I definitely want to go snowboarding. Please keep me in the loop!

Mtns just 6 hrs away might be opening at the end of this month! from http://www.skibeech.com/

Ski Beech has its sights on opening next weekend.
11.22.06 07:30 AM

Ski Beech has its sights on opening next weekend. We have been building a base with our snowmaking since Sunday evening, and it is looking really good on Upper and Lower Shawneehaw down to Freestyle where there are still some thin spots. Rising temperatures and some light rain forced us to turn off the snowmaking at 1:00 AM on Wednesday. We will not be open this weekend, but we do see another cold front arriving in the middle of next week that should allows us to add to the snow we have already made. Our plan at this time is to shoot for opening next weekend. If the cold front does arrive, then we should be able to do just that. Stay tuned to this site for updates on the weather and a projected opening date. It is time to make sure you have your gear in order, skis and boards tuned, bindings checked, your ski clothing cleaned and ready to go, and check to see that you have good goggles and sunglasses for the season. A clear goggle lens is probably the best choice for night skiing, and your favorite ski and snowboard shop should carry a clear lens goggle.

Correction. Sugar Mtn, near Boone, NC, is open NOW! They\'ve only got a few runs open, but more will be opening soon, and my tentative plans for a snow trip in December have just become definite. I\'ll let you guys know, and if you have some time off, anyone is welcome to join me/us. I know my brother and most of the Stolaas\'s will be down.

I am ready and the board is waxed

Ever been to Winterplace in West Virginia? I went a few times and loved that place.

I think Winterplace is the man.

I think I went to winterplace a couple of years ago. At least it was somewhere in West Virginia. It was nice, but the snow was pretty slushy, not very good conditions.

This year I am going with my church\'s college group to Colorado... not sure where though. It\'s either Winter Park, Breckenridge or Keystone. I\'m really excited about it! This will only be my second snowboarding experience.

Not Winterplace, but Snowshoe last year, very nice and many trails

Snowshoe, thats it, thats where I went, not Winterplace.

i\'d definitely like to go to snowshoe. i don\'t know if that\'s where i\'d like to go in December, but Jan./Feb. sounds do-able. i lean more towards NC \'cause it\'s so much closer. leaving after work one day, arriving that night around midnight, and riding the very next morning is ideal. whereas for virginia, i\'d have to dedicate an entire day just to driving (i.e. no work that day, which means one more day of vacation that i can\'t use for snowboarding, which is what i\'ve been saving up my vacation days for!). you can also ride all day in NC, and leave as soon as you get off the mtn, and be back to H\'ville that same night, which all equals more riding while spending the least amount of time and gas money.

but, like i said, i\'m all about trying out snowshoe this season, at some point or other.

I suppose we have it good in southern California. Mountains and snow are 2.5 hours away, beach is 15 min away.

yeah, rub it in!

I finally found out where exactly my college group is going in Colorado. We are heading to Winter Park, you can take a look at our accommodations here if you want to. I\'m really excited!!! This somewhat lessens the disapointment of not being at the LAN in Jan... but not much. :(

winter park is my old stomping ground. it\'s no less than epic, esp. when compared to anything on the east coast. be sure to check out the mary jane side of the mtn. less crowded, and more open terrain, not to mention they get more snow than Summit County (Breck, Keystone, A-Basin, and Coppper).

I\'d help drive the extra time if you guys want to go to WV.

how much further is WV?

It\'s about 3.5 hrs above Knoxville.

WV cost more for lodging, but if we can get a few more people to go there it would end up costing hte same. WE NEED SOME PEOPLE!!! RAPTURE - FB - JDOGG - ANYONE WE NEED PEOPLE IF WE WANT TO GO TO WV. Snow Shoe is kick butt but we need people!!!

Can\'t go :(

Winter Park is nice. I\'ve been once. However, I\'ve been told by friends all the Denverites make the trip out there. Especially on the weekends, so it can be very busy sometimes.

How long are you going to be out there Slayer. I personally can\'t stand staying on one mountain the whole time. Even something huge like Winter Park. If you can, try hitting up Vail or A-basin. Vail\'s back bowls are some of the most fun you\'ll have skiing or snowboarding. And A-basin is just insane.

I\'ll will have 3 to 4 days of snowboarding. Thanks for the tips guys, I will be sure to keep them in mind while I am there. I am pumped about this trip! Can\'t wait!

Out of curiosity, what\'s the learning curve like for snow skiing and snowboarding? Can someone learn it in a weekend and be having fun by the 2nd day, or do you need several excursions to know WTF is going on?

The year before last was my first experience snow boarding. The first morning I started off on the beginners slope, which was nothing more than a very shallow, very short hill... which was also extremely crowded. I think they call it a bunny slope? ...something like that. Anyway, it took me a few hours, but that afternoon I was on a blue trail, which I believe is moderate in skill level. I picked it up fairly quickly, and I anticipate re-learning even quicker, considering that the conditions I learned in last time were pretty sad. I look forward to actually boarding in real snow, not fake ice. I think four to five hours will get you to where you are able to do fairly well... at least you will go a good distance before you fall. :)

I have no experience in skiing and very little snow boarding. Someone else will have to tell you about skiing though.

Don\'t you live in CA? Shouldn\'t you know how to at least do a switch fakie varial heelflip on a skateboard? Snowboarding should be similar.

Personally skiing was fairly easy to get a hang of(couple hrs),and by the end of the day was very reverend..snowboarding on the other hand(for me)took a good part of the day to get a hang of the basics well enough to have fun.It was very frustrating,I felt like giving up at some points(personal problem?)..my knnees and butt were jacked,and I ached everywere.but it was sooo worth it! I would strongly suggest u try snowboarding the first chance u get.

D15AV0W3D could give you better advice, but Myth, Convict and Myself started two years ago, this will be our third season and we are what you would call intermediate.  The first day on the slopes (if you have no one to teach you like Convict and I) it will take a whole day to learn to stop.  Stopping is the most important step to learn.  Once you learn this the first or second day you will learn the \"falling leaf\" which is a process or stopping with heal side and gliding from one side the other.  You can get down the mountain this way but by the end of the run your Quads will be on fire!  Since you have learned to stop heal side, begin working on stopping with the tow side.  This is MUCH harder then heal side and can take a good part of the day learning this because it feels unnatural to turn into-towards the slope which you are already flying down and insane speeds.  But the good news is, by the time you learn the toe-side stop, you would be able to ride toe-side as well.  Now switching between toe and heal side take a lot of pratice and a lot ouch this is what you aim for, a nice back and forth motion down the hill and being able to stop on either heel or toe.  All-in-All, I would give a three day trip to learn just the Heal side stop, Falling leaf, Toe side stop and toe side ride.  Most likely you will not be able to Carve down the mountain on your first visit.  Oh and did I say you will get hurt like hell the first three days too. The first few times down you WILL fall every 5 to 10 seconds all the down the run.

the only busy thing about winterpark is the drive, since it is at least 25 miles off of I-70, on a little two lane highway winding up and down through the rockies with switchbacks that get pretty sketchy when there\'s snow on the road. the fact that it used to be owned by the city of Denver meant that alot of folks were loyal to it. not to mention there\'s a train that runs from downtown denver straight to winterpark, and back again that afternoon when the lifts close. now it\'s owned by Intrawest, which also owns Copper Mtn.

i lived in Denver for 3 yrs, and most people went to either breck, keystone, a-basin, or vail/beaver creak. all 5 resorts are owned by Vail, so one season pass for around $350 is good at each location. i agree with you, though-- vail is just sick. it\'s HUGE. a-basin is NEVER crowded, so you can\'t go wrong there. keystone gets crowded with the most tourists. breck is kick-ass, but the locals have this air of superiority on their hill that gives off a bad vibe. my all-around favorite is Copper Mtn. killer terrain, friendly vibe, and easily accessible.

glad you asked! i\'ve done both, and my favorite is snowboarding, for sure. but, my personal preferences aside, the biggest difference between skiing and snowboarding, besides the obvious, is the learning curve. skiing is by far easier to learn, in the first 2 or 3 days. snowboarding takes several days just to be able to carve your turns both toeside and heelside, as opposed to just turning from side to side while basically side-swiping down the hill. but then, the curves reverse. once you\'re comfortable with skiing, progressing becomes more difficult. snowboarding\'s learning curve is sharp, once you\'re carving, riding switch, etc., it becomes easier to move on to more challenging terrain (steeper runs, powder, jumps, rails, etc.).

as with all things, it\'s all a matter of what you feel comfortable with, not to mention the fact that some pick up things better than others. skiing was always difficult for me, but i picked up snowboarding in two days. aaron, curtis, and stephen picked it up quickly, as well.

I can\'t really speak for snowboarding. I did two runs on a friends snowboard, and put my ski\'s back on. Although I have heard skiing is easier to learn. I couldn\'t say for sure.

Both have a pretty steep learning curve. The basics though are pretty simple. You should pick them up the first day. Though be ready to look like a complete moron for the first 3 or 4 times you ski. But don\'t expect to be really carving done the slope until you\'ve gone almost a dozen times. Also the first day, taking a beginners lesson is pretty important. Without it you\'ll be lost. Unless you know a good skier. Who doesn\'t mind showing you the ropes.

Skiing is just one of those things. It is hard to learn. But once you get good. It is just insanely fun. Plus I see 70-80 year old guys doing it. Although your kind of screwed though, Cali doesn\'t have any good skiing from what I hear. ;)

When I went skiing I saw those guys with the \'trick\' skis that are shorter than normal ones, man that looks like even more fun than snowboarding. It looks like its a little easier on the knees than regular skis.

I picked up skiing in a couple (2-3) hours or so. It\'s really a matter of getting to the point where I was confident enough to turn and stop with the body instead of the feet. I will probably have to relearn a little the next time I go since it has been so long. I can definately say we were having fun in one day.

They are called blades and they are a lot of fun. They are a lot easier to use than normal skiis and I used them exclusively the last time I went skiing.

switch = fakie (double negative), so of course he can do a regular kickflip on a skate deck. he\'s still working on riding fakie and doing his tricks switch, though-- but give him a break, he hasn\'t been in Cali long enough....

pretty soon he\'ll be using the word \"hella\" incessantly, wearing trucker hats to the side, and listening to indie pop.

Anything\'s possible...except the part about indie pop.

That would be hella wierd.

Josh, I won\'t be able to come this time. I need any extra cash I have for x-mas gifts.

I wish I had extra cash. :cry:

Gears of War will do fine for me.

no worries, ryan. the stolaases backed out as well, and that made it a little too expensive for me and critter, so the trip is off. the conditions were going to be a little on the warm side, so it isn\'t a huge deal, but i was still looking forward to it. oh, well... i\'ll be in Colorado by this time next week, so i\'ll get plenty of riding in then.

in january, though-- it\'s on like donkey kong, biatch!

Dude, you seriously need to get that game.

+1 its a killer app

Won\'t do him any good if he can\'t get on his 360 to play it. :)

[glow=blue,2,300][shadow=red,left]It has been dumping snow out in CO, and I will be at Copper next week, riding powder like this:[/shadow][/glow]

...only I won\'t be on skis, and it will probably be powder up to my waist. This pic was taken at Copper in November, when there wasn\'t that much snow!

That is hella cool.

I\'m excited.

Hey guys and girls, some of you know and a few of us here enjoy snowboarding and try to go a lot in the winter. Well that time is almost here again. To get some of you interested I am showing you all this link to a movie that stars myself, Convict, Myth, and HubCab. I have more videos of us snowboarding when we are much better but haven't edited them yet.

You can check it out on my blog at: http://www.curtisstolaas.com and navigate to the Movies & Albums page. There at the bottom you will see the Ski Beech 2006 video. The other videos are locked for family members or others who wish to see them with a password.

Like I said, I have more video and will be editing them soon.

See you on the slopes!!!

http://gallery.mac.com/curtisstolaas#100000

Being from oour lowest border, I have yet to experience much in the way of snow, and subsequently snow sports. fill me in on whats needed and involved and I would just DIE to go.

srsly, beaner wants winter sports.