05 Summit Expression Session - Use this thread for talk

[MozzMann]

Dunno yet Benny, but it'll probably Thredbo where we can ride the WALL "Racecourse" and a Day or 2 At Perisher on the boarder X course.

I'll feel out the various managments through the last part of summer and into Autumn to gauge what sort of acceptance.

This may seem a silly question but what sort of events are planned .


Mozz

[dantheman0177]

Mozz,
I would be super keen for a weekend of carving in Oz.
Hotham has some runs that would be pretty good. Buller is well groomed but gets tracked out and bumpy most afternoons by the day trippers. Haven't been to Falls or Thredbo, but I am happy to do a road trip to where ever will have us.
As for SES, all paid for as of yesterday, so will definately catch up there.
Cheers
Dan

[MozzMann]

Do my eyes decieve me or do I see it right on the Aspen-Snowmass Web Site .

I have been watching for the last 2 weeks or so and have not seen a lot of sun, with upwards of 41 inches in the last 7 Days on a 73 inch base I'd say things are gunna' be whicked.

I havn't seen the Temps so I can only assume it's light and dry .

I gotta bring my Burton Custom by the looks of things, but is it worth repacking and organizing to bring both boards whe we are really there to carve.

It just seems a waste not to have at least 1 Day to partake in some good powder , something we don't often see down under at least not the depth's you experience in the US.

Mozz

I'm getting turned on 29 Days to go not that I'm counting mind .

I wonder if I should put some extra money aside in case we all get snowed in .

[Michelle]

Well, here in Summit County it is snowing, and it is light and flufffy. In trying to get to work early this morning I was delayed by having to dig my car out! The roads are pretty crappy too, but we seem to have had quite a bit overnight. The local weather says Aspen is also getting a bit of snow, but we should hear it from the locals there. Jim? Pat? We want the scoop!

[Pat Donnelly]

It's raining North of Detroit today and heading to near 60*F - look out yyz, this front in heading towards you.

I read they raised the EPIC flag at Highlands yesterday for the first time this season!

Link to conditions at Aspen's four mountain's http://www.aspensnowmass.com/onmount...ts/default.cfm

Grooming report http://www.aspensnowmass.com/onmount...rea=Buttermilk

short term extended outlooks for Colorado, California areas www.snowforecast.com

[pm_wizard]

Well... we woke up to freezing rain this morning, and it's been plain rain ever since... nice to see it's cold and snowy in Aspen anyhow.

Nice link with the forecasts etc Pat, thanks,

John

[JJFluff]

Wisconsin went from the nicest snow I've seen in the area in years, to lightning and thunder as we speak. Then, in two days, the high temperture is 8. So if anyone has a board out there that is about 280cm long, I'm going to need it. At the same time though, the only thing good about the rain is it reminds me that it's like Warren Miller sais, "If I don't move to Colorado this year, I'll be one year older when I do." Anyways just wanted to add to the weather reports, gotta go find my ice skates.... see ya Jon

[surfin'carver]

Well, nobody responded to my request for sharing a place in Aspen...so I'll be staying in Basalt like last year. Looking forward to seeing everybody again! Wife will not be coming as we have done too many vacations this year...she's run out of time off.
Hope to learn as much this year as I did last year

[Michelle]

Hi everyone! The SES is fast approaching and we need to make you aware of a couple of things.

1. The tickets need to be purchased no later than 15 days before the start of the SES. I have to order them ahead of time, so any purchases made after January 28th are NOT GUARANTEED!!! If you are planning to come to the SES, please purchase your lift tickets NOW!

2. If you are still in need of lodging, there are a few people looking to share rooms. Please post a thread on this forum if you need a room to share. This is the most economical way to spend a week in Aspen - SHARE a room! Most condos go for $150-200/night, and sleep up to 4 people (this is average, there are other deals out there). I am going to start a new thread titled: SES HOUSING SHARE so everyone can respond there.

3. Any items you would like to purchase from us to be delivered at the SES needs to be done no later than 3 days before the SES. We will not have additional equipment to sell at the SES, so if you need boots, board, liners, bindings, etc please go to the web site and place the order. In the comments section put "PICK UP AT SES" and I will bring it with me to Aspen.

4. As the event gets closer, I will be posting more information on this thread, so stay tuned. If you have any questions, you can email me .

See you soon!

[nekdut]

Are there any schedule clinics such as on tuning or on stance/setup like what Gilmour did out east?

How about carving lessons? I remember last year there was talk about lessons for carvers intermediate and up. Also, I'm bringing 2 experienced softbooters who want to try alpine gear, are there going to be lessons for people like them?

[Michelle]

Originally posted by nekdut
Are there any schedule clinics such as on tuning or on stance/setup like what Gilmour did out east?

How about carving lessons? I remember last year there was talk about lessons for carvers intermediate and up. Also, I'm bringing 2 experienced softbooters who want to try alpine gear, are there going to be lessons for people like them?

We are working on tuning clinics and stance/setups clinics with some of the local folks out here. We will notify everyone at the event if this will happen.

Carving clinics we are also working on with the guys from SnowPerformance. Great guys that host unbelievable camps during the season, and they usually show up and give you guys some tips. However, beginning carvers should contact the mountain for lessons. I would contact the mountains now and get it set up. Be sure to specify that you want a lesson in HARD BOOTS. You are welcome to get gear from us in the morning, and go on to your lesson from there.

[Sean]

I will be at the SES from Tues thru Friday. Alot of folks are asking so I will plan to run one clinic a day. As soon as I can figure out the details with Fin & Michelle I will post the info on this thread. Looking forward to seeing everyone at Aspen.
-Sean
Snowperformance.com

[appel_exec]

Hi All,

The good news for me is I'm going to be down in Aspen on a group trip for a week; the bad news is it will be the week AFTER the SES (arrrgh!).

Based on the size of Snowmass, it would probably take some time to try and figure out which runs are the best for carving.

Can someone tell me what would be the best couple runs for carving for an intermediate carver ?

Thanks,
Steve.

[gmarsden]

There is a thread called Ses by Matt Deal from a few days ago that describes some of the runs at Snowmass and the other Aspen hills.


- Greg

Ses

[MozzMann]

This may seem a silly question but what are the current Transport Arrangements between mountain areas at SES and the various Apres parties planned . ?

[Michelle]

There is a bus system that runs between Aspen and Snowmass, and I think it is $2/ride after 5pm. However, if you talk to people during the day, I think lots of people will have cars and can give you a ride.

[JoelP]

There are continous buses running from each mtn to other mtns all day, free and they start early. For instance Buttermilk to Highlands or vise-a-versa starts at 7 and runs every 15 minutes up to noon and then every 1/2 hour until 2:30 and then every 15 minutes again. So transportation is very easy. To Snowmass after ski hours there may be a charge as Michelle mentioned, I am never am around that late but I do know the buses run till after midnight from Aspen to Snowmass, the 2 night scene places.

so if you hook up with others that have a car...great...if not do not worry there is plenty of easy transportation and the drop offs are a few steps from the slopes.

Joel

[nekdut]

Michelle,

Is there any way to arrange a partial lift ticket and demo package? I have two friends who are arriving on Tuesday evening and would like to get 3-4 days of lift tickets plus use of the demo equipment and parties/banquet/etc.

[Jack Michaud]

Are these reports accurate?
http://www.aspensnowmass.com/onmount...r=1&hasFlash=1

Base depths sound kind of discouraging...? How is the carving? Anybody riding in Aspen regularly?

[MozzMann]

I wouldn't worry too much Jack here in Oz we sometimes only make it to a 35 - 40 in Base .

Plus it's snowing again anyways according to the weatherchannel and the Aspen Cams too.

See ya in a fortnight.

[ARCrider]

what should I expect for temps? Trying to travel light and would like to leave my extreme cold gear at home if at all possible. by cold gear I mean -30 -40 degrees.

[Pat Donnelly]

Expect warm coffee in the a.m. followed by cold beer and 103* hot tubs in the p.m.

[JoelP]

It's been snowing a little every day here for the past 4 days.. Few more inches each day. Conditions are awesome. Powder stashes are all over Snowmass and Highlands. Mellower stashes at Buttermilk are still in the trees. Snow coverage is good enough to go anywhere.

Carving on Saturday at Buttermilk was hero snow and blue sky!!!!!! AND no one out. I was shocked that I did not see any other carvers out. Xgames has kept people away from Buttermilk for the last week. rode my 196 all day and only crossed my own grooves. Top to bottoms and traffic was down to 2 or 3 skiers a run. Sunday had bad visibility for carving but another 4+ inches.

FYI's

If you drive into Aspen fill up your gas tank when leaving Glenwood. Gas in Aspen is $2.42 a gallon... ouch.... So fill up before you get up there.

Also if you are driving be super cautious at night on hwy 82 from Glenwood to Basalt. there are 600+ (up to 1000) head of Elk wintering along the hwy in the fields. Believe me they are big and they are migrating back and forth across the hwy. There are plenty of warnings posted but still there is at least one or more accidents a night.

I'll post more after next weekends outing.

Joel

[Jack Michaud]

JoelP, you are the man with the inside dope. How are the temperatures? Here in NE, I am used to wearing fleece pants, snow pants, polypro shirt, sweater, fully insulated parka, helmet, and often a balaclava.

When I went to Tahoe, just a polypro shirt and a shell were all I needed on top. Is Aspen similar?

[Pat Donnelly]

Jack,

try http://www.intellicast.com then enter ASE for location to get an idea of what to pack. The Aspen airport (ASE) is within a half mile of Buttermilk. I would expect no colder than mid to mid to upper teens in the a.m. and perhaps mid 30's or into the 40's if there is sunshine by afternoon. BRING SUNCREEN. Of course, it can be a few degrees cooler at the tops of the higher elevations but the sun can burn at any el, you may not feel it as much as you would at lower el.

Suggest all us flat landers start to hydrate well before arrival.

[JoelP]

Here is what I wear 9 out of 10 times.

mid weight Patagonia Capilene underwear on my legs and mid weight turtlenck top. A fleec vest, mid weight shell pants, Mid weight shell jacket. I bring a fleece neck pullover but use it rarely, if you need it, it's for the high speed quads in the morning. Helmet and mid weight gloves. Pants and jacket have pit & leg zips for air...use a lot!!!!

I have insulated jacket and think I've worn it once every 2 years.

Pending on when you are coming you can look up the long range forcast. It will usually be pretty right or near right.

Leave the fleece pants at home.....that would be the last item you would need here.

Instead of the insulated jacket bring a fleece top and a mid weight jacket and light jacket. Between those you can combo to make anything work. I used to wear fleece tops but now just use fleece vests (mid weight) that way with a windbreaker I can make it work. Otherwise I sweat and die...

We can run into a cold snap......20 deg....but that rarely lasts more than a day this time of year. January is the coldest month in general and we are through that now.

Typical Feb/March may be 2 or 3 days of dumpage...temps in the 20's ...then followed by days of sun in the mid 30's to low 40's. It doesn't affect the snow much due to altitude and sun angle until late March.

lastly, if you have a camelback...BRING IT.....water is good up here.

Hope that does it.

Joel

[pm_wizard]

Joel,

Thanks for the detailed list, it's very helpful for packing!

John

[trailertrash]

man its gonna be a long week at work....

[MozzMann]

Especially since there is between 10-20 inches of that white powdery stuff forcast to fall over the Aspen area in the next 48 Hrs or so with 30% chance right through Saturday.

Mozz

[yyzcanuck]

weather - ASPEN