Monthly Ski Streaks Living in the East

[Tony Crocker]

So far we have about 20 million vertical feet

Impressive. I'm at 16 million, several years behind you. I have notes and stats for every ski day but have not assigned ratings. I do have a short "Hall of Fame List" that currently contains 18 days. Patrick was around for one of those, Jan. 29, 2006 at Jackson Hole.

Now that I recall, Southland Ski Server required a rating from 1-10 on each report. I was sparing in handing out 10's, but Mammoth ratings probably averaged between 8 and 9. SoCal local ratings probably averaged 7 and were rarely below 6. If I judged that SoCal local would be worse than that, I probably wasn't out there.

Another reason to salvage the Southland archives.

1 week at Christmas .....and not crappy days

I think that was a contradiction in terms last year in the East. I don't want to reconstruct Patrick's entire season, but I do have a vague impression that he was skiing consistently through all of it, rather than figuring out a way to ski more during the epic 2 months from mid-February to mid-April. This is a key area of "skiing philosophy" where Patrick and I differ.

 

[Patrick]

1 week at Christmas .....and not crappy days

I think that was a contradiction in terms last year in the East. I don't want to reconstruct Patrick's entire season, but I do have a vague impression that he was skiing consistently through all of it, rather than figuring out a way to ski more during the epic 2 months from mid-February to mid-April. This is a key area of "skiing philosophy" where Patrick and I differ.

Yes, Christmas period was pretty crappy, but I did take that week + another 7 days during the Winter months.

Here are 4 of those vacation days right here...(I don't think I made reports for the other 3, 2 of them at MRG).

Jan 30
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=2732

Feb 15-16
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=2854

Here's one for Frank - Jan 29
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=2735

Ah yes, I forgot, you might not have noticed but the biggest storm with the exception of that Valentine's Day one, all hit during the weekend or Holidays (i.e. Easter).

 

[Patrick]

Just some interesting numbers I dug out for you Tony, so you can't really say that I'm being conservative with this streak.

Over the last 25 months.
Total days: 117
Total ski areas: 40
States, Provinces and Countries: 9, 2, 3
Trip requiring flights: 5

Skied for the first time in the months of October, July, August and September.
Skied for the first time in 20 ski areas.
Skied for the first time in 5 US states and 1 country.

 

[Patrick]

Bump for an update...

Over the last 100 months.
Total days: 462
Total ski areas: 88
States, Provinces and Countries: 12, 3, 8
Trip with flights: 14

Skied for the first time in the months of October, July, August and September.
Skied for the first time in 56 ski areas.
Skied for the first time in 7 US states and 3 countries.

 

[Tony Crocker]

The title of this thread is most appropriate. Most of the westerners who do this have have accessible summer backcountry snow within drive distance (Bob Peters and the turns-all-year.com people in the PNW). Probably a few Euros with the glaciers skiing too.

I still contend that it is quite likely Patrick is the only person who has attained 100 consecutive ski months while living entirely in eastern North America. He is more than welcome to research this and prove me wrong. Somebody in the ski media should be interested in writing a feature article about this.

 

[Marc_C]

There really should be some kind of limiting parameters around this (pointless?) pursuit. After all, it's easy for anyone to ski every month of the year for as many years as they care to provided they have the resources - time and $$$$ - to do so. No snow locally in September? Grab a flight to Zermatt and ski the Matterhorn glacier. Sure, it'll cost you several grand, but you keep your unbroken streak going. Simple.

 

[Patrick]

There really should be some kind of limiting parameters around this (pointless?) pursuit. After all, it's easy for anyone to ski every month of the year for as many years as they care to provided they have the resources - time and $$$$ - to do so. No snow locally in September? Grab a flight to Zermatt and ski the Matterhorn glacier. Sure, it'll cost you several grand, but you keep your unbroken streak going. Simple.

Always so positive Marc. Ah yes, my income is probably more limited that many of you, however I prefer to use my money on travel, skiing and music versus material stuff that is pointless in my eyes. It is in fact simple.

The title of this thread is most appropriate. (...)
I still contend that it is quite likely Patrick is the only person who has attained 100 consecutive ski months while living entirely in eastern North America. He is more than welcome to research this and prove me wrong. Somebody in the ski media should be interested in writing a feature article about this.

I believe you're the one that created the Thread Title when it was split off. I was actually going search about ski streaks when it brought back to this one thread. Someone asked me on Zski if 100 was close to a record in which I replied that Ron Cram and a bunch of others have been going it for way longer than me. Then I mentioned the ski day streak guy that stopped at 2993 days.

About people living in the East, I'm sure that they are others like ski instructor, coaches, racers, freelancers, etc.

 

[Marc_C]

There really should be some kind of limiting parameters around this (pointless?) pursuit. After all, it's easy for anyone to ski every month of the year for as many years as they care to provided they have the resources - time and $$$$ - to do so. No snow locally in September? Grab a flight to Zermatt and ski the Matterhorn glacier. Sure, it'll cost you several grand, but you keep your unbroken streak going. Simple.

Always so positive Marc. Ah yes, my income is probably more limited that many of you, however I prefer to use my money on travel, skiing and music versus material stuff that is pointless in my eyes. It is in fact simple.

You misunderstand. I think your achievement, living where you do and skiing like most of us - meaning that you're not one of the 1% and able to get on your private jet to Chile in August - is spectacular. Perhaps pointless to some, incredibly cool to others. It's just that the achievement can be so easily diluted by someone with possibly less dedication but more ample means. I have no clue what those limiting parameters might be, but I'm far more impressed by what you did than if I read about, say, Michael Dell or some Hollywood star doing the same.

 

[Patrick]

There really should be some kind of limiting parameters around this (pointless?) pursuit. After all, it's easy for anyone to ski every month of the year for as many years as they care to provided they have the resources - time and $$$$ - to do so. No snow locally in September? Grab a flight to Zermatt and ski the Matterhorn glacier. Sure, it'll cost you several grand, but you keep your unbroken streak going. Simple.

Always so positive Marc. Ah yes, my income is probably more limited that many of you, however I prefer to use my money on travel, skiing and music versus material stuff that is pointless in my eyes. It is in fact simple.

You misunderstand. I think your achievement, living where you do and skiing like most of us - meaning that you're not one of the 1% and able to get on your private jet to Chile in August - is spectacular. Perhaps pointless to some, incredibly cool to others. It's just that the achievement can be so easily diluted by someone with possibly less dedication but more ample means. I have no clue what those limiting parameters might be, but I'm far more impressed by what you did than if I read about, say, Michael Dell or some Hollywood star doing the same.

Thanks.

The dedication is the number 1 factor. You are correct about some 1%er could do it, but would they be as committed to make it last? As for myself, I wanted to prove to myself that it could be done. It was also the kick in the pants that I needed some years to make it happen now, not next year (ie. trips to Southern Hemisphere) (excuse are so easy in your times) or staying at home versus going outside. It is a way in keeping active...and living in the present. Not putting off traveling to next year. IF I would repeat the same thing over and over, it would defeat part of the purpose...I'm trying to diversify my experiences.

 

[Marc_C]

It is a way in keeping active...and living in the present. Not putting off traveling to next year. IF I would repeat the same thing over and over, it would defeat part of the purpose...I'm trying to diversify my experiences.

Even better.

 

[Tony Crocker]

My critiques over the years have been related to the last point. The streak inhibits diversification by sucking up finite resources (both time and $$$) to keep it going during August/September. 5 trips to South America when there's a long list of northern areas not yet visited that have better snow most of the time, more and better terrain in many cases and sometimes interesting cultural aspects (Europe, Japan etc.) too.

I'd be surprised if there's a 1%er living full time in the East doing this. With lots of resources and that much passion for skiing, I think such a person would be living in the West or the Alps at least part time.

About people living in the East, I'm sure that they are others like ski instructor, coaches, racers, freelancers, etc.

I could see a ski instructor working at an eastern area Nov-Apr and in SA or NZ Jul-Sep easily keeping a streak alive during the shoulder months. But that person doesn't really live in the East full time either and thus does not measure up to Patrick's achievement IMHO.

Bump for an update...

The most interesting stats are how Patrick achieved the "hard months" if I have this right:

June/July
4 Tucks
2 Mammoth
1 Pacific Northwest
1 Avila

August/September
5 South America
2 Timberline
1 Europe
Ron Cram in Utah skis local backcountry for Jul/Oct but usually goes to Timberline for Aug/Sep.

October
5 Eastern backcountry
3 Eastern lift service
1 Colorado
Salida was clearly correct in his prediction that most seasons October earned turns can scrounged somewhere in the East. And it appears that Killington and Sunday River have resumed their October lift service rivalry. So October is a "hard month" from my perspective in SoCal, but perhaps not so much in the Northeast.

 

[Harvey]

Lookin like another MadPat nail biter in October?

 

[EMSC]

Well A-Basin is open out this way for him to book last second... Almost looking iffy that Loveland will join in by the end of Oct. Just won't cool down for more than a day at a time.

 

[Patrick]

Timberline on weekends.
A-Basin...
Is that it?
No one else in October?

Where is the news section? :shock:

It might get down to the wire.

 

[EMSC]

A-Basin is thinner and narrower than usual for it's WROD since it realized it would be 2 more weeks to open if they waited out the warm spell. Loveland still has the entire lower flats of Home Run to make snow on to open and it is supposed to be way above normal temps through Sunday. So snowmaking probably won't resume out here till Sunday or Monday nights. For what it is worth, Copper Mtn is still claiming to open to the public on Fri, Oct 31st.

I looked and Big K forecast and even at elevation snowmaking looks iffy through the end of the month, though they could go for it it it drops just a few degrees more from the forecast lows - but a high risk proposition at best.

I hope you have some time and FF miles or cash sitting around as the options look quite thin this year.

 

[Cannonball]

Been a reeeeealllly long time since I posted here (and sorry about that). But I was just thinking about ski streaks and happened to notice this ongoing thread.

I've never been much of a goal setter. But this past season I had some unplanned synergy:
- Oct 2013 offered an unexpectedly early start to the season
- Then around May I learned that I had to take a work trip to Chile right at the beginning of August. I knew I could parlay that into July+August turns
- I scrounged for June turns to keep the winter going
- Then bagged July+Aug as planned in Chile

Then it was September 2014. All I had to do was get that month and I'd have gone around the calendar. And if things worked out I'd be straight into another season and looking at an easy 20 month streak. As September wore down I weighed a lot of options: Catch snowmaking tests somewhere, go back to Chile, etc. But the month came and went and I didn't keep the streak. And I'm glad. Because here it is late October and I doubt I'll see turns this month either. I was so close to falling into the trap of pursuing a random goal. Tony hit it in the head a few posts ago, "The streak inhibits diversification by sucking up finite resources (both time and $$$)". I could have kept the streak going but it would have been at a great cost to the quality and quantity of my upcoming season. I'm so glad I let it go.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Liz and I brought our skis along on the current Texas/New Mexico road trip on the hope Wolf Creek would open in October, when Liz has never skied. Alas, the rain/snow line at Wolf Creek has remained at 12,000+ feet, so it's not likely to be this year.

I could have kept the streak going but it would have been at a great cost to the quality and quantity of my upcoming season. I'm so glad I let it go.

That was my situation in October 2005 after I had skied the previous 12 months. In 2011 there was so much snow at Mammoth that there was still 1,100 vertical left for August/September, and 17 inches new to ski there on October 7. So that allowed me to run a streak to 21 months before letting it go.

 

[icelanticskier]

ski streaks here i come!



:shock:

i might get a day in march, then another in april. if i'm lucky [-o<

Ava was born monday this week. such a doll.

howdy gang

rog

 

[lono]

Congradulations!

 

[Harvey]

Congrats Rog!

I like that love in your girls eyes.