OT: Snow ski recommendation

[greenbean.sixpack]

I-20 to dallas, hwy 287 to Amarillo, I-40 to Clines Corner. North to Santa Fe, through Chama, NM and in to Pagosa. I strongly suggest making sure it’s daylight between Chama and Pagosa.

my in laws live in Pagosa full time now and have a few VRBOs if your interested. We go 2 or 3 times a year and i absolutely love it up there. Plan on retiring there.

Once you hit Amarillo, get gas at every chance. IIRC, the altitude increases in NM and my mileage dropped by 5 mpg. You may be fighting headwinds also. I had a 1/2 tank leaving Amarillo and didn't get gas because there was another station showing about 75 miles away, when we got there it was closed. Sweated it out until the next decent sized city in NM (there aren't many).

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Once you hit Amarillo, get gas at every chance. IIRC, the altitude increases in NM and my mileage dropped by 5 mpg. You may be fighting headwinds also. I had a 1/2 tank leaving Amarillo and didn't get gas because there was another station showing about 75 miles away, when we got there it was closed. Sweated it out until the next decent sized city in NM (there aren't many).

Your loss in mileage was actually from climbing up to New Mexico elevation and the headwind most likely. Most fuel injected vehicles actually get better highway mileage at altitude because of the reduced air friction and oxygen in the air, less fuel is needed for the mix and the computer adjusts accordingly. You do lose some power though. That would not be the case with an old carbureted engine where it would dump a fixed amount into the bowl no matter the elevation. Now if you are accelerating a lot in city traffic you could theoretically lose mileage as your working hard to constantly accelerate.

I have made that drive many, many times from Amarillo to Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Most Recently this past July while pulling my RV. I actually got caught in a nasty wreck on 40 right before Cline's Corner. Luckily I had plenty of fuel and was able to hang out, piss, and make a Sammy in the RV.

But 40 from Amarillo to Cline's Corner is straight uphill and into the wind. Uphill driving hurts mileage regardless of altitude. On the same trip I got 12 mpg across Wyoming where it was flat with no wind at 6500' and I got less than 10MPG driving from Dallas to Houston with no wind at 400' of elevation.

 

[aTotal360]

I'm looking to book my next year's ski trip.

Has anyone ever skied Okemo Mountain in Vermont?

I want something easy since I suck at skiing and half of my family has never skied.

 

[SirBarksalot]

It’s been a while since I went. I was talking with my wife last night about going and taking kids (9 and 11). From what I could remember I think Breckenridge would be my choice. Park city was awesome and deer valley way pretty easy. Lots of long blue runs. But I think Breckenridge has more greens/blues and i think blue/blacks. Steamboat was my least favorite of all the places I’ve been.

If it’s been a while. Be prepared for sticker shock. We used to go every spring, and I usually would get a guys or work trip up a few times too.
The big resorts that are Epic or Ikon have pretty much priced me out. You can ski cheaper in Europe. I’ve also looked at some one the smaller resorts some mentioned.

 

[SirBarksalot]

'been a few years since me and the wife have gone (kids out of the house now) but the kids want to go to a ski resort for christmas next year and my wife is already telling me I'm not young anymore and I should be careful!

Skiing in December is a real crap shoot in regards to snow.

 

[SirBarksalot]

Red River, NM is pretty damn good and very reasonable. We went this past spring, and it was great. Beautiful mountain, and tons of easy and intermediate slopes. There’s a fun trail from the very top you can glide down on all greens.

Only downside was the idiots giving me boots that were too tight…. I could barely move my skis, and I lost two toenails. Feckers.

The tighter your boots are, the better you can control your skis…not saying yours weren’t too tight. Mine are pretty brutally tight.

 

[eckie1]

The tighter your boots are, the better you can control your skis…not saying yours weren’t too tight. Mine are pretty brutally tight.

I agree, but I’ve never lost toenails due to ski boots. You can’t have your toes crammed against the front of your boots all day. The tightness has to come with how the boots fit around your calves more so than that.

These guys also did it to a friend that came with us. The guys who snowboarded didn’t have the same problems, naturally. Either way, if I go back I’m gonna not worry about saving $$ and rent from the mountain store.

 

[SirBarksalot]

Any boots that 500 different people have had their feet in aren’t gonna be very good. If you ski every year, buying a pair of properly Fitted boots is a great investment. Emphasizing properly. I see people locally buying boots at a local shop being “fit” by a seasonal teen worker and I cringe.
Ive lost a toenail. Toe bang can cause that.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

The tighter your boots are, the better you can control your skis…not saying yours weren’t too tight. Mine are pretty brutally tight.

I just went out for a few runs this morning for the first time this year. And it's hard to beat a good pair of boots. My boot fitter explained it well. You want no movement in the calf, ankle, heel, or mid-foot. In the toes you want to wiggle them. To get that kind of fit, you have to have the liner and insole heat molded to your foot. Boots that are ultra tight are great for downhill, but you pay for it the rest of the day.

My boots are absolutely tìts. HF Nordica 120's. Rear entry with 1 buckle and it takes me all of 15 seconds to put em on. Game changer if you are not racing. Racing boots are ultra tight, but you have to take them off or at least unbuckle when your not going downhill. I need a boot that works all day, not just at 45 mph.

 

[hdogg]

I just went out for a few runs this morning for the first time this year. And it's hard to beat a good pair of boots. My boot fitter explained it well. You want no movement in the calf, ankle, heel, or mid-foot. In the toes you want to wiggle them. To get that kind of fit, you have to have the liner and insole heat molded to your foot. Boots that are ultra tight are great for downhill, but you pay for it the rest of the day.

My boots are absolutely tìts. HF Nordica 120's. Rear entry with 1 buckle and it takes me all of 15 seconds to put em on. Game changer if you are not racing. Racing boots are ultra tight, but you have to take them off or at least unbuckle when your not going downhill. I need a boot that works all day, not just at 45 mph.

My problem is, I have fairly large calves, and a tight boot will always result in loss of feeling in my feet. I have to unbuckle at every ski lift for the first 2 days to get my legs adjusted, and I've had the same boots for 15 years. If I don't, the pain is unbearable. So in theory you want tight boots, but I also need to feel my toes and feet, and I'm old enough to know which is more important.
Anyway, this rear-entry idea sounds interesting (thats what she said). Sounds like they would be more flexible and forgiving for me.

 

[dawglurker]

I just went out for a few runs this morning for the first time this year. And it's hard to beat a good pair of boots. My boot fitter explained it well. You want no movement in the calf, ankle, heel, or mid-foot. In the toes you want to wiggle them. To get that kind of fit, you have to have the liner and insole heat molded to your foot. Boots that are ultra tight are great for downhill, but you pay for it the rest of the day.

My boots are absolutely tìts. HF Nordica 120's. Rear entry with 1 buckle and it takes me all of 15 seconds to put em on. Game changer if you are not racing. Racing boots are ultra tight, but you have to take them off or at least unbuckle when your not going downhill. I need a boot that works all day, not just at 45 mph.

Just keep renting but don’t forget to mark that you’re a level three skier. It takes awhile to convince the tech guy to hike the din’s up to 15 on rentals, but so worth it. If those 2020 rental models don’t go to 15, just tell him to go to +3 washers. That way he’ll know your the best skier on the mountain.

 

[aTotal360]

You can ski cheaper in Europe. I’ve also looked at some one the smaller resorts some mentioned.

That is so true. If you can get cheapish tickets to anywhere in the Alps (Austria, Italy or Switzerland especially), you can definitely ski cheaper in Europe than out west. Prices out there are absurd.