Mefi Summit

August 24, 2007 2:06 PM

How many skiers/snowboarders are there on Metafilter? I'm wondering if there is sufficent interest for a meetup/summit at a resort this winter. Perhaps if it is planned far enough ahead of time, Mefites who are interested can coordinate ski vacations.
posted by [expletive deleted] to MetaFilter Gatherings at 2:06 PM (61 comments total)

I know it must look like I'm really jumping the gun on this, with it still being summer and all, but I'd like to know if there is any interest at all. If there is, I'd also like to plan it well in advance. I'm a poor ski bum, and any trip I make this year will most likely be my only one, and I'll have to plan and save for it well in advance.

Finally, if there is enough interest, and people are interested in Whistler, I would suggest planning it for early December. Rates are low, the mountains are deserted, and it often has some of the best skiing of the year.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 2:09 PM on August 24, 2007

omg Canada? I was hoping for South Lake Tahoe... Anybody in here want to go there, I'm on board (skiis, actually).
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:13 PM on August 24, 2007

Yes Whistler. Yes wherever.
posted by k8t at 2:18 PM on August 24, 2007

Let's just go to the French Alps.
posted by jouke at 2:24 PM on August 24, 2007

Banff area?
posted by Totally Zanzibarin' Ya at 2:28 PM on August 24, 2007

Ambrosia, I'd probably be up for a Sierra at Tahoe trip. Heavenly's too expensive for me.
posted by small_ruminant at 2:31 PM on August 24, 2007

Any takers on a North Lake Tahoe trip? Someplace cheap and easy? (two words dear to my heart)
posted by small_ruminant at 2:32 PM on August 24, 2007

Jackson Hole, WY is sort of in the middle-ish of the US for east coasters, and has one of the best (and steepest) ski areas on the continent (my trip there ten (!!!) years ago).
posted by mathowie (staff) at 2:32 PM on August 24, 2007

I love skiing. Fuck if I'm going to go all the way to America to do it though :P
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:41 PM on August 24, 2007 [1 favorite]

small_ruminant: I'm interested. (if I don't move back to SoCal before then, I'm trying to.) I have access to free lodging in South Lake, which makes quite a difference.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 2:46 PM on August 24, 2007

Jackson Hole might be doable for me. I'd probably have to greyhound though. That would suck.

Still, I'd like to ski Corbett's Couloir just to say I did.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 2:48 PM on August 24, 2007

Sunshine Village?
Fernie?
posted by Totally Zanzibarin' Ya at 2:49 PM on August 24, 2007

I live in Utah, thirty minutes from the Greatest Snow On Earth^TM, and yet I don't ski. I don't like snow, or winter.

Go figure.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 2:51 PM on August 24, 2007

It looks like there might be enough interest for a few trips. Who is interested in Whistler? I can help find lodging, and have room for one person on my couch, and another on a cot.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 2:51 PM on August 24, 2007

Also, I've been dying to ski Rossland, if anyone is interested.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 2:55 PM on August 24, 2007

I ski, I live in Vancouver, and I do day trips to Whistler all the time. (I'm unlikely to go any further afield due to the cost.)
posted by PercussivePaul at 3:25 PM on August 24, 2007

Oh, hell, yeah!

How about Utah? I love the Canyons. And it's relatively central, so people can get there from the West and Midwest pretty easily.
posted by rbs at 3:27 PM on August 24, 2007

Paul, my email is in my profile. Feel free to drop me a line if you want someone to ski with. I'm up there pretty much every day in the winter.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 3:32 PM on August 24, 2007

Whistler. Snowboard.
posted by jeffamaphone at 3:40 PM on August 24, 2007

I'm in for Tahoe.
posted by miss lynnster at 4:10 PM on August 24, 2007

I ski. Mrs. Toxic snowboards. We usually get 30-40 days a year at Squaw Valley or Alpine Meadows.

We'd both be thrilled to see a mefi trip in the Tahoe area, and we might be up for a trip elsewhere, depending on dates and costs.
posted by toxic at 4:12 PM on August 24, 2007

I snowboard also, but Tahoe or Mammoth would probably be the farthest I could go. Besides, someplace with real snow like Whistler would probably kill me with orgasms.

And since we're talking about sliding around on sticks and planks, any meefs around SF that skateboard? I like vert parks. I'm always looking for an excuse to go to Crocker/Amazon or Pacifica.

That is, if you don't mind skating with a dork who is still too sketched to drop in on anything. But I do love pumping and carving tranny. I have fun. That's all that counts.

I know. The snark in you probably wants to make a joke about "pumping tranny". By all means, but just remember that I beat you to it.
posted by loquacious at 4:19 PM on August 24, 2007

Voting for Whistler. I was just thinking about this yesterday, actually.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 4:40 PM on August 24, 2007

Like, whoa -- a meet-up I might actually drive to go to! Tahoe, anyways. Whistler is grand but I've already blown all my vacation cash, sadly. I'm a big fan of Donner Ski Ranch as (a) its cheap (b) nobody ever skis there and (c) once you leave the pallid climes of California for Big Mountains, anything we have here seems equally turdy...

I will, however, sell a kidney if anyone is up for a trip to the Italian Alps. I know this little place, you see...
posted by Ogre Lawless at 4:41 PM on August 24, 2007

Stoke!
posted by [expletive deleted] at 5:16 PM on August 24, 2007

Toxic, do you and the Mrs. tour? If so, I'd love to show you guys around my backyard.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 5:28 PM on August 24, 2007

(Please oh please let there be some MeFite who works for a heliskiing outfit...)
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 6:04 PM on August 24, 2007

I'm a skiier, but I'm unlikely to go out west for it.

I also have no idea how to properly ski in deep snow. I pretty much literally learned to ski on boilerplate.
posted by Arturus at 6:11 PM on August 24, 2007

I have absolutely no skill in skiing or snowboarding, though I'd love to learn.
posted by jmd82 at 8:07 PM on August 24, 2007

Yeah, fingers crossed for snowcat/heliski MeFite!

I'm very interested, so long as some folks want to go ski steep and deep. Hucking, I can take it or leave it. Interior BC Rockies or Whistler ($$pensive) would be my choice.

Utah or Wyoming sound interesting, but current events have me reluctant to cross the border these days.
posted by anthill at 8:11 PM on August 24, 2007

Hell yes. YES YES YES!

Somewhere in the Pacific Northwest would be nice (Baker or Whistler?), but I'll fly — this is worth it!

mathowie's right, money can buy happiness.
posted by blasdelf at 8:18 PM on August 24, 2007

Anytime after the first week of December is perfect for me. I am so fucking down with this. Going skiing with MeFites is just about the best vacation I can possibly imagine. You guys are awesome.
posted by blasdelf at 9:17 PM on August 24, 2007

Well, it looks like there is enough interest in a Whistler summit, and possibly a Tahoe one. Now we just need to find a date that works for everyone.

Anthill, I'm game for steep and deep. These were taken this May. If you have touring gear, bring it. Not only will it help immensely with the steep and deep, but I can also show you a good skintrack that gets you up to midstation. Day passes are for chumps and fat people.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 9:21 PM on August 24, 2007

Anytime after the first week of December is perfect for me.

WTF?

Oh yeah - I remember.

Why didn't god think through the whole seasonal thing and go with a more designated area system. We could have skiing areas and surfing areas - and sunshine for our bbq's 365.

Stupid round earth policy.

Also and on topic, we nearly had tragedy down south recently. An avalanche at a ski field that didn't get enough snow to open.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 9:33 PM on August 24, 2007

Round earth? TIME CUBE!

First week of December is the last week of Fall quarter at my school. It's not like I'll have tests that count toward a letter grade or anything, just projects - so it's not really that big of a deal to skip out on
posted by blasdelf at 11:06 PM on August 24, 2007

Nice stoke, [ed]. I've only done slackcountry with snowshoes, but skinning to midstation sounds like a good time. I'll have to keep my eyes open for skins & trekkers.
posted by anthill at 11:15 PM on August 24, 2007

Let's us Bay Area Mefites plan some manner of Tahoe trip in a separate thread, okay? I would spearhead it, but I'm really trying to move away, actually, and might possibly bail on it in the end. :(
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:30 PM on August 24, 2007

To be honest, I wasn't expecting such a strong response in this thread. I didn't think it would transform into a planning thread per se, but just be a survey of who might be up for it. I was planning on posting a Whistler trip thread later on if the interest was there. I dunno, would it be uncouth of me to post another thread focused solely on a Whistler trip?
posted by [expletive deleted] at 11:57 PM on August 24, 2007

Anthill, if you have the funds, I would suggest getting a pair of Marker Dukes when they come out this fall. I haven't tried them, but everyone I've talked to who got a chance to demo them this spring love them. Don't let the name Marker fool you, they have totally redesigned both heel and toe. The old prereleasing toepiece is gone. Plus, from what I've heard and seen, they are more than stiff enough torsionally, even to handle Blue Mountain boilerplate.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 12:07 AM on August 25, 2007

I can do Whistler, Baker or Banff, on snowboard or skis. I live in Vancouver, so the Whistler day/weekend trip's the easiest for me. It's sunny enough that I'm still denying I'm going to need regular snowsports action to cure me of the the tv-tuned-to-a-dead-channel horror of the Vancouver winters ( Gibson lives in Vancouver, and I never really understood the start of that book until going through a winter here ), but it would be great.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 12:11 AM on August 25, 2007

Snowboarder here, planning on hitting Whistler at some stage this winter and Tahoe a lot! (Hell it's half the reason I'm shipping across the atlantic for a while!)
posted by TwoWordReview at 8:26 AM on August 25, 2007

When I plan a group ski trip, I usually just a pick a date far in advance and advertise it widely. People will adjust their own schedules. It might not be a bad idea to get it on the side bar now.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:35 AM on August 25, 2007

How does the weekend of December 15/16 sound? Hotels are still at early season rates, and if this winter is going to be anything like the last one, we'll have a 10ft base by then.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 10:00 AM on August 25, 2007

[ed], I've seen the TGR forums' reviews of the Duke, it looks good. I'm just cheap. Not too cheap to go to Whistler though!

Going to Utah/Colorado/etc. sounds good as well, do people think that there's got to be a north-south split?
posted by anthill at 10:01 AM on August 25, 2007

One-way airfare from T.O. jumps from $214 on Saturday December 8th to $356 on December 15th, then hits $376 on the 22nd.

So it'll cost out-of-province-ers a lot more to ski Dec. 15th than on the weekend before. How many are in that situation, I don't know.
posted by anthill at 10:06 AM on August 25, 2007

Hmm, in that case the 8/9 might be better. It might not make a difference if we get a lot of early season snow, which considering the la Nina effect, is pretty likely.

I'm hoping for a repeat of last year, with even the Peak and Spanky's open in Nov.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 10:12 AM on August 25, 2007

Utah/Colorado/Wyoming look tempting, but it looks like a Whistler/Tahoe split works for most people, since we seem to be concentrated in BC/PNW and the Bay Area.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 10:15 AM on August 25, 2007

I really don't know about early season snow at Whistler, but it seems like the hills around Seattle often don't open til mid-December. Cheap tickets are a good thing.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 3:38 PM on August 25, 2007

I hear there's decent fun at Stowe, VT, and I know that Le Massif, QC is a good time. Any east coasters interested?
posted by anthill at 3:40 PM on August 25, 2007

I could make it to Le Massif for sure, or anywhere in Quebec really, or Eastern US maybe. I'm probably no longer young and crazy enough to be driving all the way to the West coast to go skiing, but I dunno, maybe Fernie...

It's only August, though. I've a long-standing policy of not thinking about skiing until at least October.
posted by sfenders at 4:33 PM on August 25, 2007

If you decide on Utah, we have room at our house for four (or more, if you don't mind the floor) to stay, so you could save a bundle on hotels.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:52 PM on August 25, 2007

Also, my brother makes this monster eggnog with lighter fluid.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 4:56 PM on August 25, 2007

I'd definitely do Tahoe, but I might even be convinced to fly up to Whistler for a ski meetup. December seems like it might be iffy though - last couple times I went to Whistler in early January the snow cover was not that great.
posted by pombe at 6:14 PM on August 25, 2007

Anthill (and other people on this end of the continent), I'd be up for Stowe, or anywhere in New Hampshire/Vermont. Le Massif is probably farther than I'd be able to do this winter.
posted by bassjump at 8:48 PM on August 25, 2007

I ski. Love it. Would maybe make a meet in SLC.
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 9:19 PM on August 25, 2007

I think in the next few days I'm going to post an official Whistler trip planning thread and post it on the sidebar. The current date looks like the second weekend in December. For those of you concerned about snow coverage, take solace in the fact that it is snowing in the alpine as I type this. Seriously, even when it is bony for early Dec, there is always good stuff to be found here.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 2:45 AM on August 26, 2007

Good on you for getting this started, [ed]. I'll keep an eye out for the Whistler sidebar. As an out of towner I'd like to get the date sorted quickly so I can get my airplane tix and alert my folks and friends.

Sounds like we have a minor east coast contingent. Being a local, I'm happy to wait until October to start thinking about that.
posted by anthill at 10:10 AM on August 26, 2007

If anything comes together for the minor east coast contingent, I'll hopefully be able to join in. Sunday River?

My family just started skiing in February, so still learning (good motivation to learn quickly) but having fun and looking forward to this winter.
posted by mikepop at 7:33 AM on August 27, 2007

[expletive deleted], belay my request for the first weekend in December - I have to stay put and mark tutorial assignments. The 15th/16th will probably be better for everyone. And a few hundred bucks isn't the end of the world.
posted by anthill at 11:41 AM on August 27, 2007

antill, duly noted. I'm going to post the new thread as soon as MeTa will allow me. Alternately, I'll ask #1 to allow me to post early.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 3:56 PM on August 29, 2007

While I'm not sure if that weekend will work, the concept of a trip to Whistler really makes me happy. Definitely interested, and Rossland looks amazing.
posted by lilithim at 6:26 PM on September 3, 2007