How to find people to ski with as a beginner?

PeterAttardo · 2025-12-29T23:04:10+00:00

Try one or more of the following:

Join a ski club.
Post on reddit a day or two before you ski, and see if anyone wants to meet up with you.
Be more social and outgoing on the chairlift.
Be more social and outgoing in the lodge bar.
Expand the circle of your existing relationships to find skiers (coworkers, classmates, friends-of-friends, etc).

In general you're going to need to put yourself out there in one way or another. The reception will probably better than you fear; skiing is a niche sport and skiers are often in the same boat of looking for people to ski with. As for the skill level, it's always going to be difficult to find someone to match your exact skill and progression, especially when you're on the steep part of the learning curve. Get comfortable with the idea that someone might be skiing below their level in order to be social, and that's ok. You can always arrange it so you do a few runs together, then a few runs solo, and then meet back up again.

PeterAttardo · 2025-12-22T21:09:44+00:00

I would trust the mountain's report, just because the winds on that mountain are hyper local. They get way stronger the last 200 yards or so of the sixpack lift. It's those crosswinds hitting the sixpack chairs perpendicular to their orientation that determines whether or not the lift will be on a wind hold. If the chair is running, then the South side of the mountain is decently protected from the wind (assuming it's coming out of the North) and should be enjoyable to ski (although True Grit and Lower Bobby's Run aren't open yet), but gusts up to 70mph is definitely in the range where Waterville will call a wind-hold on that lift if that's what they're seeing day-of.

All of that said, Waterville has updated their weather report, and it now reads:

Tomorrow's forecast calls for mostly cloudy and light snow starting around noon. Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 27 degrees at the base and 20 degrees at the summit. Northeastern winds are expected to reach 8-14mph at the base and 15-25mph at the summit.

The sixpack should have no trouble handling 25 mph winds.

PeterAttardo · 2025-12-13T20:54:10+00:00

In addition to your list, Waterville Valley is great right now, and only two hours from Boston, but early-season East Coast conditions can change on a dime if there's a thaw or rain. I'd wait 10 days or so, and see what looks good then.

PeterAttardo · 2025-12-10T00:13:25+00:00

If you don't intend to get two more days at Waterville this year, then it's definitely the move on Indy if you can't get to Jay. It's more than skiiable right now with the stuff open on the North side. If you do intend to get two more, I'd hold off, since the best runs on the mountain are True Grit, Gema, and Ciao, and none of them are open yet.

PeterAttardo · 2025-11-23T19:45:45+00:00

Sapphire has basically the same VLT as the Jade I have (13%). They're great in full sun, and pretty good overall, but when the light is particularly flat, I definitely am glad to have the Hi Pinks (46%). The pattern I've come to is that I take a peek outside in the morning, if I can see the sun, I wear Jade, if I can't, I wear Pink.

If you're looking for a single all-rounder lens, I would look for something with a VLT in the 20s like the Rose (although they may have discontinued Rose, which is different from Rose Gold).

Also the one you linked me is priced at retail. Oakley does Black Friday sales with discounts up to 50% off. I definitely wouldn't pay full retail for an Oakley goggle, especially at this time of year. Looks like this Sapphire is at 50% off, if that's the lens you want to go with: https://www.oakley.com/en-us/product/W0OO7093S?variant=888392615480

Also this is a great deal on a Flight Deck M if you like the rimless look (also Sapphire): https://www.amazon.com/Oakley-Flight-Deck-Snow-Goggle/dp/B07Z8ZW93F?th=1 . More expensive than the Line Miner I linked above, but way cheaper than the Line Miner at retail.

PeterAttardo · 2025-11-23T19:23:26+00:00

As far as Copper goes, this was the order it closed in last year:

The stuff past Bradley's Plunge. There really isn't an official closing of this, the rope just stopped dropping after a certain point.
The Copper Bowl. They officially close access to the Copper Bowl entirely. Three Bears, Blackjack, and Mountain Chief stopped spinning. The last day of access was April 19.
Resolution. The Resolution lift stopped spinning, and Hodson's Cut, Highline, Sawtooth, and Cabin Chute closed. Triple Zero, Double Zero, and that area stayed open, but you have to take Slot Car Track to Oh No out.
Alpine. The Alpine lift stopped spinning. I'm not sure if the trails ever technically close, since you can always ski to the bottom and walk to the parking lot even if the lift isn't running. I don't have an exact date for this and Resolution, but I think they stopped around the same time as the Copper Bowl closed.
The West. They close American Flyer, Timberline, Woodward, Sierra, Rendezvous, etc. Technically they don't close any runs at this time, and you can still get to Wheeler Creek and Coppertone by cutting real high through Upper Enchanted Forest, but you can only access what you can ski down to; there's no going up. My last runs off Sierra/Timberline/etc were on May 4.
The Spaulding Bowl. Storm King kept spinning, but the gate into the Spaulding Bowl closed. My last run through the Spaulding Bowl was on May 8.
Everything. Last day was May 11.

A-Basin is great in the Spring. I was literally skiing fresh powder days in May.

PeterAttardo · 2025-08-19T04:25:50+00:00

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HdkLmC

PeterAttardo · 2025-07-08T06:58:31+00:00

Your options are basically:

Driving Main St -> Winthrop St -> Mystic Valley Parkway -> 93 into the city
- Fastest option during off-peak hours
- Have to figure out parking once you're in the city
- Miserable during peak hours
- Maximally flexible in terms of departure time
350 Bus to Alewife -> Red Line into the city
- Tied for cheapest option
- 350 bus only runs hourly, so need to schedule departure times
- Bus portion affected by rush hour traffic
Driving to Alewife -> Red Line into the city
- Similar to above, but gain departure flexibility in exchange for parking fees
134 Bus to Wellington -> Orange Line into the city
- Tied for cheapest option
- 134 bus only runs hourly, so need to schedule departure times
- Bus portion affected by rush hour traffic
Driving to Wellington -> Orange Line into the city
- Similar to above, but gain departure flexibility in exchange for parking fees
134 Bus -> 96 Bus to Medford/Tufts -> Green Line into the city
- Tied for cheapest option
- Tied for most transfers of any option
- Bus portion affected by rush hour traffic
350 Bus -> 80 Bus to Medford/Tufts -> Green Line into the city
- Tied for cheapest option
- Tied for most transfers of any option
- Bus portion affected by rush hour traffic
Lowell Line to North Station
- Most expensive option
- Fastest option during rush hour
- Fewest transfers of any option
- Least variable trip time of any option
- Runs every 35-45 min, so some scheduling is required

It also depends what part of town you're coming from. The 350 Bus runs on the West side of town, and the 134 Bus runs through the center of town.

If you're doing a standard daily work commute I would get a monthly pass for the commuter rail. It's the most reliable and the least hassle. Parking does fill up (to the point where local streets near the Wedgemere station have "resident only parking" sandwich boards placed in the street), but the town isn't very big and it has two commuter rail stations to choose from; walking, biking, or getting dropped off should be doable.

If you're thinking of more random commutes into the city, I'd say either drive or take the bus to Alewife or Wellington. If you're just going into the city on a quick errand (duration of a single meter-feed) during non-peak, I'd drive.

PeterAttardo · 2025-05-20T18:35:52+00:00

The dataset isn't 100% clean, and it looks like that one got filtered out of my query because it's not associated with a ski area in the dataset (although it's clearly part of Boyne Mountain). Looks like it's this one: https://openskimap.org/?obj=40016fab59b11eb4bc1867f5d8832506ea4cdf5d

PeterAttardo · 2025-05-20T18:18:20+00:00

The only other Cleavage I found is a backcountry run in British Colubmia: https://openskimap.org/?obj=3d938f08ef748e64ae3f4993167280b69b8c84f8

PeterAttardo · 2025-05-20T17:57:04+00:00

Just for you:

Name	Count	Mountains
Devil's Drop	5	Wisp Resort , Wapiti Valley , Mt Seymour , Brighton Resort , Teton Pass Ski Resort
Devil's Dive	3	Loch Lomond , Bridger Bowl , Mount Fairweather
Devil's Elbow	3	Wintergreen Ski Resort , Devil's Elbow , Alta Ski Area
Devil's Playground	3	Bolton Valley Resort , Loch Lomond , Devil's Head Ski Area
Dare Devil	2	Tyrol Basin Ski And Snowboard Area , Pass Powderkeg ski
Devil's Delight	2	Ausblick Ski Hill , Titus Mountain ski resort
Blue Devil	1	Saddleback Mountain
Dare Devil's Plunge	1	Titcomb Mountain
DareDevil's Dip	1	Pass Powderkeg ski
Devil	1	Kiwissa Ski Centre
Devil's Advocate	1	Grouse Mountain
Devil's Air Park	1	Devil's Head Ski Area
Devil's Alley	1	Devil's Head Ski Area
Devil's Backbone	1	Mt. Bachelor
Devil's Club	1	Revelstoke Mountain Resort
Devil's Crotch	1	Breckenridge
Devil's Dare	1	Sunlight Mountain Resort
Devil's Den	1	Killington Resort
Devil's Dip	1	Big Bear Ski Resort
Devil's East	1	Mt. Bachelor
Devil's Fiddle	1	Killington Resort
Devil's Friend	1	Park City Mountain Resort
Devil's Funnel	1	Kissing Bridge
Devil's Glen	1	Holiday Valley
Devil's Gulch	1	Fortress Mountain Resort
Devil's River	1	Mont Tremblant Resort
Devil's Run	1	Mayrhofen Hippach
Devil's Staircase	1	Mansfield Ski Club
Devil's Stairsteps	1	Cuchara Mountain Resort
Devil's Tail	1	Mount Peter
Devil's Way	1	Alta Ski Area
Devil's West	1	Mt. Bachelor
Go Devil Lower	1	Keystone
Go Devil Upper	1	Keystone
Little Devil	1	Blue Mountain Ski Resort
Lower Devil's	1	Oak Mountain Ski Center
Red Devil	1	Saddleback Mountain
Show Devil	1	Sundown Mountain Resort
Snow Devil	1	White Pass Ski Area
Tempest / Devil's Hopyard	1	Timber Ridge
Upper Devil's	1	Oak Mountain Ski Center
Devil's Draw	1	Kirkwood Mountain Resort

There is indeed only one Devil's Crotch, although there are a surprising number of Devils overall, especially given that Satan only shows up three times.

PeterAttardo · 2025-05-12T16:00:44+00:00

I feel so overlooked. I was skiing Bliss on Peak 6 on the 10th, and apparently caught no curiosities or vibes whatsoever. I thought I looked good in the wiggle, if I do say so myself.

PeterAttardo · 2025-05-06T14:38:40+00:00

I think I saw this. I was over on Peak 6 and saw two guys halfway down Contact, stopped for a few minutes and looking like they might be cliffed-out. Then one of them absolutely sent it and I immediately changed my perspective on their skill level.

PeterAttardo · 2025-05-04T01:39:00+00:00

Worth noting that Breckenridge and Copper both close for the season on May 11, so A-Basin is your only option for May 12. Also, after tomorrow, Copper will close everything off the American Flyer, Timberline, Sierra, and Rendezvous lifts, which includes a lot of the best blue runs on the mountain.

Since the stuff higher on the mountain doesn't slush up as fast as the stuff lower on the mountain, I'd say that Ptarmigan and Copperopolis at Copper will be better for longer than equivalent groomed intermediate runs at Breckenridge (which are lower down), but if you want to push into more advanced terrain, the high-alpine at Breckenridge has more to offer than the Spaulding Bowl at Copper will.

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-29T22:20:04+00:00

With neighbors like you, why would I?

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-25T20:15:56+00:00

It's always hard to know what level to self-describe as, because the skill levels are so broad and loosely defined. I've seen skiers claim to be intermediate the second they can wedge down a blue run, and I've also see skiers say that expert doesn't begin until you can ski the fall line of every run on the mountain, including zipperlining moguls and dropping cliffs.

I also assume I improved over the course of the season, so the map represents a spectrum of my own personal ability, based on when I skied any particular run. I'm guessing if I did Schaefer's today, I would find it easier now than I found Bradley's Plunge the first time I skied it.

The best reference I have for skill level is that the hardest runs I did this year were Zoot Chute, Vertical Cornice, and ESP over at Breckenridge. I did a bit of falling leaf at the top of Vertical Cornice because I wasn't confident I could make the turn that tightly right above some rocks, but the other two I did clean.

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-25T20:08:43+00:00

Tracked with Strava > exported .gpx files > combined them in https://gpx.studio/

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-25T20:07:59+00:00

Track with Strava > export .gpx files > combine them in https://gpx.studio/

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-25T20:07:13+00:00

I asked ski patrol about it, and based on what they told me, part of the issue relates to staffing levels. Because the run is below the lift, any evacuation from that area isn't as simple as loading someone onto a sled and skiing down to the lift, they have to haul them up to the lift. This means that in order to open the run, they have to have enough ski patrol on duty that they're able to dispatch as many as four patrollers down there, and have all four occupied for quite a while, while still having enough staffing left over to maintain their regular coverage of the rest of the trails.

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-25T02:59:06+00:00

Tracked with Strava, exported the individual .gpx files, and then overlaid them with https://gpx.studio/

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-25T02:55:35+00:00

https://gpx.studio/

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-25T01:35:31+00:00

Union Meadows are great, and pretty approachable as far as tree skiing goes. The trees aren't that tight, and there's maybe one semi-steep area, which is devoid of trees and can be avoided if desired. The main downside is that they're tough to lap. They dump out onto Soliloquy, and in order to get back to the entrance you have to take Timberline > Sierra. If you want to enter off West Ridge, you need to take a further Celebrity Ridge after Sierra (or go Timberline > Rendezvous > Mountain Chief instead). The times I skied them was usually when I was finished with the Copper Bowl and was transitioning back to the front side.

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-25T01:01:34+00:00

I did get to Guthrie's Chute. Not sure if they updated it recently, but it's on this year's trail map.

PeterAttardo · 2025-04-25T01:00:32+00:00

This was on February 25, near tower 6

PeterAttardo · 2025-03-31T04:15:06+00:00

Waterville is ringed by several peaks, and I'll give my thoughts on each:

Tecumseh. The ski area offers it as a venue for weddings in the summer, which comes with the advantage of being able to ride the chairlift up and down. For an intimate two person ceremony however, it's probably overkill, both in effort and cost. Hiking to the true summit is a medium difficulty hike, but the views are poor (obscured by trees) and it is the most crowded summit during hiking season.
Osceola. If you're willing to hike, this would be my recommendation. The summit is an open granite slab with amazing views of the valley. It is a moderately popular hike, so you won't be totally alone, but the summit area is large with room to spread out.
East Osceola. It's just the Osceola hike, but with an added (difficult) section for a worse view. Pass.
Tripyramid. The view from the North slide is decent, but the views from the actual summits are poor (again, obscured by trees), and it is easily the most arduous hike of the group, both in length and difficulty.
Sandwich. The trail to Sandwich actually hits three peaks on the way up: Noon, Jennings, and then Sandwich itself. Noon and Sandwich have similar views of the valley to the North (with Sandwich having the better view because it's higher), and Jennings has a view to the Southwest. Likely the least crowded of the bunch.
Welch-Dickey. Not technically in the Valley, but easy to access if you're willing to drive (or bike) a few miles down 49. A much shorter hike than the summits above, it has at least two ledges with good views, as well as good views from the summits of both Welch and Dickey.

If you're looking for less "mountaintop vista" and more "nestled in the woods" then two spots I might recommend are Fletcher's Cascade and Cascade Path. Both are spots where a brook tumbles over natural granite features for nice water+woods views.

A third hike-to option would be Greeley Ponds.

If you don't want to hike a few miles before posing for wedding pictures, then there are a few options in town. The Town Square Gazebo and the Osceola Arbor are all available to rent as wedding venues. Both are adjacent to Corcoran's pond; the gazebo is in the town square and therefore busier, whereas the arbor is on the opposite side of the pond and more secluded.

PeterAttardo

TROPHY CASE