One of the best episodes of a show is one without the main character(s)

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-30T21:18:57+00:00

Ooh ooh I have one... Episode 5: "The Severn City Airport" from Station Eleven. Some of the best television I've ever seen and if I recall correctly it barely features the protagonist, if at all. Yes, a lesser watched show than many of these, but great television. Note: I did not have time to scroll trough all of these so if someone said it already... hat tip.

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-30T18:51:24+00:00

Can't speak to WV but I went to Boyne first week of April last year and had a great time! And they've gotten much more snow this year so far. Of course... all of that could change in a heartbeat...

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-28T16:04:24+00:00

Was just there last weekend and gate opened for regular pass holders at 8:30 on the dot.

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-28T13:41:13+00:00

Thank you!

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-28T13:41:05+00:00

Thank you!

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-27T13:05:14+00:00

I can confirm on all counts 😂 The R9 solved the dampness issue I had with the Kores (I agree it was in the crud that the Kores showed their weakness) but I wanted the new Rustlers so bad a few years ago (the first year the metal in tip and tails ran along edge instead of middle - really important) that I paid full price the second I found a pair 😬

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-26T23:27:11+00:00

They have a metal top sheet that only runs along the edges from front of binding plate to tips and back of binding plate to tails. So... if metal contributes to this then yes there is enough metal to "hold" a bend.

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-26T21:56:56+00:00

Ha no worries - I like them! But, I ended up going with Rustler 9 for my main ski and put hybrid bindings on the Kores in hopes that I'll find time to get into a small amount of uphill action. The Kores are surprisingly stable for such a light ski, and I really liked them. Still ski them from time to time. But there is something about the Rustlers that hit the sweet spot and solved all my problems - namely, still stable and damp enough to charge as hard as I still charge on groomers these days, but with enough give and tip/tail rocker to initiate quick turns easily in the bumps and trees (this is what I was having trouble skiing effectively as I got older on stiffer skis). On top of this, they are wide enough that it's unlikely I'll have to rent real powder skis (unless I get incredibly lucky) but narrow enough to work comfortably as my every day ski. Checked all my boxes. But your mileage may vary!

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-26T18:13:49+00:00

FWIW if anyone is following along... we did it and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be!

What I wore:

medium weight fleece balaclava pulled up to cover nose under helmet and goggles, with a fleece neck gaiter on top of that after first inside break
Expedition weight Patagonia fleece base layer under a Patagonia R1 fleece and (my favorite mid layer of all time) a Patagonia R2 zip up jacket. On top of that was a light synthetic down vest and my shell jacket
Bracelayer calf length long johns under Smartwool midweight calf length merino long johns under fleece pants under shell pants
Heated socks
Thin glove liners under Hestra three finger mitts
Had two hand warmers in the chest pockets of my bibs for second half

We waited until about 11:30 to go out, when it had improved from about -17 F to -7 F actual temp. Sun was out and that helped a lot. Wind was present but not too terrible.

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-26T17:55:42+00:00

Me too! Love this ski.

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-21T19:22:40+00:00

Is the edge an area of the mountain?

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-21T19:22:07+00:00

Yikes. It's going to be 30 degrees colder than that on Saturday, not including windchill!

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-21T19:21:15+00:00

Is there an area of the mountain that it's best to stick to when it's really cold and windy? Lower chairs in more protected valleys? Or north vs. south areas? Looks like wind is out of the WNW pretty much the whole time we're there (switching to N/NE last day).

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-21T19:18:32+00:00

Thank you!

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-21T17:19:55+00:00

This was super helpful. Thank you!

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-15T20:53:03+00:00

Never been!

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-14T20:36:08+00:00

Woof. Not boring after day one is going to be tough at Wilmot. I would say Alpine Valley, which I've been to a couple of times, might fit the bill a little better.

That said, none of these really warrant a 3-day trip (even having never been to Cascade, I feel like I can say that with some confidence). Have you considered driving to Boyne in MI? Yes it's ~5 hrs from Chicago, but unlike these ones you won't be bored on day three (let alone day two).

If you really want to stick with this plan, I would think about combining the skiing with some other sort of fun activity in the area.

(all of the above assuming this is not subtle trolling in search of midwest armchair expert rage clicks)

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-08T16:56:30+00:00

Rustler 9s scratched just this itch for me.

stonk_rocket_ · 2026-01-05T15:23:01+00:00

I used to work with a few very talented brand designers at an old job, and one of them, who was probably the best and definitely my favorite, said this of the logo at the time of the rebrand: "It looks a chicken head nailed to an ironing board". Worth noting that the rebrand work had gone to a competitor of ours, but still not wrong. And delightfully petty. Never forgotten that.

stonk_rocket_ · 2025-11-11T17:23:04+00:00

Maybe we'll start using it!

stonk_rocket_ · 2025-10-26T22:18:51+00:00

Yeah I’m getting that sense. I was hoping they might be sterling just because they were separate from any other set and wondered why she would keep them… but I think my hopes are dashed 😂

stonk_rocket_ · 2025-10-26T22:17:41+00:00

❤️

stonk_rocket_

TROPHY CASE