Locked anything in for 10-11 yet?

[EMSC]

Thought I'd kick off the the standard thread about who has locked themselves into some skiing for the coming season. Instead of just the usual destination trips I figured I'd add in those that are locking in season passes to.

Myself: My season is clear as mud to some degree with a roughly 1 year old baby/family balancing act.

* I'll have an Eldora pass as usual, but going to Gems card and 4 packs outside of that. I won't get enough days on any other pass this year to justify it.
* Trips: planning to hit the Beaver Creek World Cup again for a weekend... the annual boys trip of brothers/cousins is coming my way to Frisco/Vail area this year so not really much of a trip there for me personally... though that may turn into a full week partially further west depending on the brother... also trying to get a week long Canadian trip going that fell through last year... That's about it that I know of. Everything else will be random days I can sneak in around family time as it appears today.

[Staley]

I'll have a pass at Mammoth (and June) and free tickets at Baldy, so all my time will likely be spent there. First trip I'm locked into is December 9-12 in Mammoth, which will very possibly be marginal, but it's completely free, so why not? I'll probably also head up the opening weekend (November 13-14) just to get back up on snow. I'm thinking I'll also plan on 4-7 days before second semester starts, as I'll have to buy the plane tickets from Chicago in advance.

Otherwise, I'll have many weekends in Mammoth, a few days at Baldy (pending snow), spring break (one week) in Mammoth, and Cesar Chavez weekend in Mammoth.

I predict nearly every day will be spent at Mammoth, with June and Baldy days thrown in here or there.

Goal for this season: 50 days. It will be tough due to no family ski vacation and probably no weekly 4-day weekend like last semester, but possibly doable. Much depends on the snow, as I stopped going to Mammoth last year when the conditions weren't great.

[Marc_C]

My usual: an AltaBird combined and a 10-pack (since they no longer sell 6-packs and I had days left over from last season) at Solitude.

Now all I need to do is rehab my hand so I'm able to grip a ski pole (and put on boots and myriad other little tasks).

[jamesdeluxe]

I'm rolling the dice with an early season trip from Dec 12-19: five days in Grand Targhee/Jackson Hole and two days in SLC. My insurance policy is that I'm booked on Delta through SLC. If bad luck strikes and winter hasn't shown up in the Jackson region by then, I'll just scrap the connecting flight and stay the entire week in SLC.

I'm also in the early stages of planning a week in the Alps, not sure where. It's been FIVE YEARS since our last Euro trip, and this season we're making it happen (barring a season-ending injury).

[Tony Crocker]

NASJA is in Alyeska March 2-6. I will go early and revisit Chugach Powder Guides after my epic taste of their operation in 2007. Thus no Canadian trip this year. I will fly directly from Alaska to Utah for my Iron Blosam week March 7-14.

I'm working on one more destination trip in January, but it's still in the planning stage.

Since I will be retired, I'm hoping to let short term weather forecasts influence the timing of other skiing in 2010-11.

[Staley]

When you say you'll let short-term weather forecasts influence when and where you ski, are you referring to driving up to Mammoth at any time during the week, or actually flying (to Jackson, Seattle, etc) for something like a 3 day trip?

Also, now that you're money will be worth more than your time, do you think you'll consider driving to places like SLC rather than flying? On really short notice (<2 or 3 days), I'm sure flights are extremely expensive, and if you can find someone to split the cost of gas with, driving will surely be cheaper. Then again, driving to SLC does take 10 hours, so are you willing to make that drive?

By the way, if I knew conditions would be great, I wouldn't be opposed to making that drive to SLC once this upcoming semester. I'm thinking something like leaving Wednesday afternoon at 5pm, driving 5 hours, then sleeping 5 hours while the other person drives, skiing Thursday to Sunday, leaving at 4:30pm, getting back to Claremont at 4:00am, and going to class on Monday!

Someone must want to do this with me.

[Tony Crocker]

I will drive to either Mammoth or SLC.

I'm thinking something like leaving Wednesday afternoon at 5pm, driving 5 hours, then sleeping 5 hours while the other person drives, skiing Thursday to Sunday, leaving at 4:30pm, getting back to Claremont at 4:00am, and going to class on Monday!

I did that in 1990 and 1991. As a retiree I will allow a drive day in each direction and presumably be well rested to hit that powder. I have taken a drive day to my Iron Blosam week the past 2 years.

[Staley]

Well, let me know if you ever want an overeager companion who gets free gas money. i kind of doubt anyone else from my school is crazy enough to drive to SLC.

[Admin]

Under the right conditions it's a 10-hour drive. Not that crazy.

[Staley]

It's probably even doable by myself, but I don't have access to a car on short notice; hence why I'm dependent on someone else. I'd definitely like to make it happen at least once this season if I know Utah will be getting snow and Mammoth won't.

[Tony Crocker]

Under the right conditions it's a 10-hour drive. Not that crazy.

No it's not crazy at all with more than one driver and a comfortable vehicle. In that era I once drove with Richard through the night to Steamboat and then back from Vail. But that one was a 10-day trip. At any rate this is one of the key advantages of living in the West for families or those on a tight budget. If you have a week and a car, you do have a lot of late decision options.

[q]

I'm totally locked in for my trip in March/April.

I fly out March 16th to Missoula and home from there on April 12th.

I'm staying with my friends in Philipsburg for about 6 nights where I will use my seasons pass for Discovery Basin before heading off for 3 days and two nights in Kalispell. On the way up I might ski Teton Pass before a couple days at Big Mountain. I'm then back for 6 nights in Philipsburg.

After that I spend 11 nights in SLC before heading for home.

Cant wait.

[Marc_C]

I fly out March 16th to Missoula and home from there on April 12th.

I'm staying with my friends in Philipsburg for about 6 nights where I will use my seasons pass for Discovery Basin before heading off for 3 days and two nights in Kalispell. On the way up I might ski Teton Pass before a couple days at Big Mountain. I'm then back for 6 nights in Philipsburg.

In case others are as confused as I was before firing up the Google servers. There's a Teton Pass ski area in Montana that is indeed on the way from Philipsburg to Kalispell that is not to be confused with the famous Teton Pass B/C area that is actually in the Tetons in WY and 5 hrs in the opposite direction.

[Admin]

In case others are as confused as I was before firing up the Google servers. There's a Teton Pass ski area in Montana that is indeed on the way from Philipsburg to Kalispell that is not to be confused with the famous Teton Pass B/C area that is actually in the Tetons in WY and 5 hrs in the opposite direction.

And under new ownership and in the process of expanding:
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/News/2 ... -Ski-Area/

[pointpeninsula]

One week early January at Snowmass, and one week the end of January at Sunday River.

Apart from those two, I've got nothing special planned. I split a 10-pack of tickets with a friend for the local hill (Bristol Mt in NY). A few of us generally hit Killington for a few days after the peak season is over, as an end-of-the-season trip, but we don't schedule that until a week or so beforehand, to give us some slim chance of avoiding lousy conditions. (Yeah, right.)

Tom