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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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Dec 29, 2008 - 10:37pm PT
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Yep, he took one look and ran out of the building crying. I do that to some people.
I hope your ski trip works out Blue. Even a day trip can be fun.
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Dec 29, 2008 - 11:05pm PT
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Blue, you're not going to die going solo, especially if you stay out of avalanche terrain, and go places that lots of people go. I think all those places I've mentioned (and t*r of Hope Valley) are pretty safe and well-traveled - Eagle Creek is prob'y the least traveled and you may pass a slide path there, so least recommended for "solo". And, if she's really worried, you can ski the groomed trails at Kirkwood.
Sorry, I'm in Vermont until Jan 4th, where it is RAINING, so no skiing for me. :( (instead, I've become the mad-poster on ST)
Hope Valley = very pretty, and there are lots of other places nearby... Luther Pass Meadow, approach to Round Top Peak, meadows around Red Lake Peak, etc. etc. etc. I've never been to the Yurt, sounds cool. Otherwise, look for lodging in Markleeville if you can... its closer, super mellow, good price, has a HOT SPRINGS for $5 in town (open til 7pm, I think this year), and all the lodging is across the street from the Bar/restaurant (decent food). Or, camp. Maybe your wife and baby could come hang out there too - 'tis quiet, but pretty.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=508
http://www.tollstation.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/wolf-creek-restaurant-and-bar-markleeville
Or, if this place is open, ya'll get a kitchen:
http://www.carsonriverresort.com/cabins.html
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2008 - 11:26pm PT
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Geez, cleo, you're an angel, thanks for the beta!
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10b4me
Ice climber
the sads
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Dec 30, 2008 - 12:21am PT
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I agree about Hope Valley being a good place, also the area just up the road at Carson Pass
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orange crush
Boulder climber
ca
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Dec 30, 2008 - 01:41am PT
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Wrights lake should be fine unless we get another biggie
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Dec 30, 2008 - 01:19pm PT
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Those pictures of Hope Valley depict an ideal spot to get it all figured out and have some fun.
Did anybody answer the skate skiing question?
Cross-country skiing (XC) = classic = diagonal stride (practiced in groomed tracks or just out in the woods).
Originally all bindings were "three pin" = 75 mm Nordic norm.
The telemark turn was an ancient way of getting skis to turn well in ungroomed crud, (almost making 2 skis become one, so lots of stability in the turn, and no lifting them up out of the snow like in the parallel turn) and requires getting down so low that you need to have heel lift, so it works quite well with a three pin/75 mm Nordic norm (or BCNNN) platform out in the sticks. Many people just parallel turn on their three pin gear anyway...
Skate skiing (as independent activity) was essentially invented during a race by (Bill Koch?) as an adaption of the marathon stride, which is a technique where you have one ski going forward in the track, and another out to the side actually skating for propulsion.
Due to whatever conditions were prevailing at the time, it was found faster to just get both skis out of the track and skate side to side. Now well groomed Nordic areas all have a flat section next to the tracks for skating.
Most downhill skiers know how to skate and to alternately glide on a flat ski. More or less the same thing; it can take quite a while to learn it and get it down if you don't have prior experience.
Diagonal stride at its least sophisticated is much like walking, so learning to cross-country ski as an absolute beginner, using the diagonal stride, is much easier than learning to skate ski. True classic technique in the tracks for racing actually has very nuanced techniques as well, to be competitive, but just learning and adapting that basic stride can be fairly natural.
Kick and glide, kick and glide...
Way way old school, from the old country, known as "ski running".
A skate ski looks much like a classic ski, but it is in fact more rigid and there is never any intent to use the cambered area of the base as a wax pocket for kick (sticky) wax.
When most people speak of skate and classic, they are talking about two different skis with two different corresponding techniques, both practiced on groomed "Nordic" resort terrain.
Classic skis have hard wax on tips and tails for glide and kick wax in the wax pocket for propulsion. (Sometimes fish scales, or a waxless base in lieu of kick wax, in the wax pocket)
Skate skis are waxed tip to tail whith hard glide wax.
The bindings for these two groomed Nordic area pursuits are most typically of the NNN-style variety. Very narrow, with a little bar at the toe contact.
Bindings for cross-country skiing, using the diagonal stride in an ungroomed environment can be anything from three pin 75 mm Nordic norm, to cabled 75 mm Nordic norm, to NNN, or BCNNN.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Dec 30, 2008 - 01:27pm PT
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When I first started skate skiing (circa 1983, on nordic norm's) I likened it to the move you sometimes use to get over flat sections by the lifts in alping gear.
It's effecient though. esp with modern gear. I used to skate a bunch at Royal Gorge (if you don't mind spending $ for a day pass, Blue, you might look into it, a short drive from the bay area)I could do 50k skate ski runs in 1.5 hrs less time than my ave trailrun marathon time (2:25 vs ~4hrs)
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atchafalaya
climber
Babylon
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Dec 30, 2008 - 01:54pm PT
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Blue, check out Clair Tappaan Lodge on Donner Summit. Cheap, food included, groomed ski trails for xc/skate out the back door, and rentals of skate, xc, and snowshoes. You can head up to the backside of Boreal and Donner ski ranch on groomers and possibly poach some turns. They normally dont check tickets. Or cross the street and xc Norden Lake to Sugarbowl....
http://www.ctl.sierraclub.org/outings/lodges/ctl/moreabout.asp
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