eleveneightnate wrote: Tue Feb 28, 2023 8:32 am
Update: Colorado is officially a complete shit show beyond anything I've seen previously and it sucks all the life out of snowboarding that I love so much. I've been here for 15 years (with a short stint in Oregon), and I've never experience such awful traffic and congestion on the mountain as I have this season. Showed up to WP around 9 last weekend, traffic took 3 hours from the Springs (normally 2), main lot was full, Mary Jane lot was full, overflow lot was full, overflow to the overflow lot was almost full and we barely got in. Waited in a mile-long line to get on the bus, bus dropped us off to mile-long lift lines, took a few runs shoulder-to-shoulder with every kook from the Midwest in DOPE anoraks, waited in more lines to get a beer, then said fuck it and went home. Even the damn mushroom patch was tracked out with people on vacation TikTok'ing it and that's an OG "locals" hush hush spot. Took another 4 hours to get home, so 7 hours of driving when it should've been 4.
I say these things like I didn't already know them. I need a surf trip to somewhere isolated to clear my head.
i stopped going to WP on the weekends ever since the ikon got introduced, it is WILD how crowded it became. i waited in a line for super gauge in '21 that was longer than any line in vail i've ever waited for.
basin has been great this season, and i have had a few pow days at vail on the weekends and didn't wait in lines. day tripping on a saturday is getting truly ridiculous though, lots of friends aren't riding nearly as much anymore because of this.
i haven't been keeping a log this season, but i am well north of 50 days (got laid off last day of november) and have had such a great season. quite lucky how things turned out. a little over a month before i must work again, time to get back to Utah and beyond.
edit: definitely go on a surf trip, will help put things back in perspective and all of the casuals will stop going to the mountains in a few weeks
YukonCornelius wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 4:14 pm
i stopped going to WP on the weekends ever since the ikon got introduced, it is WILD how crowded it became. i waited in a line for super gauge in '21 that was longer than any line in vail i've ever waited for.
basin has been great this season, and i have had a few pow days at vail on the weekends and didn't wait in lines. day tripping on a saturday is getting truly ridiculous though, lots of friends aren't riding nearly as much anymore because of this.
i haven't been keeping a log this season, but i am well north of 50 days (got laid off last day of november) and have had such a great season. quite lucky how things turned out. a little over a month before i must work again, time to get back to Utah and beyond.
edit: definitely go on a surf trip, will help put things back in perspective and all of the casuals will stop going to the mountains in a few weeks
Yeah man, it's just nuts these days. Same with Copper. I have 15ish days this season is all because I just don't feel like dealing with it a lot of the time. Sucks because my stoke for snowboarding isn't what's dwindling at all... just dealing with getting there and the crowds.
It's looking like Costa Rica is in the cards soon!
Man, it seems like here in Washington that every storm we are getting a ton of wind so lots of windholds and avy danger. Hoping to have the next 5 days off and get some decent riding in though.
YukonCornelius wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 4:14 pm
i stopped going to WP on the weekends ever since the ikon got introduced, it is WILD how crowded it became. i waited in a line for super gauge in '21 that was longer than any line in vail i've ever waited for.
basin has been great this season, and i have had a few pow days at vail on the weekends and didn't wait in lines. day tripping on a saturday is getting truly ridiculous though, lots of friends aren't riding nearly as much anymore because of this.
i haven't been keeping a log this season, but i am well north of 50 days (got laid off last day of november) and have had such a great season. quite lucky how things turned out. a little over a month before i must work again, time to get back to Utah and beyond.
edit: definitely go on a surf trip, will help put things back in perspective and all of the casuals will stop going to the mountains in a few weeks
Yeah man, it's just nuts these days. Same with Copper. I have 15ish days this season is all because I just don't feel like dealing with it a lot of the time. Sucks because my stoke for snowboarding isn't what's dwindling at all... just dealing with getting there and the crowds.
It's looking like Costa Rica is in the cards soon!
awesome, i'm trying to get to mexico before april, but wow at flight costs.
i also understand why a few of my friends hardly ride/ski anymore and mostly sled...
benjinyc wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 8:48 am
Mexico gets crowded, no? I'm heading back to northern Nicaragua, prob least crowded in Central America
Depends where you go. Lots of spots in the Puerto Vallarta/Sayulita/Punta Mita area that you can have to yourself. I think people have caught wind of Nicaragua and are blowing those spots up now, too. That part of the world has tons of waves, though, so it's easy enough to find less crowded breaks. Sharing a lineup with 20 people is still better than 7 hour round trips on i70 and standing in lift lines for 30+ minutes a run haha.
benjinyc wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 8:48 am
Mexico gets crowded, no? I'm heading back to northern Nicaragua, prob least crowded in Central America
Depends where you go. Lots of spots in the Puerto Vallarta/Sayulita/Punta Mita area that you can have to yourself. I think people have caught wind of Nicaragua and are blowing those spots up now, too. That part of the world has tons of waves, though, so it's easy enough to find less crowded breaks. Sharing a lineup with 20 people is still better than 7 hour round trips on i70 and standing in lift lines for 30+ minutes a run haha.
yeah absolutely, i will gladly take a 7 person lineup! flights to PV for various date i've looked at are outrageous though, so not sure that will happen for me....
also, i would check out eldora, pretty fun terrain on rider's left of the mountain, and a very enjoyable drive vs. summit/grand county destinations.
benjinyc wrote: Thu Mar 02, 2023 8:48 am
Mexico gets crowded, no? I'm heading back to northern Nicaragua, prob least crowded in Central America
Depends where you go. Lots of spots in the Puerto Vallarta/Sayulita/Punta Mita area that you can have to yourself. I think people have caught wind of Nicaragua and are blowing those spots up now, too. That part of the world has tons of waves, though, so it's easy enough to find less crowded breaks. Sharing a lineup with 20 people is still better than 7 hour round trips on i70 and standing in lift lines for 30+ minutes a run haha.
Northern Nicaragua will always be empty, everyone wants to go south. The two weeks I was there I barely saw anyone else. There was absolutely nothing to do there outside of surfing and fishing, so probably explains why. Restaurants/Bars/Clubs - nada.
I do have some plans to go to Salina Cruz later this summer when they have swell.
Still trying to find the right balance in winter travel for snowboard versus surf.
