sibhusky

Really warm today. Resort closes Sunday. No surprise, given the empty cafeteria.

Why bother waxing at all if it's only once a season, I'm wondering? It's only going to last about three days with the manmade snow. It doesn't work like lemon oil for wood, sinking in and staying there. It only goes so deep and eventually is skied out of every little hiding place in the structure and now needs to be replaced. You might get five days on soft snow at best. So, if an unwaxed ski is good the rest of the season, why do it at all? It's not "conditioning" the p-tex the way old ski "dope" conditioned old wooden skis. It's facilitating glide only as long as there is some actually on the ski. Once it's off and abrasion is occurring because the wax molecules aren't there to be sheered off instead, the ski's ability to glide on certain types of snow is increasingly impacted, but its ability to accept wax on the abraded (base burned) areas is also reduced. Slapping wax on after three months doesn't fix the abrasion, it needs a stone grind or sustained work with a base flattening/structure tool. So, I've gotta ask, if the slowly reduced performance after its three days with wax isn't bugging you, why do it at all? Maybe it's wishful thinking? Possibly the usual icy conditions there really don't even require wax for glide, and only fresh snow (natural or uncured man-made) would yield a benefit? If that is what's happening, then why spend the money? But your edges? Different story. You guys need your edges sharp. Here we need wax, but we can let the edges go most years.

I generally just store them in a dry closet, vertical, with a plastic dish under them to protect against moisture. No storage wax any more. I do all the work pre-season. I should do a binding check every season, but confess to doing it only alternate seasons. But pre-season, they'd get "the works". However, in your case, given the lack of use, I'd only do wax of the day and go ski. Depends on what they look like when you take them out of the closet if I'd even worry about brushing them. I've had skis look brand new when I took them out in October.

Spring conditions means the day is spent analyzing aspect angles vs. the sun, etc. to figure out what is fun and what is HELL.

Today.

It's a Forest Service date. You could always hike up. Bring your bear spray.

April 10

Haven't posted in a few days. You all would have been right at home in the AM. Rock hard corduroy, top to bottom on the front today. Fortunately for the sharpness of my edges, the back was better and things warmed up later.

Early morning.

Another near perfect day (one run that looked good, but wasn't. Warmed snow, suddenly got colder and way firmer than it appeared.) Severely edited set of pictures. They were all great.

My peak, and it'll remain my peak, was the year I slammed into a tree. My focus is on finishing the season in one piece. That being said, I expect I'll rack up another million.

We've got a new vertical king here. http://flatheadbeacon.com/2016/03/15/first-time-pass-holder-surpasses-6-million-vertical-feet-and-counting-2/

Powder day!!!

Still on my Hell and Backs. Going to be in the market for new ones soon, but the last two seasons have had so few days where I needed a wide ski, that I am still using them. I had to "re-learn" them today. SAD.

Some much-needed snow meant I took out my powder skis for the first time in weeks and weeks!

Friday was one of those days that people line up to take pictures. Today was a good day to bring your skates.

Yes

You could theoretically get to Whitefish from where you are by train. A bus to Philly, then train to Washington, Chicago, Whitefish.

Yes, it was entirely too sunny. Some snowboarder on the chair opined it had turned into a really nice day. Myself and the tele guy on my left sat in stony silence. That beautiful sun was destroying the light fluff not only on the front, but the deep stashes in the back. I had to keep my mouth shut about it not being a nice day if you had a clue. Sun is fine if it's 18 degrees or less, not when it's 30.

These days, it's not the actual Jersey Boys, which as far as I know was a one off. It's a lady from Kalispell. http://www.whitefishpilot.com/news/new-owner-at-popular-whitefish-pizza-place/article_92d2b728-d7f2-11e4-963c-97426a0ecfef.html?mode=jqm Oops, I was wrong. Started in Colorado. http://flatheadbeacon.com/2015/04/16/slinging-pies-and-finding-opportunity/

Article by a Canadian: http://calgaryherald.com/travel/ski-snowboard/heading-back-to-big-mountain

Type Justin Bieber Whitefish in Facebook. There's a ton of them.

Apparently I totally missed Justin Bieber eating at the Summit House today. Was too busy making sure I only took 25 minutes and got back out again, I guess. Not that I would have recognized him.

Ridge Run (Flower Point area) this AM. View of the Bowl after lunch.