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#1
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
Hi All,
Can anyone reccomend some resorts that have good snow and lots of runs for beginners that are still suitable in april. im based in europe, but will travel to the US/Canada if required. last snowboarded around 5 years ago, so not a total beginner but will be rusty. thanks! |
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#2
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
Can anyone reccomend some resorts that have good snow and lots of runs for
beginners that are still suitable in april. im based in europe, but will travel to the US/Canada if required. I would recommend against travelling across the pond for late-season riding because you never know what you'll get weather wise... unless, that is, can you book a last-minute trip. Most USA resorts close in April - some ones that have notably good conditions late season are Arapahoe Basin, Mammoth, Squaw Valley, Mt Bachelor, Mt Hood Meadows, Timberline, and Whistler. I am a Bachelor local and typically ride as many days in April and May as I do in the middle of winter. As far as beginner terrain Squaw and Timberline have tons of it which is open for late-season. Bachelor's closes about 3rd week in April. Mike T ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
#3
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 18:47:08 -0700, Mike T wrote:
Can anyone reccomend some resorts that have good snow and lots of runs for beginners that are still suitable in april. im based in europe, but will travel to the US/Canada if required. I would recommend against travelling across the pond for late-season riding because you never know what you'll get weather wise... unless, that is, can you book a last-minute trip. Most USA resorts close in April - some ones that have notably good conditions late season are Arapahoe Basin, Mammoth, Squaw Valley, Mt Bachelor, Mt Hood Meadows, Timberline, and Whistler. I am a Bachelor local and typically ride as many days in April and May as I do in the middle of winter. As far as beginner terrain Squaw and Timberline have tons of it which is open for late-season. Bachelor's closes about 3rd week in April. Hi there, thanks for the info. Been looking at Whistler, like the idea of the enormous greenrun from top of mountain and large area. Any major downsides with whistler? will look at timberline and squaw too :-) |
#4
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
On Mar 18, 11:36 pm, adie wrote:
On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 18:47:08 -0700, Mike T wrote: Can anyone reccomend some resorts that have good snow and lots of runs for beginners that are still suitable in april. im based in europe, but will travel to the US/Canada if required. I would recommend against travelling across the pond for late-season riding because you never know what you'll get weather wise... unless, that is, can you book a last-minute trip. Most USA resorts close in April - some ones that have notably good conditions late season are Arapahoe Basin, Mammoth, Squaw Valley, Mt Bachelor, Mt Hood Meadows, Timberline, and Whistler. I am a Bachelor local and typically ride as many days in April and May as I do in the middle of winter. As far as beginner terrain Squaw and Timberline have tons of it which is open for late-season. Bachelor's closes about 3rd week in April. Hi there, thanks for the info. Been looking at Whistler, like the idea of the enormous greenrun from top of mountain and large area. Any major downsides with whistler? will look at timberline and squaw too :-) I was at Whistler a week and a half ago. At the time, the snow was fairly good from about a third of the way up the mountain to the peak, but slushy and disgusting at the bottom. I even downloaded in the gondola once - it was that bad. Of course, you never have to ride that part. I spent more of the trip on my skis because they don't do a great job of grooming the groomers, so if you want to do some high-speed carving, it's hard to find a suitable run. However, on the fresh snow days I had a blast on my board. The other problem, though, is that when there's some weather, there's frequently a lot of fog. The visibility can get so bad that they have sign posts installed on the traverses and intermediate runs that are the easiest way down from the lift or that access the bowls and chutes. You stay between them until you can see enough to drop into something more interesting. For beginners, these might not be great runs because they're frequently crowded by fast skiers and riders on their way to something else. There are some good beginner lifts on the mountain as well, and some are high enough to be in what was good snow a week and a half ago. Emerald on the Whistler side and Jersey Cream on the Blackcomb side come to mind. Look at some weather reports when you're deciding if you want to go to Whistler. |
#5
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
On 19 Mar 2007 00:13:39 -0700, Andrew wrote:
On Mar 18, 11:36 pm, adie wrote: On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 18:47:08 -0700, Mike T wrote: Can anyone reccomend some resorts that have good snow and lots of runs for beginners that are still suitable in april. im based in europe, but will travel to the US/Canada if required. I would recommend against travelling across the pond for late-season riding because you never know what you'll get weather wise... unless, that is, can you book a last-minute trip. Most USA resorts close in April - some ones that have notably good conditions late season are Arapahoe Basin, Mammoth, Squaw Valley, Mt Bachelor, Mt Hood Meadows, Timberline, and Whistler. I am a Bachelor local and typically ride as many days in April and May as I do in the middle of winter. As far as beginner terrain Squaw and Timberline have tons of it which is open for late-season. Bachelor's closes about 3rd week in April. Hi there, thanks for the info. Been looking at Whistler, like the idea of the enormous greenrun from top of mountain and large area. Any major downsides with whistler? will look at timberline and squaw too :-) I was at Whistler a week and a half ago. At the time, the snow was fairly good from about a third of the way up the mountain to the peak, but slushy and disgusting at the bottom. I even downloaded in the gondola once - it was that bad. Of course, you never have to ride that part. I spent more of the trip on my skis because they don't do a great job of grooming the groomers, so if you want to do some high-speed carving, it's hard to find a suitable run. However, on the fresh snow days I had a blast on my board. The other problem, though, is that when there's some weather, there's frequently a lot of fog. The visibility can get so bad that they have sign posts installed on the traverses and intermediate runs that are the easiest way down from the lift or that access the bowls and chutes. You stay between them until you can see enough to drop into something more interesting. For beginners, these might not be great runs because they're frequently crowded by fast skiers and riders on their way to something else. There are some good beginner lifts on the mountain as well, and some are high enough to be in what was good snow a week and a half ago. Emerald on the Whistler side and Jersey Cream on the Blackcomb side come to mind. Look at some weather reports when you're deciding if you want to go to Whistler. So crappy weather and slush being the downside. Budget wise i can afford the best resort, so it just a matter of finding the right combination. Good snow, good beginners/intm runs, decent weather in april. want to have 14 days, so should also need to be big enough with some variation... And of course decent off-piste fun. |
#6
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
adie wrote:
So crappy weather and slush being the downside. Budget wise i can afford the best resort, so it just a matter of finding the right combination. Good snow, good beginners/intm runs, decent weather in april. want to have 14 days, so should also need to be big enough with some variation... And of course decent off-piste fun. Banff should be a rockin' spring season this year. Sunshine typically stays open until late May, and I'm sure even Louise will have good snow well into April. You're a lot less likely to get an early melt in Banff than Whistler. Banff is a fun resort town, lots of bars and restaurants although not as wild a party scene as Whistler. As a beginner snowboarder, if it's true spring conditions you'll want to limit your hours on the snow to between 10 or 11 and 2 or 3. Before 10, all of the previous day's slush will be frozen solid and very tough slugging. There will be a few groomers that should be OK earlier. After 2, it starts to get very soft and slushy. Time to hit the deck for a beer and enjoy the bikinis. OTOH in April in Banff you might run into some true winter weather. Take all your gear, you never know what you'll find. Also be sure to take and use plenty of high SPF sunblock. I once spent several weeks looking like some sort of regenerating corpse after skiing in April. My doctor's words: "well, you're lucky, looks like it won't scar". The combination of spring sun at altitude and the reflection from the snow is dangerous, and if the temperature feels a little cool it can be very deceptive. Neil |
#7
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
On Mar 18, 8:43 pm, adie wrote:
Hi All, Can anyone reccomend some resorts that have good snow and lots of runs for beginners that are still suitable in april. im based in europe, but will travel to the US/Canada if required. We normally go to Val d'Isere/Tignes at the end of April for the last week of the season (though it's the first week May this year I think). Weather is a real lottery, but there has always been lots of snow. Quite often there are big dumps at this time of year as well as lots of sun. Cheers. Iain. |
#8
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
Early April is usually great in Colorado. I'm planning a trip there
myself from east coast. I recommend Summit County area. From there, Breckenridge, Copper, and A-Basin are within 15 mins. Vail is a 45 min drive. Of those, A-Basin (Arapahoe Basin) is known for having the longest season, but it's not the best for a beginner. All the others have lots of green trails. If you don't stay slopeside and rent a car, you can keep the cost reasonable. I would definitely try to go early April, as the later the season, the more risk there is that you will find less desirable conditions. But it sure as hell beats going to places like Killington, VT. Every year that place is flooded with folks from England in March. Talked to a guy last year. He flew from UK to Newark, then from Newark to Boston, then drove couple hours to Kton. All I could think was why? You could get on another plane at Newark for Colorado and be there in 3 1/2 hours. And in Colorado, Mar is the high of the season, world class resorts, and excellent conditons very likely. For Kton, it's chancey, and often not very good, especially later in March. |
#9
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
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#10
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snowboarding in april -- beginners
On Mar 24, 10:45 pm, "Mike M. Miskulin" wrote:
wrote in news:1174688093.401592.19460 @e65g2000hsc.googlegroups.com: I would definitely try to go early April, as the later the season, the more risk there is that you will find less desirable conditions. But it sure as hell beats going to places like Killington, VT. Every year that place is flooded with folks from England in March. well.. not that I'm a KMart supporter or anything but... I've been to Colorado in early April a few times and have seen from decent cover to yards of dirt over every crest on runs that are in the sun. I've also ridden at Jay Peak in early May. The point here is not the exception, but what is typical for someone planning a trip in advance. And in April, it's far more likely that you're going to find better snow at A-Basin, Breck, Copper than anywhere in VT. Plus at Summit county, you have half a dozen resorts within a few mins drive to choose from, three of them are on the list of top spots in the world. Personally I would always take Tahoe or SLC over CO for late March/early April. The most important thing for late season is base depth and ability to keep it. Tahoe and the Cottonwood canyons almost always win that game. (JetBoo available out of JFK for both) And FYI: Breck: 4" 3/11 3" 3/15 7" total in the past 2 weeks, 212 season Sugarbush: 2" 3/15 14" 3/17 13" 3/18 11" 3/19, 225 season Jay Peak: 322 season and there's more to VT thank KMart thank you. Good to see you consider base depth and ability to keep it key. So, instead of season totals, and recent snow, lets look at those factors: Current reported base: Killington, VT 36-54 Copper Mtn, CO 67-76 Breckenridge, CO 63-73 A Basin, CO 63-65 No surprise there, as VT has had a terrible season up until about middle of last month. I was there in second half of Jan and the bottom 2/3's of Superstar at Kton was bare dirt. I was also there after the recent major storm and while it was excellent, I personally find the 36-54 number hard to believe. And where do you think that base is going to last the longest? At 4,000 ft elevation in VT or at 12,000 ft in CO? And BTW, since you brought up recent snow, ABasin got 9" overnight. I do agree that UT and Lake Tahoe may be good choices too, certainly far better odds of decent conditions than VT in April. IMO, anyone planning on coming to VT from Europe in April is making a major mistake. |
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