MurmurNYC":3lclmwbm said:
We are Blue/Black skiers looking to work our way off the groomers. Black trails are no problem at all if they're groomed.. but if its choppy or bumpy or deep, we're a little less than graceful, no doubt about it, but we'd like that to change so...
I wondered if people had trail recommendations for "entry level" black trails....
Since you're specifically requesting "entry level" black trails, I'd order the Admin's suggestions for Alta this way:
Ballroom/Baldy Shoulder: from the top of Collins, go straight off the lift (don't take the hard right) then go gently right to the trail map/sign and the top of Main Street. High on the skiers left side of the trail are two gates. The higher gate is the traverse to Baldy Shoulder (there's a sign at the gate denoting it as such) - the lower one is signed Ballroom. Take the high gate and keep going around the traverse until you find a line you like. The terrain gets steeper the further you go, the steepest bit of Ballroom is at the ropeline. Immediately beyond the ropeline is a line called Harolds (not on the map) - just a little steeper and a bit longer than the Ballroom side. Either of these would be a good way to test the waters of ungroomed Alta blacks. Save the stuff further out until you're used to and confident with the steepness.
Wildcat: any of the terrain directly under the upper 1/4 of the Wildcat lift is another good introduction and is short enough that it's not an epic if you find it a bit much.
Catherine's / Devil's Castle: both are good as Admin suggested, particularly So Long in Catherine's (it's on the map) but either be pretty good at picking a line and finding a way out or get someone to show you as some exits can be a bit of a slog......or just follow other folks.
Yellow Trail & Backside (aka East Greeley on the map): this would up the ante a bit. Not really any steeper, but much longer and once you go out there, you're committed to doing that terrain. There's no easy bail-out to a groomer. (The same is true of Cath's and the Castle, btw). Some exits are much steeper than others. Depending on how far you traverse, it is possible to return to the Sugarloaf lift from a lot of the lines if you pick up the traverse to the right just below the obvious bench area.
High Traverse / West Rustler: save this for when you gain confidence and are used to the ungroomed steeps. All are solid black diamonds and the stuff beyond Sunspot would get a solid double diamond at a lot of ski areas. Also, consider the High Traverse a black diamond run all on its own. A lot of folks get pretty rattled the first time out - ski it like a bump run and be ready to quickly steer around obstacles (deep dips, 3' high drops on the back side of the horizontal bumps, maybe rocks, etc.) or absorb them. Beware of locals moving at warp 10 behind you.
I feel obliged to mention some etiquette points that visitors often forget (esp. if they're from areas that don't have in-bounds gates or where things called a traverse are a cat-track or two wide instead of 500mm). Maybe you already know this stuff, but others may not, and it's a sore point with the locals:
Please don't stop on or otherwise block a traverse (step above it if you have to stop). Some people like to move fast. Some traverses have uphill sections don't have to be walked if you hit them hot enough. Some traverses are very narrow and sometimes atop cliffs or on very steep terrain. It's as much a safety issue as it is etiquette.
Please don't stop or stand around in front of or just beyond a gate. Some of them have an uphill section that can be skied if you hit it at speed (eg: the Baldy Shoulder traverse), and folks can't do that if you're standing in front of the gate.
MurmurNYC":3lclmwbm said:
...I'll ask again: Anybody know a good bootfitter in SLC?
I've had very good results from the folks at The Lift House, on 7200 South, just west of Wasatch Blvd and the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Steve (I think that's his name) at Christy Sports on the tram plaza at Snowbird is
excellent, and his prices reflect that. He's also very opinionated, which may be a good or bad thing.
The guys at The Deep Powder House, the ski shop at/in Alta Lodge at Alta have an excellent reputation, but I don't have personal experience with them.
