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Breckenridge and Keystone bowls for an intermediate boarder
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ToolFan
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#1 ·
19 h ago
Hi all,
I live in NY and have a trip planned for next month out to Colorado, to snowboard Breckenridge and Keystone. I've never been to either, and have only once been on a mountain out west, skiing about 20 years ago. So I have no idea what to expect, and I'm trying to figure out if the bowls (which look really cool) are above my skill level.
Last winter was my 2nd full season on the board, and things finally clicked and I got a lot more comfortable on all beginner trails and many intermediate trails around NY (at Mount Snow, Hunter, Catamount, Butternet, etc). I think I'm a fairly solid intermediate boarder - I still fall a few times a day, but no bad falls, and I usually know what I did wrong. I still hate and avoid ice and/or snow that's been groomed so solid that it might as well be ice, and I'm likely to fall if I wind up on one of those types of trails. Or to put it another way, I'm fine on powder but I can get shaky elsewhere.
I've been looking at the trail maps for Breckenridge and Keystone, as well as watching some youtube videos. I see that the bowls (above the tree line) are all pretty much diamond or double-diamond. But looking on the youtube videos, the trails don't seem all that steep to me. They don't seem nearly as steep as the diamonds I see out here. I know a video can be misleading though, and steepness can be very hard to judge on a screen.
So, can anyone who has experience out there give me some input in advance? I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, I have no interest in tumbling down a mountain. Is there something else that makes these trails difficult besides just how steep they are?
Thanks in advance!
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[IMG alt="Sudden_Death"]https://www.snowboardingforum.com/d2/avatars/m/24/24548.jpg?1571397480[/IMG]
Sudden_Death
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#2 ·
13 h ago
There are the unmarked hazards like cliffs/drops and since these aren't groomed there can be heavy moguls. When you say intermediate are you full on carving on the blues or are you still skidding your turns? If you have the edge control to carve those runs you might be alright but if you're still skidding your turns you might want to stick to marked groomers.
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[IMG alt="MrDavey2Shoes"]https://www.snowboardingforum.com/d2/avatars/m/163/163170.jpg?1619456251[/IMG]
MrDavey2Shoes
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1,801 Posts
#3 ·
13 h ago
How’s your fitness? A tracked out bowl can be exhausting. That’s when things get dangerous.
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[IMG alt="mjayvee"]https://www.snowboardingforum.com/d2/avatars/m/120/120170.jpg?1617161514[/IMG]
mjayvee
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271 Posts
#4 ·
13 h ago
ToolFan said:
Hi all,
I live in NY and have a trip planned for next month out to Colorado, to snowboard Breckenridge and Keystone. I've never been to either, and have only once been on a mountain out west, skiing about 20 years ago. So I have no idea what to expect, and I'm trying to figure out if the bowls (which look really cool) are above my skill level.
Last winter was my 2nd full season on the board, and things finally clicked and I got a lot more comfortable on all beginner trails and many intermediate trails around NY (at Mount Snow, Hunter, Catamount, Butternet, etc). I think I'm a fairly solid intermediate boarder - I still fall a few times a day, but no bad falls, and I usually know what I did wrong. I still hate and avoid ice and/or snow that's been groomed so solid that it might as well be ice, and I'm likely to fall if I wind up on one of those types of trails. Or to put it another way, I'm fine on powder but I can get shaky elsewhere.
I've been looking at the trail maps for Breckenridge and Keystone, as well as watching some youtube videos. I see that the bowls (above the tree line) are all pretty much diamond or double-diamond. But looking on the youtube videos, the trails don't seem all that steep to me. They don't seem nearly as steep as the diamonds I see out here. I know a video can be misleading though, and steepness can be very hard to judge on a screen.
So, can anyone who has experience out there give me some input in advance? I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, I have no interest in tumbling down a mountain. Is there something else that makes these trails difficult besides just how steep they are?
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Let me get this right: you are an intermediate rider, visiting a mountain that you do not ride regularly, and want to take on advanced terrain?
And you are seeking out online advice about this?
Did you Google, Bing, and/or Duck Duck Go search this topic also?
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MountainMystic
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ToolFan
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#5 ·
12 h ago
@Sudden_Death for the most part I'm carving through the intermediate stuff. Occasionally on steeper stuff on mount snow I do skid a little. I didn't know about cliffs etc, thanks for that. The YouTube vids I watched all looked pretty tame, just giant bowls of snow.
@MrDavey2Shoes I'm fairly fit but I'm also not used to that kind of altitude so I imagine that can play a role. What does tracked out mean?
@mjayvee congrats on the most worthless comment of the thread so far lol
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Elevation212
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#6 ·
6 h ago
ToolFan said:
@Sudden_Death for the most part I'm carving through the intermediate stuff. Occasionally on steeper stuff on mount snow I do skid a little. I didn't know about cliffs etc, thanks for that. The YouTube vids I watched all looked pretty tame, just giant bowls of snow.
@MrDavey2Shoes I'm fairly fit but I'm also not used to that kind of altitude so I imagine that can play a role. What does tracked out mean?
@mjayvee congrats on the most worthless comment of the thread so far lol
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Couple thoughts
1. Watch the snow, a month from now many bowls will still be closed as they typically don’t fill in until January/February
2. If the snows good I’d check my ability to make technical maneuvers on steeps. Being a ice coast rider I find Colorado boarding to be easier to check my speed and maneuver as the snows softer and deeper typically. Go hit a diamond groomer and try stopping/making tight turns on demand (like you are trying to avoid a rock) if you can do that I’d feel pretty comfortable running a bowl
3. Take your first bowl slow, people have mentioned that ungroomes bowls have unmarked hazards. This should be your biggest concern, I haven’t seen many bowls that don’t call out mandatory air so I wouldn’t worry too much about cliffs but rocky patches may or may not be marked. Take it easy the first few times down until you’ve been able to scout it out.
4. Talk to the concierge or mtn safety, typically I find them to have decent advice on where the best cover is and what good starter terrain is
4. Consider a lesson, lessons don’t have to be riding the bunny slope. Call the mountain school and explain what you want to learn, they’ll have instructors and options, I’ve been boarding for 25 years and love to take a lesson each season to get a form tune up and try something new ranging from technical free ride to freestyle, it’s an awesome way to learn while having a guide to take you through optimal terrain for your skill level
Have fun I’ve ridden breck and keystone bowls and found the majority of single diamond to be fun and manageable even in my early days. The most disorienting aspect is in certain light not being able to see terrain features like drops etc, keep your knees bent and stay loose
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Scalpelman
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#7 ·
5 h ago
I’m an east coast rider. Advanced intermediate. I went out to CO two years ago and had a blast. The snow is so different there. You’ll have so much fun on piste that if you miss out on the bowls it won’t matter. If there is a dump or the gates drop give it a shot while the pow is fresh. Riding over others tracks without many fresh lines (tracked out) can be a chore. But if it’s fresh it’s a pleasure. Lean way back my friend, lean back. Falling in the deep doesn’t hurt but getting back up is a bitch.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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DaveMcI
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#8 ·
3 h ago
There really is only one way to find out.
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ToolFan
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#9 ·
1 h ago
Thanks
@Elevation212, very useful pointers. Have you been out east? Can you compare the steepness of a bowl vs intermediate trails in the east?
I still haven't taken a lesson and have been meaning to. This will be a good opportunity for that. Groomed diamonds are definitely still above my skill level, I know I'd just skid down the whole thing. Maybe in a year or two.
@Scalpelman thanks, that's what I've heard from friends, that the snow out there is just powder, and falling doesn't hurt at all because it's so soft. We'll be there over new year's, hopefully there'll be good snow before we arrive and while we're there
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Elevation212
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#10 ·
56 m ago
ToolFan said:
Thanks @Elevation212, very useful pointers. Have you been out east? Can you compare the steepness of a bowl vs intermediate trails in the east?
I still haven't taken a lesson and have been meaning to. This will be a good opportunity for that. Groomed diamonds are definitely still above my skill level, I know I'd just skid down the whole thing. Maybe in a year or two.
@Scalpelman thanks, that's what I've heard from friends, that the snow out there is just powder, and falling doesn't hurt at all because it's so soft. We'll be there over new year's, hopefully there'll be good snow before we arrive and while we're there
Click to expand...
Majority of my skiing has been out east, single diamond bowls in Colorado I find to be a bit less steep then single diamonds in the east but a bit more technical.
In regards to your comment on skidding turns I’ll get on my soap box for a moment, people conflate carving and dynamic skids . The majority of true carving is done on mellow angled slopes or wide open steeps without a lot of people. This is due to true carves not bleeding much speed unless you are going to have the space to cut parallel to the fall line sometimes even going back up mountain about. Dynamic skids are going to be 80% of your turns on steeps and crowded slopes.
Go watch the best carvers they call out that there carving is done on greens and mellow blues with low crowds and well groomed snow, it’s super fun but don’t get too fixated on it, instead worry about how you can move your board in useful ways while managing the terrain and crowds while stackin your weight on edge, guiding your turns with your front foot and not counter rotating