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March, 2024

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First season NOT skiing park.

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Drail
Posts: 14011 - Karma: 10,001
not sure if this is threadworthy, but fuck it.

While my ski season isn't over yet, all the ski hills in the area shut down over the past weekend, meaning my prospects of getting any park skiing in are pretty much non existent. Growing up in Ontario, I put a solid 5 years of straight up park ratting in during my teenage years, and once I moved out to BC the park has occupied less and less of my winter.

I knew that this time would eventually come, and after 9 years in BC, I finally went a full ski season without one park day. I did the odd run through the park while on my way back to the base after a day of skiing, but not one day this winter was spent sessioning the park. Looking back, there is a part of me that wishes I had of done at least one day, but when I really think about it - if I had of actually wanted to do a park day, I probably would have when I could have. You know?

How many other NS'ers are there out there who have missed out on park due to their addiction to pow? I can't be the only one.
Apr 12 2012 12:31PM
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YUNG_milksteAk
Posts: 1437 - Karma: 4,327
My hill is only a park so... I ski the park. But out west i try to get my fill of pow pow.
Apr 12 2012 12:33PM
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howlongcanausern
Posts: 4982 - Karma: 1,737
nice roundabout PNW/BC claim thread bro
Apr 12 2012 12:36PM
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E.C.
Posts: 3211 - Karma: 319
im at the ontario stage in your life but going to university of ottawa
Apr 12 2012 12:37PM
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Shark.
Posts: 3158 - Karma: 270
This year I definitely skied a ton of park but only because there was no snow. I would not mind a year without park though if it snowed enough.
Apr 12 2012 12:37PM
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BootySpunk.
Posts: 8148 - Karma: 84
I skied way too much park this year since the snow was pretty shooty. Last season though I only spent about 5 days in the park. I don't know if I will ever get tired of spring park laps those with friends. Some of the best times.
Apr 12 2012 12:38PM
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RRhighrider
Posts: 2137 - Karma: 1,105
Every year since moving to Mammoth I ski less park. I have  not had one all park day this year.
Apr 12 2012 12:40PM
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Errl
Posts: 2082 - Karma: 451
i havent had the chance to reloacte west yet. being stuck in pa, some say park is there is to do. but come season's end, i've put down way more hours outside of the park than in it. i think i could maybe go the rest of my life without looking at a park when i move next summer
Apr 12 2012 12:40PM
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joshua
Posts: 5046 - Karma: 1,280
This, preseason rail jamming is awesome too.
Apr 12 2012 12:40PM
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pastysmasher
Posts: 780 - Karma: 664
i went out this season thinking i'd ski quite alot of park. we ended up getting dumped on most the season where i was so i spent very little time in the park. absolutely no regrets, if theres pow you wont find me in the park! although when we got sunny days and it hadn't snowed much during the previous days we had some sick times in the park!
Apr 12 2012 12:52PM
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,888
Basically same deal as you; started skiing park in Ontario, moved to BC to areas where there is no park, stopped skiing park as much.

This year I've had maybe three days of lapping the park. If there's fresh snow somewhere I won't ski park, and this year we've had a lot of snow.
Apr 12 2012 12:57PM
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Drail
Posts: 14011 - Karma: 10,001
yeah, i get more and more into the touring game, so even when there's "no new snow", there's always pow somewhere.
Apr 12 2012 1:01PM
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forrest-cole
Posts: 1145 - Karma: 495
right there with you brotha!


Well i've had some park days in the BC hahaha
Apr 12 2012 1:09PM
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Nuno812
Posts: 432 - Karma: 1,791
haha I am the opposite of OP. The first 10 years I have skied I never really was into park...loved bumps, "steeps" (east coast..), glades and freshies...but last season I started skiing with more park skiers and I got bit by the bug... spent all summer learning on a summer set up, and nearly all 70 days so far this year were predominantly park days aside from the handful of pow/fresh days I had. I think I got bored on the mountain, and the park is something relatively new and very challenging/ always room to progress especially when your starting out.. so it has just been a great, fun season ripping park with my friends and getting better
Apr 12 2012 1:10PM
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VD.
Posts: 4054 - Karma: 4,564
I was in BC for 3 months this winter maybe 6/7 park days
Apr 12 2012 1:26PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13044 - Karma: 18,264
2 Questions? Where do you live? and Can I ride with you? I am moving to BC this June and I am following my dream of skiing powder.

I grew up at Le Relais in Quebec. Its the birthplace of the 3 phils and B-paul, so our park is pretty quality comparing to the other places. I spent my youth learning to ski icy moguls. Park, for me was the natural extension of mogul skiing, a lot like moguls is the natural extention of skiing flats. notherless I got skills in both aspects.
I moved to Collinwood and skied at Blue for 3 years. The park was crazy and icy all the time. Although progression was made in the park, I grew "tired" of park and begin to learn carving and freeriding. My time from then on was spent 50/50 park and flat.

It was when I returned to Quebec that I found out that it was simply not enough to ski park anymore. Powder was a rarety, so I would go crazy; hiking the center in the early morning for fresh tracks, walking in the woods for a hill with powder and travel throughout the province in search for a storm. In between storms, I would practice carving and learning different ways to adapt my skiing to skied powder (mega moguls) and turn skiing to freeride.

The moment that changed my mind was my first 30 feet drop into glades at Le Massif La petite riviere st francois. It was like Tanner Hall put it: " Once you have that feeling, you always come back for that feeling and more". The feeling was there and I cant shake it off... This season, I skied more flat/moguls/powder than park in search for some soft! There was no regret, on the opposite, I gained a huge dose of happiness to be able to ski anything: and my goal was achieved, even if I sacrificed park time.

So to answer your question: yes, I would give park up for powder...but park is still a park of me.

Apr 12 2012 1:37PM
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Holte
Posts: 10730 - Karma: 7,744
Honestly, I'm amazed that every single day had good enough off-piste conditions for you. I've never had a season that at least five or ten days weren't so icy/crunchy/tracked out that the best skiing on the mountain wasn't in the park.
Apr 12 2012 1:42PM
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GANDALF
Posts: 6285 - Karma: 6,433
our "park" is always buried soooooooo yeah
Apr 12 2012 1:49PM
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johnnypsunami
Posts: 5024 - Karma: 221
Drail, now that is a name I recognize from way back in the day on NS.

I hear ya man, less park skiing for me too. For me it's for different reasons... I wish it was that I was ripping powder everyday, but unfortunately I am just getting old and my body can't take the beatings from hard park crashes that it used to.

I am now spending my days ripping around Tremblant, going in the park occasionally but its usually to film others.

I wish I could hot lap all day like I used to, but I think I need to move somewhere where I can just shred endless pillowlines that are easier on the ol' joints. Retallack here I come.

As long as you're having fun that's all that matters though right?!
Apr 12 2012 1:50PM
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Dr.Gnar
Posts: 896 - Karma: 197
Yeah, like what the hell? We had a shit ton of pow days this year that were AMAZING but a lot of days without much fresh that gave a few days on end for dedicated park. My season this year was the best ever, it included everything. Pow when it's there, park when it's not. Skied the best lines of my life and learned front flips and 5s in the park. OP where the hell were you skiing to have pow every single day? You missed out by not doing more park, pro. This is coming from a typically unenthusiastic park skier, too.
Apr 12 2012 1:50PM
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GANDALF
Posts: 6285 - Karma: 6,433
side booters are almost better than park sometimes. thats what we do when its crummy out. side booters, natural jumps that form, tree taps etc...
Apr 12 2012 1:53PM
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Drail
Posts: 14011 - Karma: 10,001
steep north facing trees hold good snow for a very long time. I've skied good untracked snow up to a month after any significant snowfall before. You just gotta know where to look.
Apr 12 2012 2:12PM
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poofartpee
Posts: 7436 - Karma: 1,537
if you move to BC and dont almost entirely quit park, then you are a moronPERIOD
Apr 12 2012 2:13PM
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Radio
Posts: 946 - Karma: 12
Yes
Apr 12 2012 2:18PM
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yourthemannowdog
Posts: 4541 - Karma: 313
This my first season too! I only skied 5 times this year because of a very lengthy hospital stay. I did get to ski wolf creek after a storm. I don't think I am gonna go back to park anymore. I could ski only storm days next season and be perfectly content with that
Apr 12 2012 2:28PM
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rareison
Posts: 10263 - Karma: 218
I don't get to ski pow, so I'm a park rat
Apr 12 2012 2:45PM
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phsk8
Posts: 85 - Karma: 9
Pow is so so boring after a few times - seriously. Can you get any more monotonous? Its even more boring to watch. (BC booters not included).
Apr 12 2012 2:52PM
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SkierX
Posts: 16253 - Karma: 538
Have not skied park at any point this season, and I'm an East coaster. Comes down to my shoulder being bum and the reward is not worth the risk. Oddly, I don't feel like I'm missing out on THAT much. I have fun shredding around and testing my all-around skiing abilities in whatever conditions are available on that given day.
Apr 12 2012 3:00PM
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.squirrely.
Posts: 7563 - Karma: 7,540
i dont know if i could do that haha, the park is what makes skiing so much fun for me. i get bored after only a run or two out of the park unless theres pow, but massachusetts doesnt get any pow
Apr 12 2012 3:50PM
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Chubz.
Posts: 13918 - Karma: 25,656
I always want to progress my skiing in the park..but i can never find myself to dedicate a whole day to skiing in the park. To be completely honest, i get bored. Hiking rails and destroying myself isn't fun to me. Jump lanes are fun but i never throw anything, the occasional 3 but for the most part i just love bombing groomers with my friends and climbing through the woods to find a little fresh snow. If i move out west, i'll probably only ski powder..i dunno yet
Apr 12 2012 3:59PM
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c4t_l0ver
Posts: 5485 - Karma: 810
i live in bc, only like 5 big pow days at my mountain this season. i just skied park the rest of the days.

i dont know if i could ever give up park, competing is just so fun, aswell as hot lapping the park with your friends.
Apr 12 2012 4:27PM
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Willard
Posts: 5117 - Karma: 429
This is how i was...By no means was i any good at park but i was skiing powder everyday. Seems like every year now i ski more and more park. This year just sucked for fresh snow though.
Apr 12 2012 4:31PM
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Flying~Squirrel
Posts: 6494 - Karma: 192
everything you post makes me want to throw my computer across the room
Apr 12 2012 4:42PM
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SKIU4EA
Posts: 2387 - Karma: 2,072
Same for me. I spent 5 years shredding Big Sky Montana. Steeps, trees, chutes, and bowls all day long. Such good times, but for some reason, out of the blue, i've become increasingly more obsessed with park every year. Don't know why.
Apr 12 2012 8:56PM
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Casual.
Posts: 1125 - Karma: 28
nice work man. i can't get into the park, the rest of the mountain is too much fun. every once in a while i get into a mood to go ride park and so i go hit a few rails and after a run or two i'm just like wtf am i doing this is gay as fuck. so i go ride other shit. i've realized that i'm pretty much completely over park, it's not fun to me anymore.
Apr 12 2012 8:56PM
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roddy116
Posts: 10622 - Karma: 7,397
idk why, but for whatever reason when i head west, i always gotta spend the first hour or two of my first day in the park, and always try to bypass to a park or jib type thing whenever im doing runs.
Apr 12 2012 9:04PM
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_Jesus_
Posts: 2070 - Karma: 260
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Apr 12 2012 9:21PM
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HumanGenius
Posts: 359 - Karma: 228
living in pennsylvania there is no pow. this season there wasnt even real snow soo park. but when in vermont with 6 inches of fresh i stay in the trees
Apr 12 2012 9:27PM
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ilikefood
Posts: 391 - Karma: 769
Yeah OP! I only ski park when the snow sucks. Real skiing on real mountains.
Apr 12 2012 9:36PM
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yourthemannowdog
Posts: 4541 - Karma: 313
Take a trip out west. Six inches out here is something for the locals to complain about.
Apr 13 2012 12:34PM
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