any other skiers on the board?

[DAVELA]

Hi psyko,
Im in the exact same boat.Knowing what gear you need to buy for AT skiing is intimidating.I went to gear exchange in bishop but it was a little overwhelming.
Been snowshoeing for about 10 yrs.Its great but id like to slide a bit.

[longri]

I stopped going to resorts when the price reached the point where I felt I wasn't getting my money's worth anymore. I can afford it, it just seems overpriced to me, even mid-week. Although if I lived near a resort I'd get a season pass.

For people new to skiing, I would suggest not worrying so much about buying the "right" gear. Just start somewhere. My backcountry gear is not modern but I don't care. I've never been a great skier anyway and I just love being out there in the winter/spring. When the snow is really good I ski well; other times I struggle but still smile. If I could only snowshoe I'm not sure I'd do it.

[oldranger]

I gave up downhill in 95. Worked at ski areas from 1980 thru spring of 1990. Then quit pro patrolling and became a nordic volunteer. When Mt. B went to turnstiles and eliminated young women who punched your ticket and the road to Mt. B became like a road race with people not driving safe for conditions it was time to say enough. While I do miss the face shots of a good powder day, I don't miss the race and the entitled attitude of many of the people skiing at destination resorts.

[alpinemike]

Started skiing this year! I'm not sure how many days I've gotten in but it's close to 25 or so. I have the Tahoe Local Value Pass so I can ski Kwood and Northstar any day but Saturday... and since I live in Tahoe why would I want to be out there on a Saturday anyways! I actually dislocated my shoulder the day I graduated to Blue Runs back in December... it really was quite unfortunate and terribly bad luck as I had been doing so well. I'm more or less all healed up now and I can ski Blacks at Kwood so I'm really happy with my progress! Today was an epic powder day out there actually!

I have a backcountry touring set up. I just put some Dynafits on my Dynstar Chams and I bought tech compatible boots. I have all my avi gear from last year when I supposed to start skiing but that ended up a bit tragically on the first day when I dislocated my ankle... what luck eh? I'm taking an avalanche class in about a month or so. Hoping to get out in the backcountry for some mild stuff at some point this winter. My real interest in winter backpacking the Sierra of course. And being on skis makes this so much easier and accessible.

[Harlen]

Sounds good Mike, You can combine your touring and downhill where I've just returned from- Toulumne Meadows- (see recent trip report). There are usually a few experienced skiers up there in the hut, or in and out of the hut between back country trips, and there are always the winter rangers, who are both friendly, and super experienced at both modes of adventure. For you, I guess it would be fastest to come down 395, and head in from the gate above Lee Vining. I've met several people who ride-push their mt. bikes up 120 till the Yosemite gate, leave their bikes there, and ski 8 miles down to the hut. It's about 17 miles total, and easy to make the hut with an early start. (Beware the avalanche risk near the top of Lee Vining Canyon.)

You probably have endless touring /downhill around you too, such as the tour from Echo Summit in to Lake Aloha, combined with tele/AT skiing down Pyramid Peak, and all the slopes to the north of it. Good luck Mike, I'll bet you will love the winter Sierra!

[overheadx2]

psychokid and Davela, I was in the same boat 2 years ago and got some good advise here. I rented some very basic gear at the Nordic ski area across from Snow Valley in Arrowhead a few times to get a feel of things. I think they also rent basic XC skis at the tram in San Jacinto. While following tracks wasn't my thing, it helped me figure things out. I bought a BC-NNN set up on Sierra trading post for about $300 but quickly realized that wouldn't work for anything that wasn't a trail or fire road. Last year I went to Mammoth and rented some real BC gear from Mammoth Mountaineering and happened to be there the weekend before the Memorial day sale. I was able to buy a full AT set up for about half price which was still a lot. In retrospect, it was money well spent. The AT skis are like snow shoes and can go just about any where, and ski down like down hill skis. I'm no expert, but have put a lot of money and effort into the search and have it sort of figured out. If you live any where close to Huntington Beach I have a very cheap pair of Bc skis with Free ride track bindings that you could borrow or buy cheap if you have a a pair of AT boots. You could also borrow my BC-nnn boots and skis for a weekend if you are any where close to a size 13. I didn't like the track bindings due to the constant metal clicking while hiking.

[alpinemike]

AT skis with a Tech setup is really the only way to go unless you're a Telemark Skier. Frame style AT bindings are wayyyy too heavy for anything substantial. All of the modern Tech style AT bindings ski very well downhill.

Hey.. I used to live in Huntington Beach! I grew up there.

[DAVELA]

Hi overhead,
Could you post picks of the set up you are now using and the ones you are selling?
I rented traditional xc skis last winter and those are for groomed trail which is exactly not my goal.Im always checking out gearx when im in bishop.

[SNOOOOW]

Started skiing this year! I'm not sure how many days I've gotten in but it's close to 25 or so. I have the Tahoe Local Value Pass so I can ski Kwood and Northstar any day but Saturday...

I noticed you did not mention Heavenly, your pass works there. Do you just not like Heavenly? The crowds can be crazy there but I still enjoy a few hours at Heavenly mixed in with some Kirkwood

[limpingcrab]

Are snowboarders allowed in here!?

I tried skiing when I wanted to do some touring and it was fun but having snowboarded for 23 years I didn't really want to re-learn. Now that splitboards are common and available I have the best of both worlds! Plus, I get to float around on top of the snow instead of jump around inside of it

Should be a good couple weeks of snow to add to our recent base, hope everyone gets some turns, has fun, and posts a few pictures here!

My only BC trip this winter, a couple solo laps on the soccer field out towards Pear Lake. A few resort days too, but I'm excited about everything these storms will open up!