I don’t know, just that he’s getting a medical discharge as that has some extra benefits. He fell off a roof, but is fine. They wanted him to stay in but he didn’t want to re-up, so the injury didn’t make him ineligible for service.
Article on all the different ski passes. Had no idea there were several. Multi-Resort Ski Pass Comparison/ Ski Canada Magazine
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I knew about the Mountain Collective, but I didn’t know it grouped together Jackson Hole and Big Sky. If I were only going to ski those two resorts in a winter I would definitely look at that pass as it is a good deal.
H thinks we should try the Epic pass instead of Ikon next season.
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Their info on Indy Pass is outdated. Last year Indy had over 180 locations, 12 in Japan, and Ski Welt in Austria, a collection of 15 closely located resorts.
For the upcoming year they’re guaranteeing 200 resorts, and have added discounts to 5 cat skiing operations.
If you know you’ll be at one of the big areas like Vail, Whistler, Alta/Snowbird, Aspen or Jackson for multiple days, or you live near one of them, the economics of the passes make complete sense. I hate skiing in crowds though. We tend to avoid areas like those all together.
The thing about Indy, Mountain Collective, and Powder Alliance is that you have to have a flexible schedule to move around.
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Skiing at College Hill - that’s a blast from the past! Hadn’t thought about that in a long time!
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Don’t remember college hill being a ski thing when I was in Poughkeepsie. We went to Brodie when I was in college.
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College hill was a teen city park slope in Poughkeepsie, NY…. 1970s memory.
I replaced my 25 year old skis last year but deferred ski boot purchase. I am planning to demo this Apex ski boot system (chasis + walking boot+ boa fit system; the walking boot is like snowboard boat - light and flexible). Any experiences?
Which is when I was there!!
It was all high school locals, waiting in a lonnnnnnng Tbar line for a verrrry short hill.
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I want to like it, but I’m concerned about performance. More than that, for me personally, I’m concerned about fit. I have very low volume feet, so low that up until this year only race boots worked. I now ski in a LV Atomic Ultra Hawk with modified HV Zip Fit liners. I don’t like boots that hurt, but I can’t stand it if my feet and legs aren’t locked in. Looking forward to hearing about your experience!
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If memory serves, it was the first hole on the College Hill golf course. Similar to the first hole at the IBM Country Club with the tee elevated with a decent slope down to the fairway. And I think it may have been a rope tow and not even a T-Bar!
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S24 just accepted his spot in the Leeds School of Business at CU Boulder. So it looks like he will be ski accessible for the foreseeable future! Never been to Eldora (closest to campus) but he is very psyched. I did closing week at Telluride just a few days ago. Until next season…
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Sweet. Have fun. My kids are still planning one more weekend (not this weekend but maybe next weekend) with the grandkids in Tahoe
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We put all the ski stuff away last weekend. No spring skiing trip to Mammoth this year since D1’s wedding is just over 3 weeks away.
H really wants to get the Epic pass for next season instead of Ikon. We will get to try some new places next ski season.
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Reporting back on the Apex boot system I demo’d. (And more about our overnighter trip to Breckenridge later).
Although I’m intrigued by the concept, I don’t plan to purchase them ($659)… though maybe I’d consider it if there is end-of-season demo sale. I’m a “blue cruiser” skier, so no complaints on performance. There is another pricier model for more serious skiers.
PROS - The walking boot is similar to snowboard boot (and could be used as such). It is light, fairly flexible - much easier to walk in than my old, heavy ski boats. The “boa” system of wires and knobs (front and side), sometimes used on mountain biking shoes etc, enable you to make a really good and snug fit after they are on. Although this trip was a ski-out condo building, typically I am dealing with long walk and/or a bus ride (sometimes with steep steps)…. a lighter, more nimble boot would help. At Breck Peak 7, I made it a point to hike down the long outdoor stone stairway to the restroom because I recalled it was a workout in my old boots - much easier with the walking boot (with chasis too, though some people leave chasis with their skis).
CONS - Two step boot-up is odd. Also it’s a bit of a clunky exercise to put the but into the “chasis” (plastic sheet frame part that mounts into the bindings). Once in, the 3 buckles are pretty easy to secure…. but when you carry them over the shoulder (there is a nice strap to do so), it’s bulky…. the buckles do flops around. Skiing was easy, but after a few hours my feet were a little sore - I may need to blame the softening, heavy snow though for some of that. Plus of course it’s not uncommon for ski boots to need some break-in. I had hoped they’d be as comfortable as a snow boot, but no. (Apex demo store does have superfeet inserts that some folks add).
NOTE - Pickup logistics for the one week free demo were a little trickier than anticipated, but no biggie for us since retired with lots of time. The Apex demo center along I70 near Golden CO is handy. But the binding adjustment needs to be done at certified ski shop- they sent us to a nearby Ski and Sport store a few miles away (where we did dropoff this evening dueto 4pm Apex closure; I also had them adjust bindings back to my suit my old boots). I happen to have ordred my new skis last year with new demo bindings - otherwise this experiment would have gotten more complicated (possibly needing rental skis)
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A question for this group -
I own skis and boots that are probably 15 years old. I also own just a pair of skis that my kids wore.
I am thinking it’s time to donate or otherwise part with the skis because technology has probably changed a fair amount since then and I might be safer using newer skis. (Not to mention it’s a pain to carry them, and I may never ski again).
Is that true?
See if your most local ski area has a ski swap. Some will take older skis…others won’t. Run by the ski patrol, usually.
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If the bindings are that old they may not be considered safe anymore. You can check with a slope or local ski shop.
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Yes. There’s an indemnification list that’s updated yearly. Shops won’t work on gear that has dropped off the list. Honestly, at that point, it’s best to throw them away.
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I think the limit for bindings are 5-8 years. They won’t adjust after that, but you can. You can find older skis at the thrift stores, but they aren’t big sellers (except for kids skis).
If you only ski a few times a year, it might be better to rent.
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