Virgin Trip Solo 4/24/2004

[MontanaSkier]

Well, I made my first Tucks trip on Saturday. I was pretty bad weather although I knoew this going in. I have been trying to go for about 10 years, so I finally made it. My buddy who was supposed to join me bailed Friday night, so I decided to go by myself.

I hiked up pretty quickly and had a great hike. Tuckermans is definately the steepest and best skiing in the east, and the ammount of snow there for the middle (end maybe even) of April was amaizing. I was also surprised by the number of people who were there, and especially amaized by the ammount of non skiers that would hike that for to watch, but after watching the antics myself I can see why!

I know the snow wasn't the best. I had a good time, and I will go back again once more before I make my final judgement, but I found myself wanting more. I just got done with six years of "school" in Montana skiing things like

and

so after listening to everyone (here and elsewhere) talk about how great tuckermans is I was very excited to go myself. I also though it was going to be a lot bigger. I was also surprised by the pitch. From all the stories I've heard I though it would be a lot more intimidating, and quite frankly steeper. Now don't get me wrong, it is steep, I just was expecting more. The other wierd part is that when you hike things like this in Montana, there would be a forest access road that would let you drive up to the equivaletn of HOJOs, so a 2 hour hike would put you almost up to the summit. Now don't get me wrong, tucks is awesome in terms of east coast skiing, but for all you hardcore people that love it so much, do yourself a favor, and take a trip out west sometime! I'll be back for sure.

Obligitory shot:


Ben

[DMC]

I've ridden

Signed out and hiked the ridge... It was awesome...
and

Signed out and did the A to Z chutes but the main chute was closed due to filming some movie.. It looked REALLY steep... So - it may be possible that some of us actually ski out west

You really need to get there earlier and get onto Dodges and Catherdral. Or Dutches.. I think you'll find your "more" then... You really only saw a small piece of what actually skiable..

[RR]

Tucks is great, but most of us get to quite a few other places in the East. There's plenty to do, places to go and folks to ski/ride with.

Stay tuned, we may even have the occasional BC BBQ. Plans fell through this winter, but planning has already started for next year!

[M@]

Hey Ben:
Glad you made it up. And thanks for the fresh tux picture.

Did you ski anything in the ravine while you were there? I wanna make some trips out west, or across the pond, and would love to be able to find something similar to the chute or the lip. They are pretty damn steep, but not terribly long... and really hard to get the the beginning of your run.

I think one of the often overlooked plusses of the ravine is that the lip and headwall runs end in the bowl, so it's not "as much" of a no-fall expierence. You've got quite a bit of run out and usually no big boulders in your way.

M@

[cliffhuxtable]

Goto MT ST.? The ex-ladi lives in Missoula, but I've spent some time with a good college buddy in Bozeman. Great town...almost made one drive out permanent. Holloween 2 years ago I did Sacajewea/Hardscrabble. Hiked up BB and did north bowl. Must get back during mid winter conditions and get on the ridge. I love how its a "ski area"....check out Mad River next year. As for a BS equivalent out here...check out Jay Peak, my other home away from home.

As for Tucks, like the othe guy said. You've just scratched the surface. Lots to explore. Hillmans area aint no joke!

[MontanaSkier]

Originally Posted by DMC

I've ridden
So - it may be possible that some of us actually ski out west

You really need to get there earlier and get onto Dodges and Catherdral. Or Dutches.. I think you'll find your "more" then... You really only saw a small piece of what actually skiable..

Not doubting anyone has skied out west, and I apologize for making it sound like tucks isn't great, it was just after all I've heard (and the sources must be noted) I THOUGHT it would be a lot different. That is all. Also I just wanted to share some other great places to go when the people here (who I think would love this terain also) get a chance to go out west.

Ben

[cliffhuxtable]

That pict next to my message aint moi. Anyone know how that got on there?

[MontanaSkier]

Big Sky has some great terain for Steep runs with a Runout... The gullies 1,2,3 all come down above a bowl, so they are fun, The whole backside of Lone Peak has some great runs (Lenin, Markz) that are open below, but the grand daddy for steep out there is Big Couloir. Is is at least 45 degrees the whole way, and the sides get up to 55 degrees in places. (If you don't beleive me I have pictures with my inclomometer (sp?) to prove it). It has a nice dog leg halfway down though, so if you are planning on falling, don't do it on the first half. After the dogleg, it's a typical chute that then opens up into a nice apron and then flattens, so falling on the bottom half is fine. Chutes A~Z are great there too as they runout onto a nice flat section below with not much to worry about, except that they are all right in fron of the line for the tram, so you will get laughed at if you do something stupid, but you will get the cheers you deserve if you do deserve them!

At Bridger, the Ridge is full of surprises, except a lot of the runs up there don't have perfect for runouts. There are some 200' cliffs up there with nothing more than a cliff sign on the top, so you need to know where you are going, and scout things out from below before committing (unless you can huck and stick a 200 footer!!!) but the billygoating has it's rewards, as I've found some chutes up there that I couldn't fit my skiis through sideways, but with Chest deep snow (and I'm 6'4") you don't need to worry about those things!

Jackson, is well Jackson... It's getting to be too much of a resort down there for me now, but it's terain is amaizing, especially BC, but I have only been there a few times, so I will leave any comments on it to people who know more about it.

Targhee is another great mountain that is usually uncrowded. They let you ride the lift up the face, and then drop in on the backside for some wicked BC skiing. The problem here is that you ski, and then you hike so you can ski a lot farther than you wanted to hike back out without knowing it. The also have one of the steepest lift serviced runs I've ever skied. I skied it before the new quad was there when you had to hike it, and it's only about 2 turns on the steepest pitch, but that pitch is over 50 degrees. Although when I wnet back last year, that some pitch was a cliff due to lack of snow...

I will post some Montana ski pictures tonight if I get a chance, but in the time being, here is a picture taken near Bridger (it's in the background by the sun). Click the link to see this full size. This is a self portrait.

BIG PICTURE LINK

[cliffhuxtable]

Feel exactly the same way ab. JH. Great mountain ruined by greed. Tram lines on schooldays are downright unbearable. Their snow report are most in- accurate I've ever seen. Even locals were telling us that. They reported 6" after 1.5" of gropple one day last March. But don't get me wrong, the place rocks if you get some local know. Hobacks are Zen-like.

I enjoyed Targhee much more. Smaller, easier to know. Perhaps you're speaking of the cliff band now accessable off the Sacagewea chair. That thing absolutly rocks. You can start small and work youre way up to triple digits for sure. I couldnt stick my high 25' attempt, but I will be back for sure.

Sounds like MRG will fit you just fine. JP has the most deversified terrain on the right coast with out west like snowfall totals. The Face offers short, but sweet chutes slightly above the treeline, that chuck you into more glades than you can shaked a stick at. I'm down in PA and have skied up in VT for 14 years and those are my two homes.

Sugarbush is decent and relativly big. Stowe is good, but small with hike to above tree line chutes, but the the punk zambonies infested that place in the mid-90's. Pico next to "K" is OK. Magic in S. VT rips if the snow is good. The rest are money sucking vampires with so, so terrain.

As for NH, the Greens in VT ring out most of the snow before it gets over there, so areas due east see much less of the white. Wildcat and Cannon are pretty good though.

BTW-Know a rider named Justin, aka Spanky or Jibber out in Bozeman???

[RR]

In the same way that Daytona get's folks attention even though Talledega is faster...Tuckerman Ravine is a "birth place" experience.

What's more, the crowd is sophisticated enough to reward spectacular with the same joy as the stellar or The crowd goes wild...but if there is an injury there's no trouble getting volunteers to help with evacuation.

It's a family experience, a great big, wild and wooly family. Just make sure you remember where you buried the beer

[MontanaSkier]

Originally Posted by cliffhuxtable

Their snow report are most in- accurate I've ever seen.

Except for maybe Killington...

Originally Posted by cliffhuxtable

I enjoyed Targhee much more. Smaller, easier to know. Perhaps you're speaking of the cliff band now accessable off the Sacagewea chair. That thing absolutly rocks. You can start small and work youre way up to triple digits for sure. I couldnt stick my high 25' attempt, but I will be back for sure.

Yep, except I've skied them where the whole lower section is covered in snow and you could SKI down them, not huck...

Originally Posted by cliffhuxtable

BTW-Know a rider named Justin, aka Spanky or Jibber out in Bozeman???

Nope, not that I can remember. Skied with a small crew most of the time though. If he's a bridger guy, I'm sure I would recognize him though.

As for where to ski on the east. I love stowe, Haven't made the treck to JP since I've been back from MT, and have spent a lot of time at Waterville.... I still have my college ID, so it's 3 hours and $30... I will be going to JP Next season. I also grew up skiing (Racing in the junior program until my Dad would let me quit) at PICO so I know that place like the back of my hand. This is also why I know Killington has innaccurate reports as we would get the same snow, wake up and hear Pico say 3" which was close to right and then drive over for a race at killington to find the same snow, but 12" on the report. We used to joke that they had someone with a bumb knee drag it throught the parking lot and then measure how much there was. They are also the only mountain I have ever been to with snow making in the parking lot!!! Used to have it until the K1 chair was replaced with the gondola...

Ben

[Castlerock]

So Montana, what did you ski at Tucks?

[Huckasaurass]

All I ahve to say about all of this banter is TARGHEE ROCKS.......

And the terrain at JH.....including the hobacks.....is some of the sickest i've seen/skied, and i'll go back time and time again!!!!


NUFF SAID!!!

matt

[MontanaSkier]

Originally Posted by Castlerock

So Montana, what did you ski at Tucks?

"The Chute"

[P-HUG]

I skied whistler this winter and hit couloir extreme, which is supposed to be the steepest in bounds run there. I didnt think it was any steeper than the lip.
It really felt alot like left gully though, but steeper and a bit narrower.