JustPanda said:

---

Looks like this will probs be our last season in the high country The COL has become WAY too much. My guess is that we will be moving to Tulum in September. Kinda bummed but also excited about the next chapter of life. Trying to figure out a way to keep our place here for some ski trips in the winter/spring but who knows.

---

Huh?

Hoyt Ag said:

---

I was looking to move this year but the company has asked I stay until the coal fire units are decommissioned in 2028. At that point I will get severance out.

I dont blame you for leaving, CO is getting to be so damn expensive. I cannot wait to leave but I have job security and need to get it while its good lol.

Best of luck to ya.

---

I can't believe they are shutting those coal fire plants down.

I'm not gonna take this great thread into the F16 forum, but my guess is they won't, we shall see.

The decision has been made. There really isnt a way to reverse it, unfortunately.

Cost of Living

Hoyt Ag said:

---

The decision has been made. There really isnt a way to reverse it, unfortunately.

---

They have already shut down some big coal
Fired power plants in NW, New Mexico

Shouldn't you be hooked onto some big fish in Chile right now? We are slaying the browns right now on the White River.

Hoyt Ag said:

---

Shouldn't you be hooked onto some big fish in Chile right now? We are slaying the browns right now on the White River.

---

Glad you are getting them right now! Just boarded the plan in ABQ heading to Houston then Santiago tonight!

Just booked our Chile ski trip for July. Might be a little early but that is when we could go. Portillo.

docb said:

---

Just booked our Chile ski trip for July. Might be a little early but that is when we could go. Portillo.

---

Jealous. Been in my bucket list for a loooong time

LOVE me some Black Crows

Do you know which ski they used? Probs the Camox if I had to guess. One of my favorite skis in production. Now they're spoiled for life so get ready to always get demos

Hella stoked for you guys/gals. Sounds like an awesome trip.

Anyone have any experience setting up a fideicomiso? If so, PLEASE let me know.

Damn bro, you really are all in on a move to Mexico if you're this far down the rabbit hole. Sad day for the ski season thread.

docb said:

---

Just booked our Chile ski trip for July. Might be a little early but that is when we could go. Portillo.

---

I've wanted to make this trip for 30 years! Look forward to a "summer" update on this thread!

Colorado Ski Update 2/22
Same as always (Last 24 hours, Last 5 Next 5, Next 10, Base, % Open, % of 30 Year Average for 2/22

Vail: 2, 5, 12, 14, 62, 100, 107
BC: 2, 3, 14, 17, 59, 99, 107
Keystone: 0, 2, 9, 10, 48, 99, 91
Breck: 1, 5, 9, 10, 53, 100, 95
Telly: 0, 3, 19, 22, 49, 100, 87
Purg: 0, 0, 25, 28, 48, 100, 87
WC: 0, 0, 33, 37, 70, 100, 81
WP: 3, 6, 8, 10, 70, 99, 108
SS: 10, 17, 12, 17, 109, 100, 108 (includes chance of rain)
Snowmass; 2, 5, 19, 22, 58, 95, 87

Most of the 5-10 day forecast comes from next Monday/Tuesday. Solid storm w some really strong predicted winds. Depending on when the temperatures drop, it's likely to be VERY wet and heavy snow. More like mid to late March style of snowfall than mid/late Feb. Overall, it should be really nice through Wednesday, then warming up significantly w dry weather expected for the next week. From the looks of the forecast and from experience, I'd start to expect early spring skiing conditions in the next 10 days (highs in the 40s w nightly lows in the mid to high 20s) with spring temps to likely follow over the next 10-14 days (mid to high 40s w lows a couple of degrees below freezing).

If you're driving into the HC Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, I'd keep an eye on the road conditions. Looks ATM like it'll start to preach Monday at sunset and continue through early hours of Wednesday. That's no guarantee, but probs within 12 hours of the actual time it hits. Be safe and crush it!

Edit to add: it's been a HOT minute since I've seen BC w a +10 inch base over Keystone and a +6 inch base over Breck this late in Feb. BC is usually #4 in base depth at this time of year for the Big 4 VR I-70 mountains. Not sure I've seen it with a +10 on Telly at this point in the last 10 years or so either. Weird but I'll take it.

JustPanda said:

---

Should be a great slide if you're a POW skier. Some people hate skiing powder but yeah 24+ inches Monday/Tuesday. Tuesday may be a fight w the conditions but Wednesday should be spectacular.

---

Some people hate skiing powder?!
What the hell is this blasphemy?!

Sounds like I may need to learn how to ski powder...
Getting to Telluride on Sat and skiing Sun/Mon, snowmobiling Tues (in what may be a blizzard), then skiing again Wed/Thurs.

Me

But it's because I'm not comfortable on it and have really never learned the right way.

I absolutely love ripping cords at speed. Don't @ me

I posted back who knows how many pages ago tips on how to ski powder. Main point is you move your weight back (you don't lean into the mountain, you sit back like you're in a rocking chair) and you don't turn on your edges because there's nothing for the edge to grip.

If it makes anyone feel better, my wife is an ex professional and HATES skiing powder. So, it's not always ability level because she's WAY better than me. She just prefers speed over float. Still love her

Awesome, I'll go look for it!

That's just like...your opinion man

Well sure, I could see an ex ski racer preferring ripping fast, but your average rec ski skier hating powder seems crazy to me.

Ripping corduroy is pretty fun though. Definitely agree with that. Maybe it's all fun… except for ice.

It's hard to ski powder w a 17 degree forward lean. I think she says she hates powder because it's the only way she gets a free day w no kids. Her MO on powder days is getting up on the hill and then taking the straightest line to the bar and staying there until we're done. I'm 100% ok with it.

Edit to add: I know TONS of people that don't like skiing powder. It's usually not because they can't, it usually more so because they haven't been taught the correct techniques. When you don't know how to ski powder or don't have the right gear, it honestly SUCKS. Now with all of that said, once you learn to ski it, it's like getting crushed on by your celebrity hall pass.

I think I honestly confuse true powder with groomers that become bumpy during a storm. I watch these videos of people doing cat skiing and making these gorgeous lines skiing through high altitude powder and think "that looks easy" then we I try it on weird bumped out runs on the mountain I'm out of control and almost kill myself like I did at Whitefish last year.

Fresh powder is ALOT easier to trace than running lines over other cuts. One thing that most people don't realize on a powder day is that the "moguls" that form are super soft. You'll see a lot of beginners and intermediate skiers turning around them, when in reality, the correct line is going right through them. Literally right through them. They part hella easily when you drop straight through them. You might catch a little float if you're on twin tips, but yeah IMO people turn WAY to much on powder days. Powder days are tough enough without adding extra resistance. The powder will naturally regulate your speed.

Edit to add: those cat and heli skiers are dropping in on some hella wide front door sized skis. Without those sticks, they'd be up **** creek. When we cat/heli, I'm probs on 110s minimum and more likely 120s. Typical rental ski is 82-93. You'd be amazed at what those extra 15-20mm can do for the ride. Gotta cook w the right sauce.

Little update to yesterdays forecast:

Looks like a new roller is starting to form 10-14 days out for the SE and S CO high country. Telly, Purg, WC are now projecting HEAVY snow Mon/Tues and then again Sun/Mon of the following week.

10 day expected totals for that part of the state are now:

Telly: 18 over 5, 27 over 10 w snow likely on day 11 & 12
Purg: 23 through 5, 34 through 10 with snow likely on day 11 & 12
WC: 33 over 5, 48 over next 10 w snow likely 11 & 12 out.

Again, hope you brought your powder skis and powder pants if you're going to SE/S Colorado the beg of this week or last next weekend.

Another plug to go check back on the tips provided to ski powder earlier in the thread. If you're skiing Purg or WC and aren't familiar w pow techniques, it's probs not gonna be a ton of fun at those depths because that's DEEP for even us locals.

Edit to add: Mostly quiet on the 70 corridor after this Tuesday. Steamboat is now showing a rain/snow mix this Mon/Tues. and UT is getting SLAMMED Tues/Sun of next week - 3-4ft expected between those 2/3 days.

As always, be safe and enjoy! If you're renting equipment I'd ask what they have in powder sets and pull something that's at least a 100 waist. I'd also avoid the heavier double metal set skis like Nordic's Enforcer 100s+.

No idea why they double sheet their powder skis and single sheet their all mountains. To me that's totally backwards. Makes the POW ski super heavy and really bulky when you want something that floats and flexes. If they would double plate vs single plate the 88s and 94s I'd be a better ski too (kinda like Volkl Mantra or Kendo) because the weight would be more manageable. The extra waist and extra plate on the 100s+ make them unskiable for me. Just my two cents because they will position them as powder skis but in reality, the ski is SUPER heavy and bulky. I much prefer the Bent Chetler 100-120s or Faction Mana 2-3 or Prodigy 3s or Black Crows Atris etc if I'm looking to stay light, stay on the float, and also not have a lot of excess weight under foot.

You put the Nordica Enforcer 100s or 110s on rental bindings and that's another added layer of weight that you're carrying around on top of a hella heavy ski already that really adds up fast and can crush your legs.

Edited to add some other suggestions: Rossi Sender 104 or 106 or Atomic Backland 100 or 107 (little more weight under foot than the Bent Chetlers w a little stiffer reinforced toe/heel). On the women's side, they make the Backland in a 98W and a 107W. I LOVE the 98W as an all mountain ski w the ability to carve and float. It's wide enough to keep up in deeper powder but light enough and a solid edge complex for carving. I REALLY love the 107W as a dedicated women's POW ski. It's probs my top pick on the ladies side if you're incorporating a single POW ski into you or your ladies ski quiver.

Hope everyone has a great Friday and a great payday

Who in Purgatory/Durango would rent demo skis like this out? Would ski barn or the rental shop on the mountain?

Usually your best bet on speciality requests like that would be to call the rental shop directly. I say that because if they DONT have them, they probs know what shop in town does. We get these questions all the time and know the inventory at others shops about as well as our own.

We're staying at Cascade Village and they have a ski shop there, probably not the best in town but they have demos and it's close to Purg for pickup and drop off.

I was bringing my own 82's I just bought expecting groomers but I might have to rent something wider for a day of it will be that deep. Granted my skis are supposed to be relatively versatile for their shape but I've never skied in anything like what Tuesday will be. I've been watching power ski tip and instruction videos the last few evenings so I have a better idea of what to do but it's going to try some experimenting. From what I gather, shallow turns, more speed, and "bouncing" on the turns a bit helps. Feet closer together. It's just weird that you're skiing "through" the surface snow on terrain you can't see that forms as you compress it. You just "go". Fortunately I am a fitness junkie and I won't tire out or get fatigued easily.

My concern is more on Wednesday when the snowfall gets a bit icier on the surface and crusts over on the surface but is soft deep underneath. If they don't groom it down, it'll be "interesting" I think. Totally outside my experience.

I'd call Ski Barn. Cliffside, Pine Needle, etc. Cliffside and Pine Needle might have a little better idea as they are a little more boutique. Back Country Experience is a greta shop, most mostly AT setups. You may give them a buzz and see if they have anything in a downhill vs. AT unless you have AT boots in which case you're gravy.

On a deep powder day, you don't really need to focus too much on the base conditions under the powder. If you're on a good POW setup, you shouldn't sink more than 5-6 inches into the coverage. You keep your speed and lean slightly back in powder because that's what helps lift your ski tips out of the fresh snow and keeps you floating vs. sinking. You keep your skis closer together because you want to maximize the surface area from the toes to the waist (you want your skis to kinda mimic a snowboard). You turn by pushing through the snow and not trying to grip the outside edge (think water skiing). When you push into the turn, the extension of your lower body will help guide you through the turn.

It shouldn't ice over because the highs aren't supposed to reach above freezing and then drop back down into the low 20s or teens. What your'e describing is more of a spring skiing phenomenon where you get a wet and heavy top coat that bakes in the sun and then that melted layer refreezes when the sun goes down or this wind blows across it. Since the temps should stay in the 20s to single digits during the storm cycle, I don't think you need to really worry to much about that happening. Where you're likely to see more variable conditions are Thursday - Sunday. That's because the storm is supposed to clear by Wednesday morning. That means Tuesday/Wednesday will be fluff head POW. Once it warms up on Wednesday, anything that isn't touched but gets sun will crust up resulting in a hard top layer that then breaks under the toes and waist. When those conditions hit, the best thing to do is wait for about an hour or two of sun to hit that top frozen layer and soften it up. Once soft, it'll ski like wet/heavy powder. That's when you want a ski with a wider waist but a little more gusto on the weight to cut through the crude but also carry you into a float once you have enough speed.

It should be a nice float for Wednesday and maybe even some Thursday tree stashes that go untouched.

Since ill be out that way this week, I'll tell you what I plan on quivering

Monday - Black Crows Atris 184 (105 waist) rocker camber rocker w partial twin tips
Tuesday - Atomic Bent Chetler 188 (120 waist) rocker camber rocker w partial twin tips
Wednesday - Either the BC Atris or Bent Chetlers or Faction Mana 3.0s 184 (112 waist) depending on how much falls and how hard things track out
Thursday - Faction Mana 3.0s 184 (112 waist and 200g of extra weight per ski compared to the Atris) for if I need to float but also cut through old chop and refreeze or Black Crows Camox 181 (97 waist) rocker camber rocker, full twin tips if I want to switch between the trees and some light groomers but also want to explore some of the remaining POW stashes.

The last time I was in Steamboat, I rented a pair of Kastle MX88s and those were the best skis that I have ever skied with. They handled everything I threw at them with ease and I always felt like I was in control. Even during a powder day in the glades they impressed me. I wish I can remember the length they gave me but can't for the life of me. I'm 6ft and 160lbs.

I'll give Cliffside a call first since they are close to the hill to see what they have.