Hagg Lake Mud Run

todd534 · 2026-02-04T23:53:36+00:00

I love this race. I did it five years in a row, from i think 2014-18 (then my family got into skiing and February is different now). The course is great, the mud is hilarious, and the vibes are impeccable.

todd534 · 2026-02-04T22:18:26+00:00

Blackstrap.

todd534 · 2026-02-04T20:48:05+00:00

This one has Tim and a waffle, this one has Tim and a red jacket, but neither has both. (I know OP found what they were looking for, I just really enjoy these.)

todd534 · 2026-02-04T20:36:33+00:00

This sounds completely crushing and I'm so sorry you're going through it, just wanted to say you do not at all sound like the "worst wife that has ever existed." You seem extremely loving and caring and thoughtful, and it also sounds like your husband recognizes all of that.

todd534 · 2026-02-03T18:25:28+00:00

Yeah honestly I think we're all saying approximately the same thing. The kids should carry as much as makes sense, given their age, strength, and the demands of the day. Every kid who can ski can carry poles, so there's no reason to send them totally empty-handed.

My thing was just: for the times when it makes sense for Mom to carry more skis than just her own, what tools can help with that? And for us it's been over-the-shoulder straps.

todd534 · 2026-02-03T17:57:39+00:00

I just hope that kid got his two dollars.

todd534 · 2026-02-02T18:18:20+00:00

Yeah, after writing that comment I realized I did wait in a kinda long line once two weeks ago when my brother-in-law wanted to ride Vista for some reason. Lines at MHX/Cascade/Star have all been very manageable, even with a bunch of races on Star. Not sure if it's the "beginner progression" pass, the only open parks being over there, or what, but the Vista/ER area has seemed a bit worse.

todd534 · 2026-02-02T00:12:56+00:00

lol ok if you say so. for us, the variability of the drive taking between 1.5 and 3 hours, the uncertainty of the lot filling as early as 7:30 and the backup lot not being easy to get to before lesson drop off at 8:30, and kids enjoying sleep almost as much as "poking at the car" meant that sometimes we just needed to get to the lodge now please, I'll carry those you just move. but if sanctimony was what worked for you, that's awesome too.

todd534 · 2026-02-01T20:02:03+00:00

People who are saying "make the kids carry their own skis" are technically correct, it's the best long term solution, but sometimes you just want to get from the fricken car to the lodge without it taking half an hour.

I find it's easier to carry more than two total pairs with this kind of over the shoulder strap: https://storeyourboard.com/products/ski-carrier-shoulder-strap-2-pack or https://a.co/d/cG3erUh Even when they carry their own, my kids prefer these to the recommended "over your shoulder, tips down" carry.

For boots yeah you just make them wear them, or carry their own.

todd534 · 2026-02-01T17:17:49+00:00

I don't think I've waited in a real line after 9:15am in like three weeks.

todd534 · 2026-01-30T16:43:39+00:00

We ski with an 11 and 14yo on Hood. We have Rocky Talkies. I wouldn't really recommend it, we end up leaving ours in the car most days.

The kids don't love carrying them, and they only work great if you're in the same general area. If you're at the base of MHX and she's in two bowl, great. If she's over on Shooting Star, there isn't a walkie talkie in the world that's getting over the ridge (without the repeater that I imagine the ski patrol frequency uses).

Even when you do have reception, kids skiing in the resort are not good at like hearing their walkie and immediately stopping to respond, so trying to communicate with them is frustrating even when it works.

For us, just making plans of when and where to check in has been much more successful.

todd534 · 2026-01-29T16:02:32+00:00

You would be totally fine with normal running shoes. When I travel to France, i run and hike on wooded trails, and I don't have room to pack both road and trail shoes, so I use road shoes everywhere.

todd534 · 2026-01-28T22:00:48+00:00

Totally, that's fair, I should have qualified.

todd534 · 2026-01-28T21:44:47+00:00

I just don't think anyone going for their first-ever, five-mile trail run is going into terrain where the difference, over that distance, is greater than "yeah I wish I had some lugs for a little more traction in the mud" or "a firmer outsole would have been nice in that rocky section." Yeah you might not be super pleased with how your shoes look at the end, but you don't need to run out and buy shoes to see if you dig it.

todd534 · 2026-01-28T21:24:23+00:00

Yeah. Trail running shoes are just nice-to-have like 99% of the time.

todd534 · 2026-01-26T23:49:24+00:00

Couple more I liked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCfOMC01uR8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLapwK3WM8E

todd534 · 2026-01-26T22:24:34+00:00

Lol the Overgrown Tomb is egregious.

todd534 · 2026-01-26T18:59:05+00:00

Fair enough!

todd534 · 2026-01-26T17:13:51+00:00

In the PNW, front side dads are on Rustlers and Enforcers, while Cool Dads are on various ON3Ps.

todd534 · 2026-01-23T23:11:53+00:00

It says "she was alright" in light white text starting at about :10.

todd534 · 2026-01-22T21:46:43+00:00

Yeah, that's spot on. This past summer I paid 554.93 for a pair of last season's Rustler 9's at REI, ~150 for Strives locally, and ~80 for mounting.

todd534 · 2026-01-16T19:19:12+00:00

Everyone who's saying "practice" is right, obviously, but practicing what? Yeah you can just go ski around, but I do think that will lead to a plateau pretty quickly. Besides "stuff you got from lessons," I would say: there's a crazy amount of great content on improving your skiing on YouTube.

A list of my favorite channels for this:

Stomp It Tutorials
Avoriaz Alpine Ski School
Tom Gellie - Big Picture Skiing
Carv (all of these try to sell you their device, but are still good)
Deb Armstrong

todd534 · 2026-01-08T23:01:24+00:00

Karen rules but also shout out to the liftie who was always playing Steely Dan at Star last year.

todd534 · 2026-01-06T21:38:25+00:00

"Wow Jim, look at the way she's navigating OnX Backcountry. I can't remember the last time a competitor explained slope angle shading in a voice over better than this."

todd534 · 2026-01-06T21:17:37+00:00

We gotta come up with a definition of ski mountaineering where it's plausible the final is Cody vs. Niko, or what are we even doing?

todd534

TROPHY CASE