It looks like you are using an ad blocker. That's okay. Who doesn't? But without advertising revenue, we can't keep making this site awesome. Click the link below for instructions on disabling adblock.
Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post.
Register to become a member today!
I’ve only been on the East coast, but one of the gnarliest runs I’ve done was Upper Madonna Liftline at smuggs. It’s pretty damn steep and narrow and the ice slabs that develop on are crazy. And in parts you can almost touch the chairlift so if you mess up you got people there to see it but damn is it a fun line to ski
adamMfreeriderI’ve only been on the East coast, but one of the gnarliest runs I’ve done was Upper Madonna Liftline at smuggs. It’s pretty damn steep and narrow and the ice slabs that develop on are crazy. And in parts you can almost touch the chairlift so if you mess up you got people there to see it but damn is it a fun line to ski
DJ’s tramline at cannon mountain is nutty for the East coast
theabortionatorI haven't done any that cool. Some cool normal skiing at kirkwood, highlands, and crested butte.
Abasin and alta are the only chutes ive realy done that people loosely care about and not anything crazy idk. Maybe i need to ski steeper mtns.
Honestly I never would have thought about doing a run like Big Couloir, I was just following a buddy of mine. Glad I did it though just for the confidence i have now when I find myself in some sketchy terrain. The only time I ever got hurt skiing was when I was when I was not confident about and couldn't keep focused.
CabbyArrantHonestly I never would have thought about doing a run like Big Couloir, I was just following a buddy of mine. Glad I did it though just for the confidence i have now when I find myself in some sketchy terrain. The only time I ever got hurt skiing was when I was when I was not confident about and couldn't keep focused.
I've just been focussed on parks/park mtns really. Rode ajax, highlands and crested butte a bunch when i lived in co. And try to get to Kirkwood a few times a season in CA but usually riding more park oriented stuff.
Stoked for crystal this season. Place looks like it has some solid lines. Way better free skiing then northstar.
Aspen Highlands- Kessler's: Not the most technical but holy shit it is steep. You just watch the corn snow bounce and roll into the void.
Aspen Highlands- Highland Bowl: Epic big mtn skiing and hike to the top. Its epic but honestly Kessler is scarier and steeper.
Solitude- Milk Run: Kind of a requirement to lap Honeycomb but its a great sketchy tree run that funnels you into a cool rock garden.
Snowbird- Cirque Traverse to Daltons Draw: Wild run across a massive rock spine then down the fall line. Probably my favorite run at Snowbird. I also like to drop down skiers right and there is this crazy rock garden you have to navigate down then it opens up right under the lift. Here is a random youtube clip (not me):
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/971658/Snowbird-Utah---Cirque-Traverse---Daltons-DrawSchweitzer- Pucci's Chute: Hard to describe unless you have been there but the steepest and tightest trees I have ever skied. When its deep you have to be on your shit 100% because all it takes is one wrong move and you hook a tip and get sent down the chute and bounce off a snowghost or two on the way down. Its usually foggy as hell too so all you see is white trees among a sea of grey.
Mary Jane- Baldy's Chute: You have to know where you are going past the smoke shack but its a great run down a boulder field in the woods with some crazy drops and chutes in the clearing.
SuspiciousFishSolitude- Milk Run: Kind of a requirement to lap Honeycomb but its a great sketchy tree run that funnels you into a cool rock garden.
Random side note, you don't have to ride powderhorn/milk run to get to summit anymore, you can just ride apex and take the new road they built a couple years ago. But, milk run is money.
eheathRandom side note, you don't have to ride powderhorn/milk run to get to summit anymore, you can just ride apex and take the new road they built a couple years ago. But, milk run is money.
That is interesting, so you take Honeycomb Return then to Apex then Summit? In any case, Id rather do Milk run anyway. Its a cool run and give you some good sketchy turns to break up the multi lift laps. Solitude is a great resort but the layout is kind of wonky. I liked it though because I can take my Wife up and she can ski down the blue Dynamite groomer off Peak and I can traverse over and hit Cathedral Cirque or Headwall Forest and meet up with her each run. Lots of fun Jibs on either side of Dynamite all the way down actually. My biggest regret there is not being able to hike Black Bess chutes, it looked rowdy as hell up there.
SuspiciousFishThat is interesting, so you take Honeycomb Return then to Apex then Summit? In any case, Id rather do Milk run anyway. Its a cool run and give you some good sketchy turns to break up the multi lift laps. Solitude is a great resort but the layout is kind of wonky. I liked it though because I can take my Wife up and she can ski down the blue Dynamite groomer off Peak and I can traverse over and hit Cathedral Cirque or Headwall Forest and meet up with her each run. Lots of fun Jibs on either side of Dynamite all the way down actually. My biggest regret there is not being able to hike Black Bess chutes, it looked rowdy as hell up there.
Yeah when they put in the new Summit chair, they moved the bottom station down the run more and then built a road from the top of apex. Milk run laps is fun, but its probably 15-20 min faster to take apex to summit, so if you're trying to get some freshies in honeycomb, its worth taking apex. Personally, I do a honeycomb run then lap the here be dragons gate at the top of powderhorn to the return lift, underrated zone.
eheathYeah when they put in the new Summit chair, they moved the bottom station down the run more and then built a road from the top of apex. Milk run laps is fun, but its probably 15-20 min faster to take apex to summit, so if you're trying to get some freshies in honeycomb, its worth taking apex. Personally, I do a honeycomb run then lap the here be dragons gate at the top of powderhorn to the return lift, underrated zone.
I can see that. I actually really like Here Be Dragons. For whatever reason I didnt lap it as much as I probably should. Some good glades on that side. My biggest beef with Honeycomb is there is not much vert and its not really steep for the most part. There are some fun hucks on boundary but you need to traverse way over to No Mans Land to get some good steep stuff in. That and Woodlawn kind of beats you up when its tracked out after a few laps.
Its sad that Solitude is so crowded nowadays. I actually switched from Snowbird to Solitude because I was tired of the lift lines and general attitude people had for fighting for turns when they dropped the ropes. I remember the days when you literally would ski right on the lift almost every lap.
SuspiciousFishI can see that. I actually really like Here Be Dragons. For whatever reason I didnt lap it as much as I probably should. Some good glades on that side. My biggest beef with Honeycomb is there is not much vert and its not really steep for the most part. There are some fun hucks on boundary but you need to traverse way over to No Mans Land to get some good steep stuff in. That and Woodlawn kind of beats you up when its tracked out after a few laps.
Its sad that Solitude is so crowded nowadays. I actually switched from Snowbird to Solitude because I was tired of the lift lines and general attitude people had for fighting for turns when they dropped the ropes. I remember the days when you literally would ski right on the lift almost every lap.
Yeah here be dragons has some nice steep parts and some chutes if you go right, left has more open glades for sure but usually untracked back there for a bit. Solitude got very blown out, not anymore than any other resort, but it used to be the secret of the wasatch until the Ikon pass.
Most of the steepest / techy inbounds lines I've skied have been in Crested Butte but that's also just where I've spent the most time. East Wall at A-bay is always a blast, West Basin in Taos feels very similar to CB, and I didn't get to ski many of them when I was there, but some of the lines around Mt Baker looked super cool.
CB's most ridiculous lines rarely open (Body Bag, Big Hourglass), but it's definitely got its fair share of puckering areas. We have very few big cliffs that have long and/or open runouts, but given how generally steep, tight, and rocky it is (and that the dry snow here doesn't stick to shit), the common claim to fame is that it's got some of the scariest 10-footers around.
Lil hourglass is pretty puckering, especially when the runout after the air is firm. The Edge is ~100-ft of legit-steep, billy-goating fun with tons of different line choices. Angle Gully is great for seeing how little you care about your bases, or needing to run out through moguls. Fredo's has some of the best airs with actual runouts, with some techy moves required to get to most of them. Staircase and everything off Sock it to Me ridge is awesome, and just about the right balance of challenging but not totally terrifying. Horseshoe is cool cause it's easily lapable, will kind of form spines / pillows on a deep day, but is always sharky. Then there's Rambo, which is kinda just goofy — supposedly one of the steepest cut runs in the U.S., but they keep all these little saplings there so it'll hold snow, and keep you very cognizant of not catching an edge and high-siding on one of them.
Staircase:
Rambo:
Headwall w/ Angle exit lower right part of Fredo's after a storm:
Anyone who’s skied hyland or any Midwest rope tow knows the most technical run is the “rope chute” when you get stuck between the tow ropes and must ride down in between the ropes dodging kids, barrels and equipment until you find an opening to pop out of or make it to the bottom. Snow conditions are always crusty and room for error is non-existent.
