*** Official Snow Surfing Thread ***

[Kento]

Good analysis and nice to see the math pretty much bears out. Change that to 5 nights and boom.

One funny quirk is that ski area food is actually on par with or a little cheaper than standard burger/deli joint food in SR.

Hawaii is almost a bargain by comparison. Airfare was <250 and I get state rate for Enterprise for ~$40/day - need to book that soon actually... And I will be doing my annual clothes shopping on that Wednesday when Aloha Stadium swap meet is open hell yeah. I need to win the erBB fantasy football one of these days because all my shirts are pretty running race swag and swap meet clothes.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

Last two times we went to mammoth with all 4 of us I figured we could have gone to CR for less, and I could have surfed,

Problem is, wife daughter and son love snowboarding/skiing. Brian head was a cool trip but now getting ready for college so a trip to get a snow cone will probably be too expensive.

 

[Kento]

Funny, never been to Brian Head and only heard good things.

One way we've subsidized it a little is leave mid-morning Saturday, get there around 1ish and snag up-front parking from people leaving early. So get a half day in, stay overnight, and then ride all day Sunday, go home from there. Use the money saved on two nights in a shithole (never ever Emerald Bay Lodge) and upgrade a little for the one night.

Another good option is to fly into Salt Lake and stay there as cheaper than Park City and such, just rent a car and drive to Big/Little Cottonwood or Canyons. Similar to Tahoe, need to get on that though, be at base of canyon by 6:30/7 NFA. Need the wife and kids to progress more to make trips like that worth it.

 

[Chocki]

Me and my bro were just talking about the onset of winter and how ”powder days” are really starting to become a giant pita bc of the insta crowds that now invariably accompany them. Motherfuckers be lining up two hours before the chairs start spinning

 

[unclebraddah]

Dave McCoy would NOT approve.

Daves not here

 

[unclebraddah]

Your statement is pretty close.

Just for fun I just priced out the second weekend in Jan (2 nights) at Mammoth (drive) and the second week in Jan (6 nights) in Honolulu (LAX-HNL). Mammoth includes 2 days lifts and ski rentals for wifey and me, Honolulu includes 6 days car rental. Costs include transpo and lodging but excludes food and drink.

Honolulu: $2177 (stay @ Hilton Vacay Club on the Ala Wai harbor, walk to Ala Moana)
Mammoth: $1856 (stay @ Juniper Springs, walk to Chair 15)

The ski/snowboard industry is sacrificing long-term sustainability for short-term money. Ski areas are now owned by glorified real estate conglomerates (Alterra and Vail) and are not interested in catering to anybody but lawyers and investment bankers who don't flinch on spending $10-20K taking their family skiing for a week (and looking at some investment condos while they are at it). They are all chasing after the same rich customers and screwing the little guy who just wants to get some turns in.

IMO this is an unsustainable model and sooner or later the bottom is gonna fall out of the resort real estate market or stonks are gonna have a really bad bear market and Vail and Alterra are gonna be hurting because the rich won't go any more and the little guy without a pass can't afford it.

Theres always gonna be people who can afford it

 

[jory]

I’ve heard of quite a few Americans coming to ski Europe as it works out cheaper for them than heading to the big US resorts.

We used to come over to ski Tahoe / Colorado in the early 2000’s. Used to be similar price to heading to France. Those days are long gone. That said, lift ticket prices are climbing rapidly in the big alps resorts now. 6 days in Val d’isere is around $500 now, it was half that 5 years ago.

An aside but my daughter flew up to Edinburgh for Taylor Swift this summer. She met some girls who had found it cheaper to fly in from Toronto for 3 days and the concert than see Taylor Swift in the city they’llve!

 

[ShiverMeTimbers]

I think all you California guys are better off flying to Utah. When we were still in SoCal, we started taking trips to Utah and it was much more enjoyable than the circus of Mammoth or Tahoe..

I hope Alterra and Vail go down in flames, they fuk up everything they touch.

Ready for La Niña at our mom & pop resort here in the Cascades!

 

[crustBrother]

I hope Alterra and Vail go down in flames

 

[StuAzole]

I’ve heard of quite a few Americans coming to ski Europe as it works out cheaper for them than heading to the big US resorts.

We used to come over to ski Tahoe / Colorado in the early 2000’s. Used to be similar price to heading to France. Those days are long gone. That said, lift ticket prices are climbing rapidly in the big alps resorts now. 6 days in Val d’isere is around $500 now, it was half that 5 years ago.

An aside but my daughter flew up to Edinburgh for Taylor Swift this summer. She met some girls who had found it cheaper to fly in from Toronto for 3 days and the concert than see Taylor Swift in the city they’llve!

Skiing in Europe is great until you get into the lift lines. It’s fuckin chaos.

 

[unclebraddah]

Skiing in Europe is great until you get into the lift lines. It’s fuckin chaos.

Lines??/ We doan need no stinking lines!! "Hey youre walking on my skiis!" "Hey you just clipped my board!" Push push push! Im better and more european than you!! I got a friend. Old School Mammoth Big Boy. Has a run named after him.. Hangs out with the man in charge. He does that. He just walks over everybody to the front. Say sh!t to him and he will have your pass pulled.

 

[Kento]

Lines??/ We doan need no stinking lines!! "Hey youre walking on my skiis!" "Hey you just clipped my board!" Push push push! Im better and more european than you!! I got a friend. Old School Mammoth Big Boy. Has a run named after him.. Hangs out with the man in charge. He does that. He just walks over everybody to the front. Say sh!t to him and he will have your pass pulled.

I used to ride the middle school bus. Skills were gained at both self-advancement and prevention of others through the line.

Was ruthless as a kid at stealthily slithering my way from back of line to front of line before it even opened in the quest for first or at least 8th tracks. All about the dip of the shoulders, that and identifying a duo in a triple chair line and tripling up, short-circuiting the single line. Necessary tactics on 23 at Mammoth.

If there are no rules with this and even forearm shivers are fair game, I will win. Although I am far more tactful these days, I almost want to go there just for the lift lines to exert dominance over those filthy Euros.

 

[unclebraddah]

I used to ride the middle school bus. Skills were gained at both self-advancement and prevention of others through the line.

Was ruthless as a kid at stealthily slithering my way from back of line to front of line before it even opened in the quest for first or at least 8th tracks. All about the dip of the shoulders, that and identifying a duo in a triple chair line and tripling up, short-circuiting the single line. Necessary tactics on 23 at Mammoth.

If there are no rules with this and even forearm shivers are fair game, I will win. Although I am far more tactful these days, I almost want to go there just for the lift lines to exert dominance over those filthy Euros.

As a misguided youth I once waited in line with a bunch of Bosnians for citizenship in Austria (Which I never followed through with despite being promised a castle which can be seen on ORF 1 this winter). Those tricksters dont know a line. Its push push push till you get to the window. I remember some Grandma Gypsy giving me the sad eyes and like a gentle man I let her in front and she cackled.

 

[Matilija]

Cost depends on your approach. Pay up front for Ikon, not cheap but worth it if you use it enough. When I go to mammoth I camp in my camper for free, park at chair 2, make lunch and have beers. My Trips usually don’t cost me anything but gas and a few beers at the liberty bar with my friends up there and the occasional pizza. Typically less than $40 out of pocket, not including gas. Very affordable if you have those options available to you.

 

[hammies]

Skiing in Europe is great until you get into the lift lines. It’s fuckin chaos.

First trip to the Alps I was all about trying to be the polite American. Austrian lift lines soon cured me of that fantasy. Darwinism at its worst.

 

[unclebraddah]

Cost depends on your approach. Pay up front for Ikon, not cheap but worth it if you use it enough. When I go to mammoth I camp in my camper for free, park at chair 2, make lunch and have beers. My Trips usually don’t cost me anything but gas and a few beers at the liberty bar with my friends up there and the occasional pizza. Typically less than $40 out of pocket, not including gas. Very affordable if you have those options available to you.

Currently Mammoth is proposing legislation banning winter camping from Crestveiw to Hwy 6 (airport). Trying to rid themselves of the freeloaders. Plus paid Preferred Pkng at 2. They are sick of the tailgating.

 

[Matilija]

I’ve never camped at chair 2, nor anywhere above the airport. Always camp in designated sites in BLM or Forest service land, that is not freeloading.

 

[unclebraddah]

I’ve never camped at chair 2, nor anywhere above the airport. Always camp in designated sites in BLM or Forest service land, that is not freeloading.

I never said you camped at Chair 2. Its illegal. I said between Crest view and Hwy 6. Specifically ay the bottom of the 203. Dont shoot the messenger. They are expanding Black pass parking and privileges so there is that.

 

[crustBrother]

not freeloading.

dirtbagging?

 

[jory]

First trip to the Alps I was all about trying to be the polite American. Austrian lift lines soon cured me of that fantasy. Darwinism at its worst.

There’s definitely a knack to progressing through the queue!

Must be said thay outside the main school holidays, the alps resorts are so big you will only queue on the main lift out of the lodge