1) Bunny slopes out West aren't. Unless they're big fierce bunnies.
2) Powder is sooooo much fun. And soft, for when you fall over if you're me.
3) Enjoy!
1.1: See, now I'm scared. Vermont blue slopes are really as thrilling as I need.
Oh, I miss skiing. Have only done it three times, in Colorado, most recently ten years ago, but I am told that the mediocre skills I developed out there would make me look like a star out East. Very different baseline.
but see, LB, 1.2 & 1.3 make up for 1.1.
(Actually, I have no idea what I'm talking about, I went snowboarding for the first time only a few months ago in Tahoe, but the slope was bunny enough for me. Never been skiing.)
From everyone I've talked to who's skied both East Coast and out west, the biggest difference is that the runs are longer. I'm sure that if you went looking for double-black-diamond runs, you'd find a difference, but the greens and blues shouldn't be too bad.
But they're not icy! So it's a fun fierce bunny. You'll be fine since you can skiiiiiii.
I have zero skiing advice, so I'll just say Have fun, LB.
And Saheli, now that I see you in this thread I can say thanks for the really lovely Joss Whedon clip you posted a few days back. I sent it to a whole bunch of folks, and I don't usually do that.
5 is right. The skiing may well be easier in the west (less ice, to begin with).
But more important, have a great time on your long awaited and much deserved ski vacation!
I learned to ski as a child and found my skills came back quickly last time I tried. I'd love to do that vacation, which I'm sure you'll enjoy. Now that my mother lives in NM we'll get there soon, I think.
The snow out here in Utah is amazing. Extremely dry, fluffy powder all the time. I'd been to Mammoth and others in CA growing up, and the snow here really is different.
Last weekend I went ice skating on a pond for the first time in my life. It was way different from a rink and my ankles did not hold up for too long. This weekend I tried it again; but I did not realize that the snow that fell in the middle of last week would make such a big difference to skating conditions. It was practically impossible for me to get moving.
(Never been skiing except for some abortive attempts to learn cross-country as a teen-ager.)
11: It makes the accomplishments of previous figure skaters even more impressive when you realize that they skated in soft leather boots on poorly groomed ponds or rinks.
Or hockey, if we don't want to gay up the blog. At the Heritage classic hockey game a couple years ago, one of the very amusing bits of the game was when Gretzky and other famous retired players went out between periods to sweep the ice clean with little brooms.
Enjoy the snow, LB!
(But really? I mean, if you're going to go *on vacation*, why not go someplace warm? Crazy people.)
Have fun! I'm also going skiing out West for the first time, at the beginning of next month. I predict many amusing wipeouts.
League play in Canadian cities was just starting to use indoor when I played it, in the early sixties. Most of our games were outdoors, and the ice had to be swept during snowfalls—we played in some pretty heavy ones. Thaws meant games on surfaces with both soft spots and crevices. When I went back for a visit in '73, all games were inside, and rink time was scheduled in summer for little league games in the middle of the night.
Can I toss you some food recommendations?
First, find some Taos Cow ice cream.
Also, Joseph's Table is our favorite restaurant in NM (we live in Santa Fe). The bar and spa at El Monte Segrado is top notch too and the restaurant there is also excellent, especially for breakfast.
So—just to clear—this means that LB's going to be coked out for a week?
Ben has clearly never been to Taos. It's just one big coke party from start to finish.
I mean, if you're going to go *on vacation*, why not go someplace warm?
Don't you go bringing your decadent California values in to mess with LB's wholesome romp through New Mexico.
20: wholesome romp
And this just sounds improper.
If you want to see things other than ski slopes, Taos Pueblo is well worth a visit.
22: Well, yeah, what with all the coke.
Speaking of cold, by the way, it's seven degrees in Teoville right now with a windchill of 14 below, and I just got back from an epic three-and-a-half-hour trip to pick up a friend at the train station. Brrr.
83 and sunny, bitches. but I'm bored and I kind of want to go to phuket. I'm not going anywhere else until bali in june; does that seem right? my mom and I are going to the bali aa convention--so. wizard. cocksucker
28: Most of us use "bg" as a shorthand for Bostoniangirl, hence the confusion.
Yeah, you might want to choose something else, to reduce the possibility of confusion.
ummm... ok. How about I just use my middle initial instead? I know it doesn't have the class of bunghole, but I hope you approve, Dick.
LB, if you end up at El Monte and the pork and foie gras shu mai is on the menu, get it. One of the best things I've ever eaten, and I've eaten some seriously good food.
If you end up at Joseph's, consider a bottle of Domane Serene. It goes with everything. Its also one of the few restaurants in the state with the guts to put steak tartere on the menu (even if they cook the egg). It's a starter, but I once ordered that and a batch of their fries cooked in duck fat ($4!) as an entree and it was a great meal.
If you want New Mexican food, I hear Orlando's is the place to go, but I've never bothered.
Also, you know Taos Mtn. is hard, right? Its greens are everyone else's blues. But the snow this year has been great and Taos grooms terrifically.
Taos is steep. And I have seen ice there. But so beautiful. Take some lessons, you might enjoy it more!
I'm off to Utah with my daughter in exactly 2 weeks. Alta, Alta...
Now you're all Bernstein-Gelfand-Gelfand Category O. But don't worry, that'll only throw me off.
Whistler for Easter Week, at an insanely low price thanks to a friend not using her fourth week of a timeshare this year. Just hoping for some blue skies, sometimes rare on the wet coast.
ooh, i'm all tingly just thinking of it.
Yeah, two pieces that mostly echo things already said. Taos is about the last place you'd normally go if you're looking for easy. It's got the highest percentage of hard runs of, well, just about anywhere, AFAIK. If you like steep with moguls, Taos is the shit!
OTOH, it's big enough that you can still ski a lot without hitting any black diamonds.
And if you're used to skiing in the east you may find it easier than you expect, because in the west there is much less ice.
My dad just returned from a week at Taos and reports that the conditions were about the best he'd ever seen there or anywhere else. I'm jealous.
Whistler for Easter Week
Mmm, I've never been there. It's on my list to try soon. I hear it's amazing skiing with miserable weather. Someone told me of a day they spent there when it was sleeting at the bottom, snowing mid-mountain, and you came up out of the clouds on the top lift.