Hey everyone,
I am a new member of this forum and thought I should share my thoughts on skiing this winter. This is my first season seriously skiing. I scoured Craigslist, Reddit and pretty much every ski website and put together a ragtag group of equipment on my college budget. Unfortunately, I'm rocking theses beasts, but they have done the job so far.
I've skiing been at three hills this year.
The hill I've hit the most is Afton Alps. I bought an Epic College pass and have been around 9 times. I have a wide-open senior year schedule, so I go some Thursdays and almost every Friday. Its been a nice place to practice my skiing, but man does it get old, especially when theres a crowd. I never go when I know there is a crowd, unless there is fresh snow. I can stand the crowds and wait when I'm with some buddies or a couple beers deep, but I can't stand it by myself. I do not like waiting 4-5 minutes in a line to ski a 20 second run. At this point, I see going Afton as an activity like running: it is repetitive, but it gets me outside and in the fresh air. I just shuffle east to west across the mountain, doing each run about two-three times, then head home. I do love the Sallys Valley run. Usually there is nobody there and I ski straight onto the lift everytime.
I also went to Wild Mtn after New Years. It was one of those nights when the moisture had frozen in the trees, so it was very pretty. It is a nice little hill, but a little too small for a non-park skier like me. It is a good deal for students, though. My high school-aged brother got a season pass for $160.
I've also been to Welch Village on a Friday morning. Its a bit more out of the way then Afton from Minneapolis, but I loved it. It is a great hill. The wide blues and blacks right out front are much longer and steeper than Afton's and much more fun. In addition, the back bowl is pretty cool. The runs were a little icy and don't have much of a runout, but there was still lots of powder when I skied through. The lift placement is a little weird, though. I think the best looking runs in the "bowl' aren't off the lift. There is a kind of bowl type shape in the "bowl" area, but the lift services the "Afton highlands"-y terrain there rather than the mini-bowl. Honestly, there is some potential for glades here. I really hope that Ikon buys this places and pours a ton of money. It has much more potential and bones than Afton, and I'd love the ability to be part of a larger pass network. It would further the corporatization of skiing, though, which is kind of worrying, because I like the local flavors each of the resorts have. I love geography and environmental science, so its fun to think about the biomes or ecosystems that each of the hills is part of and makes use of.
I will definitely get the Indy pass next year, but I'm actually thinking about buying it on the $159 spring sale right now. I've never been to Lutsen or Spirit. I don't have class on Thursdays or Fridays and the North Shore is my favorite place in the world, so I have mighty itch to pay $159 right now to ski until the snow is gone.....What do guys think?
I am a new member of this forum and thought I should share my thoughts on skiing this winter. This is my first season seriously skiing. I scoured Craigslist, Reddit and pretty much every ski website and put together a ragtag group of equipment on my college budget. Unfortunately, I'm rocking theses beasts, but they have done the job so far.
I've skiing been at three hills this year.
The hill I've hit the most is Afton Alps. I bought an Epic College pass and have been around 9 times. I have a wide-open senior year schedule, so I go some Thursdays and almost every Friday. Its been a nice place to practice my skiing, but man does it get old, especially when theres a crowd. I never go when I know there is a crowd, unless there is fresh snow. I can stand the crowds and wait when I'm with some buddies or a couple beers deep, but I can't stand it by myself. I do not like waiting 4-5 minutes in a line to ski a 20 second run. At this point, I see going Afton as an activity like running: it is repetitive, but it gets me outside and in the fresh air. I just shuffle east to west across the mountain, doing each run about two-three times, then head home. I do love the Sallys Valley run. Usually there is nobody there and I ski straight onto the lift everytime.
I also went to Wild Mtn after New Years. It was one of those nights when the moisture had frozen in the trees, so it was very pretty. It is a nice little hill, but a little too small for a non-park skier like me. It is a good deal for students, though. My high school-aged brother got a season pass for $160.
I've also been to Welch Village on a Friday morning. Its a bit more out of the way then Afton from Minneapolis, but I loved it. It is a great hill. The wide blues and blacks right out front are much longer and steeper than Afton's and much more fun. In addition, the back bowl is pretty cool. The runs were a little icy and don't have much of a runout, but there was still lots of powder when I skied through. The lift placement is a little weird, though. I think the best looking runs in the "bowl' aren't off the lift. There is a kind of bowl type shape in the "bowl" area, but the lift services the "Afton highlands"-y terrain there rather than the mini-bowl. Honestly, there is some potential for glades here. I really hope that Ikon buys this places and pours a ton of money. It has much more potential and bones than Afton, and I'd love the ability to be part of a larger pass network. It would further the corporatization of skiing, though, which is kind of worrying, because I like the local flavors each of the resorts have. I love geography and environmental science, so its fun to think about the biomes or ecosystems that each of the hills is part of and makes use of.
I will definitely get the Indy pass next year, but I'm actually thinking about buying it on the $159 spring sale right now. I've never been to Lutsen or Spirit. I don't have class on Thursdays or Fridays and the North Shore is my favorite place in the world, so I have mighty itch to pay $159 right now to ski until the snow is gone.....What do guys think?