve stance; thought i'd ease into the season... it was ok, but by the 6 oclock, i wanted hardboots :rolleyes: got bored, and left.
I've been so damn busy with school, and projects that i was actually quite blind sided by winter, so none of my hardboot stuff is ready.

[Scott.Creer]

Anyone been there since the rain? How has it all held up?

[Call me jack]

Anyone been there since the rain? How has it all held up?

it should be fine, tomorrow, obviously. but yesterday, my buddy said it was really good.

[Call me jack]

got out there, today, from 1130, to 3ish
it was packed, but it seemed like every body forgot about chair 2, and especially chair 7. Snow was soft... i guess too soft; there were a couple of times where my right knee came down and struck a mound of snow, damn near stopping me dead in my tracks (I did leave my right boot in "powder mode" all day)
All in all, i felt that i had a good day. my acquired longboarding skills that i picked up over the summer really seemed to help, as i felt like i could wined the board around with just a flick of movement. if felt like i was actually good at snowboarding today! :)

Scott, i saw clayton, today, and he said you were trying to get some people together, to set up some gates, during the week. details? interested.

[trent]

lots-o-carvers out today (more than 2 carvers = lots). catfish, cody, scott.creer, futahaguro, and i played in the soft snow today. apparently call me jack was there too, if you believe his post. i'm skeptical...

snow was definitely soft in spots. dig too hard, and i was rewarded with a buried nose. repeatedly. grooming wasn't too bad, but there were definite ridges and bumps in places which made for some bumpy transitions.

highlands was weak. icy and / or bumpy at the bottom. lots of snow guns running at the top and middle. and not many runs open yet. but my wax was right. i would've killed a certain someone yet again in a wax race. ;)

meadows was ok, but was very crowded at times. chair 7 was pretty inconsistent snow, and occasionally busy. chair 2 was the most consistent, although racers and lessons were doing some drills this morning that caused some runs to be worthless. some people just never look uphill before starting, from a stop, a huge traverse - on one ski. doesn't anyone know the skier responsibility code anymore?? "•Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others."

[trent]

powell1.8, scott.creer, and i played all morning today. chair 2, skiers left was awesome. super firm and no soft spots. fast, ripping turns, and big smiles for everyone. skiers right could've been great too, but they decided to take a couple of groomer passes at 9 - 9:15 making some of it solid (the old groom), and some soft (the new groom). not as fun as the solid stuff.

we ventured over to 7 for a few runs. it was better than yesterday, but still not as smooth as it should be. still nice to have some solid snow under the board today.

got a call from bobble while we were in warming up. we didn't get any of the sunlight that graced buck today. we even got a little flurries starting as we were ending around 1. the flat-light lovers were in heaven! :1luvu:

another great day to be out. no lift lines, no crowds, and pretty good snow to play on. i'm still sore from yesterday, wondering how bad i'm going to ache tonight and tomorrow. no matter, it was worth it!

-trent

[Scott.Creer]

yesterday was a great day. It was a little choppy on the traverse, but other than that it was a nice day to ride.

[Futahaguro]

So I took out my Burton Alp 169 with TD2 SI's and Head Stratos Pro boots for the 1st time on Saturday. I read a lot on common setups so I went with 50/50, 3 degree cants shifted for some inward cant and toe lift in front and heel lift in back. I also waxed with SWIX Cera purple(?) for 0-14 degrees or something. I HATE scraping that stuff! The first impression went something like, "Woah, this is as weird as alien sh!t." But after a run or two, I really tried to lay down some toe side carves and then it went something like, "WHOA! I've never done this before???! I've been missing out!" Holy cow that was fun! I met up with Trent there to try his Volkl Cross to see if it was much different than my Ice Rocket but it didn't feel too different. However, going from the Stratos to my 10+ year old Shimano Clicker boots was crazy! Those old things were FLOPPY! I love the control of hard boots! I also pulled off a toe side carve uphill:) That was fun! I cannot wait to go again but weekday sessions are few and far between for me. I also need to work on my "butt-out" but I will just say that I am trying to lay a trench with my as5:biggthump.

I was also told about the MES that has happened in previous years and I certainly plan to attend so I can meet the others.

See you on the slopes!

[Scott.Creer]

Catfish, you said you might be down for a night in the future for setting up your stubbies. Want to set a night in the next week or the week after? There is a USASA GS race on the 18th. I would like to run my NSR through a course before that. Anyone else interested?

[Corduroy Artisan]

First turns of the year at Afton Today/night. Super Ego Snow:)

Id be down for running some gates. I might even race this year...

[Call me jack]

Catfish, you said you might be down for a night in the future for setting up your stubbies. Want to set a night in the next week or the week after? There is a USASA GS race on the 18th. I would like to run my NSR through a course before that. Anyone else interested?

hells-to-the-yeah.

[trent]

powell1.8 and i were out this afternoon. snow was cold and squeaky = fast! able to hold a good edge while going mach 8 down the hill. grooming still had some problem spots with ice balls and dips. it wasn't too bad once you knew which spots to avoid, but the first few runs were a little crazy. that afternoon shadow that happens on chair 2 made for some blind riding.

we tried to go over to 7, but it was closed due to snowmaking, so we spent the whole time on chair 2. we pretty much had the run to ourselves. i could get used to being 1 of 10 people on the hill! :biggthump

lots of snowguns running today. they should have a lot more open by the weekend.

-trent

[Scott.Creer]

Anyone have the contact info like e-mail or phone number for the NASTAR guys at afton?

I want to call them and maybe get some panels set up this weekend.

[trent]

nathan hackseth is who you want. they'll be setting up nastar this weekend from 12 - 2 both days. he's usually there, announcing times and setting the course. oh, and he rips on 2 planks too. :biggthump

last year he was also one of the ski school bigwigs, so he might be really busy on the weekends.

-trent

[Futahaguro]

Can anyone ride? I might be there tomorrow because of the fresh snow, doesn't happen that often in MN right? How much does it cost?

Thanks.

[Scott.Creer]

I will be rocking chair 2 or 7 tomorrow.

[trent]

i'll be out sat too. for sure from 12:30 - 4 while my daughter has ski lessons. hopefully earlier if i can convince my wife to drop off our daughter so i can play in the morning too.

@futahaguro: fresh snow is free! welch would try to charge for it, but the rest of the hills around here don't! :biggthump

heading to afton now with the 4-year-old. hopefully making more than 5 runs on the magic carpet this time....

-trent

[Futahaguro]

Not the fresh snow goofy :freak3:, the NASTAR course. I want to test some gates before my first race next weekend at Welch:)

[Scott.Creer]

I will call today and try to get contact with Nate. I will post up, once I have talked with him.

[Scuff]

I want to test some gates before my first race next weekend at Welch:)

Futahaguro: It would be really beneficial for you to get in a couple runs through a course before race day!

Private Message or e-mail me if you are interested, and we might be able to coordinate a visit to Hyland Hills to sample one of our GS or SL training sessions.

If you have a lift ticket, we should be able to squeeze you in for a couple runs, but just viewing the course in person might also be helpful.

[powell1.8]

I have won races just by viewing the course, but Chuck Noris doesn't even have to show up to win.

[Scott.Creer]

Just got back from the morning at Afton. The riding was good in the morning, but as the snow was setting up in clumps on the hill it started to get really choppy. Michelle and I called it around 11:30ish. On the drive home, we saw a guy riding a snowmobile down Como Ave, which was sweet. We did not see one city or state plow on the road plowing at all, it was a mess.

Haven't heard back from Nate yet, left a message yesterday.

I will be back out tomorrow in the miserable cold, right after I am done shoveling.

[Call me jack]

Just got back from the morning at Afton. The riding was good in the morning, but as the snow was setting up in clumps on the hill it started to get really choppy. Michelle and I called it around 11:30ish. On the drive home, we saw a guy riding a snowmobile down Como Ave, which was sweet. We did not see one city or state plow on the road plowing at all, it was a mess.

Haven't heard back from Nate yet, left a message yesterday.

I will be back out tomorrow in the miserable cold, right after I am done shoveling.

what do you drive? a hummer? i spent 3 hours clearing my drive way, and my drive way isn't even that long. and yeah, they called off all the plows to wait until it quite snowing.

in the process of clearing my drive way i had to get out our lawn mower that has a plow on the front... in order to do that i had to move my project car, into the other garage, so that i could get it out... so that ment flooring it in reverse... i didn't get really far..
http://i817.photobucket.com/albums/zz95/Donek177/Photo12111237.jpg

if you think thats bad at all, you should see the other side of the pick up in the right of the picture.

[Scott.Creer]

Long body jeeps are the way to go. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. Got me from the cities to Afton and back great.

[Call me jack]

Long body jeeps are the way to go. I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. Got me from the cities to Afton and back great.

i think a 4.0 wrangler or a tahoe might be in my near future

[Scott.Creer]

effin cold today. 2 was the best, but variable. The wind made the top really hard, but below the crest was super soft. Took Tent's advice and got the boot gloves, and they really are amazing. No one was out in the morning, michelle and I were 2 of maybe 20 people at afton total.

If you get a wrangler, make sure to get the four door. The shorter frame on the 2 door, makes them real easy to spin around on you.

[trent]

@scott.creer - you are either crazy or one bad-ass snow driving mo-fo! i didn't even attempt to get to afton yesterday after snow blowing our driveway twice, having drifts 3 feet deep getting recreated in a couple of hours. plus not having our street plowed made me wonder what the streets at afton would look like.

today i couldn't play either as i had the kids. i took them to do some holiday shopping. (after snow blowing yet another time - again 3 foot drifts today). the roads were still scary. i saw a plow in the ditch and a semi stuck on an exit ramp. plus all the 2 foot deep unplowed intersections in woodbury had me scared of getting stuck a few times. yes, my minivan isn't very confidence inspiring in the snow.

@call me jack - that looks like quite the digging party you got to have this weekend! :eek:

[Scott.Creer]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs835.snc4/69557_522890587515_160400079_30802626_6064686_n.jp g

The roads weren't all that bad on Saturday.

[Futahaguro]

Agreed, if you have an AWD or 4x4:) I have a CX-9 and boy am I glad I got the AWD :biggthump. I was he!l bent to go on Saturday because you don't get that kind of powder much in Minnesota. Going out wasn't too bad, definitley blowing snow and hard to see sometimes but I made it from Minnetonka and parked in the Meadows area. Getting home was a bit more interesting. We had to wait at the bottom of the road for them to plow it, salt it, sand it, etc. before letting people up and even then, only 4x4/AWD! The 2WD people had to wait and go up one by one! On the way home I have never seen so many stuck cars, cars in the ditch, etc.. Most of the problems were on the ramps because of the snowbanks! Those sissies who were out in there 2WD need to realize that they need to GO THROUGH the banks FAST, not slow! If you go out in that weather with 2WD, get some cahones and know how to drive in that kind of snow!

Anyway, it was serious fun! I left the alpine board at home. Really windy! At the top of chair 2 it would blow you over if you stuck your arms out!

[Scott.Creer]

I just heard back from Nate, and we will have access to gates and hill 1 on Thursday Night. The plan is to set around 6/6:30.

I could use a hand setting, if you are planning on coming out.

[bonzo]

i think a 4.0 wrangler or a tahoe might be in my near future

Though this isn't the for sale board, I have a low mileage 4.0L Wrangler I am looking to sell.

[trent]

powell1.8 and i played for a little this morning. lots of waves and rollers on skiers left on chair 2. made for some interesting transitions and landings. skiers right had snow guns going and looked too soft for us. nat was killing it on 2 planks though. had a liftie gushing on his skill and magic knees. :biggthump

we went over for 1 run down 7. it sucked. they were grooming it again, so you'd go from solid to soft all in the same turn. couldn't see a difference between the fresh groom and solid groom either, so we bolted.

spent a few runs on 5 as that seemed the most solid and consistent we found. chair 1 was decent too, but didn't have time to play there long.

-trent

[Scott.Creer]

trent, you gonna be able to make it out tomorrow night for a bit to get your NSR into some gates?

[Futahaguro]

I'm working on convincing the wife to let me out/come out with me tomorrow so I am pretty sure I will be there. Hopefully by 5:30 or so to get ready and then I can help you set the gates. Are they the stubbies or skiier gates?

[Scott.Creer]

it will either be stubbies, or triangle panel gates. My preference is the panels, especially cause they are easier to see at night. Skier panel gates are dangerous for snowboarders so it will not be them.

Sounds great. Michelle will be with me too.

[trent]

sorry, i can't tomorrow night. my kids have swimming lessons, and my wife works late thurs nights. maybe some thurs i could if i can get a sitter for the kids, otherwise thurs are pretty much always out for me. have fun! i should be at welch on sun to heckle, i mean cheer. :)

i emailed clay too, so hopefully he'll be out with cody tomorrow night.

-trent

[Futahaguro]

Angela and I will be there around 4:30 so we will have plenty of time to warm up. I don't get good cell reception down there so I will keep an eye out for other carvers and say "Hi" until I find you. I have a pale yellow jacket with ski area patches on the arms with charcoal snowpants and a white and gray carbon looking helmet. My ride is a 169 Burton Alp.

See you tonight.

[Scott.Creer]

Most likely we will be setting on chair 1, so make sure to hang around 1 and 2 and I am sure you will find me. See you tonight

[Call me jack]

i think i might try to get out there. though my donek isn't really set to go right now, i could try using the beast sized f2 (185) thoughts? is it a GS course?

[Call me jack]

Though this isn't the for sale board, I have a low mileage 4.0L Wrangler I am looking to sell.

price and year? i still need to sell my mazda6, but it's something to think about, at least...

[Scott.Creer]

the conditions were not bad. The course however was. When we set a ski team had a slalom course down 1 even though we reserved it for the night. But minnesota nice must have rubbed off on me, cause I let them keep running it as I tried to set around their gates. This was a mistake that resulted in a super tight course, more like slalom than GS. Then the ski team pulled their gates, and I reset. Much better after the reset.

Call me Jack and Futahaguro were looking good. I however was not doing so good. The NSR is a beast, and when I messed up (which was every run) I could not make up for it easily. Much different than the old 160 burton speed I was running last year.

[Futahaguro]

So Scott, Carver Jack (I must admit I forgot your name, I'm terrible with that. I think it was Dave?), Michelle, and I set up the run to the right of chair 1. Scott set the course and I think he set it in favor of my little Alp 169 instead of their big boards because it was really tight and he changed it later;) I really like the fact that it was not on a perfectly flat run like the parralel GS you see on TV! I have always thought that more people would watch snowboard racing if they would have similar diciplines like Super G, Gian slalom, etc.. Us boarders don't mind going fast! And I like how it was set up to have a hard toe side up a side hill and then heel side down a side slope. It was my first time running gates and I had a lot of fun! Scott, sorry I dug out of there without helping you clean up the course but I was there at 4:30 with my wife and she was ready to go home. Next time it will just be me:)

The conditions were actually quite nice except from some icy spots on the downslopes of the run under chair 1. I need to work on my heel side because when Scott was resetting the course Carver Jack and I went down the run under chair 1 a couple of times (again I feel like we weren't helping Scott out, sorry) and I wasn't checking my speed much so I would cut hard on my heelside, wash out, chatter, the whole nine yards, and slide on my arse for 20' to slow down and stick my board back in:) The people on the chair loved that!

Welch should be fun. I'm not sure if I will be there on Saturday or Sunday.

[Call me jack]

yeah, the my real name is Dave... I will go by Jack, on the hills though, if you can't remember.

It was deffinately nice out, although it would've been nicer for me, if i had a better quiver to bring. I had a really hard time getting my 186 f2 to dial into the tighter slalom style course. Once we rest however...i felt really good, and wish i could've ridden that set up a little more (i think i got one good run in)

Can't wait to do it again.

[Futahaguro]

Senior (23-29)
Master (30-39)

Oh and Scott, BTW, you are the senior! :lol:

[Call me jack]

what if your 20/21? just curious?

[trent]

awesome! i only had 2 hours to play this morning, but holy crap was it sweet. yes, the light was flat, but the snow was superb. :biggthump i was only on inga's run the whole time. didn't even cross over to trudy's once. although nat was tearing it up.

the grooming was good, and there were some nice rollers to get some good (and some not-so-good) air transitions on. snow was nice and firm. you know the sound a zip line makes? that's what my gloves sounded like going across the courd.

if you can, get out and ride before it gets soft with all the new snow!

-trent

[bonzo]

price and year? i still need to sell my mazda6, but it's something to think about, at least...

Sorry, it sold on Saturday. You gotta love Craigslist (and getting 2 feet of snow last weekend). Just for a point of reference, it was a 1993 with 76K, 4.0L, 5 speed, 1 owner (me) and all the choice options. It sold for $5,500. I miss it already, but five cars is too many for me to keep running and with a soon to be teen driver, the Jeep is the wrong vehicle for him.

The new owner didn't want to buy the Yakima board/ski and bike racks. If you get a Jeep, let me know.

[Call me jack]

Sorry, it sold on Saturday. You gotta love Craigslist (and getting 2 feet of snow last weekend). Just for a point of reference, it was a 1993 with 76K, 4.0L, 5 speed, 1 owner (me) and all the choice options. It sold for $5,500. I miss it already, but five cars is too many for me to keep running and with a soon to be teen driver, the Jeep is the wrong vehicle for him.

The new owner didn't want to buy the Yakima board/ski and bike racks. If you get a Jeep, let me know.

for sure!
Just curious though; whats wrong with a jeep for a new teen driver? i would think that with 4wd, they'd always be getting to school, and what not?

but, yeah i now what you mean, our car to driver ratio, at our house is ridiculous

[bonzo]

for sure!
Just curious though; whats wrong with a jeep for a new teen driver? i would think that with 4wd, they'd always be getting to school, and what not?

but, yeah i now what you mean, our car to driver ratio, at our house is ridiculous

High Power + Short wheelbase + high center of gravity = easy to get the vehicle sideways and roll it

To easy to do in wranglers and the result can be fatal, especially for an inexperienced driver.

Don't drive it like you stole it unless the road is clear and straight. The easiest way to roll them is to get it sideways on ice and then hit clear pavement. Ugly scene will result at any speed over 25 mph.

Just like a board that's built to carve on groomers doesn't mean you take it out on a major power day. Know the limits of your equipment.

[Futahaguro]

awesome! i only had 2 hours to play this morning, but holy crap was it sweet. yes, the light was flat, but the snow was superb. :biggthump i was only on inga's run the whole time. didn't even cross over to trudy's once. although nat was tearing it up.

the grooming was good, and there were some nice rollers to get some good (and some not-so-good) air transitions on. snow was nice and firm. you know the sound a zip line makes? that's what my gloves sounded like going across the courd.

if you can, get out and ride before it gets soft with all the new snow!

-trent

You were there? I was boarding by 10:30 but I never saw a carver! I took the day off and went with my brother-in-law but I didn't bring my alpine board because I knew there would be soft snow and I wanted to hit the jumps. Boy was I sad when I started boarding though! The cord was awesome!!! I could have really laid down some carves! Oh well, it was one of the best days I have had in Minnesota for a while. No people, wide open runs, great weather. Man that was fun. And all of that for $30!

My neck is sore from all of the jumps though:) Bobble-head I guess. I as ripping it pretty good on my Ice Rocket though! More than a few boot-outs on the heel side:)

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[Scott.Creer]

Was out this morning and it was amazing. The light was a little flat but the grooming was the best so far. Hand was making a zip sound as it hit the snow. I was teaching a friend hardbooting for a few hours, then just started riding around. Touched base with Ben who was out for the first time this year. Pretty empty on the hill. See you all after the 3rd.

[trent]

You were there? I was boarding by 10:30 but I never saw a carver!

yep, but only until 11:15, and i was only on chair 2. next time, bring the carving gear too. you missed some awesome snow.

@scott.creer - that's my favorite sound riding!

-trent

[Call me jack]

Got out today. First time since last thursday. it was nice. really solid snow, and it honestly wasn't too crowed at all, on 7. 2 was kinda hit or miss... (nastar, and what not)
When i first got out there, they asked me to give chair 9 lunch breaks for an hour. while i was there, some strange guy with no teeth riding an alpine came through. i said hello, an told him i had hard boots in my car.... i don't think he believed me.

I feel like, since i'm hardly going out at all this year, my riding has become very... focused. I've been really satisfied with it this year.

[bonzo]

Yesterday was very nice in the AM. Nicely groomed and firm. With the heavy traffic, calls were above normal levels by noon. I spent a fair amount of time on the snowmobile.

I'm working again today. Hopefully it isn't to crazy. If we don't have too much to do to get ready for the day, I will try to get in a few turns on 2, 7, or 16 before it gets busy.

[JJFluff]

So, I missed the christmas eve at buck but... I am getting ready to head out for afton as I type. So if anyone is planning on being out keep an I out for a guy who looks like he doesn't know his way around. That will be me. Hopefully I can catch up with one of you.

[bonzo]

So, I missed the christmas eve at buck but... I am getting ready to head out for afton as I type. So if anyone is planning on being out keep an I out for a guy who looks like he doesn't know his way around. That will be me. Hopefully I can catch up with one of you.

It was nice to share a chairlift ride with you before I had to return to the patrol room. Busy day, only rode the snowmobile after lunch. Saw call me Jack working on 5. Looks like he had his hands full. Got in a few runs on 2 , 7, 12 and 16 before assisting in toboggan refresher evaluations.

[bonzo]

Yesterday was another fine day at Afton, at least in the morning. Soft snow and great groomers everywhere. Spent most my time on 2, 7, 16. Talked with call me jack working 13. Didn't see another carver. After lunch I was too busy to ride and the lines were long.

Will be working with candidates, probably on 7, tonight. I'm not stoked about the rain.

[Call me jack]

Bonzo, i'm looking more into getting a wrangler (I think a TJ would probably be the best) in your experience how do they do in the winter and snow? i keep hearing they're hella cold, but was it really that cold, with your hard top?
i also heard that the short wheel base make them simply hard to drive, which i remember what you comments are on that, but for an experienced driver, do you think it'd still be difficult?

[trent]

happy new year! all 1's today, fun to write/type.

slopes were empty! had the place pretty much to myself, but i didn't last long as it was cold. conditions were variable. 1 was super hard and fast, but carvable. they were grooming 2, so it was soft. like a snow cone. really got punished if you put a hand down. 7 was rock hard as well, but again carvable.

considering the weather yesterday, and all that rain, the snow is in amazing condition!

-trent

[bonzo]

Bonzo, i'm looking more into getting a wrangler (I think a TJ would probably be the best) in your experience how do they do in the winter and snow? i keep hearing they're hella cold, but was it really that cold, with your hard top?
i also heard that the short wheel base make them simply hard to drive, which i remember what you comments are on that, but for an experienced driver, do you think it'd still be difficult?

CMJ,

If you can't make it to Afton, then you can't ride, so this is on topic. All my experience is with the YJ's, I have heard that TJ's are an overall better experience. With my YJ, I never had any problem with getting stuck in the snow other than driving into a snow filled ditch that I thought was level ground. The old 4.0L inline 6 always fired up even on the coldest days.

The stuff that annoyed me was all the little things Chrysler did to save a few cents. I had to rewire the instrument panel because the flex circuit would lose contact with the wiring harness. All the little plastic pieces that would snap off in hard to access places such as the doors thereby disabling the interior door handle or lock. I was constantly chasing away corrosion, it starts with the exterior hinges, but it eventually spreads to the sheet metal followed by the frame. Once the frame starts to go, it's structural rebuild time.

If I were going to buy another Jeep Wrangler, I would make sure it had the right options: hard top with rear defroster and wiper (keeps out the wind, you do not want a soft top in the winter), ABS, manual transmission (keep the engine below 2K rpm to prevent spinning on ice), limited slip differential, power steering, and the big motor. My old Jeep had all that.

In 4WD, you'll get through anything short of 4 ft snow drifts. Drive it easy on wet, snow, or ice covered roads or loose surfaces. If you go off-road, go straight up or down hills, do not turn across a steep fall line.

They are fun vehicles but they are best for voyages of less than 2 hours. The suspension can be punishing on long drives. Just like any tool, they can do a lot of damage if you don't know how to use it. It will not corner like a sports car, it does not get the fuel economy of an Insight, but it will take places a typical car cannot. Just take your time. Do not even think about drifting with them.

[Call me jack]

first off

CMJ,

If you can't make it to Afton, then you can't ride, so this is on topic. All my experience is with the YJ's, I have heard that TJ's are an overall better experience. With my YJ, I never had any problem with getting stuck in the snow other than driving into a snow filled ditch that I thought was level ground. The old 4.0L inline 6 always fired up even on the coldest days.

The stuff that annoyed me was all the little things Chrysler did to save a few cents. I had to rewire the instrument panel because the flex circuit would lose contact with the wiring harness. All the little plastic pieces that would snap off in hard to access places such as the doors thereby disabling the interior door handle or lock. I was constantly chasing away corrosion, it starts with the exterior hinges, but it eventually spreads to the sheet metal followed by the frame. Once the frame starts to go, it's structural rebuild time.

If I were going to buy another Jeep Wrangler, I would make sure it had the right options: hard top with rear defroster and wiper (keeps out the wind, you do not want a soft top in the winter), ABS, manual transmission (keep the engine below 2K rpm to prevent spinning on ice), limited slip differential, power steering, and the big motor. My old Jeep had all that.

In 4WD, you'll get through anything short of 4 ft snow drifts. Drive it easy on wet, snow, or ice covered roads or loose surfaces. If you go off-road, go straight up or down hills, do not turn across a steep fall line.

They are fun vehicles but they are best for voyages of less than 2 hours. The suspension can be punishing on long drives. Just like any tool, they can do a lot of damage if you don't know how to use it. It will not corner like a sports car, it does not get the fuel economy of an Insight, but it will take places a typical car cannot. Just take your time. Do not even think about drifting with them.
Thanks a lot, man. You cleared up a lot of my concerns with the jeep. if i want gas milage or street performance, i got my bmw. :) I'm going to try to find one where the 4 wheel drive is broken, or something so i can get it cheap, and fix it. btw, can soft tops be fitted in the summer, on hard top jeeps?

Any way, i got out at about 330, in soft boots w/carving stance. the day pretty much complemented what trent said on the big 3 (we apparently both skipped 16?) how ever, being i soft booted those hills, in those conditions i was a little out of my league, so i hit smaller hills to get equal thrills. 14 was just about perfect, especially when the pitch increased half way through (i over heard the kids on the chair behind me marveling at trenches) 9 was good too, though i didn't stick around too much. what also worked well for me was between tube land and 7. On the hole today was pretty good, but i think i need to look into upgrading my soft boot carving gear; i've never felt so unplanted. i thought it was just me, but the girl i was with (giggity) even said that she could see my board wiggle around a lot. Not sketching out form poor technique, but just getting pushed around by every bump. I fell a bunch. stayed till close though.

Nice seein' ya, Trent!

[bonzo]

Conditions at Afton were quite nice this AM. The sun was shining and the runs were well groomed with firm snow that took and took the edge well. Didn't see a carver all day (though I did see Call Me Jack working 3 around 4PM). I got one run on 7 before moving to 9 for toboggan training. We then moved over to easy 12.

Moving from the Meadows to the Highlands I was able to get in a free run on easy 12. I was feeling pretty stoked, running at 11/10ths, laying out some big surf style carves on the GS Donek with Catek OS2's. Near the bottom on a huge toe side carve, I felt the board disappear under my feet and I was sliding on the snow face first. The board was about 50 feet away from me. I did a simultaneous double boot out. :eek: Everything was tight on the bindings. The boots fit the Cateks tight. The safety strap was toast. The only thing I can figure out is that at the extreme board angle, my toes dragged and popped both bails.

I was occupied until 2:30PM with either training or accidents. After 2:30PM I did some free carving until a little after 4PM when the light started to go away. After the double boot out, I didn't go harder than 8/10ths. I have booted out with Cateks before. It is always a scary experience. I've never had that problem with my Burton bindings. I may be selling one or both my pairs of Cateks so I can purchase a set or two of Ibex or Bomber bindings.

On a sad note, Paul Augustine, the founder of Afton Alps, died Saturday morning. The man was a visionary. He will be missed.

http://www.hastingsstargazette.com/event/article/id/17263/publisher_ID/20/

[bonzo]

I'm going to try to find one where the 4 wheel drive is broken, or something so i can get it cheap, and fix it. btw, can soft tops be fitted in the summer, on hard top jeeps?




Make sure the 4WD works on something like ice (bring an observer). On dry pavement, you will feel resistance in the steering (try turning sharply both ways).

Get the factory hard top and you can buy an aftermarket soft top for hard top doors. The aftermarket hard tops and doors are too expensive for what you get. If you got a place to hang a hard top winch, you can buy quick release parts for the hard top allowing one person to remove the top in about 2 minutes. Then you don't need a soft top. Unfortunately, you will get wet if it rains.

[trent]

carving goodness!!

i was only able to play for a short time this morning, but holy crap am i glad i went! it was spectacular! i was a little worried with the fog and snowmaking, but all worries were gone after the first couple of turns. i was only on chair 2 - had no reason to go anywhere else (nor did i have time). the cord was firm, smooth, and held very well. i felt no snowcone and no ice down below. there was a nice ridge down the middle of the run too. provided some planned, and some (more) unplanned, air transitions. all fun, even the crashed ones.

corduroy artisan was there ripping it up. i met paul too, who was also ripping. hopefully those 2 are still having a blast! i was bummed i had to leave. get out and ride if you have a chance!

-trent

[Futahaguro]

Nice to hear. I have been worried that our rain storm really F'ed things up but apparently not too much. I'm thinking of trying an evening this week or maybe just stick with a morning on the weekend.

[trent]

powell1.8 and i did a quick morning session. started on chair 2. snow was groomed fairly well, and hard. like yesterday, no grooming going at 9am! i hope they keep it that way. :1luvu: a few seams between passes that made for some jarring mid turn. i was riding the nsr, and wasn't able to control my speed as much as i would've liked. couldn't really dig into the snow today. but, there wasn't any ice, so i'm not complaining. plus, if you skidded the right way across the cord, it made a loud whirring noise. :biggthump

we went over to 7 for a little bit too. it was in great shape. i was much happier over there as i wasn't going faster than my comfort level. at least not as much as on chair 2.

more snow guns running today than yesterday too. afton's never afraid to turn on the water, and leave it on.
-trent

[Scott.Creer]

nice! I a pumped to go this weekend. I will try to call nate tomorrow to see if we can get some stubbies set up this weekend. Weather in MA was awful for snowboarding, glad to be back in MN

[Futahaguro]

nice! I a pumped to go this weekend. I will try to call nate tomorrow to see if we can get some stubbies set up this weekend. Weather in MA was awful for snowboarding, glad to be back in MN

Just in case I miss the post please e-mail me if you plan to get something set up because I will be interested.

Thanks.

[Call me jack]

Any way, i got out at about 330, in soft boots w/carving stance. the day pretty much complemented what trent said on the big 3 (we apparently both skipped 16?) how ever, being i soft booted those hills, in those conditions i was a little out of my league, so i hit smaller hills to get equal thrills. 14 was just about perfect, especially when the pitch increased half way through (i over heard the kids on the chair behind me marveling at trenches) 9 was good too, though i didn't stick around too much. what also worked well for me was between tube land and 7. On the hole today was pretty good, but i think i need to look into upgrading my soft boot carving gear; i've never felt so unplanted. i thought it was just me, but the girl i was with (giggity) even said that she could see my board wiggle around a lot. Not sketching out form poor technique, but just getting pushed around by every bump. I fell a bunch. stayed till close though.

Nice seein' ya, Trent!


as good as conditions were, that night i think my sloppy unsupportive soft set up might have hurt me a little bit; since i was substituting mechanical support with muscular perseverance i think i inflamed some tendons in my front calf, a little bit, as they're touchy to walk on, at times. it kinda bums me out, 'cause i hurt the same leg, last year when i went over the handle bars, on a heel side, and that didn't completely heal until spring.

With that sob story out of the way, i think i'm going to get out tomorrow morning, in hard boots, and see how it feels. any one else going to be out there?

[Call me jack]

got out at about 11a. started on 7.... it was ok, but it felt really funny... i was defiantly struggling with something. Maybe it was the flat light...
Any way, i moved around to try finding simpler hill, to maybe warm up on... wasn't happening for me, at all. it was all so soft, from all of the snow being made. I really started getting frustrated, and started just making coleman slides, like was longboarding...

So finally i headed over to 2, which has never been one of my better hill unfortunately, but is was worth a try. As i got there, the sun came out... the sun came out. holly ****! my day turned around completely! i was making legit hard, fast turns all the way down 2, in between lift poles (the plain that best my ability atm), also unlike all the other hills, they only had one snow gun at the very top. for that hour that the sun was out, i was on my A game. best runs of the season thus far. i got to the bottom, and actually had to catch my breath briefly. I was making turns, where afterwords i thought to my self, "holly ****, i cant believe i actually was able to pull that off"

then the sun went away. i road okay, afterwards, but i really need the sun.. I left at 3. i would imagine that, had a wait and hour and a half longer, for them to turn the lights on, i couldn't got another hour of good riding in on 2 before the ski teams got out...
As far as my leg, goes, i can't really feel it when i got down the hill, only when i walk... i guess my boots are tight enough...

edit: Any body interested in trading your shorter slalomy carving board for my 186 f2 w/td1?

[Scott.Creer]

just got the call from nate. we will have 1 or 2 on sunday night after 4pm for some GS. we will only be doing stubbies this time, no panels.

[bonzo]

Spent the evening on 7. Conditions fair at best. There were some serious rut, gates must have been set up earlier in the day.

Yes, Afton is still making snow.

[Call me jack]

Spent the evening on 7. Conditions fair at best. There were some serious rut, gates must have been set up earlier in the day.

Yes, Afton is still making snow.

they will be for the rest of the month, mon-thursday


I'll be out saturday night to hit gates. might bring a friend.

[Scott.Creer]

call me jack, we are setting on Sunday night unless you are planning something else.

[Futahaguro]

Scott, I got your e-mail and I would like to be there on Sunday but haven't planned anything yet. I wonder if I can get my wife there during the day and then I will stay for the evening so I can board with you and anyone else there.

Hopefully see you there.

[Call me jack]

call me jack, we are setting on Sunday night unless you are planning something else.

no, i just can't read.

[Scott.Creer]

I was out this morning for opening and stayed for about 2 hours. Easy 2 was nice before they set the course up on it. 1 was pretty good too. I went exploring a bit after a few runs. 7 was not great, the grooming was pretty bad. I made it over to chair 13 before my feet got cold and I decided to head back to chair 2.

I had a really hard time today setting in the edge. I would chatter out on my edges, both heel and toeside at high speed. Don't know if it was the groomers or me (most likely the latter).

I will be back out tomorrow night. Planning on getting there around 3, setting around 4pm.

[Call me jack]

i got out around 4. for about 2 hours as well... easy 2 was a **** hole, by that time. harder 2 was ok, though. 7 was kinda nasty as well...
I did okay; in my opinion a lesser rider would've struggled, while a greater rider, than myself, would've persevered... at least that what i thought, until i read scotts post, who's clearly a better rider... idk, i felt i could get my edge in if my technique was just dead on the nuts... i do feel like my skill sets are growing though, these kind of conditions would've punished me pretty bad, this time last year, and i can feel myself developing a rather distinct style... wish i had a video to see how i look.

I wont be able to make it to gates, tomorrow.

[Scott.Creer]

Trent and I played on 1 with some stubbies set up. It was a little rough cause 1 was rutted up pretty bad, but it was a lot of fun. Steep 2 was actually pretty good for free riding.

Michelle was out in hardboots for her second time. She was charging it! After the day was done and we were sitting on the couch, she said she liked it. She was totally exhausted though. We may have a new recruit.

In the future, I talked to Nate about setting at a regular time every week. He said that we could do Friday night, Saturday night, or Sunday night. I can do any of those, so what works best for everyone else?

[trent]

some good riding yesterday! powell1.8 and i played until noon. had the hills mostly to ourselves. :biggthump 2 and 7 were solid and good. 12 was also good, but softer. highlands was all soft. seemed like they all got a morning groom. we didn't get on 16 because there were little kids running gates. i had to leave to rest up for round 2...

came back from 4-6:30. i was only on 1 and 2, and it's like scott said. still nobody there, we had the place to ourselves. and michelle was going for it! chair 2 on second day out. crazy! :biggthump @scott - thanks for setting the course. much bumpy fun. not icy though... wide and late = nice snow! ;)

-trent

[brucelore]

"We have an opportunity to set stubby courses regularly at Afton. We have a choice of friday night, saturday night, or sunday night. If anyone is interested in running a course once in a while reply in the Afton thread what night would work best for you."

I'm in for Sunday night stubbies :)

The Grinch

[Futahaguro]

So I went out after work and was out on the slopes by 5 PM. First, let me say that from downtown Minneapolis I took the back way and like it much better than navigating the stupid 94E traffic. I took 55 (Hiawatha) south, 62E, 110E (across Mendota Bridge), 494E, 61S (toward Hastings), 70th East pretty much all of the way to Afton. Without traffic maybe it took an extra 10 minutes but avoiding traffic was WELL worth it.

Anyway, I went out with Angela and she is getting better so I don't have to go as slow anymore:) Let me tell you, going slow with your angles @ 50/50 stresses my groin muscle on my rear leg. I think it is the slow skidding of the rear foot to slow down and help someone learn. But I digress again. So the snow was in great shape except for one of the runs way over on back side on the left. There were not many people at all so there were some times where I could really practice checking my speed by concentrating on laying down some nice carves and a lower speed. There was a little chop from pushed around snow but overall I had a great time. At the end of the day Angela was waiting in the car at the bottom of the run to the left of Chair 2 and got to watch me to a good speed-check-butt-slide down that run:) I wasn't doing big carves to check my speed so I had a good clip going on the toeside over the last knoll and it threw me up in the air a little off balance so I did what I usually do when I fall and just lifted up my board and slid for a bit to get it pointed in the right direction and then popped back up:)

It feels great to go flying down the hill and laying down some nice turns:)

[Scott.Creer]

I am gonna call Nate today and set up Sunday Nights for us on whatever is available. So from now on plan that Sunday Nights will be snowboard friendly courses set at Afton from 4-6pm.

[Scuff]

That's a good time slot - I'm going to try my best to make it out to Afton Gate Night at least once this season. :biggthump

[bonzo]

Spent the night on 7. Conditions were quite good despite the obvious traffic. The new snow plus Afton's ever present snow making is helping keep the runs fresh.

I'll be back on Sunday, probably on 7.

[Scott.Creer]

anyone going tomorrow morning? Supposed to be cold and windy

[Scott.Creer]

2 was phenomenal at 9am hero snow groomed to perfection. It was a good time. Michelle and I spent most of our time on 7 and 12, as she was hard booting the whole time. side note: anyone know of a good alpine instructor? preferable female alpiner?

Tomorrow night at 4pm is stubby fun time. Talk to Nate today and it looks like we might be setting on 2.

[Call me jack]

2 was phenomenal at 9am hero snow groomed to perfection. It was a good time. Michelle and I spent most of our time on 7 and 12, as she was hard booting the whole time. side note: anyone know of a good alpine instructor? preferable female alpiner?

Tomorrow night at 4pm is stubby fun time. Talk to Nate today and it looks like we might be setting on 2.

i think Nick Terry, the ski school manager, taught/teaches alpine... it can't hurt to ask him.. he might know somebody.
workin tomorrow night... too sick to want to snowboard any way :(

[Scott.Creer]

Tonight was pretty good. Course was set on easy 2. I was the only one, so I ran it about 10-11 times then pulled it cause I was tired (I am so out of shape). The conditions were pretty good. Michelle was playing in the hylands while I was running the course.

[bonzo]

Tonight was pretty good. Course was set on easy 2. I was the only one, so I ran it about 10-11 times then pulled it cause I was tired (I am so out of shape). The conditions were pretty good. Michelle was playing in the hylands while I was running the course.

You must have been on the black coiler. I guess I was there shortly before the the stubbies were put in. Should have stuck around.

7 and 12 were nice.

[Scott.Creer]

Yeah that was me on my NSR. You should have stuck around, the course was pretty fun. There is always next sunday night!

[bonzo]

Yeah that was me on my NSR. You should have stuck around, the course was pretty fun. There is always next sunday night!

Next Sunday I will be up at Troll for the D-team races. The week after that should be good for me. Setting gates goes a lot faster with two people. What time do you plan to set up? I will help pending my availability.

I really love my Coiler AM. Bruce builds a good board. I am thinking about something like a NSR to replace my 1995 Factory Prime. It is getting so tired that it is beginning to feel like my Stat 7. I need to talk to you about that NSR sometime.

[Scott.Creer]

Bonzo,

Right on. I would be more than happy to ride with you and talk about the NSR. To be honest, the board is a beast. It rails and likes to go really fast. It is very tiring to ride, but is a lot of fun to ride in the gates. I also purchased a VSR which is my "go to board." If I was not in the gates ever, I would go with the VSR. The NSR is really awesome on 2 and 7 when they are empty, but you try and ride it on a crowded Sat. and you are destined for impact.

Sunday the 30th is the USASA race at Buck Hill. So I most likely will not be setting at Afton that night.

[bonzo]

Spent the evening on 7, it was rutted up pretty good. Boy, was it cold. I didn't have the right wax. No other hard boot brethren seen.

[trent]

great day! cold, but bearable. snow was slow today, and would push away at times. but the grooming was good! and.... the place was empty! :biggthump guess yesterdays temps still had people shivering at home. even though i saw otto hollaus and skijammers there, it was never crowded.

4 carvers out today too! me, scott, michelle, and randy. randy and his dad ian were down from the st. cloud area to play today. scott and i both plugged a certain event this wednesday. ;)

-trent

[Scott.Creer]

Trent and I were out for Stubby Night at Afton. We set GS on 1, and it was the best night yet for it. We didn't have to deal with a previous sets ruts, which was amazing. It was a lot of fun.

We ran the course for a while then pulled it, and rode 7 for a bit. 7 was pretty chopped up, but we were holding pretty good. Legs got tired then called it a night.

<iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pJvRADoxQF0" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen></iframe>

[Scott.Creer]

Was out from 9-11:45 today. 2 was nice before 3 courses went on it. Rode a few runs with Trent.

Snow was great. Got a little soft as the morning went on. The first run my gloves were making that amazing "zip" sound. Wish I could have stayed longer.

[bonzo]

In the AM 7 was hopping with carvers (Greg, Trent, Dave and Someone from the ski school (Chris?)). Sorry I couldn't play, we had a mock test for the patrol candidates. Great conditions today. Next weekend, I, along with the D-team kids, will be up at Wild. No gates to get in the way.

[Call me jack]

In the AM 7 was hopping with carvers (Greg, Trent, Dave and Someone from the ski school (Chris?)). Sorry I couldn't play, we had a mock test for the patrol candidates. Great conditions today. Next weekend, I, along with the D-team kids, will be up at Wild. No gates to get in the way.

i saw a lot of alpine trenches out there, but the only people i saw were you, and some mystery guy wearing all black.... Never saw trent, or greg.
I though the the snow was good, but was struggling with it for some reason... every thing was kinda rutted up, i guess.

[bonzo]

What a great way to start off the month of February. On my way up 5 about 10 AM I spotted Greg and Trent on their way to 7. I was able to ride with them for the better part of the AM. I did a quick board swap (Coiler AM was a bit soft, needed the Donek GS) and rejoined the group on 2 to say goodbye to Trent.

Greg and I rode 2 until a little past noon. In the afternoon I had fresh groomed on 12 and easy twelve all to myself until 2:30 PM. Finished the day on 16 around 5 PM. Total vertical for the day was in excess of 11,500 ft. It felt good to get in a full day without interruptions.

[Scott.Creer]

I have to cancel for this week cause I am sick. It will be back on for 2/13.

[bonzo]

Last night I suffered what I now believe to be a stress fracture of my fibia on 7. Fortunately, this was the last night of training for the patrol candidates. They had the "privilege" of hauling me down.

I'll be out for 8-12 weeks, which means my season is over.

I am not happy.

I'll be back next season.

[thebionicman]

Sorry to hear that, good luck on recovery!!!! Fracturing the fibia is a big deal, that takes a lot of force.

[bonzo]

Sorry to hear that, good luck on recovery!!!! Fracturing the fibia is a big deal, that takes a lot of force.

Thanks for the support. If there is some who knows about coming back from injury it would be the Bionic Man. Fortunately the fibia isn't the weight bearing bone, it's the tibia that is. So I am not is a cast, just using a cane.

So for the rest of the season I will ride the computer.

[Scott.Creer]

Fortunately the fibia isn't the weight bearing bone

bonzo,

I actually broke mine while I was in high school soft boot snowboarding. I slipped on some east coast ice, and slid right into a snow gun. It made contact right above the boot.

My father swore it wasn't broken, so we just put a frozen bag of peas on it for a few days. Then he told me to ride it off. I did that from January to March, then went to the ER cause it still hurt. Turned out it healed at an angle cause of the break. Even this year (12 years later), it hurts some days.

Take care, and be careful rippin' with the computer.

[Scuff]

Ouch Bonzo - sorry to hear. Heal well!

[bonzo]

Ouch Bonzo - sorry to hear. Heal well!


Thanks Scuff. I'm trying my best on the healing part. My doctor authorized a game ready device to speed recovery. Unfortunately the insurance company told me it wasn't covered. I can see how much my employer values my health.

http://www.gameready.com/

So I am doing my best with compression wraps and ice packs. I look like a crazy man at work with zip lock baggies of ice taped to my leg. Who cares? The season isn't over yet.

[Scott.Creer]

I am still sick. so no stubby night tonight. I hope to be back next week.

[Awesomo12000]

Pretty icy last saturday when the temp raised and dropped fast, me being the n00b I am, I couldn't keep an edge. Looks like out with the snowboards and in with the longboards haha

Oh, and I hear there is someone that teaches alpine snowboarding?

[Call me jack]

Pretty icy last saturday when the temp raised and dropped fast, me being the n00b I am, I couldn't keep an edge. Looks like out with the snowboards and in with the longboards haha

Oh, and I hear there is someone that teaches alpine snowboarding?

if your the kid i met the other day (alex?) i heard from the grape vine you fell and lost your glasses. lol

Any way, i think i might be out friday night. for the first time since MES, pretty much. say hi if your out!

[trent]

ugh, sucks to be back in mn! rode for 1.5 hours this morning with powell1.8. 4 inches of snowcone covering ice. not fun times. went down chair 2 one time, then we headed over to 7. the middle was ok, but the top and bottom were tough.

buried the nose on 16 so hard that i ended up rolling a few times. i'm sure the chair loved the show! boy, do i hope it gets cold again, and soon. not really ready to have the season over.

awesomo12000, good to meet you this morning! sorry we didn't get to chat, but i was on a very tight schedule. plus i was grumpy about how quickly the conditions have turned to junk. hope you had fun riding with all your friends. it had to be better than school! :biggthump

-trent

[Awesomo12000]

if your the kid i met the other day (alex?) i heard from the grape vine you fell and lost your glasses. lol

Any way, i think i might be out friday night. for the first time since MES, pretty much. say hi if your out!

Ya, that's me haha
I will defiantly be out friday if the snow looks good.



awesomo12000, good to meet you this morning! sorry we didn't get to chat, but i was on a very tight schedule. plus i was grumpy about how quickly the conditions have turned to junk. hope you had fun riding with all your friends. it had to be better than school! :biggthump

-trent

Nice meetin you and Greg too! All my friends are park monkeys that don't get how awesome carving really is, so I left them. :biggthump

[Joe D.]

J4, 5 and 6. Feb 19 and 20. Chair 2. 7:00am trainers. Races all day.
J1, 2, and 3 (older kids) at Welch on Bakke this weekend both days.

[Scott.Creer]

thanks for the info Joe.

Looks like I will be going at night this weekend.

[Call me jack]

Ya, that's me haha
I will defiantly be out friday if the snow looks good.



ugh, sucks to be back in mn! rode for 1.5 hours this morning with powell1.8. 4 inches of snowcone covering ice. not fun times. went down chair 2 one time, then we headed over to 7. the middle was ok, but the top and bottom were tough.

buried the nose on 16 so hard that i ended up rolling a few times. i'm sure the chair loved the show! boy, do i hope it gets cold again, and soon. not really ready to have the season over.

awesomo12000, good to meet you this morning! sorry we didn't get to chat, but i was on a very tight schedule. plus i was grumpy about how quickly the conditions have turned to junk. hope you had fun riding with all your friends. it had to be better than school! :biggthump

-trent

i supposed to be colder tomorrow. i have a feeling the snow is going to set up like sand after ther groom it, except 1 2 and 3 cause they insist on grooming that in the morning, when it's warmer. tomorrow could have some potential. only down side is it's a friday.

[Scott.Creer]

due to weather, and my motivation level... no stubby night tonight. I dont think I am gonna make the drive to afton. Video games seem like a much better plan.

[bonzo]

Gates will cover the Alps, if you are at Afton, head to the highlands.

[Scott.Creer]

as a result of the D-team races there will be no stubby night this weekend. I just talked to Nate. Next weekend we are back on though! Also, after that we may go to a weekend day.

[Scott.Creer]

rode from 2-4 today. man the alps were packed. 7 was ok, but really choppy, and what is with the moguls on skiers right?

12 was awesome. skiers left of 12 was fun till other people wanted to join my one man party on it.

be back tomorrow. hoping to go early, but who knows when I will get there.

[Scott.Creer]

rode 7 from 11-1. it was really nice. met Ralph and his son.

Ralph made a great buy at the House. Apparently he got 5 pairs of F2 Titanium bindings for 200 bucks. Way to go Ralph on that deal!

[trent]

pretty effin good! only able to ride for about 1.5 hours this morning, but it was great. when i got there, only 3 of us on the hill - 2 carvers and 1 ski carver. it was cool seeing only carved tracks on the cord.

re-met paul. he took bobd's advice for the day. ;)

-trent

[trent]

started with super flat light. i couldn't tell where the hill ended, and the sky began from the chair. :eek: can you tell?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_k0IW2mKRozM/TXKV6yLQnOI/AAAAAAAAF_I/VxZYPKfrXJg/s640/IMG_4992.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_k0IW2mKRozM/TXKV-8vAc0I/AAAAAAAAF_U/LFiKinhA2mc/s640/IMG_4993.JPG

i tried adding my own contrast to see better. ;)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_k0IW2mKRozM/TXKV76knkuI/AAAAAAAAF_Q/_f9AfoKNqPE/s640/IMG_4994.JPG

i stayed on 2 for a while. it was great, but they were setting courses, so it was getting crowded. headed to 7 for a bit, but even more gates eventually were set there too. but 7 was sweet! super solid snow. tried 16 for one run; it sucked. very soft, felt like marbles. 12 was ok, but inconsistent. some was solid, some was soft.

headed back to 2, and played between the 2 nastar courses, and the ussa course. the sun came out! whoo-hoo, blue skies and almost nobody there (except racers). some straighliner skiers followed me down on one run, and i heard them talking about how cool what i was doing was. then on the chair ride up, scott came down the same run. i heard from a chair or two behind me, "whoa! look at that! it's so effing cool!!!". :biggthump i agree. scott was killing it today. nice work!

[Scott.Creer]

agree with Trent's assessment. It was amazing today.

TOMORROW: 2pm on Easy 2 will be Afton Stubby Time!

[Scott.Creer]

Nate told me today he would like to get a alpine race at Afton next year. So I am gonna put him in touch with a few people from USASA.

[Scott.Creer]

stubby night was fun and great. will shoot for the same time next week and post up. Had a special setter tonight ripping the course, she is first in the video.

4 hard booters total tonight: Trent, Alex, Beau, and I

<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mPgxJJifsH4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Call me jack]

any one plan on going out today?

[Scott.Creer]

Michelle and I went out today at Afton and took 3 runs, then left. Granular all over, and super choppy. After this week of warm weather coming up it looks like the season is over for me, with the exception of CO in a few weeks for a few days.

[Call me jack]

Michelle and I went out today at Afton and took 3 runs, then left. Granular all over, and super choppy. After this week of warm weather coming up it looks like the season is over for me, with the exception of CO in a few weeks for a few days.

Lame ass. :p

I thought the snow rocked today! Some spots were a little iffy, but it was more the flat light that made things so challenging. But 7 was nice, along with 12, and steep 17.
i never made it to 2.

btw. i was also out last thursday. the snow was very soft, but ride able.

[trent]

for anyone who doesn't know.... lift tickets are only $5 this weekend with 4 non-perishable food item donations. hours are 9-5. i have no idea what conditions are like, maybe dave or aaron could chime in, if they've been working lately.

-trent

[trent]

even though i checked out of snowboarding for the season 2 weeks ago, the new snow and return of cold temps prompted me to try one last time.

it was groomed and most of it was good. although there were a few rough spots. my first few runs were excellent! it was making that zip-line noise. and it was super fast! but, it didn't last too long. once the top layer of groom started to disappear, it was harder to hold an edge. it was really solid underneath. so now i was going super fast and trying to hold an edge on challenging snow. everytime i hit a bump, roll, or grooming error, i fell. i was falling A LOT!

look to the right top side of the pict for the not-so-hot grooming.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_k0IW2mKRozM/TY-cm8zQxII/AAAAAAAAGCs/ff6K1xuVMMw/s640/IMG_5002.JPG

thought the "spring colors" mittens should make an appearance this year, and apparently all the cool kids take shots like this. ;)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_k0IW2mKRozM/TY-cml-W0dI/AAAAAAAAGCo/8-vKeK1joHg/s640/IMG_5006.JPG

headed over to 7 for a bit. if i stayed in the middle, i was fine. if i went a little to the right, i'd hit some small bumps, lose the edge and see how far i could slide down the hill. in case you're wondering... i could slide a LONG WAY. did i mention it was hard and fast?

i quit after 1.5 hours, and had a long list of excuses why i should go home. after i got one boot off, scott and michelle find me at my car. so, one shoe on, one boot on, i give them my long list of why i'm a puss. :biggthump hopefully it softened a little and they had a great afternoon.

afton's closed after today. but holy crap do they have a ton of snow left. i couldn't see the ground by any of the towers, and it looked to be a few feet deep by the towers too. guess blowing all that snow all january worked.

see you next year!

-trent

[Scott.Creer]

after i got one boot off, scott and michelle find me at my car. so, one shoe on, one boot on, i give them my long list of why i'm a puss. :biggthump hopefully it softened a little and they had a great afternoon.

Michelle and I did not last too long. We did take a few runs in the ski shop for the 40% of weather. It was pretty good in there!

-Scott

[bonzo]

even though i checked out of snowboarding for the season 2 weeks ago, the new snow and return of cold temps prompted me to try one last time.



afton's closed after today. but holy crap do they have a ton of snow left. i couldn't see the ground by any of the towers, and it looked to be a few feet deep by the towers too. guess blowing all that snow all january worked.

see you next year!

-trent

Update: Afton is open one more weekend, weather permitting. Only chairs 3 and 4 will be running. I see the orthopedic surgeon on Friday, so I will see if my fibula is healed well enough to go boarding one last time this season. :biggthump

[Call me jack]

Update: Afton is open one more weekend, weather permitting. Only chairs 3 and 4 will be running. I see the orthopedic surgeon on Friday, so I will see if my fibula is healed well enough to go boarding one last time this season. :biggthump

facebook says it's chairs 2 and 4
have no idea what conditions will be like. haven't ridden in a month, or so. Aaron is probably just as clueless, as he just left for CO

[bobble]

like he said...

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[Call me jack]

any one going out, today?

[Scuff]

Ralph made a great buy at the House. Apparently he got 5 pairs of F2 Titanium bindings for 200 bucks. Way to go Ralph on that deal!

Does Ralph ever post on Bomber? - I know a couple G-Team kids looking for bindings..

[Scott.Creer]

I think he mentioned he sold the extra bindings. He does read the forums he said, although he does not post.