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What do you mean it's too cold for skiing? Agree...disagree?

post #1 of 41
11/14/02 at 2:22am
Thread Starter 
Am I crazy (OK, you don't have to answer that one!) or does there seem to be a lot of people who say don't go here or there during (pick time) because it's too cold then. This is a "winter" sport, isn't it?

Is it ever too cold to ski or board? They make winter clothing, warm stuff too! When I think about going somewhere to ski, the last thing I think about is it it's going to be too cold. I worry about it being too warm. That's why Whistler and similar areas don't appeal to me.

What's your opinion??

Keep skiing faster :
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post #2 of 41
11/14/02 at 4:57am
It can be too cold for me to enjoy skiing. Especially if the only way back up the mountain is on a chair lift.
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post #3 of 41
11/14/02 at 5:35am
There are days when it's just plain painful to be out there. So yes, it can be too cold to go skiing.
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post #4 of 41
11/14/02 at 6:05am
I'm with you on this one Flip. Put on another layer, vent while riding to keep the sweat factor down, and pull that neck gaitor up to the bottom of your goggles. Don't forget to wax up with a hard cold temp wax. I like cold days as it keeps the gapers away.
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post #5 of 41
11/14/02 at 6:06am
Having grown up in North Dakota, I find there are few places that still have winter. Some areas have pretty bad spring and fall, but WINTER?, No. (well, eastern Wyoming can get a bit brisk)

I recall back in the early 70's being on a stopped lift at Vail in -15F temps where I thought I would shiver myself off the chair.

On cold days, I like to get out, get cold, then come indoors and get my boots off and change socks. Then I am ready to go again. A lot like a second wind.

Still, if exposed flesh (cheeks) freezes in less than 10 min. It may be too cold for having fun.

A perfect day? 0 degrees F, NO WIND!, and sunshine. = BlueBird

CalG

[ November 14, 2002, 06:08 AM: Message edited by: CalG ]
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post #6 of 41
11/14/02 at 8:12am
Never too cold! [img]smile.gif[/img] Tremblant skiers know the meaning of cold. I have a complete collection of fleeces, face masks, helmet liners and boot insulators. Secret techniques passed down through generations on how to keep warm. (Spare socks and glove liners are good)

It's always better to be out on the hill than sitting in the city. If it's really cold, then a run, stop in the chalet for a coffee or hot chocolate, then back out again.
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post #7 of 41
11/14/02 at 10:48am
I will argue that there is such a thing as "too cold"...well, or maybe too windly cold (making up that term).

I was in utah 3 years ago in march when the it was like -10 with 70 mph winds that gusted to 105 at the ridge. I have frost bite on my nose, because I took the traverse from the top of the sugarloaf life over to the germania side. I had a gater, goggles, but my nose was the only partially exposed part. Let alone the rest of my body was really cold. I have never been so scared in my life. I couldn't see 5 feet in front of me. Scary shit.

Alta closed down all of it's lifts and gave out free half day passes (i heard rumor that they haven't done that in many many years)

This storm blew a train off the tracks over at park city.

It only dropped a foot of snow too, and we hit brighton the next day, and most of the good areas and been scoured by the wind so there wasn't much good powder. It was also warm, so it was heavy slop.

Anyhow, I don't think there are many brave soles who would have wanted to be out that day. With the visibility so poor, it really wasn't that great.

I love skiing in the snow, but this was too much...
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post #8 of 41
11/14/02 at 10:53am
There are days where it's too cold to stay out all day without breaks, but I've never said it's too cold, I'm staying home. Gotta watch the frostbite though. Thick vaseline-like sunscreen and a neck gaiter that you can put over your face and nose help a lot.
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post #9 of 41
11/14/02 at 11:07am
For those who say it can't be too cold .. get off the quad at Stowe one day when the air temp is negative 10 and the wind is 40-50 mph. No matter how covered up you are it's just not fun. Personally I'd rather be at the bar sitting by a fire than taking a run in that weather just to say I was there.
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post #10 of 41
11/14/02 at 12:47pm
It's never too cold to enjoy the skiing;

But there are times when it is just too severe for your body to handle the punishment!! [img]smile.gif[/img]
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post #11 of 41
11/14/02 at 1:07pm
Three years ago, I turned in the parking lot at Tremblant and saw that the lifts weren't turning. With temps at -11F and 40 mph winds, even Intrawest wasn't interested in making money that day.

I drove five miles into the woods and went cross-country skiing!
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post #12 of 41
11/14/02 at 1:54pm
Tremblant, Tremblant Tremblant. Is this the benchmark for coldness out East? Not that I've gotten to the summit on a brisk Feb day only to get blown over to the South Side because I couldn't skate into the wind to ski the North Side. And as far as the wind goes, check a wind chill chart and see what kind of temps you generate while you are blowing down that blue cruiser.
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post #13 of 41
11/14/02 at 3:26pm
Well I have to admit that sometimes no matter how warm your dressed it is just too cold and not fun at ALLLLLLLL. I have experienced days like that before. Which reminds me, I'm thinking about taking a trip out to Colorodo for the FIRST time for some skiing. I would hate to go if its going to be one of those extreme cold days. Any months in Colorodo like that more than others?
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post #14 of 41
11/14/02 at 5:14pm
I don't think I have ever experienced "too cold to ski"outside the state of Vermont. In Vermont, I have had that experience just about everywhere--Stowe, Jay and especially Killington for some reeason (tho at JAY, THE SNOW IS ALWAYS WORTH IT). VT skiing frequently combines cold air, dampness and high winds for a truly painful experience. Jackson can get dam cold too, but have never felt there like I have on several occasions in VT.
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post #15 of 41
11/14/02 at 7:51pm
Now that I have to make ski plans that include 6 year-old skiing twins, I avoid the "coldest" ski areas. I've been to Tremblant in December (thank God for their hot pea soup), Stowe in January (remember the blankets for the chairlift?), and skied on many a bitterly cold day. My kids are not complainers when we have been out on very cold days but, I don't want them to dislike skiing by dragging them to Lake Louise in January when it's -10 degrees F.! The mountain and the sun will be waiting for us on another day.
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post #16 of 41
11/15/02 at 3:02am
Thread Starter 
Some pretty interesting experiences!

I have to agree with skieast and artimus, you need to dress warm. I always carry an item called "The Mask" in my pocket. It's one of those sponge rubber face masks, and will keep your face warm in any weather and you don't have to worry about frostbite.

Bicyclekick: I have to admit, your experience in Utah was pretty uh, well, um.......COLD!!!!!!!!!!! (haha). It sounds worse than one Quebec trip I had when it was -27C (-12F) with a wicked wind. But no trains go blown over though. We were nightskiing and there were only about 10 people on the whole hill (about 300 in the lodge). It was still great. Nobody to bother you.

Anymore cold weather stories!

Keep skiing faster! :
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post #17 of 41
11/15/02 at 6:29am
I would argure that Mont-Sainte-Anne in Quebec City is even colder than Tremblant.

And if you think it is never to cold to ski, wait till you ski at MSA on a day when the temps plumet to -20 or -30, they shut down all the lifts but the 2 that are covered and have the "Frostbite Patroll" out to send anyone who gets off the lifts with exposed skin back down on the covered lifts.

I had a friend who decided to make a couple of extra turns on a day like this and his googles were too fogged up to see out of, so he removed them. By the time he got to the bottom, the tears that had rolled out of his eyes from the painfull cold had turned into horizontal ice cycles comming off his head!

That is too cold to ski.
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post #18 of 41
11/15/02 at 11:51am
I remember many a time that I skied as a kid in the early 1970's in 20 below or colder weather at Alyeska Resort out of Anchorage, AK. Would only be able to handle a few runs however before we started to notice the telltale signs of frostbite on the nose, ears and cheeks and would have to retire to the lodge to warm up before any real damage was done. Actually, when it is that cold, there is no moisture in the air and it doesnt really feel that cold. The initial sign of frostbite conditions is the 'stinging' of the exposed skin surfaces but once frostbite is present you feel no pain.
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post #19 of 41
11/15/02 at 7:21pm
When it gets cold and windy in places like Tremblant, Ste-Anne, Jay Peak, we usually hit the glades! And stay in the glades! But I must say I was traumatized by an experience at Jay in January 2000.

My wife and I were on our second chairlift ride of the day. Wind is blowing the chairs around like wind chimes...Then everything stops. 10 minutes (which felt like 3 hours) still not moving...The Wind is so strong and cold people behind us start screeming in pain and fright (we all had that feeling of impending doom!!) When it finally starts up again, we figure we'd try another chair...The triple (jet) boom! stops midway : ...This time we re hanging for 20 minutes in crazy wind before we finally see a snowmobile with 2 guys and a tool box : . People screeming and pleading them to get ladders to get us down!! Anyways, they finally got it going. Around 30 minutes total hang time. Not sure if any trains blew over that day, but they closed the mountain an hour later.

This has not stopped us from skiing cold windy days, but we have been having flashbacks every time a chairlift stops for more than 1 minute...
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post #20 of 41
11/16/02 at 3:37am
too cold NEVER
too windy YES!

Unfortuately when it gets wicked cold, it also gets REALLY windy. Is there anything worse then a windy day of skiing? Especially on an exposed face of the mountain, snow kicking up off the run you feel like you're being sandblasted(I nominate this for the WORST KIND of face shots award). ICKY ICKY ICKY. On days like that I either stay in the glades or below the treeline or bag it all together
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post #21 of 41
11/18/02 at 1:13pm
Human lung tissue doesn't freeze until what...?

60 below? 70 below?
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post #22 of 41
11/18/02 at 6:22pm
Dress warm, tell your friends to quit their bitching [img]graemlins/evilgrin.gif[/img]
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post #23 of 41
11/20/02 at 10:27am
Fly,
The smog has gotten to your grey matter. If someone is planning a trip, and has a choice as to when they can visit a location, why wouldn't they choose a time that is more likely to have an agreeable temperature?? I can never understand all the Brit's that ski here in January. Its always stinkin cold and the snow can be a bit sketchy.
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post #24 of 41
11/20/02 at 9:33pm
now, i wont consider myself an expert; not having skied the east canadian coast or not skied many times when it has been below 0; but i'm a native houstonian and i hadnt been scared off yet.
i'll take all the cold, wind, snow and ice mother nature wants to give me, considering the texas summers i have to endure each year.
you want to see some real wusses, come to houston when it gets below 60 and see them breaking out coats. its pathetic.
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post #25 of 41
11/20/02 at 10:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by JoCanadian:
Fly,
The smog has gotten to your grey matter. If someone is planning a trip, and has a choice as to when they can visit a location, why wouldn't they choose a time that is more likely to have an agreeable temperature?? I can never understand all the Brit's that ski here in January. Its always stinkin cold and the snow can be a bit sketchy.
JoC: I see you're from Calgary. I've skied Sunshine at -20C and didn't find it cold at all. We didn't even know it was that cold until my friend said "I think it's getting colder" as we were on the slow chair going up Standish.
Let me qualify a few things though. First I come from the N.B. where the temps can get close to -40C/F. I now live in Ontario where -15C feels like -40 because of the great lakes and the heavy moisture-laden air. I also, sweat very easily and often my ski jacket even on -20C days is drenched. I also ski hard all the time. If I'm too tired to ski fast and agressively I stop and rest. So different body types definitely handle the cold differently.
When it's cold and windy, I always wear my "mask" (the little neoprene thing that covers nose, lips, cheeks & neck), therefore, just about impossible to get frostbite since I have no exposed flesh. This is the secret.
Ski hard; ski fast; dress properly; stay away from the alcohol, and you can ski anytime the lifts are running.

FlipFlopFly :
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post #26 of 41
11/21/02 at 5:59am
Growing up in Northern Ontario, I have lived through a lot of cold days out on the slopes. When I was in racing, I remember begging our coach for a break but he would insist "one more". Now, when I'm coaching, the kids are asking me the same question! The coldest day I have ever witnessed was 2 years ago in January at Lake Louise. On the digital thermometer at mid-mtn, it read -45C (-49F)!!! I could not believe it! It was even so cold that the lift could not open until 11:00 because all the oil was freezing up. They gave out free hot chocolate and everyone waited around in the chalet. brrr!! I shiver just thinking about it! :
So to answer your question.. if it's so cold out that the lifts are not able to operate then ya, I'd have to guess that it's too cold to ski. Otherwise, put on all your layers and go for it!!
[edit for spelling]

[ November 21, 2002, 07:43 AM: Message edited by: rossi9irl ]
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post #27 of 41
11/21/02 at 6:49am
Too cold!!??? Heck no. One year in the early 1980's I was skiing MRG with some friends. The place is never really crowded but this day it was pretty sparse. Anyway it was -20F and we nearly had the place to ourselves. It was some of the best skiing I ever had on the eastcoast. However, the ride up the single was really long that day. [img]tongue.gif[/img]
ED
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post #28 of 41
11/21/02 at 10:51am
Skied Jay Peak (VT) for a day years back- wind chill was around 50 below. All the snow had been literally blown off the mountain- felt like I was skiing down a large ice cube. Took two runs the whole day. Yes, it was to cold for skiing that day.
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post #29 of 41
11/21/02 at 8:17pm
Coming from the icebox of America, Lutsen Mtn on an early January day is the coldest place I've ever skied. Skiing in cold weather is just a matter of proper preparation. Given my parents (see sig line below), when we were on a ski trip, we went skiing. Didn't matter what the temp was. Unless they closed the road to the ski hill or the lifts weren't running (I do remember a trip to Jackson Hole where we spent almost three days in the hotel because they wouldn't open up the mountain. We were ready to ski, but apparently there was too much wind for the tram and too much cold for the chair lift.), we were expected to bundle up and head on out. You put on all your layers, got out the old facemask (leather in those days), grabbed the "marshmallow" coat aka the down jacket and went skiing. So what if you looked like a cross between the Michelin
Man and a Friday the 13th movie? At least you were skiing! The only times the cold has pushed me off the hill were the times I wasn't dressed for it.
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post #30 of 41
11/21/02 at 8:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by Tag:
Coming from the icebox of America, Lutsen Mtn on an early January day is the coldest place I've ever skied. Skiing in cold weather is just a matter of proper preparation. Given my parents (see sig line below), when we were on a ski trip, we went skiing. Didn't matter what the temp was. Unless they closed the road to the ski hill or the lifts weren't running (I do remember a trip to Jackson Hole where we spent almost three days in the hotel because they wouldn't open up the mountain. We were ready to ski, but apparently there was too much wind for the tram and too much cold for the chair lift.), we were expected to bundle up and head on out. You put on all your layers, got out the old facemask (leather in those days), grabbed the "marshmallow" coat aka the down jacket and went skiing. So what if you looked like a cross between the Michelin
Man and a Friday the 13th movie? At least you were skiing! The only times the cold has pushed me off the hill were the times I wasn't dressed for it.
That's the spirit Tag.....Put on the right clothing and tip those skis over the edge of the mountain!

Keep skiing faster! :

FlipFlopFly
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