CliffinAZ
Posts:451
 | | 12/26/2007 8:43 AM |
 Alert | I'm wondering if there are any other downhill skiers out there. If so, what you think about the different ski areas in AZ?
So far, I've tried Sunrise--last winter. It was ok, but I was unfortunate to come on the wrong day--it was 60 degrees, and things were getting a bit slushy. If I had been there about a week earlier the conditions might have been a lot nicer.
I also don't have any point of comparison yet within AZ, although I might ski Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley and/or Snowbowl before the winter is up. | | | |
|
|
CliffinAZ
Posts:451
| | 12/31/2007 8:31 PM |
Alert | | I'm hoping I'm not the only skier out there (as ironic as me saying that seems given that I chose to move out to the desert)--if not, I'd love to get a group of folks together for a day-trip. | | | |
|
|
|
CliffinAZ
Posts:451
| | 01/08/2008 9:15 PM |
Alert | Well, I guess someone out there is a skier, as they actually gave this thread a 4 star rating. Anyhow, AZ Snowbowl is the next ski area I'm trying out--this Saturday. It was too enticing to pass up after the storm we just had dumped tons of snow on the San Francisco Peaks--to the point where they were actually doing avalanche control up on the mountain this morning! I'm expecting much better conditions than I had during my poorly timed trip to Sunrise last year.
If anyone indicates interest, I'll post about how it was when I get back. | | | |
|
|
|
thiskiss
Posts:334
| | 01/10/2008 10:17 PM |
Alert | I've heard snowbowl was very good. I haven't actually goine skiing yet but I want to someday.
Any good ski shops you would reccomend?? | | | |
|
|
|
CliffinAZ
Posts:451
| | 01/10/2008 10:24 PM |
Alert | Hey thiskiss, welcome to the thread--I wasn't sure if I was just talking to myself for a while there. 
Honestly, I haven't gone to any ski shops yet out here since I moved from the Northeast. I'm using a pair of old hand-me-down skis at this point. They're good skis but will probably have to be replaced soon--although at my current rate of 1 or 2 ski trips a year, they could have a few good years left...
One general tip I can give you is that the best deals you're going to get on skis or snowboards are going to happen in the off-season, rather than during ski season. | | | |
|
|
|
thiskiss
Posts:334
| | 01/10/2008 10:29 PM |
Alert | LOL I think you were talking to yourself for awhile there...
Anyways, I'm really not much into cold weather or anything and want to experience this skiing thing that all of my family talks of. I really wanna check out the clothes they have there. I have been trying to find a big jacket for about a year now. I want a white one with the fur on the hood type of thing and someone suggested that I look at a ski shop.
Sorry to dissapoint you thought... | | | |
|
|
 |
CliffinAZ
Posts:451
| | 01/10/2008 11:27 PM |
Alert | I'm not disappointed. The thing about the cold weather is that once you're skiing--which is real excercise--you get warm pretty quickly (unless it's REALLY cold out). From my experience if you're skiing wearing a full ski parka, etc. and it gets over 30 degrees, you're actually end up sweating by the time you reach the lower part of the mountain, and looking forward to getting back up to the top where it's cooler.
If you go up north into AZ high country where it's cooler you should be able to find that winter parka you're looking for. | | | |
|
|
|
bgrafk
Posts:62
| | 01/23/2008 4:06 PM |
Alert | I'm not much of a skier but I wish I was!
I did go see the new Warren Miller film that was at ASU Gammage around November/December.
Was a pretty sweet film!
| | | |
|
|
|
snowgirl
Posts:22
| | 01/23/2008 6:28 PM |
Alert | | So how is Snowbowl this year? I went to school up in Flagstaff and went skiing quite a bit at Snowbowl as it's only a 30-40 minute drive from town! It's not the best, but it's pretty cheap comparatively and decent for Arizona. Purgatory in Colorado is where I went when I was a kid growing up in Phoenix and there wasn't enough snow for the other places to open their gates. It's not a bad drive from here either. | | | |
|
|
|
akflyer
Posts:58
| | 01/24/2008 11:59 AM |
Alert | | I used to work at the Snowbowl, and during the time I was there it really varied from year to year. They are not able to make snow, so it completely depends on mother nature. I have heard that it is very good this year, so I would not hesitate if you are interested in giving it a try. | | | |
|
|
|
snowgirl
Posts:22
| | 01/24/2008 12:56 PM |
Alert | | I thought they finally got it passed through to make snow up there? | | | |
|
|
|
Sinbad
Posts:3058
| | 01/24/2008 1:10 PM |
Alert | OK.. just got on this Thread.
Dude.. I am a Skier Big time... or as my wife put it .. I use to be. I have often wondered about the AZ skiing condition my self. I haven't been skiing in over 10 years and I am just trying to get back in shape to go try the local mountians soon. Heck.. I remember the wife talking me out of keeping my equipment at the moving sale before we came out here. Ohhh well... you can always rent!!! (I know, I know.. it's not the same as being use to your own).
Maybe as I get back in shape ... We can get a trip in one year. I will keep an Eye out for the posting's.
| |
Just doing it one day at a time. Change is good and it should be looked upon as an improvment! not a problem.
______________________________________
***************************************
San Diego Super Chargers! GO!!!
Joined old forum March 2006
Post count: 3068 + these | |
|
|
|
akflyer
Posts:58
| | 01/26/2008 11:23 AM |
Alert | <div class='NTForums_Quote'>Posted By snowgirl on 01/24/2008 12:56 PM
I thought they finally got it passed through to make snow up there?</div>
They did get everything ready to go at one point, but last I heard it was tied up in court. I'm not sure of the current status. | | | |
|
|
|
CliffinAZ
Posts:451
| | 01/28/2008 2:47 PM |
Alert | | I think the snowmaking's still up in the air at this point. I went skiing two weeks ago. Conditions were pretty nice, because earlier that week they'd gotten a pretty big snowstorm on the mountain (while we were getting rain). There was no ice at all on the mountain, and I was skiing in mostly packed powder. The one thing I'd do differently next time is to go during the week--it's crazy there during the weekend, especially with only one lift going to the top of the mountain (which didn't open until noon when I was there due to wind). I heard from a ski patrol guy that they're going to be changing that to a higher-speed lift and also adding one that goes up to the top of a different peak, which should really open things up quite a bit as well as adding a lot of tree skiing. I'm not sure when that's happening though. | | | |
|
|
|
beowulf
Posts:427
| | 01/29/2008 9:57 AM |
Alert | | I dont ski but I snowboard...the mountains in AZ are pretty Lame, but if you are willing to drive to sunrise drive another 2 hours north to Colorado. Then you can ski durango which is pretty nice or you can hit up wolf creek pass. Which is one of my favorites, some sick double diamonds and over a hundred inch base (silverton mountain is in that same area but this is for an extremely experienced skier/snowboarder especially this time of the year)...another hour 1/2 you will find yourself in telluride which has some bada$$ runs, drops, trees, parks, breweries... | | | |
|
|
|
CliffinAZ
Posts:451
| | 01/29/2008 10:24 AM |
Alert | I'd really like to get to Colorado or Utah sometime over the next couple of years. At this point, Sunrise and Snowbowl are my only skiing experiences out of the Northeast. At least this time around (unlike last year's trip to Sunrise), I can say that I caught the mountain when conditions were good.
During my last couple of years in NY I was taking a yearly trip up to Jay Peak in Vermont, which is on the Vermont/Canada border. That mountain has some great glades--you have to stay in the glades to find all of the snow and avoid the worst of the freezing temparatures (they get about 350 inches a year--about 100 more than the other Vt mountains, but the winds coming from Canada blow a lot of it into the woods). The temperature there can be around 0 degrees at the base--before windchill factor. The mountain has a lift called the flyer that most people call "the freezer," because at one place where the lift goes along a particular exposed ridge it can reach -30 or less with windchill factor. So when people at the top of Snowbowl complained about how cold it was up there and it was probably about 20 degrees and windy, I just had to laugh. | | | |
|
|
|
beowulf
Posts:427
| | 01/29/2008 10:30 AM |
Alert | | I have boarded the whistler in canada now that was fun and cold | | | |
|
|
|
Sinbad
Posts:3058
| | 01/29/2008 10:57 AM |
Alert | Utah was great when I went. We skied Alta during a White out.. it was great!! We hit a few more mountians while we were there.
I have hit up
Cortina, Italy
Insbruck, Germany
French alps
Davos, Switzerland
and the usual warm up mountians in Cali
Sunrise, Big Bear, and dang.. what the other one? Can't remember
| |
Just doing it one day at a time. Change is good and it should be looked upon as an improvment! not a problem.
______________________________________
***************************************
San Diego Super Chargers! GO!!!
Joined old forum March 2006
Post count: 3068 + these | |
|
|
|
Sinbad
Posts:3058
| | 01/29/2008 10:57 AM |
Alert | Utah was great when I went. We skied Alta during a White out.. it was great!! We hit a few more mountians while we were there.
I have hit up
Cortina, Italy
Insbruck, Germany
French alps
Davos, Switzerland
and the usual warm up mountians in Cali
Sunrise, Big Bear, and dang.. what the other one? Can't remember
| |
Just doing it one day at a time. Change is good and it should be looked upon as an improvment! not a problem.
______________________________________
***************************************
San Diego Super Chargers! GO!!!
Joined old forum March 2006
Post count: 3068 + these | |
|
|
|
beowulf
Posts:427
| | 01/29/2008 12:42 PM |
Alert | check out skireport.com its a pretty cool website gives all the technical data on the different moutains around the world from telluride to the alps
| | | |
|
|
|