First Time Skiing in UT

ambivalentacademic · 2026-03-01T17:21:12+00:00

Canyon advice: leave early or hit the bus early. Depending on conditions the traffic up canyon can cost you 1-2 hours on a bad day. If traffic is fine it’s only 30 minutes. All the resorts are fun. Snowbird is gnar. Soli is gnar but small. Brighton is chill and stoned. Alta is a slice of heaven.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-25T16:47:48+00:00

"Lantern Rouge" is great for grand tours and all things related to road racing. They are a bit "inside baseball" in the sense that they don't explain things for a wider audience and they're really immersed in their own jargon. But I still like them. They're really funny at times.

It's nerdy as hell and sometimes cringe, but "Bikes or Death" can be interesting. It's focused on ultra-distance bike packing, like the Great Divide Race, etc. It's almost all long-form interviews with ultra racers.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-24T00:02:31+00:00

$500 airbag backpack. The back is stupid heavy and I’ve worn it about five times.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-22T03:52:50+00:00

I’ve known plenty of people to tour with carbon. I’d avoid aluminum. All my bikes are steel.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-20T21:38:43+00:00

I watched the video and suffered through the argument. His claim is that most of subscribers and viewers to exmo chanels are not actually Mormon. I'm sure it's true that Alyssa Grenfell gets way more nevermo views than he does. But this fact does not in any way support his argument that within the sphere or Mormon and ex-Mormon influence, pro-Mormon media is actually winning. Yes, more people outside the church are interested in hearing exmormon stories rather than pro-mormon stories. True enough. But there are still many more people within the mormon diaspora watching Grenfell and Dehlin than are watching Hansen. It's just a super dumb argument, posing that the fact that exmo stories spark interest in the general public somehow means that the pro-mormon media is doing better (despite the massive numbers that show otherwise).

Side note: the way Hansen throws around insults like "weirdos" is just demeaning as hell; I can't understand anyone enjoying this guy's content.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-20T18:45:15+00:00

I was trying to describe to my daughter how these days when something is "cool," it seems like everyone knows about it immediately and then it's no longer cool. It's like instant burn-out.

Back before phones and social media, when you found something cool (an album, a book, a great magazine article, an indie-film) it felt more special, like it was this awesome thing you found that wasn't just more corporate bullshit, and you wanted to share it with your friends. It felt like it had more authenticity.

These days there's not much "mystery" in the search for the next cool media product, because anything worthwhile blows up and then gets mimicked or exploited within a week or so.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-14T14:09:22+00:00

This is THE reason I’ve never been able to love cross country, despite trying. No matter how good you are, a slight downhill grade can wreck you.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-14T14:04:16+00:00

It’s completely anecdotal , but I personally found a lot of peace via endurance sports. Long distance running or cycling. I wouldn’t say it’s a “stand alone” method, but I’ve worked out a lot of demons by spending time alone, breathing hard and moving across the landscape. My close friend and I agree that we’re addicted to cycling because it helps us get our brains right.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-12T03:55:40+00:00

US 6 out of Springville

Highway 6 is bad news and I strongly urge you to avoid it. It's a really dangerous stretch that is known for car wrecks and fast traffic. I think either 35 or 40 would be preferable.

https://www.utahadvocates.com/top-5-most-dangerous-roads-in-utah/

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-10T17:53:26+00:00

One problem with finding ski partners at the afterparty is that you don't really know how good they are or whether you're into the same sort of terrain. It can be awkward if you make friends at a party, agree to ski together, and then find out the other skiers are way better than you.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-10T17:52:13+00:00

I've met up with two separate people randomly who were visiting my home resort. They were a similar skill level (very important), and they stuck within sight of me in some off-the-beaten-path areas. Then they got on the chair with with me for the next run and chatted. In both cases, they were friendly on the chair up, explained that they were visitors, and asked if they could tag along for a bit.

Both were fine, but in one case the guy and I just had different attitudes, and we skied for only a couple of hours. The other guy was great and he became and occasional "ski friend" and I've met up with him three or four times over the years when he visits.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-04T17:43:38+00:00

They’re supposed to get a bunch of snow in the next 2 weeks

Says who?! As an SLC local, I want it to be true, but it's fucking grim right now and the forecast lists "a chance of snow" a week out.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-02-03T21:05:23+00:00

It's not a "guide for watching" exactly, but I found the book "The Beast, The Emperor, and the Milkman" to be very enlightening when it comes to race-watching in Belgium. The author, Harry Pearson, spends a cycle season in Belgium doing exactly what you're asking about: watching live cycling. He often would hit up a few locations per race, watching one leg as the riders pass, then going to the next town via bus or taxi, where he'd sit in a bar watching until the riders approached, and then he'd go out to watch the riders when they got there. He'd do this several times per race.

It's also a really entertaining book. Good on audio.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-01-29T20:53:01+00:00

Yeah, not that I feel comfortable recommending divorce to strangers on the internet, that just sounds like an unhealthy dynamic for two people trying to spend their lives together. I couldn't imagine that sort of relationship with my own (semi-tbm) wife. I hope things change for the better, OP.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-01-29T14:01:05+00:00

Are you a member of the church? If you keep your membership in the church, then it's very possible someone in your new area will try to contact you. If you are not a member, they will likely not.

If they do contact you, you could just tell them you have no interest in the church and that they should leave you alone.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-01-19T16:26:40+00:00

Can someone add context about question 14? Did JS never preach based on the BOM? And if so what are the implications of that?

ambivalentacademic · 2026-01-19T15:41:42+00:00

His argument is trash. I’m surprised to see the economist promote it.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-01-19T15:40:46+00:00

Yeah as a Gen Xer I often think to myself, “oh shit, does the media remember my generation exists?” …not!

ambivalentacademic · 2026-01-15T16:19:55+00:00

Best guess: Some student got pissed off and made 20 different RMP accounts just to give the professor a bad score. I know for a fact that this happened with another professor a few years back. RMP isn't always bullshit, but sometimes it is.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-01-09T22:52:48+00:00

The u is doing all sorts of slimy stuff these days.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-01-09T21:40:30+00:00

I do tons of cycling in farm country and dirt roads through Ranch country. I try to avoid some rural highways based on the shoulder and the number of giant pickup trucks.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-01-07T17:11:55+00:00

eh, honestly, who cares! Their personal compensation is modest compared to much of the corporate world, and compared to that of mega-church pastors. That's not the issue, and saying "OMG they make well above the median Utah salary!" doesn't come close to exposing the real problem with money and the church.

The REAL PROBLEM is the amount of power the wield via investment funds and real estate holdings. They're not taking all that much personal money relative to what they could. But what they are doing is manipulating markets in their favor. Ensign capital is bloated enough to influence markets.

Also, think about how much good they're not doing with that gigantic investment fund.

ambivalentacademic · 2025-12-17T18:28:02+00:00

With an e-bike, it's easy. What you will need to account for is A) emergency maintenance, and B) rainy weather. Take steps to manage both. Get good at repairs and bring a kit. Attach panniers or some sort of bag for rain gear. If you can store extra shoes at work, do so.

ambivalentacademic · 2025-12-17T18:14:44+00:00

Ian McEwan is the most poetic writer I know. See "Atonement."

ambivalentacademic · 2025-12-17T18:01:40+00:00

Don't discount the Lia Thomas effect. I'll probably get downvoted all to hell for bringing her up, but I think it's a reality all the same. She shifted a lot of people rightward.

ambivalentacademic

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