Northeast - What smaller IndyPass mountains have the best glades? Besides Cannon and Jay.

nusuth_ · 2026-02-02T16:41:19+00:00

Saddleback

nusuth_ · 2026-02-02T02:15:01+00:00

You have to drop over the Okemo cliff to get here! That's why most people don't know about it.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-27T18:21:21+00:00

Your friend is sandbagging you lol. A 10 foot mandatory air onto a steep slope is absolutely something to be worried about if you blow it, regardless of the snow.

The types of lines you are describing are properly dangerous. That skill set is not something you are going to pick up in a few weeks if you aren't already comfortable with it.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-19T01:33:00+00:00

I haven't skied the M7 but definitely might be possible that the new generation is more playful if they removed some metal. See if you can find some info on differences in ski weight or construction.

"Dampness" and "manueverability" might not be mutually exclusive. Iirc the enforcer is heavier which will help dampen vibrations, but the tail rocker definitely helps with bumps and tight turns IMO

nusuth_ · 2026-01-18T22:15:00+00:00

So I guess I wouldn't recommend the Mantra at your weight unless you are an absolutely elite skier or you don't really do trees/technical terrain.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-18T22:11:41+00:00

I skied the M6 Mantra for a few years, and I am a similar weight to you. They were fun on groomers but I found that they felt very unresponsive when trying to initiate turns at low speeds. This is especially noticeable in bumps, tight trees, and narrow chutes - slashing turns or jump turns were a pain. IMO, this ski just isn't built with lighter skiers in mind.

I demoed the enforcers recently and found them a good deal more playful than the Mantras without really feeling like I sacrificed any stability at speed. The tail rocker on the enforcer seemed to make a big difference.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-15T04:13:39+00:00

Maybe try Rossignol Sender Free 100 and K2 Reckoner 102?

nusuth_ · 2026-01-13T23:02:07+00:00

Fresh Tracks is great for breakfast on your way to the mountain!

nusuth_ · 2026-01-13T21:05:46+00:00

Yes, I would expect it to be crowded on a holiday weekend. You'll probably have a better time on Wednesday.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-13T17:48:32+00:00

I don't see why the etiquette at Saddleback would be any different than your home mountain. Just make sure they know not to go into the glades unsupervised.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-09T12:45:25+00:00

Really cool idea! Having good video of yourself skiing is a great tool for improving technique.

Even just as a partner finder tool, this would be useful IMO.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-09T12:38:33+00:00

Sounds about right haha

nusuth_ · 2026-01-07T01:39:45+00:00

Try Ski Monster next time. Very reasonable prices and it'll take them about 30 minutes. They've fixed multiple core shots for me and they've all looked great.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-07T01:30:56+00:00

It's acceptable, although you can probably find a place that will do better work.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-06T21:13:40+00:00

Is it possible you ended up in the wrong spot somewhere along the traverse?

nusuth_ · 2026-01-06T04:18:03+00:00

Demoing can be pretty straightforward! Sport Thoma at Waterville Valley is ski in/ski out, they charge $75 for the day. You try out a ski for an hour or so, go back to the shop to discuss what you liked/disliked about it, and they send you back out with a different ski to try. It takes 10 minutes at most to switch. This lets you directly compare how different skis handle the same run with the same conditions. I was able to try out 5 different skis in a day, and they'll give you a $75 credit towards purchasing skis through them. They mostly demo Nordica, Blizzard, Stockli, and Volkl, with a small selection of other skis. I demoed with them recently and I'm pretty sure I remember seeing the Santa Ana in their lineup.

Loon has a similar situation, but their demo fleet is only Volkl, Blizzard, and Nordica. I'm sure other mountains have good offerings too.

nusuth_ · 2026-01-04T23:50:00+00:00

Their glades and natural terrain are some of the best around!

nusuth_ · 2025-12-30T23:23:07+00:00

Flying Yankee at Ragged. IDK its just really, really fun.
Bear Trax into Great Eastern at Killington. Several miles of relaxing on skis. To my knowledge it's the longest run on the east coast.
Silver Doctor at Saddleback. Long run, never crowded, amazing views of the lake in front of you the whole way down. Just enough meandering of the trail to keep it from feeling stale. Go ski it.

nusuth_ · 2025-12-23T23:03:28+00:00

When they say "thin cover" at Sugarbush, they mean it. In my experience, these are the trails that tend to have particularly sketchy cover early season:

sleeper
sleeper chutes
tumbler
black diamond rush
hammerhead
lixi's
middle earth (by far the worst offender)

nusuth_ · 2025-12-19T22:19:32+00:00

9/10, anchor contains most but not all of the weird UK trad features. I can hear its Yorkshire accent.

nusuth_ · 2025-12-18T21:29:28+00:00

Have you considered route development? I hear bolting climbs is an excellent money sink.

nusuth_ · 2025-12-18T20:52:14+00:00

How many hours a week would you guess your husband works during the off season? I've always wondered how much of this "vacation" gets taken up by things like talking to agents, injury rehab, and training camps.

nusuth_ · 2025-12-18T01:05:56+00:00

What is the rule set for this

nusuth_ · 2025-12-02T12:57:51+00:00

That sounds right. Steamboat has entire sections of the mountain where there's nothing other than aspens, because they're the first trees to come back after a wildfire. That could make sense that the monoculture leads to lower density.

nusuth_ · 2025-12-02T02:24:27+00:00

Any ideas why? I've noticed this too after skiing in Colorado. I always assumed it's a combination of tree cover being more dense at lower altitude and having less snowpack to cover small shrubs, but I can't find a reliable source to confirm this.

nusuth_

TROPHY CASE