A Snow and ski forum. SkiBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » SkiBanter forum » Skiing Newsgroups » Alpine Skiing
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Trail difficulty revisited



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 10th 05, 05:07 PM
Jeff
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Trail difficulty revisited

A friend and I were discussing trail difficulty at our local ski area.
I claimed that a double-blue trail (pharoh) was actually the most
difficult. At first glance, there is nothing particularly challenging
about it. It has two steep sections - both drops are less than 100 feet
- and two ess turns. The problem with the Pharoh is that it's *always*
covered with boilerplate. On top of that, its blue designation means
it's always covered with inexperienced skiers. They plow up deep piles
of anything that sits on top of the boilerplate. Thus you ski over
boilerplate - snow pile - boilerplate - snow pile ... well you get the
point. I voted it most difficult because it's the trail on which I'm
most likely to fall.

He voted for another trail (the hump) because it's balls steep. While
he concedes that conditions make the pharoh consistently difficult, his
form is never comprimised by the trail. The hump forces him to really
*think* about his form. Admittedly, I usually have to work myself up to
drop-in on the hump, but its conditions are always better than the
pharoh and I can always grab an edge.

The group's consensus won't settle this, but I'd love to hear your
thoughts.

Jeff

Ads
  #2  
Old March 10th 05, 05:29 PM
bdubya
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 10 Mar 2005 09:07:25 -0800, "Jeff" wrote:

A friend and I were discussing trail difficulty at our local ski area.
I claimed that a double-blue trail (pharoh) was actually the most
difficult. At first glance, there is nothing particularly challenging
about it. It has two steep sections - both drops are less than 100 feet
- and two ess turns. The problem with the Pharoh is that it's *always*
covered with boilerplate. On top of that, its blue designation means
it's always covered with inexperienced skiers. They plow up deep piles
of anything that sits on top of the boilerplate. Thus you ski over
boilerplate - snow pile - boilerplate - snow pile ... well you get the
point. I voted it most difficult because it's the trail on which I'm
most likely to fall.

He voted for another trail (the hump) because it's balls steep. While
he concedes that conditions make the pharoh consistently difficult, his
form is never comprimised by the trail. The hump forces him to really
*think* about his form. Admittedly, I usually have to work myself up to
drop-in on the hump, but its conditions are always better than the
pharoh and I can always grab an edge.

The group's consensus won't settle this, but I'd love to hear your
thoughts.


I think the consistently better snow on The Hump is probably due to
the difficulty of Pharoh (sp?). If the people flailing around on the
beat-up blue run knew that it might actually be easier to ski the
"black" run, then they'd come beat the hell out of that one too,
thereby making the trails line up with their respective ratings..

As you describe it, though, I'm pretty sure I'd find the black run
easier to ski well.

bw
  #3  
Old March 10th 05, 09:15 PM
Jeff
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

bdubya wrote:
On 10 Mar 2005 09:07:25 -0800, "Jeff" wrote:

As you describe it, though, I'm pretty sure I'd find the black run
easier to ski well.

bw


I think that devil sun plays havoc on the Pharoah. The other trails
serviced by that lift - one double-black and one double-green - have
far better snow. The Pharoah sits on a ledge that was dynamited out of
the side of the mountain. It gets direct sunlight early and sits in
shade the rest of the day. The Hump is surrounded by trees. It doesn't
get a lot of sun....

The Pharoah is made more trecherous by the fact that I'm a sucker for
ess turns. I love to take them fast ... Sh!t this is the hill with all
the boilerplate! Gets me every time. The Hump, on the other hand, makes
me pucker at the top. I'm ready for it when I drop in.

I guess I don't necessarily view the Hump "easier." I just think I'm
more likely to get killed on the Pharoah....

Jeff

  #4  
Old March 10th 05, 09:30 PM
Armin
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Jeff wrote:
snip
The group's consensus won't settle this, but I'd love to hear your
thoughts.

Jeff


My thoughts are that trail difficulty is a subjective rating. For
example, someone who is not used to skiing boilerplate but is a capable
powder skier may find a steep & deep powder run quite easy while the
same person may find a less-steep boilerplate run quite demanding.

OTOH, a skier who has skied all their live on an eastern blue ice
boilerplate mountain may find the same boilerplate run quite easy but
be hopelessly out of their element in steep & deep powder.

Even if two skiers are comfortable in almost any conditions they will
still have individual strength and weaknesses. Example: I grew up ski
racing, which involved spending a fair bit of time skiing on icy race
courses. I ski with friends who are every bit as capable in powder as I
am but when conditions turn hard and icy it seems to effect me less
then them.

Different strokes for different folks.

That is why rating systems provide only general guidelines. Runs and
conditions are as unique and subjective as the individuals who ski
them.

Armin

  #5  
Old March 10th 05, 09:43 PM
Jeff
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Armin wrote:
Jeff wrote:
snip
The group's consensus won't settle this, but I'd love to hear your
thoughts.

Jeff


My thoughts are that trail difficulty is a subjective rating. For
example, someone who is not used to skiing boilerplate but is a

capable
powder skier may find a steep & deep powder run quite easy while the
same person may find a less-steep boilerplate run quite demanding.
Armin


In January we had the best of both worlds. The mountain recieved
sixteen inches of fresh powder, a good portion of which fell while we
were there. The Pharoah would have none of it. Sure there was powder on
the trail. There was so much fresh stuff it had to lie somewhere. But
the wind was screaming across the mountain the Pharoah's freshies
amassed in large drifts: boilerplate - snow bank, boilerplate, snow
bank, clatta-clat-clat, swoosh! clatta-clat-clat, swoosh! We moved over
to a notoriously bumpy, steep trail....

Jeff

  #6  
Old March 10th 05, 09:51 PM
Armin
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Jeff wrote:
We moved over
to a notoriously bumpy, steep trail....

Jeff


That's the best kind! Beats the hell out of low-angle, groomed and
boring.
Of course, steep & deep powder wins hands-down every time.

Still, it's all *subjective*. IOW, YYMV. ;-)

Armin

  #7  
Old March 10th 05, 09:54 PM
Walt
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Jeff wrote:
bdubya wrote:

On 10 Mar 2005 09:07:25 -0800, "Jeff" wrote:

As you describe it, though, I'm pretty sure I'd find the black run
easier to ski well.


I think that devil sun plays havoc on the Pharoah. The other trails
serviced by that lift - one double-black and one double-green - have
far better snow. The Pharoah sits on a ledge that was dynamited out of
the side of the mountain. It gets direct sunlight early and sits in
shade the rest of the day. The Hump is surrounded by trees. It doesn't
get a lot of sun....

The Pharoah is made more trecherous by the fact that I'm a sucker for
ess turns. I love to take them fast ... Sh!t this is the hill with all
the boilerplate! Gets me every time. The Hump, on the other hand, makes
me pucker at the top. I'm ready for it when I drop in.

I guess I don't necessarily view the Hump "easier." I just think I'm
more likely to get killed on the Pharoah....


My $.02:

I've skied Camelback exactly once, and it was during my larval phase
several years ago, so my recollections are a bit hazy. The HSQ that
serviced The Pharoah was down that day, and I wasn't in the mood to
hike, so I didn't ski it. I recall looking over the Hump and it didn't
look all that bad, but I opted to ski easier stuff. I remember that Big
Pocono or maybe The Dromedary was totally covered with death cookies -
it was the first time I had encountered the phenemonon, but I had read
about it here in RSA.

Mostly I remember the crowds, no doubt exacerbated by the broken lift.

Anyway, you thesis is more or less right that black runs can be easier
to ski than the blue ones, especially at crowded resorts. Heck, the
last time I skied at Blue Mt. Penn. I spent most of the day on the
Challenge and the Razor's edge (rated double black, undeservedly so)
because it was just too damn hard avoiding the gomers on the other runs.
I'll take an empty steep hill over a crowded, scraped-off cruiser any day.


BTW, for those puzzling over Camelback's esoteric trail rating system, a
double blue is a bit harder than a regular blue. A double green is a
bit harder than a single green. I've seen other places where double
green means easier than a single green - that's the great thing about
standards - we get to have so many of them.

--
//-Walt
//
// There is no Völkl Conspiracy
  #8  
Old March 10th 05, 09:57 PM
Walt
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Armin wrote:


Of course, steep & deep powder wins hands-down every time.


Well, of course it wins if you let your hands drop.

Keep your hands up where you can keep an eye on them and they won't get
you in trouble.

--
//-Walt
//
// There is no Völkl Conspiracy
  #9  
Old March 10th 05, 10:43 PM
Armin
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Walt wrote:
Armin wrote:


Of course, steep & deep powder wins hands-down every time.


Well, of course it wins if you let your hands drop.

Keep your hands up where you can keep an eye on them and they won't

get
you in trouble.


Hey, I've tried taking out my eye and keeping it on my hands but it
kept falling off every time I hit a bump. And it's a beeetch to find
the damn thing in all that powder... especially when you can't see
cause you just lost it!

What do you think, that I'n a juggler or something?

Armin

  #10  
Old March 10th 05, 10:56 PM
Jeff
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


Walt wrote:
Armin wrote:


Of course, steep & deep powder wins hands-down every time.


Well, of course it wins if you let your hands drop.

Keep your hands up where you can keep an eye on them and they won't

get
you in trouble.


I know you were being funny but no truer words have ever been spoken.
If your hands are doing the right thing, everything else is easy! -
except when the pharoah decides to masquerade as a hockey rink ... did
I mention that I liked taking ess turns at a high rate of speed?

Jeff

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Trail Difficulty Ratings Jeff Alpine Skiing 237 March 11th 05 02:40 AM
Near fatal ski incident Me Nordic Skiing 22 February 27th 04 02:47 PM
Updated Stowe trail maps Lew Lasher Nordic Skiing 0 February 16th 04 04:10 PM
Has anyone ever skied the WB trail in Underhill, Vermont? Lew Lasher Nordic Skiing 8 September 22nd 03 01:38 AM
Has anyone ever skied the WB trail in Underhill, Vermont? Lew Lasher Backcountry Skiing 8 September 22nd 03 01:38 AM


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:07 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 SkiBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.