15 replies to this topic

[DonaldMReif]

Here are some of my typical daily routines as to how I go around ski areas:

Keystone:
1. Start at Mountain House, ride the Peru Express and Montezuma Express lifts to the top of Dercum Mountain
2. Do a few laps off the Montezuma Express, including at least one trip down all the way to the Summit Express via Spring Dipper.
3. Head all the way to the Outback via Mozart/Diamondback and the Santiago Express
4. Do Porcupine and Elk Run in the Outback
5. Return to the Outpost on Wayback to have lunch
6. Do a few runs on North Peak
7. Ride back to Dercum Mountain on the Ruby Express and do some more laps on the Montezuma Express to wrap up the afternoon

Breckenridge is one where my routine differs depending on which peak I start from. So far, in the pre-Peak 6 era, I have usually done this:
If starting from the Village or Beaver Run (the Village if on a day trip, Beaver Run if I'm staying at Grand Timber Lodge):
1. Go to the top of Peak 9 on either the Mercury SuperChair or the Beaver Run SuperChair, and do a few trails on the Peak 9 face like Cashier, Columbia, American and Gold King.
2. Go over to Peak 10, and do Crystal, Centennial, Doublejack and Cimarron (though not in that order)
3. Possible warm-up break at Ten Mile Station, or lunch
4. Take the Peak 8 SuperConnect over to Peak 8 as I transit to Peak 7
5. Go down to the base and ride the Rocky Mountain SuperChair, but take the extra time to do Duke's Run
6. Getting to Peak 7, I do at least two or three runs off the Independence SuperChair
7. Transit back to Peak 9 and possibly do at least one or two more runs off the Mercury SuperChair. If I'm staying at Grand Timber, I definitely want to end on the Mercury SuperChair, as I can then ski down Gold King from the top of Peak 9 to the bottom of Lift C, then return to Grand Timber Rock ski-in.

If starting on Peak 7, which happens when I stay at Grand Lodge on Peak 7:
1. Start with a run or two off the Independence SuperChair
2. Go over to Peak 8 and do Duke's Run
3. Going up the Colorado SuperChair, I then transition to Peak 9 on Lift E, possibly detouring to do a trip up Lift 6 on the way.
4. I do a couple of runs off the Mercury SuperChair
5. During this time, I also get time to do my four Peak 10 trails
6. Lunch at Ten Mile station
7. Possibly a few more circuits on the Mercury SuperChair, with one trip to the Beaver Run SuperChair
8. Use the Peak 8 SuperConnect to return to Peak 8
9. Detour to Northstar if I didn't use it earlier in the day going south towards Peak 9
10. End the day with a few laps on the Independence SuperChair

With Peak 6:
I don't know if I'll need to work out some new algorithms for the Peak 6 runs. If I'm starting from the Village or Beaver Run, I'd fit in a trip up Zendo and the Kensho SuperChair during the part where I'm doing laps on the Independence SuperChair. This might cut close to the 4:00 closing time depending on how things cut

If starting from Grand Lodge, the algorithm might either be to start on Peak 6 and work my way south, or to avoid periods where there are long lines at the Colorado SuperChair, it might be better to immediately go to Peak 10 and then work my way back to Peak 6.

[liftmech]

Can't say I have a 'typical' way of going about a ski area. Too many options.

[skier691]

I ride up lifts and ski down. Repeat as necessary until thirsty, tired, or bored--- but most likely thirsty.
My avg. ski day at work might be Yellow, Pink, Pink, Red, Red, Red, Purple, Yellow, Carpet, Yellow, go back to work.

[DonaldMReif]

More, this is like "are there certain parts of a mountain that you always hit in a certain way, like a kind of ritual?" I mean, for instance, when I do Peak 10, I usually do 1) Crystal 2) Doublejack 3) Cimarron 4) Centennial. When I do the Outback, I always do it Elk Run-then-Porcupine.

[SkiLiftsRock]

I like to go where the crowd isn't

[Lift Dinosaur]

We'll, if it's a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday......
Dino

[Allan]

Hmm.. show up hungover at the crack of noon in my ski gear, but never make it past the bar?

[Snowy Ferries]

I ski at small-ish ski resorts like mission Ridge and Grand Targhee. Very occasionally will i venture to big resorts like Crystal, Stevens, and Whistler. I am thinking of heading to Red or Revelstoke one of these days; they seem like good resorts. Anyway, I know Mission and Targhee like the back of my hand; I ski wherever tickles my fancy, wheather it is a bunny hill or a double diomand.

[boyercam]

Ermm, typical method of transport...
... skis

[Emax]

Wheelchair.

[skierdude9450]

I wouldn't say that I have any specific order to runs when I ski. As was mentioned, I like to go where it's not crowded. But imagining an ideal powder day at Vail might go something like:

• Start in Vail Village at Gondola One, then up Chair 3
  
• Traverse Sundown Bowl and find a nice spot to drop in
  
• Perhaps do a run down Forever if it hasn't already been tracked out
  
• Do the Slot or something in Sunup Bowl to Chair 17
  
• Genghis Khan to Chair 21 or Blue Sky Basin
  
• Who knows from there....
  
• Après at the Red Lion (need to find some more spots now that I'm legal! )
  
• ?????

Or....

• Start at Golden Peak on Chair 6
  
• Ski Highline for a dozen laps while everyone else goes to the bowls
  
• maybe I shouldn't give my secret away

[DonaldMReif]

My typical Keystone day actually starts at Mountain House - go up Peru and Montezuma Express lifts to get to Summit House. Then two or three runs on Dercum Mountain - usually Spring Dipper to River Run to Summit Express and two runs back to the Montezuma Express (Flying Dutchman and Frenchman), then a warmup break, then a trip to the Outback via the Santiago Express and Anticipation. Then Elk Run and Porcupine off the Outback Express. Then Wayback back to the Outpost for lunch. After lunch, a few North Peak trails - Prospector, Last Alamo, and Starfire. Then it's Ruby Express back to Dercum Mountain to do some more laps off the Montezuma Express - Wild Irishman and Paymaster. Then day over.

[SkiDaBird]

I'm a Utahn so my ritual is a little different. At the Bird though it's always take Gadzoom right when i get there. The top is more exposed than the rest of the ride and will tell you how bad the wind is up top. If I don't feel any wind I go up LC and take my pick of Mineral or LC depending on snow conditions. If the wind is bad the Gad 2 is the place to be. Whenever I feel like just flying down a run, quick pop over to Peruvian should take care of that.

[floridaskier]

Groomer day at Park City, park down by First Time base and ride up Eagle, that way you have King Con to yourself in the morning and you can get out of there before the mob descends on Silverlode. Usually next onto Thaynes or Crescent, always finish the day with a Payday run. Save lunch money and keep skiing through the day because the food isn't anything special

Groomer day at Deer Valley - Carpenter > Wasatch > 1760 vertical feet of Stein's Way in 30 seconds until too many people crowd up the top section, then whatever midday. Often finish up with a lap or two on Deer Crest if it's open.

Powder day at DV - wake up early and book it to Empire. Everyone else does that too, so later in the day it's still good in the trees on Bald Mountain. If Mayflower is open, it stays untouched for a lot of the day

The Canyons - used to start with Tombstone, but now with the bubble chair I start there and on Snow Canyon lift. Avoid anything south of 9990 except Iron Mountain

Snowbird - parking by Gadzoom is easier, start there, Little Cloud, Mineral Basin warms up first so start there

[snoloco]

Here is my strategy to a ski day.

Get there early for first chair, if it is a powder day and I don't want to deal with the lineup nonsense aim for second chair.

Scout out the trail pods with good snow and no lines until 11:00 am.

By 11:00 am I have skied for 2-3 hours waiting in no lines for at least the first hour and only slightly for the next hour. I have also found the best trails and pods on the mountain.

At 11:00 the lines are really bad, so I have lunch wherever I feel like it.

At 11:30 I go back out to the trails that I scouted out earlier during the early afternoon. People also start going in for lunch, so less crowds.

At 3:00 crowds are gone and I ski out the day till 4:00.

This formula works at any mountain on any day.

[SkiDaBird]

floridaskier, on 21 January 2014 - 09:03 AM, said:

Groomer day at Park City, park down by First Time base and ride up Eagle, that way you have King Con to yourself in the morning and you can get out of there before the mob descends on Silverlode. Usually next onto Thaynes or Crescent, always finish the day with a Payday run. Save lunch money and keep skiing through the day because the food isn't anything special

Groomer day at Deer Valley - Carpenter > Wasatch > 1760 vertical feet of Stein's Way in 30 seconds until too many people crowd up the top section, then whatever midday. Often finish up with a lap or two on Deer Crest if it's open.

Powder day at DV - wake up early and book it to Empire. Everyone else does that too, so later in the day it's still good in the trees on Bald Mountain. If Mayflower is open, it stays untouched for a lot of the day

The Canyons - used to start with Tombstone, but now with the bubble chair I start there and on Snow Canyon lift. Avoid anything south of 9990 except Iron Mountain

Snowbird - parking by Gadzoom is easier, start there, Little Cloud, Mineral Basin warms up first so start there

Ya but on pow days at Bird you should be more concerned about pow than temp. Mineral will have a 20 minute line on a powder day. Stick to the front. If it's a whiteout, I'm on LC, but that is only because I could find the Cirque Traverse blindfolded from the top. The rest of y'all need to go to Baby T so you don't crowd the real mountain.