Off to Vail in about a week, good snow apps?

Nellybelly333

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All I can tell you is don't be cheap when it comes to gear. Especially pants and gloves or mittens. I prefer mittens as they provide me with a less of a chance of jamming a finger. But I snowboard so if you are going to ski go with gloves. You want to be prepared when you are out there.

And in Vail find the local grocery store and buy Gatorade there... unless you want to pay $6 for a small Gatorade while you are on the mountain. :)

Great point Ash...

BRING YOUR OWN FOOD TO THE MOUNTAIN!

It is highway robbery there. Everything is priced about 300% above normal.
 

dooks88

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OK, long post here...

I feel that I can give a ton of insight. I was in your shoes 3 years ago... and I'm a Florida boy too.

I have gone to Beaver Creek CO (just out side of vail) for 3 years now. First year, I decided to ski. It was my first time ever being on snow or a mountain. I took a half day lesson which included a full day lift pass, lesson, and lunch. Think I paid around $150. I took my half day lesson and it went very well. After lunch I did a few more greens, then ended the day with a blue. I took my fair share of falls, but I it wasn't beat up too bad. I did blues for the next 3 days.

Second year I wanted to try snowboarding. Took a one day lesson. Didn't really "get it" till day 3. After 7 days strait on the mountain, I was doing blues. My body was beat to hell. I mean every inch of me was throbbing.

This year I bit the bullet and purchased my own snowboarding gear. It was a great choice for me since we go every year. I spent 4 days on the mountain this year, and did only blues. Hopefully next year I will be doing blacks.

Tips I learned:
- Buy your pants, jacket, etc from a place like Burlington coat factory. I got all Columbia brand gear for very cheap.
- Waterproof (or as best as possible) gloves
- Goggles. I bought a nice pair of Oakleys. I think its worth it to spend the money here.
- I use a helmet. I am not in complete control of myself on the mountain, and don't feel like going Sonny Bono on a tree.
- Bad Ash is right, food and drinks on the mountain are highway robbery. I paid $9 for a 16 oz bottle of Gatorade on top of the mountain.
- Skiing is WAY easier to learn. Also WAY easier on your body.
- Snowboarding, though harder to learn, is much more fun.
- Last thing... if you snowboard, use wrist guards while you are learning or you could end up like my girlfriend...

 

JustinHorn

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Dooks, thanks for the long post, great tips.

- Buy your pants, jacket, etc from a place like Burlington coat factory. I got all Columbia brand gear for very cheap.
Didn't even think of checking there. Just picked up a pair of Obermeyer pants for 40% off MSRP which came out to about $135, but hopefully will last me for years to come. I have a decent jacket already that should work fine.

- Waterproof (or as best as possible) gloves
I have a good pair of Spyder gloves. I bought them just for wearing in NYC, but they are ski gloves so should be good.

- Goggles. I bought a nice pair of Oakleys. I think its worth it to spend the money here.
I've had a couple people tell me if it isn't snowing then sunglasses would work, but as I will be eating a lot of snow when I fall (hopefully not too much) think I'm better off with goggles.

I found a pair of Spy Zed goggles for $90 that looked nice and came with 2 lenses, but a bit more than I wanted to spend. I also saw some Oakleys for only $50, but they didn't fit quite right. Think I'm going to see if I can borrow a pair from a friend, but if not I might just have to suck it up and spend the money on the Zed pair that fit nicely.

- I use a helmet. I am not in complete control of myself on the mountain, and don't feel like going Sonny Bono on a tree.
I think I'll probably rent one and pick one up for the second year.

- Bad Ash is right, food and drinks on the mountain are highway robbery. I paid $9 for a 16 oz bottle of Gatorade on top of the mountain.
Ok, everyone has mentioned this and I know I might sound dumb, but where do you keep all these drinks and food on you while you are skiing?

- Skiing is WAY easier to learn. Also WAY easier on your body.
- Snowboarding, though harder to learn, is much more fun.
Yeah, going to just stick with the 3 day lesson for skiing and then maybe try snowboarding next seasons. Also, going to make sure I'm in better shape before next season so I'm up for boarding.

- Last thing... if you snowboard, use wrist guards while you are learning or you could end up like my girlfriend...
I love that bear, I want one! Hope your girlfriend healed up ok and wasn't scared to give it another try
 

Leanna Lofte

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Ok, everyone has mentioned this and I know I might sound dumb, but where do you keep all these drinks and food on you while you are skiing?

You can rent lockers. Or you could even get a cheap little cooler and keep that in your car. I don't know how much lockers are at Vail, but I know when we went to Loveland, they were pretty reasonable. You're gonna wanna rent a locker anyway to keep your shoes in.
 

rknowlt

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On the sunglasses vs. goggles decision it all depends on the day. I am a big time snowboarder so I own a few pairs of high end goggles as well a nice pair of Oakley Frogskins for the spring days. Two weekends ago I was in the froggies, yesterday I wore a pair of goggles, it all depends on the day. Either way quality is pretty important, cheap goggles will fog, and cheap sunglasses are gonna leave you squinting.

I agree with badash on the mittens being a good decision for avoiding jammed fingers, but I don't think you are going to want to wear mittens this time of year, unless you like having extremely sweaty hands.

Helmets are always a good idea. I am always in complete control when I ride, but a fall from a 50 foot jump can always go badly, and you can never control the other people on the mountain. I'm fairly certain I have a concussion from yesterday and I was wearing a helmet, I can only imagine how bad things might have been without one.

I have never been to Vail but when I ride at home at mountains in NY, or even in Salt Lake City I always leave my backpack in the lodge tucked into a corner somewhere. It's never been an issue, but I do know it's a risky practice. I keep spare gloves, layering options, and lunch in my bag.

I am very jealous of you. All of my local mountains are closed after this past weekend. Looking forward to Thursday to hike the park with some friends, and then waiting for next year after that. Although I did book my flights for next winters Salt Lake trip today!
 

dooks88

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Dooks, thanks for the long post, great tips.

I found a pair of Spy Zed goggles for $90 that looked nice and came with 2 lenses, but a bit more than I wanted to spend. I also saw some Oakleys for only $50, but they didn't fit quite right. Think I'm going to see if I can borrow a pair from a friend, but if not I might just have to suck it up and spend the money on the Zed pair that fit nicely.


Ok, everyone has mentioned this and I know I might sound dumb, but where do you keep all these drinks and food on you while you are skiing?

on the goggles, make sure they fit correctly. I have a large head, and most of the goggles pressed on my nose making it harder breathe. Also get ones that the lens can be swapped out. And remeber that you may be putting them on over a helmet. Makes a big difference there.

As far as the drinks go, you can wear a camel back if you want. I never do it, but I see tons of people on the mountain with them.
 

dooks88

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You can rent lockers. Or you could even get a cheap little cooler and keep that in your car. I don't know how much lockers are at Vail, but I know when we went to Loveland, they were pretty reasonable. You're gonna wanna rent a locker anyway to keep your shoes in.

lockers is a good idea. the parking situation in vail is crappy. its pretty far from the slopes, so you wouldnt want to be going back and forth.
 

rknowlt

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And remeber that you may be putting them on over a helmet. Makes a big difference there.

I don't know how old you all are to tell you for sure which way to recommend, but most of the younger crowd is going with goggles under the helmet. Hat, then goggles, then helmet. The trend started about 2 years ago, I have no idea why, or how it started. But if you are under 25 years old or so and are trying to not look like a kook I would def recommend the goggles under the helmet approach.

I think it would be uncomfortable to wear a camelback, and in my opinion a camelback on the mountain immediately qualifies someone for super kook status. Not to mention if you are learning you are going to want as little weight to deal with on your person as possible.
 

dooks88

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I don't know how old you all are to tell you for sure which way to recommend, but most of the younger crowd is going with goggles under the helmet. Hat, then goggles, then helmet. The trend started about 2 years ago, I have no idea why, or how it started. But if you are under 25 years old or so and are trying to not look like a kook I would def recommend the goggles under the helmet approach.

I think it would be uncomfortable to wear a camelback, and in my opinion a camelback on the mountain immediately qualifies someone for super kook status. Not to mention if you are learning you are going to want as little weight to deal with on your person as possible.

i'm 26... To be honest, I never tried wearing my goggles under my helmet. Even if I wanted to, I physically cant. Like I said, I have a large head (size 7 3/4 new era cap) and my helmet fits too snug. I have the XL RED Hi-Fi, and there isnt enough room. Plus, the helmet had an indentation and hook for the strap.

I agree about the camelback thing. Doesnt look pretty for sure. Maybe you could wear it under your jacket.

As far as looking cool on the mountain, I realize that I will never achieve that. I look like a bear sliding down the mountain on a piece of wood. I have "ski" pants and jacket that are from Burlington coat factory.

I would love to buy some new boarding clothes. Some of the stuff I have looked at is so much nicer than what I have. Problem is, I only go 1 week a year. For the other 51 weeks, it stays in a bin under my bed. Oh, and snowboard clothes are crazy expensive.
 

rknowlt

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All valid points. Doesn't make sense to spend all your money of snowboarding stuff that only sees one week of use.

Pretty much all helmets have that helmet indent and hook, for whatever reason the snowboarding community just stopped using them, it's one of the many strange trends in snowboarding. Many people do still wear the goggles over the helmet, but the majority of kids and profesionals have made the switch to under.

No worries about not "looking cool" though, I think its cool as long as anyone is having a good time at the mountain.
 

dooks88

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All valid points. Doesn't make sense to spend all your money of snowboarding stuff that only sees one week of use.

I originally thought this. But the rental fees in BC, CO are outrageous. Something like $120 per day. So my gear paid for itself this trip. If I get to use it for 4 years, I made out well.

Also, since I have my own gear, hopefully it will force me to go more often and use it more.
 

rknowlt

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I originally thought this. But the rental fees in BC, CO are outrageous. Something like $120 per day. So my gear paid for itself this trip. If I get to use it for 4 years, I made out well.

Also, since I have my own gear, hopefully it will force me to go more often and use it more.

Yeah I understand. I just meant it doesn't make sense for you to buy the newest outerwear and whatnot every year. I personally am afraid to even estimate what I spend on snowboarding stuff every year. I have stacks of boards and lots of outerwear options.

4 years might be a bit long to go without upgrading though. Board tech advances pretty rapidly. I buy a lot of boards and destroy them all within 2 years of buying them so wear and tear eats them up before technology gets too far ahead, but even with only casual use I would say you would benefit from newer technology. A top of the line board from 4 winters ago would feel like a unrefined piece of garbage if you held it up next to a middle of the road board from now.

Definitely go more often! It's hard to be much happier than you can be while spending a good day at the mountain with good friends.
 

JustinHorn

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nice :) I swear I can walk a mile faster than running one :cool: I hate running.

Do you run on pavement or grass?

I find running in the grass is a bit harder because you don't that the equal and opposite reaction thing bouncing your feet off the ground and the fact that it's not smooth and harder to stay balanced. This probably burns more calories which is good since I'm trying to lose a few pounds and also a lot better on the knees.
 

Leanna Lofte

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Ah... cool!

I'm just a cheap bastard I guess :D

So am I! But lucky for me, I got into a hella nice (i.e., expensive) school with an incredible gym and I don't have to pay a dime! In fact... they pay me!... not much though, lol.

You're not a cheap bastard though... you're going to Vail!!!!!!! :D
 

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