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Arizona/New Mexico 2021-2022 Four Corners Ski Resorts/Conditions/Meetups

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Pasha

i hiked the ridge... twice...
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Tequila Trees or Richard's perhaps? How was the coverage in there? Totemoffs looked busy! Glad you had a good day. Boo that Nina. Let's see some Pineapple Express.
In my picture? That’s T-bird glade - the baby tree run :)

Sunrise glade and Cornice today were crunchy enough so i did not venture any where too advanced. Did not have legs for the Fault Line which is a shame cause it loomed good.
 

Jerez

Skiing the powder
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You should post in "how to capture steepness in photos" because that looks a lot more impressive in your photo than IRL...
 
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raisingarizona

Out on the slopes
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The Webcams at Snowbowl had some of the prettiest shots I have ever seen of these slopes. Lighting was perfect for those empty ( sorry, tourists) runs with trees covered in snow. Going up Monday for first day of MY season. RobSN will be joining me.
I really wanted to ski lift laps for Monday but my legs were cooked from Sunday so I went for a walk with friends instead.


Humphreys Cirque
F3B12ABE-3CAC-4778-9AC3-F1A568059AEC.jpeg
 
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Dryheat

Getting on the lift
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Photo during Saturday's powder refresh at Purg. Been a great trip. Manageable crowds. That said, I wish patrol was much more active in marking hazards and rocks.

The lack of staff help has been noticable in terms of limited F&B offerings and not spinning lifts 2,5, or 6
 

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teejaywhy

Retired Eccentric
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Looks like I will be heading up to Sunrise Wed-Thurs this week to make my first turns of the season. Chance of some possible fresh coming thru mid-week.
 

raisingarizona

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Photo during Saturday's powder refresh at Purg. Been a great trip. Manageable crowds. That said, I wish patrol was much more active in marking hazards and rocks.

The lack of staff help has been noticable in terms of limited F&B offerings and not spinning lifts 2,5, or 6
I really love Durango. It’s a great town.
 

Scottsdale_Ski

Putting on skis
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Photo during Saturday's powder refresh at Purg. Been a great trip. Manageable crowds. That said, I wish patrol was much more active in marking hazards and rocks.

The lack of staff help has been noticable in terms of limited F&B offerings and not spinning lifts 2,5, or 6
I was there as well... (Saturday-Monday). I saw so many Snowbowl Power Passes that I thought I was in Flagstaff!

I'll start by saying that the Purgatory NASTAR Crew were outstanding. Mike, Howard and Ivan all worked HARD to get up & running (first weekend of NASTAR ops this season) so that my group could hold a club "fun race" on Sunday on the NASTAR course (Paradise). Thanks, guys! See you again soon!

Low staff numbers were noticeable across the board, as I was warned would be the case... Same thing is happening @ Snowbowl.

The worst problem I saw on the hill at Purgatory was poor lift ops at Chair 1 loading. Poor training or simple lack of attention (you pick). There were enough people working: they simply did not manage the load well... I saw several potential injuries and stoppages directly attributable to lifties not controlling skiers and boarders. I watched 2 people I know (out of 6 attempting to load) have to jump off/out of the way of a chair when a skier jumped the line and sat on said chair as it swung around the wheel. This caused a needless chair stoppage, not to mention the hazard of injury. It appeared the jumper did so with a liftie's approval. Truly scary.

The lack of hazard warnings was noticeable as well. We "big kids" are equipped to handle terrain hazards: many weekenders are not. This seems a significant oversight.

Concur regarding F&B staffing: Dante's was a waste of time, unless you wanted to drink (slowly) at the bar. Staff @ Powderhouse worked hard, got me my food surprisingly quickly, and they had great attitudes (Tip-worthy). Purgie's was often swamped Saturday & Sunday: consequence of limited F&B options. Again, they still did their best, and the online ordering system worked. It even recognized my Power Pass discount.

We brought 31 people to Purgatory over last weekend, and their feedback was uniformly positive overall...
 

raisingarizona

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I was there as well... (Saturday-Monday). I saw so many Snowbowl Power Passes that I thought I was in Flagstaff!

I'll start by saying that the Purgatory NASTAR Crew were outstanding. Mike, Howard and Ivan all worked HARD to get up & running (first weekend of NASTAR ops this season) so that my group could hold a club "fun race" on Sunday on the NASTAR course (Paradise). Thanks, guys! See you again soon!

Low staff numbers were noticeable across the board, as I was warned would be the case... Same thing is happening @ Snowbowl.

The worst problem I saw on the hill at Purgatory was poor lift ops at Chair 1 loading. Poor training or simple lack of attention (you pick). There were enough people working: they simply did not manage the load well... I saw several potential injuries and stoppages directly attributable to lifties not controlling skiers and boarders. I watched 2 people I know (out of 6 attempting to load) have to jump off/out of the way of a chair when a skier jumped the line and sat on said chair as it swung around the wheel. This caused a needless chair stoppage, not to mention the hazard of injury. It appeared the jumper did so with a liftie's approval. Truly scary.

The lack of hazard warnings was noticeable as well. We "big kids" are equipped to handle terrain hazards: many weekenders are not. This seems a significant oversight.

Concur regarding F&B staffing: Dante's was a waste of time, unless you wanted to drink (slowly) at the bar. Staff @ Powderhouse worked hard, got me my food surprisingly quickly, and they had great attitudes (Tip-worthy). Purgie's was often swamped Saturday & Sunday: consequence of limited F&B options. Again, they still did their best, and the online ordering system worked. It even recognized my Power Pass discount.

We brought 31 people to Purgatory over last weekend, and their feedback was uniformly positive overall...
You’re part of a ski tour service?
 

Frank Ricard

Booting up
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AZ
Hi everyone - I know this is a conditions thread, but its also the only AZ thread I could find, so please just let me know if you prefer this question is not posted in here, and I will delete.

I am located in Phx Metro - long time skier from back east, and finally skiing more this year out here. I am looking to buy a new pair of skis that will either need mounting or re-mounting (haven't purchased them yet). I have gone to all three locations of Ski Pro and I am not impressed. I have run into a couple younger kids that seem to know what they are talking about, but in general most people working there are clueless, and therefore I have very little confidence in bringing skis to them to work on.

To anyone local: Do you trust them to work on your gear, or do you bring it someplace that isnt local or DIY? Looking for some insight/direction.

Thanks!
 

kimberlin

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@Frank Ricard , Unfortunately the next and better option is up in Flagstaff. Humphreys Summit Ski. And the people at First Chair and Ski Haus are also very reliable. I live in Prescott and when I need gear work I take skis up on the way to Snowbowl, drop them off at the shop, head out for a coffee , then come back to pick them up after less than an hour. Best to call a day or so before to schedule the job, otherwise the specific tech employee may not be there when you need him to be. I have also done days where I drive to Flagstaff , drop skis off late afternoon, and just spend the night.
 

Scottsdale_Ski

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For what it's worth... I've also had good experiences at First Chair & Humphrey's Summit Ski in Flagstaff. I've stopped getting mounts done in Phoenix: Humphrey's Summit did my most recent "recreational" mount (Rustler 9/Griffon). (I did my last 2 race mounts, my old Atomic Blackeye's and Deacon 84's myself).

You CAN get a decent basic tune at Ski Pro... provided you go to the Camelback store and have them do a Hand Wax/edge sharpen. Gil at that store (assuming he's still there: haven't seen him in a while) is a reasonably competent boot fitter. The Camelback store does a lot of mounts, and never messed up any of mine when I was using them. Still, I haven't had them do a mount in over 10 years. I certainly don't rely on their "advice" when buying skis: I found that they "sell whatever they have on the rack" (not a problem limited to Ski Pro, frankly). Another Phoenix option for tuning is Crazy Legs Ski Service. 13weeksofwinter on Facebook, @13weeksofwinter on Instagram. Chris Kelly does good wax jobs & sharpening (provided you TELL him how you want your edges done). He doesn't have a base grinder as far as I know, however.

When it comes to buying skis, I'm primarily a "research, them Demo" guy. I've found good online ski advice here (and on Realskiers.com for a second opinion/additional viewpoint). I did buy the 2020 Rustler 9's without a demo, based on the combination of a ski instructor's recommendation and the reviews here and on Realskiers.... they're exactly what all 3 said they'd be. Skitalk's review was spot-on. That's the highest praise I can think of regarding skitalk.com
 

RobSN

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I second @kimberlin's comments about Humphrey's Summit Ski and First Chair. Humphrey's sold and fitted my boots, really well. They required a little adjustment after the first couple of days as is, I gather, common, but have been great ever since. They also mounted bindings on two sets of skis for me. If I remember correctly I think they've done at least one set of bindings for @kimberlin. For amazing service, Robbie at First Chair even came up to Snowbowl on his lunch break to find @kimberlin after she had left something at the shop ogsmile ...
 

Dryheat

Getting on the lift
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Dec 1, 2015
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272
Hi everyone - I know this is a conditions thread, but its also the only AZ thread I could find, so please just let me know if you prefer this question is not posted in here, and I will delete.

I am located in Phx Metro - long time skier from back east, and finally skiing more this year out here. I am looking to buy a new pair of skis that will either need mounting or re-mounting (haven't purchased them yet). I have gone to all three locations of Ski Pro and I am not impressed. I have run into a couple younger kids that seem to know what they are talking about, but in general most people working there are clueless, and therefore I have very little confidence in bringing skis to them to work on.

To anyone local: Do you trust them to work on your gear, or do you bring it someplace that isnt local or DIY? Looking for some insight/direction.

Thanks!
Yeah, avoid the early talent help. Gil at the ski pro on camelback is the go to for boots. He or Pete would be where I'd start.
 

Frank Ricard

Booting up
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@kimberlin @Scottsdale_Ski @RobSN @Dryheat

Thanks for the insight, it is much appreciated. Sounds like there are a few reputable places in Flagg, particularly Humphries.

I dodged the bullet of going through the hassle this time around, as I found skis at a shop on the Front Range of CO that is reputable, so I added some bindings to the order and they will mount for free. ogsmile

That was another thing that amazed me about Ski Pro - you can walk in there and pay MSRP on skis and bindings and they still charge you 10 dollars to mount? And if I bought just ski's it was 50 dollars. I have never heard of that. Obviously its not the 10 dollars, its the principle.
 

raisingarizona

Out on the slopes
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Joined
Sep 30, 2016
Posts
1,112
I second @kimberlin's comments about Humphrey's Summit Ski and First Chair. Humphrey's sold and fitted my boots, really well. They required a little adjustment after the first couple of days as is, I gather, common, but have been great ever since. They also mounted bindings on two sets of skis for me. If I remember correctly I think they've done at least one set of bindings for @kimberlin. For amazing service, Robbie at First Chair even came up to Snowbowl on his lunch break to find @kimberlin after she had left something at the shop ogsmile ...
Fun fact, Brian Dierker the owner of Humphreys Summit had a pretty big part in Into The Wild.

 

clong83

Stauffenberg!
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Joined
Aug 22, 2017
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180
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New Mexico
@kimberlin @Scottsdale_Ski @RobSN @Dryheat

Thanks for the insight, it is much appreciated. Sounds like there are a few reputable places in Flagg, particularly Humphries.

I dodged the bullet of going through the hassle this time around, as I found skis at a shop on the Front Range of CO that is reputable, so I added some bindings to the order and they will mount for free. ogsmile

That was another thing that amazed me about Ski Pro - you can walk in there and pay MSRP on skis and bindings and they still charge you 10 dollars to mount? And if I bought just ski's it was 50 dollars. I have never heard of that. Obviously its not the 10 dollars, its the principle.
I think I would argue about a $10 fee. It's not the money, as you say. In fact, the fact that it is such a nominal amount is kind of what is most insulting.

I've paid mounting fees when I brought in an old pair of skis or bindings and only bought the other item in store. And once when I got the skis and bindings on a steep sale, so I figured it was fair. I don't want stores to lose money on me.

But yeah, a $10 mounting fee, especially if they are charinging full MSRP, is just kinda kinda crappy.

Don't live in PHX, but not terribly surprised that the ski shops are iffy...
 
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Core2

Core2

Making fresh tracks
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When you go to Ski Pro tell them the edge bevels you want and type of base grind and they will set the Wintersteiger to do that tune. Otherwise you are at the mercy of a 17 year old who may or may not know what they are doing.
 
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