Afton 2011/2012

[trent]

spent a couple of hours at afton this morning. they claim 12 runs open, but i think they're taking a page from the welch playbook, and counting runs more than once. probably more than twice.

lots and lots of snow guns running. they should have a lot more runs open by the weekend. maybe even 12, like they're claiming. heh.

snow varied all over. some soft, some hard, some smooth, some bumpy, and sometimes all of it at once! fun!

the bowl right and left. the middle was ok, but visibility was tough with all the snow making.

From hosting picts

From hosting picts

chair 5. yes, i was 2 planking. don't know if i'd trust the depth yet for a carving board, especially on the sides of the runs. no, mine aren't the pretty set of 2 pencil thin tracks. those would be courtesy of nat. man, he's impossible to follow!

From hosting picts

chair 7 needs some help!

From hosting picts

-trent

[trent]

beautiful morning to be out! blue skies, good temps, and no crowds. still lots of snow guns going, but coverage is looking much better. snow was a little more consistent too - although there were still some soft spots from all the new snow. chair 2 should be open any time now, and 7 looks promising for the weekend.

unfortunately, nat is becoming a bad influence on me. banking turns in the bowl was pretty fun today (and i need a ski upgrade. these were sweet). i think i can hear bobd cheering.

From hosting picts

chair 7

From hosting picts

luckily, i finally mounted some bindings on a snowboard! maybe i'll try this alpine snowboard thing sometime....

-trent

[trent]

good news:
- it was beautiful out
- saw another hardbooter (chris) briefly, see below
- 7 is finally groomed and open
- i wasn't on skis this time
- meadows has finally updated their bathrooms. granite countertops!

bad news:
- it's day 3 of food poisoning effects for me
- my willpower isn't as strong as my intestinal issues. i was there less than an hour, and not all of it was spend outside. but like i said, the bathrooms are nice.
- 7 was groomed while i was there. by 2 groomers, which meant it was really, really soft
- ussa racing. chairs 1 and 2 taken over. the bowl had everyone not racing, or done racing = dangerf*ckerous (bobble's term)
- 7 and 9 were both dropping lots of grease today. messy, messy, messy.

not from me, it's from the chair, i swear!

From hosting picts

-trent

[bobble]

- it's day 3 of food poisoning effects for me
- my willpower isn't as strong as my intestinal issues. i was there less than an hour, and not all of it was spend outside. but like i said, the bathrooms are nice.

oh that sucks.

and here i am eating taco john's. get well!

- ussa racing. chairs 1 and 2 taken over. the bowl had everyone not racing, or done racing = dangerf*ckerous (bobble's term)

i got dangerf*ckrous (alt spelling: dangerphuckerous or dangerfnckerous) from you, trent! you have an amazing gift and marketable skill for inserting the f-word into almost word.

[BobD]

not from me, it's from the chair, i swear!
-trent

Looks like blat splatter to me (and I'm an expert in the subject).

[Scott.Creer]

Michelle and I will finally be making an appearance this weekend. The rain this week should make for fun riding conditions. Trent - I am anxiously awaiting your report for today.

[trent]

Michelle and I will finally be making an appearance this weekend. The rain this week should make for fun riding conditions. Trent - I am anxiously awaiting your report for today.

no updates from me.... i've been staying away with all this fantastic weather we've been having.

i'll be out skiing with aspen on the bunny hill saturday while parker is doing d-team. might be able to squeeze in a quick session sun morning before we head to moa for shopping, santa, and crowds. oh yeah. that's going to be a fun afternoon!

[JJFluff]

Hello Everybody, I'm back at the in-laws for New Years and was thinking about heading to the Alps for some riding tomorrow morning, New Years Eve day. Any opinions on whether its worth the time or money? Anyone else planning on being there? I think Ill be going regardless but wouldn't mind an update or to take a few runs with some fellow hardbooters. I haven't even had the hard stuff on yet this sad season. Hope to year from ya.

[trent]

hi jj,

i haven't been out there in a week, but it was good back then. i won't be able to be out new years, but might sneak in a quick session tomorrow morning. if i do, i'll report back conditions.

-trent

[MUD]

I'm going for a bike ride....

[icarve]

I was out today chasing my 4 year old on skis and the snow was really soft and not much of it. the frontside was mostly open- I never made it to the highlands- but there is snow only on the runs and it is really thin on the edges. i hope we get more snow tonight than is predicted.

[Call me jack]

so is the general consensus, this year, that the snow just kinda... sucks? suddenly i dont' feel so bad if i skip out on this season.

any mes this year? lol

[bonzo]

Been out working over a dozen days at Afton this season, and the only carver that I have seen is Trent one Sunday Morning before Christmas when I was teaching on 7.

Where is everyone? Come on out, the conditions and grooming are fantastic.

Full disclosure: I have spent 3 days two planking. Keep those sweet Stockli's away from me.

[Call me jack]

Been out working over a dozen days at Afton this season, and the only carver that I have seen is Trent one Sunday Morning before Christmas when I was teaching on 7.

Where is everyone? Come on out, the conditions and grooming are fantastic.

Full disclosure: I have spent 3 days two planking. Keep those sweet Stockli's away from me.

bonzo, do you still have the jeep snowboard rack?

[trent]

belated update.

weds was pretty good. powell1.8 and i rode the morning. had to stay on 2 though as the bowl and 7 weren't in great shape (snowcone over ice). we met up with icarve for the last few minutes (for me) before leaving. don't know how long those guys were able to play.

on my last run of the day, i get to the bottom, and there's a prosumer/pro level camcorder pointed at me. i smile, and give a thumbs up. the cameraman walks over to us, and says, "i suppose you're leaving?".

i reply, "not if you're filming! my work can wait!!!". oh yeah, i am THE camera whore.

i take 2 or 3 more runs, and of course crash on the very first one, to which greg tells the camera, "camera curse!". i think that's the big smiley face greg gives while laughing at the curse.

oh, and the cameraman is a carver! hopefully he'll come and play sometime.



thanks icarve for posting the vid!

-trent

[trent]

report from the bunny hill -

spend the day on the bunny hill 2 planking with the 5 yr old while the 8 yr old was doing d-team.

snow was fast and well groomed. seemed like there might have been ice underneath, but on skis and the bunny hill... who knows?

saw a carver over on 2 a few times. there was also collegiate ski racing today, so wondering if that was someone done ski racing, and decided to do something more fun.

also ran into icarve at the end of the day, who was also slumming on 2 planks. anything to get the kids to love sliding on the snow is a good thing!

best part of my day - the 5 year old started doing the whole bunny hill solo. she can turn if she has to, and can turn to a stop on the flat section. but the fact that she repeatedly said, "this is the best day ever!", and wouldn't let me finish eating because she wanted to ski more sure made me happy. time to start planning a family ski vacation.

oh, and i saw not one, but two monoskis in the rack! they were there at 10, and still in the same spots at 3:45 when we left. i kept watching for them so i could go ask, "is that a carving board?".

-trent

[BobD]

oh, and i saw not one, but two monoskis in the rack! they were there at 10, and still in the same spots at 3:45 when we left. i kept watching for them so i could go ask, "is that a carving board?".

-trent

Christians debate whether there is a hell for humans, but we know there is one for snowboards - to be made into a monoski.

[bonzo]

bonzo, do you still have the jeep snowboard rack?

Alas, I sold the Jeep a year ago, the racks shortly after that on Craigslist. After 18 winters, the rate of the electrochemical conversion of iron to a higher oxidation state was beginning to accelerate. I needed to sell it before it progressed too far. Sold well after the major dumps of snow last year.

I've taken ownership if the wife's 98 Audi A4 quattro. She now has a a 07 A8. Don't ever drive an A8 unless you want every other car to feel substandard.

[trent]

powell1.8 and i got in a quick session this morning. lots of hills taken by ski racing today. we started in the highlands. it mostly sucked. sugar over ice. either the snow would push away, or chatter, or both! fun times.

15 had all the ski patrol doing their grooming by sideslipping. i yelled from the chair at bonzo to make it nice a smooth. we snuck it 2 runs, but it wasn't great.

made our way to easy 12. the first 2 or 3 runs i thought were good, but then i wasn't liking it anymore. so back to 7, and we saw that the racing was done. made a bunch of runs here, but it was still pretty icy. i was having trouble holding an edge. powell1.8 was not. scott and michelle showed up too. they were making it look easy.

a ski instructor, with a class, came over to show her students how our snowboards differed from a typical snowboard. then they wanted to watch us ride. powell1.8 gave them a good show. oohs and aahs all around. i proceded to chatter a toeside and slide down the hill on my stomach. i suck. had to call it an early day.

-trent

[Futahaguro]

I thought I would post a vid of me and my brother-in-law out on Dec 26th. He doesn't ski too much and is still learning how to do chase cam work but oh well. I posted it on here because I bought the Bomber Secret Plates and wrote a review.

http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulleti...250#post361250

[bonzo]

powell1.8 and i got in a quick session this morning. lots of hills taken by ski racing today. we started in the highlands. it mostly sucked. sugar over ice. either the snow would push away, or chatter, or both! fun times.

15 had all the ski patrol doing their grooming by sideslipping. i yelled from the chair at bonzo to make it nice a smooth. we snuck it 2 runs, but it wasn't great.


-trent

I saw you. Oh, how I longed to join you. The way boards are constructed it's TGIF (Tip Goes In First). Every season, I probably sideslip 100,000 ft of vertical with training exercises. However, bringing a toboggan down hill is exercise braking the entire way down while steering the patient to safety.

Contrary to popular belief, we do not scrape all the snow off the hill to "increase business."

Look for us on 7, 12, or 16 Sundays at 9 AM or Thursdays at 6 PM. We will make sure give the hill special treatment.

[trent]

wow! today was awesome! i thought it'd be one huge chunk of ice, but the snow was incredible! i only rode chair 2, skiers right. it was groomed to perfection! it was seamless and perfect cord. well done groomers! the best part, was i was the only one on the hill for an hour. even after that, there were very few people taking that run. i guess snowguns, and a serious uphill wind keeps people on the other hills.

too bad my stuff was still wet from yesterday, so i only lasted 2.5 hours before i was too cold.

should be another excellent day tomorrow and saturday.

-trent

[Gerg]

I think there are some D-Team races at Afton this Sunday.

[trent]

thanks gerg! correct, d-team racing at afton sat and sun this week (1/14 & 15). chair 2, 3, and 7 are going to be crawling with kids. check-in for sat is at 8:30, so we'll be there early. i'm not sure what time sunday racing starts.

-trent

[bobble]

rode with trent.

i went to afton, welch, and buck. best carving experience was at afton.

liked 2 and 7. 12 and 15 meant nothing to me. rode there till noon then took off for welch. wish i knew better. should've stayed longer.

the cord was fast and firm. overall, well groomed.

From Jan 13, 2012

[trent]

nice triple crown! thanks for coming out to play. wish i could've stayed longer.

-trent

[Scott.Creer]

It was really nice this morning on 7. Almost blew right past trent after he snowed me with his skis. Sorry Trent, didn't realize it was you at first and with head phones in I was ignoring the world.

I stopped to help out a downed skier at the bottom of 7, told the lift operator to call patrol for the snowmobile. 7-8 minutes later a patroller came on skis, and radioed for the snowmobile. 10-15 minutes after that the snow mobile came (probably playing rock paper scissors in the shack to determine who had to put their boots on to help). The woman was holding her knee (which she had previously injured). The patroller on the snowmobile then started pulling out the splint, and was having trouble figuring out how to size it, so I explained it to him how to adjust it. After fumbling with the splint he and the other patroller put the splint on upside down, and did not put any support below the knee to keep it in the bent position the woman wanted it in. I casually mentioned "the splint is upside down guys," and "you might want to put batting under the knee to support it." Which they replied "I did that on purpose." They then tried to help the woman into the sled, without holding the injured knee. When they picked her up, "ouch!". They then let her down, and she slid on her but into the toboggan.

So happy I am not a part of this any more, although I am slightly worried if these two patrollers come to my rescue. I think I might request Bonzo save me.

[trent]

locks? necessary??

From hosting picts

saw the monoskis in the rack again yesterday. but the best part was when i saw someone take one out. i was on skis with my 5 yr old, and i go over to the guy as he's getting in line for the lift and say, "cool! is that a carving snowboard?". i get a scowl and this reply, "no. it's a monoski.". at which point i couldn't keep a straight face anymore and told him i was kidding. it still made my day to see the look on his face.

[bonzo]

Snow guns running everywhere except 1 and 2. Afton is making snow as fast as they can.

Didn't wax with extreme polar, felt like I was boarding on sandpaper. Most disappointing.

[trent]

powell1.8, scott.creer, mrs.creer, and i rode in the mist/sleet/fog this morning. the light super sucked! couldn't see much, but the trenches helped with the definition. if i could see & follow a trench, i was ok. if there were no marks, i was borked and got slammed. repeatedly.

but the snow was great. just couldn't see it. 2, 7, and easy 12 were all good. 16 was good for a few runs, but then we seemed to find all the loose snow.

eventually, the goggles were icing up by the bottom of a run. fun times. we all left by noon.

my ice jacket.

From hosting picts

see y'all weds!
-trent