Beckoning Bluebird Boostin’ & Mismanaged Mountain Mayhem – 02/25/08
Date:
February 23-25th, 2008
Location:
A well-known, rare, yet mismanaged ski resort south of Lake Tahoe
Weather:
Another 5 feet of classic Sierra Sea-ment came crashing to this rare part of the planet. The weekend was riddled with madness on the highways and interstates, coupled with wind held warriors wishfully waiting for the sun to be born again. Monday was that day. Bluebird, warm, and smooth.
Skiing Skiers:
666, Zippy, Skimoore, Powdork, Mishap, DJ Sapp, Telenater, Supu, Skiin’ Ian, JMetzler & Jrosen32.
Photographers:
666, Zippy, Jrosen32, JMetzler, Powdork & Skimoore.
Music: Concord Dawn – ‘Don’t Tell Me’
Synopsis:Good skiing….perhaps. Resort’s management? HA! LOL!
Skiing was good, super fast, more Sierra Cement than Utah blower, but just rippin’ snow. But what about everything else? (some facts taken from other threads on the issue)
1) Chair 7 wasn’t running (for no apparent reason) first thing.
2) I arrive at Chair 6 at 8:00AM, after leaving SF at 4:30 AM, to get in line for 2nd chair. At 8:40, the maintenance crew is replacing a shiv/wheel on the first tower. People leave the Wall chair. At around 9:00 AM, a guy in a black Kirkwood coat takes two civilians for a lap. Hmmmm, some guy asks the liftie ‘who’s that guy?’, she replies ‘maintenance.’ That’s funny, the other guys are in rental gear. Another 10 minutes goes by, and the group is back, taking another lap….definitely not maintenance. My thoughts…its after 9 AM, I woke up at 4:15 to secure a damn fine first run, and I’m not even skiing yet. They almost NEVER open the mountain on time when it snow 1†or more. By this time 10 is already raped (opened before chair 6).
3) Shuttles not running/sporadic.
4) Bulldozer broken down in the middle of the road.
5) At around 11:15 AM, the backside still isn’t open (big surprise). There is a lineup of around 200 people up and down the ridge waiting for patrol to give the OK. We wait a few minutes, and then the SAME guy in the BLACK Kirkwood coat with the two gapers goes through the line and starts skiing to the backside. We were standing more towards chair 3, so when we saw everyone follow them, everyone ASSUMED it was officially open.
Now at the bottom of chair 4, the lifties get all agro and tell everyone to leave, as if everyone KNEW it was still closed. At this point, the Kirkwood guy in the BLACK coat starts raising his voice to people, telling them ‘you don’t belong here, leave’. Meanwhile, his two guests are out in the distance away from the crowd. Patrol comes down, and tells us that he’s ‘going to starting clipping passes’ if we don’t get the hell out of here. Patrol was mandating everyone to take chair 3 back up and wait for the ‘re-opening.’ AT NO TIME, did any employee say anything like ‘look, there was a misunderstanding, and its actually not open.’ Every employee was hostile and accusatory for the get go. Especially, when 200 people all decided to ‘poach’ to the backside. Give me a freaking break. We got pissed, and just headed to chair 6. Nice way to keep customers eh?
6) Even after they opened Chair 2, it was on/off/on/off. Horrendous grinding noise at the bottom bullwheel at around 2 pm.
7) Clueless lifties from Argentina….I mean CLUELESS!
8) No electricity (whole place run on diesel)
9) Proposed lifts going to areas that only require a 15 min hike….wtf?
I’ve grown up skiing here, and in the last couple of years, the place has gone to utter shit. Lifts, parking, employees, not enough patrol to open the mountain at a reasonable time, it goes on and on. No wonder more and more people ski the backcountry.
RANT OVER, NOW FOR THE FUN SKI PICTURES
Some Storm Day shots over the weekend….
Jrosen32 funnels through Once is Enough….
One of Reno’s finest, Mishap is very comfortable in these rare parts….
Mishap ups the ante…goes big in Lower Sisters…
Jrosen32 takes cheese-grater alley…
Over to Waterfall area, Jrosen finds a coin slot…
And gets 1,000,000 points on his first man…
Again, the YellowHelmet gets some goods…
And hot on his heels, Mishap shows that even a guy named Mishap can fly…
This IS Mishap’s TR…he is killing it almost as much as Basom did in 05’…
Upper Chamoix is finally good to go….
JMetzler always finds the unique lines…even more weird is that he wears He-Man underpants.
The new Starbucks Bailey’s ‘n’ Cream drink really shouldn’t be released…
Skimoore eats some fog…
MONDAY!!!
OMFG…its going to be a good day!
This road has been groomed…I bet the Kirkwood groomer is still asleep.
Actually, its a balmy 8 F…
Vid capture shot from the Supu episode on Cheaters….
I’m sure it will open eventually…..
OH YEAH!
HELL YEAH! JMetzler getting SOME…
Skimoore stayed an extra day…cause’ 88 was closed the night before….true yet pathetic.
Over to Once…BOO YEAH!
Zippy’s turn…(Powdork angle)
ME LIKEY!
His air carvability is mind-blowing…
The TR’s would be more exciting if he fell more often…oh well
Skimoore drops in…looks lame from here. I was talking about Skimoore’s ass by the way.
Now this is more like it….
Teh CaMeRa maN…..skiing with camera around his neck. He was going to drop Hospital Air, but remembered that he had the best camera.
Zippy…earning Delta miles
Skimoore hits a 90 footer…
Top of the Wall is often equated to good times…
Especially before the 9 foot traverse tracks are set below the launch ramps…
Powdork has some photo skillzzzzzz…..
Jrosen skis down a WALL! OMG!!!!
666 having fun…with pockets full of shit.
Zippy finds a smooth air for everyone to enjoy…
and then the Lemmings followed…
PPPPPPPPPPPowdork as well…
Zippy yells for me to ‘air over the cave’…OK. Didn’t know people were actually tokin’ the super dank until I landed. Classic.
Zippy back in Waterfall area, looks like it snowed overnight…
Even Skimoore slayed it, and THAT’S saying something…
Zippy in Lower Cirque trying to fuck up his skis…
On days like this you can let the bass kick…
I didn’t pick this shot to showcase Skimoore’s epic air steeze. Rather, look at Thunder Saddle in the background…MMMMMMMMMMMM!
No Comment (photo by Powdork)…
LAME…
LAMER…..
LAMEST………
The Cirque…put that damn surface lift up there and open it up. Do that, and I’ll forgot the management and power issues, seriously.
Skimoore in outer Palisades…he’s been skiing behind me WAY too long. He actually looks like a great skier in this photo…thank you Adobe!
Zippy shows what happens to the Tahoe powder 4 hours after opening bell…
OK, he poured his heart out to make it look deep…
Jrosen on Norm’s left nostril…
….and from above. Man, the shit we do to get shots for these TRs…unbelievable.
Zippy tries to gain extra altitude…or one up his older brother.
New skis anyone….08/09 Comi, Ruby, & Donner Party.
Zippy goes Eddie the Eagle style…
His older brother finds a run called ‘splinter’….
His smiles tells me that he is ‘having a good time’…
Barely making to Kirkwood after an Early morning man-whore session at the Mustang Ranch, Supu skis through a shaft….
And comes flying into a white stash…
666 really likes his new Rubys…..mucho likey!
Zippy gets hella close to that cliff thingy…
Jrosen32 airs over it…
Supu makes a hard turn next to that super erect tree….
666 in a slasher film…..
Moment Ruby – the movie….
Hells Bells…..
JMetzler only skis powder….
Skiin’ Ian, Skiin’…
Supu sucks some Sierra SemenT…
He’s covered in the stuff…
Zippy is going the wrong way…
DJ Sapp isn’t….
Telenater gets his Alpinater on’…
Zippy in the meat of Oops…..
The guy in the red pants follows….
Its a Unidentified Flying….Zippy
Supu loves getting the hidden deep on a sunny afternoon…
The Spur is holding snow nicely….
And to think, just 80 miles away the grapes are starting to grow…
What home already? That’s to and from in under 6 hours 30 minutes. It took Shugs 7 hours to drive HOME from Squaw a day earlier.
This TR is brought to you by…
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