EXTROVERT!!!
February 15, 2006
Blue Knob is making snow on upper and lower extrovert
Hopefully I'll be able to try it for the first time within a couple weeks!
My son was at BK on Sat and Sun 2/11&12, nice timing by the rascal. Reported some tree skiing was open, gave one a big hug while checking it out. He also reported snowmaking on Extrovert, but it was not open yet as of last weekend.
Interesting story about the tree hugging, apparently my 15 yr old son hit one straight on at some speed, but youth group he was with had a policy that all kids must wear helmets on trip, so he had on a rental helmet and it came in extremely handy protecting upper forehead as it clunked into tree. Got bruised hip from the incident though. Suspect he'll be getting a helmet next Christmas from Santa?? He's upped his aggression factor on the slopes significantly in the last couple years.
Jim,
I might suggest that unless he is not planning on skiing any more this season, that you get him a helmet now! You would really feel awful if he sustained a head injury sometime this season, especially after the "warning" at BK.
My 2 cents worth,
The Colonel
Good pt Col. He's got an old one in the garage from his snowboarding days. Still fits, but doesn't look cool enough.
May make him wear it before/until a jazzier one is acquired, esp if he's going to keep up the tree skiing and higher speeds on groomers. I'll probably get a helmet too at next opp, since I'll probably be trying to keep up with him for the next few years until he totally leaves me in the dust.
My twelve year old's race season is over, not from skiing, but a skateboard park injury. Did a face-plant into concrete from four feet up (on a BMX bike). Helmet took a heck of a shot, but so did his knee, with no pads. Shattered his kneecap, and he's out for 6+ weeks.
Go for the armor whenever possible.
Jim K, needless to say, I'm very glad to hear that your son is OK (other than a bruised hip) after his tree experience at Blue Knob. But, I can't imagine how there was any tree skiing at BK last weekend. As of last Friday there was only 5 inches of snow on the ground at BK which came as a result of some lake-effect snow-squalls over the previous week. Then, came the big coastal storm which dropped only 3 or 4 inches of snow on BK (BK was too far West to recieve much snow from that storm). So, the total snow depth in the tree skiing areas couldn't have been more that 9 inches (as of late today it's only 6 inches due to the sun and mild temps). A 9 inch base in the glades at BK doesn't even begin to approach the depth needed for skiing those areas. In fact, TWICE that depth (18 inches) doesn't do much to cover the stumps and many of the rocks; I know, the bottoms and edges of my skis have usually taken some major hits when I've tried to ski the glades at BK. By the way, have you checked the bottom(s) and edges of your son's skis or snowboard?
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I know, the bottoms and edges of my skis have often taken some major hits when I've tried to ski the glades at BK. By the way, have you checked the bottom(s) and edges of your son's skis or snowboard?
I've done more damage to my skis at Alta than I have at Blue Knob. And I will never, ever give up on skiing Alta.
JimK,
Remember that genetics is destiny.
There's a reason I don't have any kids yet.
JohnL, First of all, I've enjoyed Alta for over 30 years and I can't remember doing any significant damage to my skis while skiing there. Second, making a comparison between Alta and BK seems rather bizarre to me. In terms of risk (that is, risk to your skis) versus reward, it's probably worth risking some ski damage in order to experience the powder and terrain at Alta. On the other hand, is the tree skiing experience at BK so awesome as to be worth the risk of sustaining some major damage to you equipment? And, you've done MORE damage to your skis while skiing Alta rather than BK? I find that laughable; you haven't done much tree skiing at BK that's for sure. I've seen more torn-up gear (as a result of the glades at BK) than I've seen at all other ski areas combined.
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I've enjoyed Alta for over 30 years and I can't remember doing any significant damage to my skis while skiing there.
Then you really haven't been skiing Alta. There are some pretty hairball entrances and traverses with very limited cover. Some of the top sections of Alta can lose cover quickly due to the winds and sun exposure.
And not to mention, I just can't resist jerking your chain ...
I've skied Alta enough to know about every inch of the place. Plus, I know how to avoid the rocks in the exposed and wind-blown areas and still enjoy the most difficult terrain, most of the time that is.
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I've skied Alta enough to know about every inch of the place. Plus, I know how to avoid the rocks in the exposed and wind-blown areas and still enjoy the most difficult terrain, most of the time that is.
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By the way, have you checked the bottom(s) and edges of your son's skis or snowboard?
Good pt MM. Can you say core shot? 
He's got one new gouge, fairly deep and about 1/2 inch long which I'll have to take a ptex candle to: http://www.offpistemag.com/themag/gear/vol3/baserepair.html
PS: he was probably skiing trees near a maintained trail with some machine made snow dusting them? I didn't get that many details from him. He did say Stembogen was open and that he had a lot of fun runs on it over the weekend.
I know how to find rocks with my skis. They apparently have a built-in locational device and hone right in on them. I've hit rocks at Lake Louise (during their best snow year in 30 years), Whistler, Solitude (with a 12 foot base), Big Mountain, Blue Knob (naturally- that was the beginning of the demise of my 7Ss)... it's practically an all-star list of places where I've chunked and gouged my skis. Since the Volkls are new, I'm trying to be careful this year, but we'll see what happens in Park City in two weeks.
So, the big question: do they put the rock detectors in the skis on purpose? My cross-country skis have built-in mudfinders. Maybe it's something about being a guy...
I know what you mean, my skis seem attract rocks at a number of ski areas. Fortunately, I haven't had too much trouble with rocks at 7-Springs, Massanutten, Bryce or The Shoe.
I used to have daily (maybe hourly) rock damage when I skied Sugarbush and MRG regularly in the 80s and 90s. After coming down here and skiing Wintergreen and Snowshoe on a regular basis, I rarely ever get rock damage except in the spring (or January 2006) when cover is marginal.
Last April, we were skiing super thin cover at Snowshoe on upper Shays and lower Cupp. I was literally jumping dirt patches and rocks to stay on the snow (and it was the most exciting and fun skiing of the season for me). Amazingly, I had almost no base damage. Yet 3 weeks ago at Wintergreen, I was nailing tons of hidden rocks and had to do a lot of p-tex repair. I guess the visible stuff is safer, it's the hidden stuff that's a killer. Which reminds me, I need to order more p-tex!
Ok so I have a case of PTEX in the closet... when does extrovert open?
Its open now!!!
Going this weekend if it survives this mini thaw.
Extrovert will probably not be open this weekend. The coverage should be OK, but the slope will likely be a giant sheet of ice once the bitter cold front moves in on Friday evening. Whenever Extrovert is completely frozen over it's usually closed, and for good reason, as it's just too dangerous for many skiers and boarders. So, if you've got your heart set on the Vert I'd try to call ahead.
