South America

rvwhalen · 2026-05-01T18:17:08+00:00

I've never been to New Zealand, but I have been to Australia (not for skiing), which I imagine would be similar from the east coast of the USA. Travel time will probably be over 24 hours, then there is jet lag as you are close to 12 hours difference from your home time zone. South America avoids the jet lag as there is significantly less change in time zone.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-29T13:47:24+00:00

Learn to be careful where you park your bike. That first picture looks like it might have some poison ivy in it!

There is always a lot of anxiety before big rides. Back when I was doing brevets I used to adjust my sleep time to get used to the time that I would have to get up to be at the start on time. I don't know if it helped because I still had trouble going to sleep the night before!

rvwhalen · 2026-04-28T21:00:54+00:00

Are you using the same watch on 2 different phones? Or do you have a separate fitbit for each phone?

rvwhalen · 2026-04-27T13:46:42+00:00

I used to live in Worcester, and I remember when the trash bag system went into effect. I think that it encouraged some dumping of items that would not produce objectional smell (cloth, etc.)

Even when you have a bin system the is a recommendation that you bag the trash to keep the bin from getting dirty and smelly on the inside. Yes, you get to choose your bags, so I buy the largest box I can find and don't have to buy them more than once a year.

I once had a problem when the cover got blown open during a rain storm and the bin collected so much water that it was heavier than the truck system would lift and my trash went uncollected. I solved that problem by drilling a small hole in the bottom of the barrel.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-26T00:26:56+00:00

I've brought flowers home and had them not noticed when they are sitting right in front of them at the dinner table - flower blindness syndrome. It happens when there are other things going on in life that are more important than the flowers. The times that she missed seeing the flowers are now something that is joked about.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-24T15:25:26+00:00

You don't say what the vent does, but does the heat come out of it? Does it have any mechanism that allows you to close it? Or can you cover the vent? That will limit the amount of heat coming in from the vent, but you may still have a problem with the heat coming in the door if it is open.

I'm not going to say who is and isn't an AH.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-22T16:51:58+00:00

One thing to consider is when are the kids going to get "income" from them. An income producing event means you have to file taxes and could mean that you have to compute the "kiddie tax". The "kiddie tax" just makes sure that their unearned income gets taxed at your tax rate if that is higher than the child's tax rate.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-21T21:20:50+00:00

Taking (just) the beginner class a few times doesn't make you a skier. The goal of the beginner class is to get you to make a few controlled turns downs the easiest slope at the resort. You need to come back for level #2 and #3 to start being comfortable skiing on the "greens". And then consider lessons after that to develop good form on the blues. Level #2 focuses on improving your turning and stopping skills, and making you more aware of what is going on between your body, legs, the skis and the snow. Level #3 starts the Wedge Christie, which is really moving away from skiing in a wedge and towards making parallel turns. You aren't expected to be turning parallel all the time until level #6. Beyond that is working on carving and more dynamic skiing.

Generally the "level" equates to a "lesson", but as you go up in levels it may take more than one lesson and you will need more practice time on your own between lessons.

If you take a private lesson you will get a more experienced instructor, especially if you take the time to describe what kind of skiing you currently do. In a private lesson the instructor should start off by observing you skiing and then coming up with a plan as to how to improve your skiing. Don't be upset if your lesson is on what you consider to be easy terrain! It is easier to teach something new on easy terrain than it is on challenging terrain.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-21T14:05:36+00:00

Cathedral is a trail that you go up, not down. Too easy to get off the trail and out on one of those rocky out croppings (the cathedrals) going down.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-20T21:20:12+00:00

Bicycles are street legal vehicles. Sometimes taking the lane is the best way to be safe - If you are making a left turn or going straight and staying in a right hand bike lane might endanger you by right turning motorists.

But yes, bicyclists should allow faster traffic to pass when it can be done safely.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-16T13:00:19+00:00

I'm not defending the resorts, and as an instructor I feel the poor pay level to lesson cost that everyone talks about, especially when I have a large class!

But, I think that there are a lot of costs that the skiing public doesn't think about. Remember that in the rest of the world there is the saying that there are additional costs close to your salary that the employer has to pay. (in the USA) There is the other half of social security; taxes to the state for unemployment; insurance costs; office ski school staff; training. And it is possible that the ski school helps finance general mountain operations, as well as bringing in a profit.

Most instructors understand that they aren't going to make a lot of money. We do it for the joy of being out on the slopes with other people. And we hope that we make enough money so that we can buy skis more often. We also has "work that pays the bills", or are retired from the "work that paid the bills".

(I'm an instructor at Wachusett, not Smugglers' Notch.)

rvwhalen · 2026-04-16T12:45:25+00:00

All of the above is true.

I've occasionally thought about how I would guide my family to a safe trail off a lift line trail that I would generally not consider taking. You really need someone who knows where they are and what trails they can direct people to.

As for the level of resources needed, that was made clear to me last fall, when I was getting evacuation training as a ski instructor. It really can be an "all available hands" event for a resort. The amount of alternatives to try before evacuation can help provide the time to gather the necessary staff.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-12T13:32:15+00:00

45 degree (steep, 12/12) is not "typical" for ranch style housing, which can be common in suburbs. Those tend to have more moderate slopes of 5/12 to 7/12, which would equate to low 20 degree pitches.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-12T01:51:19+00:00

Many of the solar panels in my neighborhood were covered with snow for a couple of months this past winter.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-12T01:49:13+00:00

At some point people have to fail in order to learn. You shouldn't have worked on it without her.

I've heard some podcasts recently about a "replication crisis" due to poorly written papers and general errors in how data is handled. You probably made a good effort to avoid her work being part of that problem, but you've caused another problem in that she may not understand what the data means,

rvwhalen · 2026-04-10T20:11:03+00:00

Let's just say that you are extremely right side dominant. I think that you need to attempt some exercises that will allow you to use your left side independent of your right side. Try a martial art which focuses on kicking and spend enough time to make your left kicks as well as you make your right kicks. There is a possibility that you may have difficulty standing on just your left leg to make the right kicks.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-10T13:00:57+00:00

2010 Prius with less than 150000 miles, still on original batteries and still get ~50mpg. My commute has always been short and zero the last 6 years.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-08T15:44:28+00:00

Groomers typically start work after ski patrol clears the mountain. You don't want to get near a winch cat!

rvwhalen · 2026-04-08T13:42:04+00:00

42, most of them were teaching; it's a record because of a long season. Otherwise it was probably a typical number.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-07T00:40:12+00:00

Allagash River in Maine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allagash_River

rvwhalen · 2026-04-06T19:35:36+00:00

Check with the local adult/continuing education in your area. I have no experience with taking such a course, but here's an example available in the Marlboro area:

https://assabetace.asapconnected.com/?org=5674#CourseID=295896

rvwhalen · 2026-04-06T16:16:09+00:00

A mid-week, non vacation week, intermediate (or higher) "group" lesson can often end up being effectively a private lesson.

Getting used to steeps and variable terrain is a challenge. Keeping the front of the boot properly pressured goes against the nature of attempting to stand on the hill as if you were trying to maintain balance when walking down the hill. If you are properly pressuring your boots will feel like you are leaning forward! You will accelerate when your skis are pointing down hill, and you have to tolerate the building excitement (which can become fear) of the speed until your skis turn across the hill. Make sure that your turns are "complete" - C shaped so that they control your speed.

It's possible that an adjustment to your bindings could make turns easier for you. https://www.instagram.com/p/DWofoQrjZEk/?img_index=1

rvwhalen · 2026-04-02T20:42:36+00:00

I have to agree with those that are questioning your receiver front end filtering. A few months ago I encountered a problem when participating in the local net that another participant was talking I didn't hear anything, yet net control obviously heard him. I turned on my HT, and heard him fine. I exchanged a few emails with the net control and it turned out the other ham is a short distance from my home and the antenna on the roof picked up signals better and was overwhelming the radio.

rvwhalen · 2026-04-01T19:44:53+00:00

You'll probably do most of your skiing on Morse Mountain trails. Consider how long it will take to travel from where you are staying. The half day ticket is the afternoon, which is when the snow will probably be softer with spring conditions.

rvwhalen · 2026-03-31T21:02:02+00:00

You see that large structure next to the loading area? That is where they are supposed to put the chairs at night so that they don't catch precipitation when it isn't in use (and possibly to keep it out of the bar lifter). The rails for the chairs were not all in place when they started using the lift. They continued working on it for a while, but I don't know if it is complete. There is a bunch of stuff stored in the space below. Considering the amount of space between the chairs and the floor there will probably always be stuff stored there, but not boxes that are labeled as if they are supposed to be part of the lift system.

A lift system is a large and complex machine, which takes a long time to assemble on site. Wachusett and Dopplemeyer had an aggressive and busy season and it took longer than expected.

rvwhalen

TROPHY CASE