Rally at the Thunder Dome '12

[lafcadio]

Conditions update:
It's raining this evening. Supposed to turn to snow for a few inches at the end. Could go either way. I'd suggest bringing your waterproof big boy pants and an all mountain board as back-up.

Dude, WTF? If you can't say something nice...

Or are you just hoping for some slushy mushy stuff so you can bring the Sooool Fun out to play?

[Jonny]

Mark - are you likely to be able to post in the AM on driving conditions? I'm wondering what will happen to the roads if it gets cold enough to freeze. Not worried about the hill, just about getting there...

Had a chance to try that plate yet?

Thanks! Jonny

[Mellow Yellow]

Conditions update:

It's raining this evening. Supposed to turn to snow for a few inches at the end. Could go either way. I'd suggest bringing your waterproof big boy pants and an all mountain board as back-up.
In any event, the Crazy Horse opens at Noon so if it's miserable you won't have to put up with it for long.

Oh good..... just like home...

What is this all mountain board you speak of.... all I gots is my ol' schtub

[*Ace*]

I recommend "The People's Pint - IPA"

[dingbat]

Bad news. The hill will be closed today. We have gusts of 55-70mph on the way. Sorry for the late update, but I just found out.
I will be here. My direct line is (413) 339-6617 x 306. If I'm not in my office I'll probably be by customer service x305 or x309.

[scrapster]

Yikes. It's calm down in the valley, but I heard the forecast was bad up there.

On a positive note, looks like I got a furlough from baby duty for a few hours tomorrow morning, so I'll be joining ye' all on the mountain.

[Jonny]

Thanks Mark - all the more fun tomorrow! Hope eveything comes through the big blow OK. Pretty breezy down in Lenox, too.

[dingbat]

We're hiking lower comp and dodging the falling trees.

[*Ace*]

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

[dingbat]

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Other carving events may have things like, fancy lifts that run, groomed trails, and ski areas that are what you might call "open", but the Rally had some kick-ass people show up today.
I had a great time. If tomorrow is better, it'll be absolutely stellar.

[lafcadio]

Awesome time at the Rally yesterday! Thanks again, Mark, for putting on this event and doing everything in your power to make it happen, despite Mother Nature not cooperating. Bribing us with free drinks wasn't at all necessary, but thanks for that also! Even though the lifts were not running, winds were howling and trees falling, the runs were well groomed and except for a few tele skiers, we owned the place!

At one point the wind was so bad (or good?) it was "helping" us up the hill and even blew snow over some of our trenches from earlier runs (no lifts, but self groomed runs at the BEast).

We even had a Pure Boarding clinic with Joerg -- tells you something when the man prefers to hike and ride with the Rally, rather than go to another mountain that has silly gimmicks like running lifts. "You must earn your turns!" Oh... we did.

Thanks to Ski Patrol who ensured we didn't have to hike every run.

And also a big THANK YOU to Jose, his "new" Suburu and his amazing off-roading skills, we were able to extend our carving late into the day when everyone was too wiped out to hike up again! Glad you made it back alive, Jose.

My only regret is that I cannot be there today. I hope you all have a fantastic day. I'm sure I'll see most of you at ECES over the next 5 days.

Carve on!

[lafcadio]

Other carving events may have things like, fancy lifts that run, groomed trails, and ski areas that are what you might call "open", but the Rally had some kick-ass people show up today.

Mark, don't sell yourself short. We absolutely had groomed runs. I was pleasantly surprised that even though the place was closed, the groomers were out there dodging falling trees, risking their lives, laying out the corduroy for us. I hope you don't get too much grief for all the trenches.

[thechonger]

Mark,

Thanks for putting this together, my first time hard-booting was awesome! Everyone was so friendly and encouraging. Joerg was really great and spent the whole morning working with us and I feel incredibly lucky for the experience. My only regret is that I had to head back early, I am completely converted to hard boots.

[scrapster]

Donek-1
Pole holding "Trails Merging" sign-0

Lots of fun today. Thanks again Mark! See everyone up at Stratton this week.

[dingbat]

Sure was luxurious with the lifts running today!

Drew, glad you made it. You're the guy this event is all about. Looking forward to seeing you ripping trenches.

Mark, I spoke with ski patrol. They're going to send you a bill for the pole and replace the "Trails Merging" sign with one that says "Scrappy Coco Crossing".

Great day guys, thanks for coming out.

[AMK]

Saturday Session @ Berkshire '12
First chair..... not sure about first track...

1.Mark
2. Jose, Mike & Mitch

[AMK]

1. Jose & Mitch .... no comment
2. Mr. Stratton and Mellow Yellow
3. Mr. Stratton killing some

[Atom Ant]

So wrote a pretty long and (I like to think) eloquent message about how much fun I had, how great the people were, how inspiring Joerg is, and how crazy Sat. was... but then I hit the wrong button in trying to post this message and it was immediately deleted. Suffice to say, once again this event was one of the best weekends of the year for me, in any season. Mark, thank you so much.

On a side note, if anyone is heading to Boston (or North Conway, NH... hey, it could happen) on Friday with an arrival time of around 5pm, and has space to give me a lift, I would be eternally great full. Otherwise I will have to leave first thing Friday morning, as that is when my current ride is heading out. Let me know... Mitchell.Pauly@gmail.com

[dingbat]

Mitch,

I had a beautiful shot of you deep in a carve lined up but then I hit the wrong button.



Glad you came out.

[dingbat]

Here's my after the fact daily rub-in:

Arrive at the hill to find that the impending doom of 55-70mph gusts has caused the area to be closed for the day (by far the right call) so first chair turned out to be a pair of sleds.




Mike looks like maybe he's done this before. Just hope that sled doesn't lurch forward while he's holding the board like that.




After the sleds we turned to other means of getting up the hill. Paul K, of course, came fully equipped for the situation with split board, skins, and poles. Here he is demonstrating proper toeside technique for split boarding on gravely, icy, windswept, groom. Important to know if you ever plan to spend much time in the back country.

[dingbat]

The rest of the day getting up the hill looked more like this:



I like this photo 'cause you can really see how amazing the snow was. Lifts won't get you there. You've got to hike for conditions like this.


Jose decided to run a race clinic. He may or may not have been feeling a little light-headed from all the hiking.




Anna, Gene, and maybe Mitch? follow Joerg up for what promises to be the most concentrated Pure Boarding clinic ever.

[dingbat]

Mike manages a pretty decent looking heelside despite the wind. Those white specks in the photo that look like snowflakes are actually ice pellets from the previous day's inch and a half of rain being whipped through the atmosphere by a 50+ mile an hour wind gust.




The official Rally at the Thunder Dome green energy tour.
Jose validates his Man Card by driving his all wheel drive wagon through ice and mud, and around and over fallen trees on the logging roads that lead to our wind turbine and then drops us a mere couple of yards from fresh groom at the top of the hill.




Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, I had an awesome, awesome day that finished with the best run of my life. And even though fatigue, caused by hiking what I estimated to be 4500 feet of vertical, may have caused me to hallucinate the two pretty women on tele gear cheering for me at the end of that run.... in my mind it was real.

Great day everyone. Can't wait for next year!

[lafcadio]

Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, I had an awesome, awesome day that finished with the best run of my life. And even though fatigue, caused by hiking what I estimated to be 4500 feet of vertical, may have caused me to hallucinate the two pretty women on tele gear cheering for me at the end of that run.... in my mind it was real.

Um... no, that was real... unless we had the same hallucination.

[cail]

Nice! dingbat, put me down for '13 if the world doesn't blowup. I was going to get back into it this season, but with the lack of snow...

[scrapster]

Um... no, that was real... unless we had the same hallucination.

Pretty women on tele gear? That alone should be a red flag.

[ktv]

Other carving events may have things like, fancy lifts that run, groomed trails, and ski areas that are what you might call "open", but the Rally had some kick-ass people show up today.
I had a great time. If tomorrow is better, it'll be absolutely stellar.

Mark,

Sign me up for 2013. Attending ECES was great riding with even greater people!

I'm planning to make the 14 hour drive from Dayton OH to attend!

Joerg attending again next year would be a definite plus!

(Chaka) (Wrath of) (Kkkk) Khanh

[dingbat]

Oh hell yeah!
Ka-ka-ka-Khanh!

[thechonger]

Count me in for 2013! Hopefully I will be able to induce a couple of friends to come along.