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November, 2024

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Transitioning

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7springsprod
Posts: 2661 - Karma: 3,181
What is it like to move from a hill on the east coast with a vertical of 500 to somehwere out west. Is it easy to get lost? How does someone gain access to backcountry? Does night skiing exist? What are crowds like? My home resort had about 100 people waiting for every lift every time. What is it really like out west?
Jan 21 2013 7:45PM
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No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,965
What is your definition of west
Jan 21 2013 7:48PM
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7springsprod
Posts: 2661 - Karma: 3,181
Colorado: Steamboat specifically.
Jan 21 2013 7:49PM
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No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,965
its an awesome town. good powder. I don't really know much else about it
Jan 21 2013 7:51PM
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7springsprod
Posts: 2661 - Karma: 3,181
Bump. I was fairly confident that there would be major differences.. Am I wrong?
Jan 21 2013 9:02PM
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myllhouse
Posts: 1064 - Karma: 2,157
if you're at a resort in BC that isn't whistler then lift lines are generally short from a lack of people in Canada
Jan 21 2013 9:07PM
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Bock
Posts: 748 - Karma: 1,652
I come from PA too and have a home mountain similar to 7 springs. My family has been going out west for the past 7 years and the biggest difference I noticed was the size of the mountains. Everything is huge out there an it can be easy to get lost at first. After a week or two you should be fine. The actual towns themselves are much smaller and friendlier. Easy to fit in and find friends. As far as crowds I have never come across lift lines out west that were as long as ones on the east. almost all the lifts are high speed quads or six lifts which keeps lines pretty minimal.
Jan 21 2013 9:53PM
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YUNG_milksteAk
Posts: 1437 - Karma: 4,328
lift lines can be longer. backcountry is a thing that takes time and patience. its a great time and experience
Jan 21 2013 9:56PM
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t.dough
Posts: 413 - Karma: 1,090
Steamboat's a pretty cool place. The town seems chill. The mountain is awesome. The thing I like most about it are the glades, coming from Maine they always amaze me. Although it is a pretty touristy mountain, there are great spots that are kind of unknown. The powder is absolutely wonderful. I'd think it would be pretty hard to get lost on the mountain, there are trail maps available at the top of most lifts. As for the lift lines, it really depends on conditions/time of year. I've waited in line at the gondola for an ungodly amount of time, but it was on a holiday weekend. I bet there's some way to dodge the crowd that I haven't figured out yet.

Also, if you're coming from a hill with 500 vertical you'll be blown away with how long the runs are. You'll love it there.

This is all coming from an east-coaster, so my apologies if I seem overly excited about little things.
Jan 21 2013 9:59PM
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7springsprod
Posts: 2661 - Karma: 3,181
Ill be living in a town in Colorado called rangely. Its a little over an hour north of Grand junction. So my best skiing options are Steamboat and Powderhorn. (Both are 2 hour drives in different directions). Would steamboat really be worth it to get a $1000+ season pass? Or would Powderhorn have just as much to offer at its very reasonable $300 season pass.
Jan 21 2013 10:20PM
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duhamelski
Posts: 3842 - Karma: 192
Dude your in for such a good surprise
Jan 21 2013 11:44PM
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shocker611
Posts: 2599 - Karma: 423
couldn't disagree more.  I have never seen a lift line in Utah that even comes close to comparing to some of the ones I've seen in midwest/east coast
Jan 22 2013 12:34AM
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