Skiing 2019-2020

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

Has there been an update on Fortress. agreed, that was a great place to go back in the day.

The latest scheme is to try to sell their water (and increase the amount they are allowed to take).

Pretty sure the road/bridge is still a major issue. They have an ambitious plan, but it's not going to happen.

IMO the best answer might be some sort of co-op approach (has worked to save some hills near smaller communities). Easier said than done of course

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Pretty sure the road/bridge is still a major issue. They have an ambitious plan, but it's not going to happen.

How so? The bridge was rectified with Inception.

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

Has there been an update on Fortress. agreed, that was a great place to go back in the day.

Nothing official. Just grapevine stuff. From what I gather there's a few issues (one that they've alluded to in an update on their website IIRC).

There's not official path to have a resort approved through the government in Alberta. So it's sort of stuck in approval limbo. Apparently one of the larger hurdles was overcome but it's still an issue.

Secondly, and this is mostly speculation, is that they're likely making more money on the film side of things than they would opening it up to the public. Given the state of the industry that may change in the next few years, but we'll see.

[RockLicker]

Anyone here ski QST 106's? I think I've almost talked myself into buying a pair. Seem to fit my skiing pretty well.

Struggling a bit on what length to go with. I'm short at just under 5'8 and 165 lbs. I'm a pretty aggressive skier. Spend some time skiing groomers with the young family, but very comfortable skiing stuff like the backside gullies at Louise, and still pretty fit. Feel like I'm stuck right in the middle of the 174's and the 181's. Have skied 176 Gotamas for about 10 years that were pretty clapped out years ago, and getting tired of the snickers from my gear nerd ski buddies, time to retire the old girls. Never found myself in a spot where the 176 Goats felt like too much ski, so hesitant to go down in length.

Maybe I just need to go take a day at Sunshine and see if they'll let me test drive both as a rental.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by RockLicker

Anyone here ski QST 106's? I think I've almost talked myself into buying a pair. Seem to fit my skiing pretty well.

Struggling a bit on what length to go with. I'm short at just under 5'8 and 165 lbs. I'm a pretty aggressive skier. Spend some time skiing groomers with the young family, but very comfortable skiing stuff like the backside gullies at Louise, and still pretty fit. Feel like I'm stuck right in the middle of the 174's and the 181's. Have skied 176 Gotamas for about 10 years that were pretty clapped out years ago, and getting tired of the snickers from my gear nerd ski buddies, time to retire the old girls. Never found myself in a spot where the 176 Goats felt like too much ski, so hesitant to go down in length.

Maybe I just need to go take a day at Sunshine and see if they'll let me test drive both as a rental.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

*Shudder*

[RockLicker]

Originally Posted by Weitz

*Shudder*

Hah! I generally agree with that sentiment, but seems like the place to find Salomon's for rent.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by RockLicker

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

The QST should ski shorter than your Gotamas did. I think if you go down instead of up you'd be a bit disappointed. I jumped from a 172 to a a 179/181 once I got a ski with rocker/early rise.

You could always go to a shop and see what their effective edge is like. Push down on the ski on a flat surface to decamber it and you'll see how little (or how much, depending on the ski) is actually touching the ground.

But yeah, if you're worried do the rentals - They won't have a problem swapping provided it's a slow day in the rental shop (my buddy tried out 3 last time he was looking at purchasing a Salomon). Just make sure you're running the same run(s) or close to actually get a solid comparison.

[RockLicker]

Thanks a bunch, that sort of reinforces my thought process. My Gotamas are '09's, the last year where they ran a pretty traditional cambered profile. I may still try and do a side by side if the opportunity comes up, but was thinking a QST in 174 should ski appreciably shorter than my old skis.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by DownhillGoat

How so? The bridge was rectified with Inception.


Nothing official. Just grapevine stuff. From what I gather there's a few issues (one that they've alluded to in an update on their website IIRC).

There's not official path to have a resort approved through the government in Alberta. So it's sort of stuck in approval limbo. Apparently one of the larger hurdles was overcome but it's still an issue.

I thought Jason Kenney was supposed to cut all the red tape and make us open for business?

Secondly, and this is mostly speculation, is that they're likely making more money on the film side of things than they would opening it up to the public. Given the state of the industry that may change in the next few years, but we'll see.

He's going to deal with this too by killing the film industry.


OK that was off topic. But more on topic, always go longer with rockered skis. I was hesitant as well but have no regrets or concerns that it's too much ski after going long.

[DownhillGoat]

Do we not have enough political talk in literally every other thread?

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[Voodooman]

I'm back to skiing this year after a multi-year hiatus, and decided to re-gear from top to bottom. I'm an intermediate cruiser, nothing too crazy, and when I went to Ski West, they recommend the Dynastar Legend X84 as a good all-mountain ski for my ability, pointing out the pintail and the tips as selling features.

The price tag was a bit steep for my ability, so I went to the used sale, but couldn't find any 84s. There were tons of brand new pairs of the Legend X75 for a good price, so I grabbed a pair. However, after a few days on the mountain, I realize I have made a mistake. I think these skis are almost underperforming for my ability, as they are really effortless to handle. As well, I did notice they aren't great in powder due to the thin profile.

I'm looking for some X84's on the used market, as it seems I should upgrade before the season gets too deep, but would appreciate some advice on a comparable set of boards from another manufacturer. Thanks in advance for any guidance you guys can provide. I bought a mid-week pass for Louise, have 5 days in already, and the goal is 25-30, so I'd like to have some boards that might challenge me to improve a little more.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Having your two skis be a 75mm ski and an 84mm ski seems foolhardy regardless of your ability. Either give those away to someone (they'll be pretty tough to sell used I imagine) or buy something wider so you have some variety to choose from.

But first and foremost I would say look up when demo days are happening and go try out a bunch of stuff. You might even end up deciding that 100+mm is for you, given that those no longer qualify as pow skis.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by DownhillGoat

How so? The bridge was rectified with Inception.

You must be right, but I was under the impression that the bridge and/or road was still a major obstacle. Maybe it's just about who pays for maintenance?

That said, I wonder if there are different technical requirements for a private road/bridge vs. being wide open to the public? Inception was already 10 years ago...it seems they are still shuttling all kpow and snowshoe clients up and down...not sure if they are still doing avy courses up there? 6-7 years ago we carpooled in private vehicles to the base.

Originally Posted by Voodooman

I'm looking for some X84's on the used market

Go big or go home. You've got your rocks/groomers/no snow in a week skis...don't buy anything else without trying something ~100mm+ waist. You will probably soon find that they are your every day skis no matter the conditions.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

You must be right, but I was under the impression that the bridge and/or road was still a major obstacle. Maybe it's just about who pays for maintenance?

That said, I wonder if there are different technical requirements for a private road/bridge vs. being wide open to the public? Inception was already 10 years ago...it seems they are still shuttling all kpow and snowshoe clients up and down...not sure if they are still doing avy courses up there? 6-7 years ago we carpooled in private vehicles to the base.



Go big or go home. You've got your rocks/groomers/no snow in a week skis...don't buy anything else without trying something ~100mm+ waist. You will probably soon find that they are your every day skis no matter the conditions.

I did an avy course up there 6-7 years ago and we parked at the base and were shuttled up.

[Voodooman]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Go big or go home. You've got your rocks/groomers/no snow in a week skis...don't buy anything else without trying something ~100mm+ waist. You will probably soon find that they are your every day skis no matter the conditions.

Thanks to you and Corsi for the advice. I've been thinking that going wider than 96 might be too much for my ability, but I will rent/demo a couple of pairs of wider boards my next few times out, and make a decision from there.

I have at least figured out that the 75s are good for hard pack/ice, so I'll keep them around for those kind of days in the spring.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Weitz

I did an avy course up there 6-7 years ago and we parked at the base and were shuttled up.

Through U of C? I was curious so I searched my inbox - my course was Dec 18, 2010...maybe relatively early into the first year they were using the location? I recall it was pretty disorganized.

The high that day was like -25C. Not exactly a prime learning environment. I remember thinking longingly of the fireplace in the boarded up lodge (at least to the best of my recollection there was a central 360 degree fireplace? Can't find any interior photos online).

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Through U of C? I was curious so I searched my inbox - my course was Dec 18, 2010...maybe relatively early into the first year they were using the location? I recall it was pretty disorganized.

The high that day was like -25C. Not exactly a prime learning environment. I remember thinking longingly of the fireplace in the boarded up lodge (at least to the best of my recollection there was a central 360 degree fireplace? Can't find any interior photos online).

I tried to find my email too buy cannot. If I had to guess it was either Dec. 2011 or Feb. 2012.

We lucked out, it was sunny and about -5.... But I should have rented snow shoes.

[surferguy]

Can somebody explain to me the sizing rules for ski boots for kids? My 4 yr old son wears a comfortable US 9 at the moment. What should I be getting for him?

Also I’m looking for 80cm skis and bindings if anybody has some

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by surferguy

Can somebody explain to me the sizing rules for ski boots for kids? My 4 yr old son wears a comfortable US 9 at the moment. What should I be getting for him?

Also I’m looking for 80cm skis and bindings if anybody has some

Pretty sure the guy who runs SportsRent on 16Ave in Montgomery is a CPer - scroll back for posts - pretty sure they do a full year rental on gear for ~$175 (maybe cheaper for the tiniest stuff?). Presumably you would be able to trade during the year if the sizing wasn't quite right the first time...

[fleuryisgod]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Pretty sure the guy who runs SportsRent on 16Ave in Montgomery is a CPer - scroll back for posts - pretty sure they do a full year rental on gear for ~$175 (maybe cheaper for the tiniest stuff?). Presumably you would be able to trade during the year if the sizing wasn't quite right the first time...

We do the JR seasonal rentals at Sport Rent for $170 for the year. Although if I'm being honest for a 4 year old I'd recommend finding something cheap on Kijiji, our kids gear is all current and nice but for a 4 year old that will make zero difference. For kids size 9 you'll be looking for an approximate mono size 15.5. If you do find gear we also do binding setups to ensure the boots fit the skis properly.

[cam_wmh]

Has anyone ever got an Epic Pass? Their website has little data, since the pass purchase date seems to be over.

I'm curious which hills are included. I bought a Mountain Collective pass again, but am up in the air to next season between getting another, an Epic or Ikon.