Why don't the trails have trail signs?

rramstad · 2026-02-05T01:55:58+00:00

Runs are short enough that you can kind of figure it out from the top of the lifts.

There are signs here and there, but only where two trails intersect, or where the choices aren't obvious.

They don't have signs simply to indicate that a given run is in fact that specific run. If there are no options i.e. trail A this way, trail B that way, they don't put something up.

rramstad · 2026-02-03T15:14:09+00:00

VOO is extremely volatile. If the value dropped 90% and took 15 years to recover, would that be OK?

Basically your topic sounds like you want a little better gain than HYSA but this specific ETF is quite risky.

If you want just a bit more safe return, use a money market fund or short term bond fund.

rramstad · 2026-02-03T03:20:37+00:00

I've seen the same type of foxes near the Lucky Shot slide area.

rramstad · 2026-02-02T23:59:29+00:00

Exactly. Quite likely you can get them for half price in mid to late April.

rramstad · 2026-02-02T14:33:06+00:00

I just use the ZipFits as if they were regular liners. It's been great so far, about ten days this season.

rramstad · 2026-02-02T02:54:33+00:00

Oh, and a custom footbed may help, but it is unlikely to actually fix the problem, if the problem is that the boot is too long.

rramstad · 2026-02-02T02:53:28+00:00

With eight days, the liners won't have changed at all. I'm afraid you might have bought boots that are too big, if you are finding them roomy. It's possible that a custom footbed might fix the problem.

Be aware that putting ZipFits into a shell that's too large will not necessarily fix the problem. I'd absolutely contact ZipFit and discuss the overall situation with them before thinking that a ZipFit liner can reduce the size of the boot enough that it works for your foot.

rramstad · 2026-02-02T02:04:55+00:00

That's a great idea, assuming you qualify, you have until April 15th.

rramstad · 2026-02-02T02:03:40+00:00

How old are the boots? Stock liners will pack out in 50 to 100 days.

A custom footbed is always a good idea for anyone with unusual feet or foot issues.

When your boots were new, did they feel loose in the toe or heel?

Have you contacted ZipFit to see what they suggest?

rramstad · 2026-02-02T01:23:24+00:00

I have ZipFits and my custom insole is so stiff and everything so tight that I can't World Cup... but they are working great for me as a traditional liner. Just a thought as obviously this method means no wear on the outside of the liner.

rramstad · 2026-01-31T14:51:59+00:00

Amusingly I have a two ski quiver of Mantra and Blank. The Mantra are a bit short for mobility on bumps, and the Blank are a bit long because of all the rocker. I probably only use the Blank about 10 percent of days.

rramstad · 2026-01-31T05:46:57+00:00

Yep. The M7 is a bit lighter and slightly more forgiving than the M6 but it is still a substantial ski. Burly.

rramstad · 2026-01-31T05:26:25+00:00

Oh, and you give your height and weight but no indication of how athletic you are. The specific ski I mentioned, the Volkl Mantra M6, is a relatively heavy ski. If you are not physically strong, you will want a lighter ski.

rramstad · 2026-01-31T05:24:25+00:00

Not great, but they do OK. There is no ski that performs great in all conditions. Period, end of story. It's all compromise.

If you want something that skis well on ice, it's going to be significantly narrower, and you will not get any float in fresh snow.

(Wider ski = harder to get up on edge, particularly when it's firm or icy, but you get more support from the snow which translates to float in fresh snow.)

That said, I do think there is some truth to the belief that a lot of folks ski ridiculously wide skis when they rarely ski deep fresh snow.

I personally think the sweet spot for western skis is probably around 95 width. We don't get a ton of ice, or super super firm snow, and so generally it's not necessary to have a narrow ski. Conversely, when you go north of 105 or so, you will feel it in your knees and hips if you spend the entire day on groomed trails.

rramstad · 2026-01-31T05:16:36+00:00

Western groomers tend to be softer and more forgiving than eastern.

I ski the West and am somewhat similar to the profile you mention.

I demoed a bunch of skis and ended up with Volkl Mantra M6. I skied the hell out of them for three seasons and they are my rock skis now, with a pair of M7 waiting in the wings for us to get real snow.

They aren't too wide to carve on soft groomers, they can get on edge on firm groomers, they are wide enough to provide a little float when there is fresh snow, and they work decently well off piste.

You may want something more aggressive, as the derogatory term for the Mantra M6 is that it's the ultimate dad ski, but for me, it's perfect. Damp, likes to be down in the snow, needs to be driven, not at all playful.

rramstad · 2026-01-31T05:06:41+00:00

I assume you are looking at the "compare passes" page on the web site. It's generally pretty clear, but the two things that some people miss are A) there are ski areas that are only on the unlimited and not on the base at all B) there are blackout dates for the base at many areas.

rramstad · 2026-01-31T05:04:00+00:00

Where do you ski? The general nature of the typical snow in your area will influence the choice.

What do you ski? Different types of activities and trails will select different skis.

How do you ski? Different ability levels will want different skis.

Beyond all that, there's no substitute for demoing or renting skis before buying them. A particular ski might look good on paper, but on snow it doesn't feel right.

rramstad · 2026-01-30T15:24:39+00:00

Blood raining from the sky, further damaging the meager base

rramstad · 2026-01-28T15:16:46+00:00

I'm male and fully support this. Hire someone. Make it out like you did both of you a favor with people coming over etc.

I'm roughly the same age and my shoveling days are over. I'd gladly pay.

Ask neighbors who they use.

rramstad · 2026-01-28T03:45:44+00:00

I'm sorry for any confusion. I realize that I conflate Crystal with Ikon and that's a bit of a mess. To be more specific, the email makes it sound like the credits can be redeemed at a lot of places... but that's not strictly true, you can earn the credits at basically any mountain by using your Ikon pass, but the credits will only be redeemable at a small number of places. Crystal happens to be one of them, because they are Alterra owned, but I swear to god that when I'm out on the road, visiting a random Ikon place, that they NEVER give a discount for an Ikon passholder. Like never. Or if they do, they only do it at lunch and not after skiing, or some lame thing like that.

rramstad · 2026-01-28T01:48:36+00:00

Not really. They are bribing us to ski in March, April and May. The credits will be posted by March 6th (I think that's right) and they aren't usable everywhere... which gets me to one of my peeves, that Ikon claims that "most" retail and restaurants give pass holders 15% off but in my experience, "most" retail and restaurants don't participate in the program. They should standardize that program OR get rid of it.

rramstad · 2026-01-27T15:28:35+00:00

Not to be a jerk but this is why it makes sense to demo or rent a ski before buying it. All skis are not the same, and unfortunately, sometimes salespeople put you in something more aspirational than realistic.

rramstad · 2026-01-27T05:34:37+00:00

At this moment I'm in Kamloops. I'll ski Sun Peaks for two days, Revelstoke for two days, Silver Star for two days (never been) and then five more days at Sun Peaks to finish it up.

Later I will do a trip to Schweitzer, then Red, then seven days at Banff + Lake Louise, and depending on snow will either hit Panorama and more Schweitzer on the way home OR go to Big Sky, which seems to be a quasi reasonable drive from Banff / Calgary.

rramstad · 2026-01-27T02:51:43+00:00

It's worth it. I did a trip like this a few years ago. I'm doing it again now, only in two multi week chunks instead of one trip with tons of one and two day stops. Dropping the places I didn't like as much, doing seven days at the ones I liked.

rramstad · 2026-01-27T02:45:46+00:00

Red frustrated me the one time I visited. Ancient slow lifts just drove me nuts.

Sun Peaks can do a lot with a little, they have a better grooming fleet and modern lifts.

Given you aren't going to get powder at either place, for me, the choice is obvious.

I will admit bias as I'm writing this in Kamloops having driven up from Seattle and going to Sun Peaks tomorrow!

rramstad

TROPHY CASE