volklyokel

After reading all these responses: Santa, I NEED a set of boot driers, please??? I've not had a need of them since I usually have a few days between ski days and I allow the boot linings to dry naturally. Also, I don't seem to have much moisture entering in, anyway; unless it is a warm and wet day.

It HAS been a great start for the season. But the present kind of forecast makes me nervous. It's calling for 50's and upper 40's - yuck! Hopefully the hills will stay cool and those further north wil not be affected by this little blast of heat and possible rain showers. So lets keep banging the snow drums, praying to the cold weather gods and wearing those PJs inside out (hey, whatever it takes!) to keep it a damnned cold and long winter!! Happy Winter!! Vokelyokel

Okay snow hogs and board snakes. Here's a little math lesson... Below is an old USGS topo map of Rountop (there are two lifts missing). The top of Minuteman is around 1350' and the base of the run (marked in yellow) is about 895' above sea level. Thus the total vertical drop of Minuteman is something like 455' (yeah, I know - truly pathetic!). The scale is a direct cut and paste and shows the horizontal length of Minuteman to be about 0.4 mile which is 2112 feet. But what we ski on is the slope length which is computed from the Pythagorean theorem [ sqrt(455*455 + 2112*2112) ] = 2160 feet. So according to the rate of descent of my watch (~600 feet per minute), I'd have to be traveling about 32 MPH. The stopwatch part of my watch says I make the run in about 30 seconds which means I'm going more like 49 MPH, so the rate of descent, because of time averaging and other factors, underestimates the true descent rate and thus the overall speed of the downhill run. Obviously, to make this test, you have to ski on an early morning weekday. Do not attempt to make timed runs on weekends! You may now resume not giving a rats ass about all this and continue your plunge down, hopefully, longer runs than this one! Volklyokel

The Suunto gives a time averaged rate of ascent/descent. It seems to update about once every 30 seconds or so, and my guess is that it reports things on the conservative side. Here's why: At Roundtop, Minuteman is probably the best run to use for any kind of calibration since the slope angle is fairly consistent all the way down (its a little steeper at the top, kicks you off very nicely). I can make the full descent of Minuteman in about 30 seconds (in Super G style). Its about a 500 foot descent, so if you do the math, the descent rate (including start and stop time) is something around 1000 FPM. Because of the averaging of the watch and due to the fact that the slopes are so short, I can't get the watch to report anything above 600 FPM on Minuteman. So I'm pretty certain that the watch under-reports the actual rates of ascent/descent. It does better when you're making long and sustained ascents or descents. The highest I've ever had it (while skiing) was on a fairly long, groomed black at Solitude, called "Fast Lane," where the watch reported something slightly above 800 FPM. Anyway, regardless of equipment biases in the rates of descent, Exhibition and the bottom of Ramrod were very fast last Friday. Enjoy! - VY

[Posted a variation of this in the latest topic having to do with Stats, but I thought this should really be posted here, in case there are some "southerners" who might be thinking of making a Christmas trip to Roundtop] At RT on Friday, that was the day after the overnight light ice storm we had down here, I really wasn't expecting conditions to be that good, but as it turned out, they were pretty darned good! I'd call it packed powder with a tad of granular thrown in. Made for good edging. RT had Upper Lafayette's open, which was really great, having been groomed all the way across. I'll bet bumps will form this week on the right side. Susquehanna had a couple of brown spots to avoid. I didn't see rocks, but I didn't exactly stop to look either. I love that run; the S-turn just makes it great, especially the double-fall line, off-camber turn on the first curve--you can really test your edges in there. Exhibition was open without any of the park "toys" set in place, so it was like riding it in the old days. The whole of Ramrod was open too. The top was groomed so it made it pretty easy to negotiate although it was narrow in that steep headwall section. The bottom was wide open and fast on Friday. I hit 640 vertical FPM (according to the watch) on that stretch. Barrett's Trail is open, but on Friday it had some minor grooming "holes" that you had to keep your tips out of and watch out for. I'll bet those are all filled in by now. At RT this morning, 12/19, their web page reports that everything is open except Gunbarrel and the pipes and parks. All the green slopes were open, but I can't comment on them since I didn't ride them. We've been fortunate to have below freezing nights for ample snow making. I'll bet after Christmas, RT (as well as Liberty) will have practically everything open. Volklyokel

The midweek deal is probably because the whole hill isn't open yet, and to entice newbies to give the sport a try. Without doing a whole cost/benefit analysis, I think its kind of hard to explain why small hills charge nearly as much as big western resorts. For example, skiing Liberty costs $41 for an 8-hour pass. For $44, you can ride Brighton Utah all day long. At Brighton, you get Utah powder, three times the vertical, twice the number of lifts, more high speed quads for just three bucks more! There is just somethin' about that math... I know what it is, I forgot the airfare to get to Utah! And then the other way to look at it is to compare it to another outdoor pursuit. For example, a round of golf costs about the same amount, but you get far more exercise and fun on a ski slope over a golf course. So maybe skiing isn't such a bad deal. After trying out Liberty, Roundtop and Whitetail, Ali, you might want to look into getting an advantage card. One advantage card is good at all three hills. Enjoy your day tomorrow. Hopefully Liberty will be able to open a few more slopes. I might go for an evening ski at Liberty this week. - VY

Today (12/9) was the first full day of RT being open. Arrived around 9:30 and slapped on the Recons to start and made three trips down Minuteman. Heard from a lift operator that Minuteman had been groomed early in the morning but that about three more inches of snow fell on top of the groomed surface. It was a fun ride, but with so many folks having already been down it got choppy around 10AM. I moved over to Fife and Drum, smaller, but ungroomed. The Recons handled well in today's slight powder; and I'd call them "acceptable" on harder packed stuff. They will be just the trick for Utah powder which is considerably deeper, drier and lighter than the stuff we get here. I saw four other guys riding 2005-06 Recons, so they are definitely popular. After lunch, I went back to the Six Stars and just mosied up and down the Fife and Drum lift and worked on honing-in on my summer-degraded skill set on Fanny Hill, which was fully groomed. Only ran about 4800 feet of vert for the day, the bunny slopes are frightfully short. I left when the lift line began to last 10+ minutes. I figure that there will be many more days. Hope everybody enjoys their first day back on the hill. VY Links to today's pics: View from the top of Minuteman Top of Minuteman lift

RT is open! I just checked the webcams and it looks pretty empty (at 6:00pm). I'll be there tomorrow, Friday, hopefully at 9:00AM if the roads aren't too bad. Hope we get a good dumping of natural snow, I might get a chance to try the new K2 Recons tomorrow! Otherwise, I'll be on Volkl Six Stars. - VY

Probably just as well that we start the season with mellow trails. No need to risk injury on the first day out. Guess I'll stick to a noon arrival and just putt around on the bunnies. Glad though that there are a few more RT readers/riders. Ought to pass some stickers around and get the word out. Thanks, JoeG, for being the representative, too. - VY

I hope I'm not the only Roundtop poster here! But the RT web site say they're hoping to open on 12/8 at 4:00pm. Can't make that but I hope to go on Friday, arriving around noon. Look for a blue jacket & Volkl Six Stars - that'll be me. I'll bet they only have Minuteman and Exhibition open in the blues and blacks. I'll be surprised if Upper Laffayete will be open. - VY

Its interesting about the variety of experiences that others have had with footbeds. I have a set of Superfeet green/blue in my Dalbello V8's that I've been riding on for a couple of seasons now. They're awesome. I have been comfortable with them and felt like I had great support in all kinds of conditions. So, when I bought new Dalbello V-Tech boots today, I had them put a new set of the same kind of footbeds in as well. I kept the stock beds, just in case I wanted to switch back, but I'm not expecting to need to do so. My feet are pretty "normal." If you go with a new set of footbeds, you might need to take a twist or two off the center buckles to accomodate any slight rise in your instep. - VY

Today, I went to my favorite local ski shop (in Reisterstown, MD) to do a little "research" and came out having spent way more that I wanted on a new set of K2 Apache Recons. Its the second pair of skis in three years that that particular salesman has "helped" me to choose (thanks Van!). The thing is, he's really good and knows exactly what he's talking about. The Recons are being set-up right now and I'll have them by next Friday. I got them for Utah, but I'll ski them a little here to check them out, especially if we get a day with a nice natural dumping of snow. Then I'll ship them out west. Given that there was a thread that talked about Recons and 6 Stars in one sentence (now closed), I'm happy to broach that subject again, but until I get a chance to ride the Recons, I'm not sure I'll have a whole lot to say. Last season, I was in Utah during a stretch of time when little snow fell (which is abnormal), so most everything (even off-piste) was "packed powder" and my old trusty P50's did me just fine. This year, I'm banking on a slight shift in the jet stream to provide for a slightly more snowy period (hope-hope!) and so I figured what I really ought to have out there is something that will work in practically anything. Two seasons ago, I was in Utah when the Wasatch picked up 12 and 15 inch dumpings. To get the P50's to float, I had to really let them build up some speed. I looked kind of funny, and I felt like I was trying to do a keystone cops style of powder skiing. Everything was in fast motion. This year, if I should be fortunate enough to get that good powder I'm hoping for, during the couple weeks I'll be out there, I think the Recons will afford me a nice graceful ride. I'm having them set it up with Marker 1200 bindings and I picked up a set of Dalbello V-Tech slippers to lash onto them. So I'm looking forward to testing out the combo ASAP. Any other thoughts or comments? I'll post my first impressions once I've had the chance to test them out. VolklYokel - with a little K2 on the side

I was thinking more of the whole ambience of the place. I agree, glade skiing is non-existent, but I enjoyed cruising double blues and blacks that I had all to myself. Going down runs without thousands of others was a very fine experience. Plus the runs are long. VY

LOL! What a hoot! The Elk website looks really healthy. On the photo of the day page could be found the following: The temperatures may be to warm to make snow, but the snow is still bringing smiles to these faces . Elk plans to open in early/mid December weather permitting. Start Thinking Snow! November 27, 2005. Elk Mountain Ski Resort, Inc. | RR2, Box 3328, Union Dale, PA (etc. etc.) I skiied a couple of days last season at Elk and had a blast there. Go visit and support them. Its a big mountain and has the most "western skiing" feel of anyplace I've been in PA. - VY

Here's a follow-up complete with web cam photo. Taken on the evening of November 25, 2005. We might be open in a couple of weeks! Yahoo! - VY

The official e-mail sent out by Roundtop today (11/23) says they'll be making snow starting on Thanksgiving evening. If this trend of below freezing nights holds up, we might be on the slopes by early- to mid-December. Yippee! VY

Ski Press USA is a free magazine usually available at your local ski shop. This year you can download the whole issue in PDF format (14MB, zipped). Just click here. Its worth checking out because they've rated a bunch of skis. In my first perusal, I've noted the exceptional high marks for the following skis for 2005-06 (men's ratings only, sorry ladies) Rossignol 9X - rating 86.8, p. 22. Nordica Doberman GSR - rating: 86.9, p. 23. Fischer RC4 World Cup SL - rating: 87.9, p. 24. V

Thanks, Joe. All I had gotten was the "Ron" part. When I introduced myself, I asked, "Are you on the staff here?" And he replied something like, "yeah, they let me do a few things around here." Very low keyed. The ladies in the office giggled. But I did tell him that the grooming team was top-notch last year. He seemed pleased to hear that. VY

When at Roundtop, I snapped this shot of Minuteman. The trees were indeed colorful, but I do prefer bare trees with white snow, much, much more. Enjoy. VolklYokel

Stopped by the Roundtop offices yesterday and the folks were very helpful in allowing me to get my pass during a part of the day when the sign out front said they wouldn't be giving passes. The sign said after 3:00pm on Fridays and I arrived at 1:00pm. Also I met the new general manager while I was there and he's hoping for a banner year. As always, a season pass entitles use of Liberty Mtn and Whitetail. Roundtop offers a "mountains of distinction" discount too. Ski weekdays, non-holidays for 50% off and $10 off on weekends and holidays at: Shawnee Peak, Maine Jimmy Peak and Waschusetts, Massachusetts Crystal Mountain, Michigan Mount Sunapee, NH Bristol Mtn and Holiday Valley, NY Seven Springs, PA Jay Peak & Okemo, VT Wintergreen, VA New at Roundtop - paved parking lots down on the resort level (complete with fancy striping, but once we get all the snow we hopefully will get, we won't see those stripes until May). I'll bet the hilltop lots are still gravel, but I didn't go up to check. Also, a new storage shed for the grooming cats and lots of stuff that is "behind the scenes," but is integral to running a good operation. Some new tower guns too. $700K invested this season. Last year, I started my season on December 17th. Lets hope for a similar starting date. See you then VolklYokel

Awesome Shadows! I'm aiming for Snowbird, a return to Snow Basin (that place rocks!) and maybe a day at Deer Valley (after not having been there for a couple of years), and, of course, Brighton.

Here's a gallery of shots from the last two years. Enjoy! Images to dream with until the snow flakes start to fall (or the snow guns get cranked up): Ski photos, click here VolklYokel

I just want to add my thanks for expanding the PA ski hill coverage. Because I moved over the summer, I'll more likely be splitting my ski days between RT, Liberty and Whitetail, with a trip or two to Blue Knob. I've been a follower of PSAR for a while, hoping we'd capture the rest of the state. Thanks! Here's a shot from RT last year: Click on the image to see it larger. This is a view up Lower Lafayette's Leap in mid March 2005. This year, I hope to post a bunch more ski photos once the season starts. Hope to see you all soon. VolklYokel

Its not too bad of a place except that the vert is small and it can run thin in years that don't offer much natural snow. Now that I've moved to Westminster, MD, I'll probably be going there more this year than I had when I lived in Baltimore, and mostly went to Roundtop. I'll keep you posted once the season starts. Volklyokel

Well, I just finished my sixth day on the slopes. Went back to Brighton again. Now that I've adjusted to the time zone, the altitude and the length of the runs, it's time to return to PA's tiny hills again! I ran over 20,000 feet today and could have run even longer if it weren't for the bus loads of school kids arriving at 2:30. Hope I still get a few more days in the local PA hills before wrapping up the season.