http://www.snowboardingforum.com Regional Forum for threads relating to local areas. en Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:04:54 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.snowboardingforum.com/images/SnowboardingForum/misc/rss.jpg http://www.snowboardingforum.com http://www.snowboardingforum.com/regional-chat/30606-anyone-ever-bought-pass-eldora.html Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:39:41 GMT Hey All, I was wondering if anyone had experience buying a pass to Eldora? I just moved to a house that is only 25 minutes away so it seems like it... Hey All,
I was wondering if anyone had experience buying a pass to Eldora? I just moved to a house that is only 25 minutes away so it seems like it would be awesome to be so close. However, I am concerned that I won't be satisfied riding there all winter. I am an advanced to expert rider who will probably ride 20-30 times this year. I had the Colorado Pass last year so am struggling to pay the same amount for a small mountain vs. 5 of the biggest and best resorts in the country, world. Yet the allure of the mountain in my back yard vs. a 2 hour drive-without traffic-is hard to resist. The biggest problem is I have never been to Eldora so don't really know what it's like. I can understand it is great for a day or a week but will I get bored after 20 times? ]]> Regional Chat shivadas http://www.snowboardingforum.com/regional-chat/30606-anyone-ever-bought-pass-eldora.html http://www.snowboardingforum.com/regional-chat/30097-mt-hutt-struck-avalanche.html Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:31:41 GMT http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4008622/Mt-Hutt-struck-by-avalanche Mount Hutt skifield has re-opened following an avalanche that struck several... http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/4008...k-by-avalanche

Mount Hutt skifield has re-opened following an avalanche that struck several skiers this morning.

Skifield manager Dave Wilson said the field had been shut following at least one avalanche that hit the South Face of the field earlier today.

He confirmed "two or three'' skiers had been caught up in the avalanche, but said no-one had been injured.

Skiers were taken to the skifield carpark and a head count conducted by skifield staff.
Around 2000 skiers were on the mountain, enjoying otherwise perfect conditions, Wilson said.

Mt Hutt had just re-opened the field after two days of snow, providing the field with the biggest dump of its season.

Wilson said the mountain had now re-opened. He said the skifield did an avalanche assessment every morning.

A skier on the mountain, Kelly Bancroft, told The Press by cellphone that all snowboarders and skiers had been cleared from the mountain and evacuated to the car park.

She said staff did a head court to ensure no-one had been left on the skifield.
''There was a big avalanche on the south side. They're checking numbers to make sure everyone's accounted for. There are a couple of helicopters here."

Earl Romero was on the south-west side and said he had counted two avalanches.
''First I heard it, a big crack under your feet, I was above it, some of my friends were in it.
''I saw a few people freaking out, a few missed it by only a few feet.
"One of my friends was buried to her knees. She's okay, she's out and having a debrief.
''I was lucky I didn't go down that way,'' he said.
Romero had seen avalanches in New Zealand and in California before and ''wasn't too concerned''.
''I think because of the recent deaths [staff] are being ultra cautious.
''I'd like to be out there, but it's dangerous, it's a fairly dodgy snowpack'' he said.

AVALANCE RISK
Today's avalanche risk at Mount Hutt was assessed as "considerable", according to the Mountain Safety Council of New Zealand's avalanche.net website.

'Considerable' is halfway up a table of five stages, ranging from low to extreme.
At 7.30am this morning, Mount Hutt's snow conditions were recorded as:
"Snowpack: 20 to 50cms of variably distributed storm snow is bonding well to the previous crust. High elevation windward slopes are scoured to the crust, and stiff windslab has formed on lee and cross loaded aspects. In isolated high elevation shady aspects, a weak layer of loose facets down 65 to 80 cms persists.
Avalanche Occurrences: Isolated storm snow slabs released on lee aspects in the height of Sunday's storm.


Travel Advisory: There is extensive wind effect throughout the ranges, so choose your route carefully around soft cornices at ridge top and around cross loaded terrain features. Be aware when travelling under steep solar aspects that have not released in Sunday's storm. High elevation shady terrain features continue to hold a weak layer of facets on a hard crust down 60 to 80 cms, and isolated pockets of buried windslab."
SKIFIELD DEATHS
On Friday snowboarder Nello Donaggio died after a he slid about 100 metres on the popular skifield, sustaining multiple fractures and a major head injury.
Another man was also flown from Mount Hutt by a Garden City Rescue helicopter after another accident on the same day.
On July 12, a 54-year-old Christchurch woman died while skiing with her daughter after she fell while skiing outside the boundary of the Mt Hutt skifield.
In June, an American woman died after injuring herself while skiing off-trail at Mt Hutt. The 21-year-old student slid about 130m and hit rocks before sliding another 30m.
Also in June, a 60-year-old man died after his car veered off the access road and down a cliff as he was driving home from a day at the mountain.
It was the first fatality on the access road in 16 years. ]]> Regional Chat fattrav http://www.snowboardingforum.com/regional-chat/30097-mt-hutt-struck-avalanche.html