Whiteface March 6, 2010

[Patrick]

Didn't have to go. I think we did the gondola at least 20 some odd times. It was only skiing, no stopping. We didn't bother with the summit. I think the gondola take about 12 minutes, although the website says it takes 15 I think that 12 if not less is more on the ball. I'll have to ask my father but for some reason I think he said 80k. It could've been less.

I think we racked more vert in Alta because it's a straighter shot from the top of collins down to the base. I don't know why we did it, but it was fun, and it sorta gathered a life of it's own.

If you did the Gondi 20 times then you only did 50k vert. Your father must have not reset his watch that morning. I think 80k is

That's the way I see it.

I rarely look at my watches data log, but 80k seemed too much. I checked and the gondy ride indeed takes 12 minutes. Like I said yesterday, to reach 80k, you would need to take it 33 times (2,452 vert). 33 times x 12 minutes = 6 hours 40 minutes of riding the lift only leading with less than 30 minutes to ski 33 runs based on the hours the gondy is running.

 

[rfarren]

Didn't have to go. I think we did the gondola at least 20 some odd times. It was only skiing, no stopping. We didn't bother with the summit. I think the gondola take about 12 minutes, although the website says it takes 15 I think that 12 if not less is more on the ball. I'll have to ask my father but for some reason I think he said 80k. It could've been less.

I think we racked more vert in Alta because it's a straighter shot from the top of collins down to the base. I don't know why we did it, but it was fun, and it sorta gathered a life of it's own.

If you did the Gondi 20 times then you only did 50k vert. Your father must have not reset his watch that morning. I think 80k is

That's the way I see it.

I rarely look at my watches data log, but 80k seemed too much. I checked and the gondy ride indeed takes 12 minutes. Like I said yesterday, to reach 80k, you would need to take it 33 times (2,452 vert). 33 times x 12 minutes = 6 hours 40 minutes of riding the lift only leading with less than 30 minutes to ski 33 runs based on the hours the gondy is running.

Fair enough. I can't argue with your math as it seems right. We may have done more vert at Alta. Not entirely sure, but I think we did. The number that I remember from my father is something like 80k.

 

[Powderqueen]

Fair enough. I can't argue with your math as it seems right. We may have done more vert at Alta. Not entirely sure, but I think we did. The number that I remember from my father is something like 80k.

Collins may be a shorter ride than the Gondi, but you'd have to ride it 40 times to rack up 80,000 vertical feet...about 7 rides an hour.



You need to reset your watch before you start skiing that day to get an accurate count of vertical each day. If your dad didn't reset his watch, he counted the day before as well.

Or maybe he set his watch when he woke up in Salt Lake City that morning and included the vertical gained during the drive.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

rfarren reminds me of the old Letterman show on NBC, where David asks an audience member about something that happened to him/her, and then says "but I get the feeling that you're not telling the whole story, are you?" The person then spins a ridiculous tall tale while the words "WRITER'S EMBELLISHMENT" flash on the screen.

Except Rob tells the tall tale first, then recants and admits that his story may have hyperbolic elements. :lol:

 

[Harvey]

My only issue with gore is the layout and sustained vert. Whiteface is one of the few mountains in the EC where you can really get your legs burning. I like fast GS turns so trail like Cloudspin and Skyward make me happy.

That's a big only issue. Based on the rest of this thread... if racking up big vert is key, Gore will never make you happy. You should probably add to your list of Gore issues ... the lack of high speed lifts.

This will make you laugh. My opening day was maybe 1200 vertical feet.

I love the layout of Gore. Can't believe I could ski three days at a "small" mountain and not hit everything. The list of what I missed is long, and I was never bored.

No doubt there is nothing like Cloudspin/Skyward at Gore.

Sounds like you are in great shape too. My legs were burning all day long at Gore.

Maybe take up tele skiing and you can be challenged on almost any hill. :wink:

 

[rfarren]

rfarren reminds me of the old Letterman show on NBC, where David asks an audience member about something that happened to him/her, and then says "but I get the feeling that you're not telling the whole story, are you?" The person then spins a ridiculous tall tale while the words "WRITER'S EMBELLISHMENT" flash on the screen.

Except Rob tells the tall tale first, then recants and admits that his story may have hyperbolic elements. :lol:

Called my father he said we did not ski 80k, he said it was around 50k. That is a big difference, and I'm a bit embarrassed. I've told this story before, and it appears I've been telling it incorrectly for some time. Sorry....

My only issue with gore is the layout and sustained vert. Whiteface is one of the few mountains in the EC where you can really get your legs burning. I like fast GS turns so trail like Cloudspin and Skyward make me happy.

That's a big only issue. Based on the rest of this thread... if racking up big vert is key, Gore will never make you happy. You should probably add to your list of Gore issues ... the lack of high speed lifts.

This will make you laugh. My opening day was maybe 1200 vertical feet.

I love the layout of Gore. Can't believe I could ski three days at a "small" mountain and not hit everything. The list of what I missed is long, and I was never bored.

No doubt there is nothing like Cloudspin/Skyward at Gore.

Sounds like you are in great shape too. My legs were burning all day long at Gore.

Maybe take up tele skiing and you can be challenged on almost any hill. :wink:

I like gore, don't get me wrong. I'm just not in love with the layout. Maybe tele skiing would be tougher on my body but nonetheless I'm in pretty good shape. On average I walk 4 or 5 miles a day for work (going from one lesson to another, crossing the park, going back across the park, etc...). I walk from my house in Brooklyn to the upper east side at least once a week on top of my normal teaching schedule (an extra 8 miles or so). I also play soccer for 90 or so minutes twice a week and in the summer I've been playing 4 times a week for about 90 minutes a day. In the summer I also ride my bike about 40 miles a week. I'm also 28 so my body can handle it pretty well. None of this is hyperbole.

BTW, I lived in 5 story walk up for 3 years until last year. Some days I would walk 80k just forgetting if I left the stove on...

 

[Tony Crocker]

Patrick analyzed the vertical claim well. If you've been doing this for a while you knew that claim was almost impossible.

As the resident verical junkie, I do not sacrifice choice of terrain in the interests of more vertical. I was still all over the mountain on my record 44,500 day at Mammoth http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... .php?t=370. Alta is a particularly unusual place to try this sort of thing, so rfarren and father deserve some creativity points. In a little over 2 weeks I will be at Sun Valley, which is one of the few places someone (in better shape than I) could actually approach the numbers rfarren was claiming.

 

[rfarren]

Patrick analyzed the vertical claim well. If you've been doing this for a while you knew that claim was almost impossible.

To be honest I never really thought about it. I'm not a math guy, so I don't think in terms of numbers. I just remembered a number, albeit incorrectly.

Patrick analyzed the vertical claim well. If you've been doing this for a while you knew that claim was almost impossible.
Alta is a particularly unusual place to try this sort of thing, so rfarren and father deserve some creativity points.

As I said before, it was a very hard snow, so it seemed more fun to go as fast as possible and do laps, rather than try terrain. The day before at Deer Valley was a total travesty as it was so icy. BTW, this was before I got my father his watch, so this was based on total lift rides. I think he used 2,000 feet as the vert.

 

[kcyanks1]

My only issue with gore is the layout and sustained vert. Whiteface is one of the few mountains in the EC where you can really get your legs burning. I like fast GS turns so trail like Cloudspin and Skyward make me happy.

That's a big only issue. Based on the rest of this thread... if racking up big vert is key, Gore will never make you happy. You should probably add to your list of Gore issues ... the lack of high speed lifts.

...

Sounds like you are in great shape too. My legs were burning all day long at Gore.

Maybe take up tele skiing and you can be challenged on almost any hill. :wink:

I grew up skiing at Gore. Haven't skied there much in recent years, but was just there last weekend. The lack of vertical/run is a huge downside, in my view. And I'm unfortunately not in great shape It isn't that I don't sometimes have to stop in the middle of a Gore run for a few second breather, but that the runs are just over so quick, and they are over before they start. The glades are nice, but I don't really get that feeling of exploring I do at other places (at least on the shorter, upper mountain ones -- Twister and Cirque Glades are quite long), as the glade stretches are also short. I do like having separate trail pods, but I just like having, say 1300+ of somewhat-sustained vertical per run. I can have a lot of fun off the Castlerock and Heaven's Gate lifts at SB, and double at MRG. The length of the single at MRG and lifts at Stowe is fantastic, but I'm not going to set my desire at 2000'. At Gore, the actual parts I want to ski (e.g., Rumor, Lies) are maybe 500' vertical. That's just way less than ideal, whatever shape I happen to be in. (Never tried tele, though )

 

[Harvey]

I grew up skiing at Gore. Haven't skied there much in recent years, but was just there last weekend. The lack of vertical/run is a huge downside, in my view. And I'm unfortunately not in great shape It isn't that I don't sometimes have to stop in the middle of a Gore run for a few second breather, but that the runs are just over so quick, and they are over before they start. The glades are nice, but I don't really get that feeling of exploring I do at other places (at least on the shorter, upper mountain ones -- Twister and Cirque Glades are quite long), as the glade stretches are also short. I do like having separate trail pods, but I just like having, say 1300+ of somewhat-sustained vertical per run. I can have a lot of fun off the Castlerock and Heaven's Gate lifts at SB, and double at MRG. The length of the single at MRG and lifts at Stowe is fantastic, but I'm not going to set my desire at 2000'. At Gore, the actual parts I want to ski (e.g., Rumor, Lies) are maybe 500' vertical. That's just way less than ideal, whatever shape I happen to be in. (Never tried tele, though )

KC - from an alpine pov - can't really argue with any of the facts in the above.

Not sure how long it's been since you were a regular. Trees are expanding every year. Not much additional vertical of course, but more and more variety.

With regard to the feeling of exploring ... have Powderqueen introduce you to EDeO on a day when the trees are going ... if you don't have fun then... you definitely don't like Gore.

What's your favorite mountain in the northeast? Where do you ski most often?

Sorry for the hijack PDQ ... lets take this over to the Gore thread. O

 

[kcyanks1]

I grew up skiing at Gore. Haven't skied there much in recent years, but was just there last weekend. The lack of vertical/run is a huge downside, in my view. And I'm unfortunately not in great shape It isn't that I don't sometimes have to stop in the middle of a Gore run for a few second breather, but that the runs are just over so quick, and they are over before they start. The glades are nice, but I don't really get that feeling of exploring I do at other places (at least on the shorter, upper mountain ones -- Twister and Cirque Glades are quite long), as the glade stretches are also short. I do like having separate trail pods, but I just like having, say 1300+ of somewhat-sustained vertical per run. I can have a lot of fun off the Castlerock and Heaven's Gate lifts at SB, and double at MRG. The length of the single at MRG and lifts at Stowe is fantastic, but I'm not going to set my desire at 2000'. At Gore, the actual parts I want to ski (e.g., Rumor, Lies) are maybe 500' vertical. That's just way less than ideal, whatever shape I happen to be in. (Never tried tele, though )

KC - from an alpine pov - can't really argue with any of the facts in the above.

Not sure how long it's been since you were a regular. Trees are expanding every year. Not much additional vertical of course, but more and more variety.

By a "regular," I never was skiing it as much as you and others. I grew up in the suburbs of NYC and would go to Gore a handful of weekends a year (which would be the large majority of my skiing). Perhaps a dozen days some years, but probably not more. By the time I was in college, my Gore skiing was cut back, and then more so after college (graduated 2003). This last visit I did get to ski a good number of the on-the-map glades, both ones I have skied previously (Twister, Straight Brook, Chatiemac) and a few that I hadn't (at least Dark Side, Cirque, Pinebrook).

With regard to the feeling of exploring ... have Powderqueen introduce you to EDeO on a day when the trees are going ... if you don't have fun then... you definitely don't like Gore.

I thought of posting something before I went up there a couple weekends ago, but due to work, it was a last minute call as to whether I was going to make it up there. Then I was also not completely in control of my schedule, being with my mom and family friends. Next time, though, I'll be sure to try and catch up with you, PDQ, and others, if you guys have the time.

What is "EDeO", by the way? (I'm not asking where, since I'm sure you won't say that online )

What's your favorite mountain in the northeast? Where do you ski most often?

Sorry for the hijack PDQ ... lets take this over to the Gore thread. O

Favorite mountain is MRG. As for where I ski most, we should start with the unfortunate fact that I ski about 15 days a year; I hit 20 a couple years back and was quite happy. This year I'm on target for about 17. I have lately been taking 1 trip out west per year with the remainder of skiing being in the east. I probably end up at Sugarbush more than any other eastern ski area, but we are talking about a handful of times for Sugarbush, and less for the others. This year I will have 2 trips out west totaling 13 days (if things go as planned), and only 4 days in the east (2 Sugarbush, 2 Gore) unless I get to go again in April/May -- due to Passover and an expected busy work schedule mid-to-late April, that unfortunately might not happen.

Edit to add: I do love eastern skiing. My "if things go as planned" comment was not to say that I'm trying to avoid eastern skiing, just that I have a trip planned for 3/19-3/24, and I'm hoping it goes as planned. I'll defend (and do defend) eastern skiing to anyone. With work being so unpredictable, it scarily is often easier for me to plan a vacation and get away for a week once/winter than to plan weekends. Weekends unfortunately often have to be last minute. Taking 2 vacations during the winter is a bit tougher (at least mentally), and normally I do more eastern weekend skiing.

 

[Harvey]

Kenny... will compose a proper response later as I've got a crazy day.

Suffice it to say that EDeO is one of the nicest, most knowledgeable tree skiers at Gore.

http://harvey44.blogspot.com/search?q=EDeO

If you go all the way to the bottom of the posts on that link above you'll see my entry from the first day I met EDeO. A milestone for me.

Again ... THANKS for the intro PDQ!

 

[kcyanks1]

Kenny... will compose a proper response later as I've got a crazy day.

Suffice it to say that EDeO is one of the nicest, most knowledgeable tree skiers at Gore.

Oops.. Harvey, I thought you were talking about a glade, not a person Sorry, EDeO, if you read this.

 

[Harvey]

I grew up skiing at Gore. Haven't skied there much in recent years, but was just there last weekend. The lack of vertical/run is a huge downside, in my view. And I'm unfortunately not in great shape It isn't that I don't sometimes have to stop in the middle of a Gore run for a few second breather, but that the runs are just over so quick, and they are over before they start. The glades are nice, but I don't really get that feeling of exploring I do at other places (at least on the shorter, upper mountain ones -- Twister and Cirque Glades are quite long), as the glade stretches are also short. I do like having separate trail pods, but I just like having, say 1300+ of somewhat-sustained vertical per run. I can have a lot of fun off the Castlerock and Heaven's Gate lifts at SB, and double at MRG. The length of the single at MRG and lifts at Stowe is fantastic, but I'm not going to set my desire at 2000'. At Gore, the actual parts I want to ski (e.g., Rumor, Lies) are maybe 500' vertical. That's just way less than ideal, whatever shape I happen to be in. (Never tried tele, though )

Kenny .. while I like to consider all forms of skiing one sport ... from skinny skis to the burliest alpine gear ... it's arguable that we are participating in different sports. There's no question that as gear has gotten more robust people want more pitch and total verticle. In the early days of lift service at Gore (1930s) the hill was 800 feet of vertical total. And folks were in leather boots with cable bindings. By the standards of the day, Gore was a decent mountain.

Another thing about Gore's short runs and other numerous shortcomings ... it seems to result in a complete lack of lift lines. I can honestly say, skiing mostly holidays and weekends this year I never waited more than 2 minutes in a line. (Discounting waiting for first chair to run at the beginning of the day). Tons of skiing there has taught me how to pull it off, but it is possible. I've been at plenty of other mountains where there's nowhere to hide from the crowds on the trails or in line. While I don't like standing in line, I thoroughly enjoy a poky ride on the dark side chair looking out at the scenery. I can get my rest there.

I have no idea how much vert I get in a day at Gore. It's just not how we measure a skiday.

By a "regular," I never was skiing it as much as you and others. I grew up in the suburbs of NYC and would go to Gore a handful of weekends a year (which would be the large majority of my skiing). Perhaps a dozen days some years, but probably not more. By the time I was in college, my Gore skiing was cut back, and then more so after college (graduated 2003). This last visit I did get to ski a good number of the on-the-map glades, both ones I have skied previously (Twister, Straight Brook, Chatiemac) and a few that I hadn't (at least Dark Side, Cirque, Pinebrook).

Favorite mountain is MRG. As for where I ski most, we should start with the unfortunate fact that I ski about 15 days a year; I hit 20 a couple years back and was quite happy. This year I'm on target for about 17. I have lately been taking 1 trip out west per year with the remainder of skiing being in the east. I probably end up at Sugarbush more than any other eastern ski area, but we are talking about a handful of times for Sugarbush, and less for the others. This year I will have 2 trips out west totaling 13 days (if things go as planned), and only 4 days in the east (2 Sugarbush, 2 Gore) unless I get to go again in April/May -- due to Passover and an expected busy work schedule mid-to-late April, that unfortunately might not happen.

No question that all the tree runs at Gore are way shorter than those at MRG and Stowe.

I have never skied MRG and fantasize about it regularly. No snowmaking, limited grooming, tons of bumps and trees, and a slow, low capacity chair that serves the summit. It sounds like a dream come true. Life being what it is, my odds are getting there, just aren't very good.

I've skied Stowe maybe 8 or 10 days in my life, but it was before I was a tree skier. From everything I've read on the forums, it's a pretty decent mountain for alpiners who ski groomers - but it's world class EC tree skiing.

Sugarbush seems very appealing to me too. Certainly has a passionate group of passholders on skimrv.com.

I don't ski as much as you think. I've got 25 days this year, and it may not go beyond that.

I thought of posting something before I went up there a couple weekends ago, but due to work, it was a last minute call as to whether I was going to make it up there. Then I was also not completely in control of my schedule, being with my mom and family friends. Next time, though, I'll be sure to try and catch up with you, PDQ, and others, if you guys have the time.

Would love to show you around. Like I said, the real grand tour ... you'd want to connect with EDeO or some others. I've done a lot off the map at Gore, but for the life of me .... I have a hard time remembering all the entrances.

Oh yea ... no need to worry about EDeO being insulted by anything. He's very chill and he hates to look at a computer when he's not working!