TR: Taos, Silverton, Crested Butte, Copper
uglymoney
I departed the flat state of Iowa last Friday (Feb. 28) for
the journey across Nebraska, Colorado and into New Mexico.
My Subaru Outback, newly equipped with a Yakima Spacesaver
box, was packed. Full of food and fuel, my dog and I were
ready for exploration. Stopping to sleep a couple of times
in my car with the back seat folded flat, I finally arrived
at Taos around 3:00 pm Saturday.
I stayed at the Abomidable Snowmansion. The only Hostel
that I know of that takes dogs. I rented a cabin, really a
shack with lights that contains three individual rooms, and
an electric radiator for heat. The shacks are set behind
the main building in a grassy area. My dog Summit loved it.
Cats, other dogs, and even an unwelcomed skunk visited the
lawn for entertainment. I put a lawn chair in front of my
cabin, doubled up the cheap foam mattress's on the lower
bunk, and prepared myself for some serious skiing.
Saturday night I went to the Blinking Light Tavern just down
the road for a beer. They were showing the PPV HBO fight,
which was entertaining. Overhearing the locals, I was
pointed to a bar just down the street called La Vista or
something like that. Moody, dark and with a great
atmosphere I sat back and enjoyed some beer while listening
to some decent music, and watched the lively crowd dance and
enjoy the night. Ah, though a bit elusive at times, Taos
has night life.
Sunday brought me to the ski valley. Riding the #1 lift up
for the first time was memorable with the deep snow, steep
slope, tight bumps, and friendly riders offering a quick
introduction to what Taos is all about. It seems that lift
chatter is still embraced in Taos. Chair #2 brought me to
the top, and the ride up offered a great bluebird view of
West Basin Ridge. It was obvious immediately that Taos is
an area that hides it secrets well. I started out on
Stauffenberg which was well covered, and worked my way
around the immediate area that is accessible with a short
hike before St. Benard. Steep, well covered, and excellent.
After tiring, the rest of the day was spent exploring some
of the surprisingly good cruising that is offered at Taos.
I quickly learned to ignore the green signs, and to enjoy
them as solid intermediate terrain. Most all of them offer
plenty of pitch to allow for high speed, and FUN, although
somewhat short cruising. The boulevards are well cut, and
pleasantly wind and roll down the mountain.
Sunday night I had a beer and some food at the Alley
Cantina. The food was not great, the company not great.
Run of the mill, but I was filled with chicken, beans, and
Guinness for only a few dollars
Monday was more of the same. Early I grabbed as many runs
as I could off Highline Ridge. A local quickly let me in on
the snow conditions as he passed me on the way up. Twin
Trees, etc, with their sun exposure were a bit crapped up,
so Tresckow seems a good alternative. Around 10:30 I was
hit with a big, pleasant surprise as I topped out on the 7th
Heavon lift. Kachina - OPEN - yeahah! I started for the
top immediately. With granola in my pocket, and some water,
I was fine. After the grueling hike 45 minute hike, I was
at the top, took some pics, enjoyed the scenery while some
locals pointed to great skiable 'spring' lines and named
Wheeler and the other surrounding peaks. Wow! Some steep,
tall skiing available for April! My run down Kachina was
fantastic. One of the best pure powder runs I have had for
years. Probably the 20-30 person down the huge varied hill,
it was basically untracked, high speed, boulder dodging
euphoria. Landing at the Phoenix grill at the bottom of #4
Kachina, I was pleasantly informed, that Hot Chocolate was
available made with Soy Milk right on the mountain. A
lactose intolerant skiers dream come true. I tried to ski
as much of the front side as I could. Longhorn, Werner
Chute, all front side bump runs. One thing for sure. I
needed shorter, fatter skis for Taos.
Monday night three gals from W. Michigan on spring break
showed up at the hostel. They were social, and set up a
tent in the lawn for their accomodations. I noted there
arrival as I set off for the Guadalajara Grill for dinner.
This is a seemingly bland joint, with counter service that
has better than average, affordable and spicy food. I had
Shrimp Fajitas with beans and rice, and lots of Guacamole.
Arriving back at the Hostel, the girls were happily
recruiting folks for beers. Accepting the invitation, we
were off to Abe's Tavern, dragging along as many people as
were willing from the Arroyo Seco establishment. Abe (the
owner) is a nice guy who is up there in years, and shuffles
to and from the cooler fetching beers with an unchanging
skeptical expression towards our unknown faces. He pounds
O'Douls and watches over his well done pub as we settled
farther into an alcohol and altitude induced numbness.
Mostly your standard pub offerings, I sampled the various
Mexican beers, drank a shot of yager on the gals and shook
my head at my good fortune and returned the favor of a round
to my new friends. Later, when they closed the bar after
some of the regulars broke the front door of the hinges in
some sort of a fight that moved quickly out into the street
off into the Hispanic night, the gals produced a full case
of beer. Everybody seemed thirsty. Alcohol is not allowed
at the ASM in any form, but these were creative folks with a
case of the RSA favorite Coors Light :) Somehow, without
much help from me, it was emptied.
Tuesday ended up being a hangover day - my only day off for
the week. It was a welcomed, albeit unplanned day off. The
girls were going skinny dipping at a nearby hot spring, but
predictably I wasn't invited, so I headed into town for some
shopping etc after enjoying a huge breakfast burrito back at
Abes. Town square in Taos was lively with a Mardi Gras
style celebration. A hippy dread locked collection of
instrumentals marching in ragged hippy clothes, with dogs,
and assorted folks running around dancing. Perfect. I
stopped at Taos Mountain Outfitters. The shopkeeper gave me
a package of free Rainey UpHeels to bolt onto my k2's. Very
nice. Beer at Eskes followed. The beer I had (I'm at a
loss as to which one I selected) was extremely hoppy, with
that green uncooked taste, but decent to my untrained like
all beer pallet. For dinner it was off to the Trading Post
Cafe. I recommend this joint highly. With a bar to sit at
for single folks, a good view of the cooks, extremely good
food - I had the Creole Pepper Shrimp and the house Merlot.
Fantastic and a bargain at around $30 with desert.
Wednesdays was back to Taos. Fresh snow had fallen, and a
strong wind promised good blow in. I walked to the bottom
of lift #1at 8:55 and was on the fourth chair. Taos is
empty during the week. It was cold, and visibility was bad
till around 11:30. After it cleared I lapped Ninjos Heros
which was a blown in heaven, nobody skiing it but me. Later
I did lines farther down W Basin Ridge. Unfortunately,
without somebody to "show me the way" I did pass up some
stuff that I really wanted to ski. Hondo was the farthest
line available, and it was that pleasant windblown,
untouched pow, with small tress that are fun to dodge at
high speed as you plunge back into the empty groomers. A
ski partroller had a short talk with me about skiing back
this far alone. After a brief conversation that started out
adversarily as he threatened my pass and queried the
location of my non existant partner, he calmed down and
agreed how nice it was to be back on the ridge alone.
Needless to say, I am smart enough to stick to the
causeways, and out of tree wells when skiing alone. Me and
the patroller parted ways with smiles. Hondo was just soooo
nice!
Overall my impression of Taos was very positive. The ASM
was filled with interesting people - a bible beating lady
who was a hell of a skier, and a self proclaimed 'war
monger'. A woman with a handwritten note taped to her back
that read www impeachthepresident org. These two didn't get
along well :) Mostly though it was just solo skiers like
myself filling the rooms, cabins and bunks - a postal worker
on leave from California, a guy from Texas doing a series of
'Ski Better' weeks. The mountain kicked my ass for the first
couple of days until I regained my legs, and it is somewhere
I will return repeatedly on good snow years. Enough secrets
to keep you guessing for at least a season, and probably
more. I love secrets. The snow was deeeep, the coverage
good, the people even better. I saw the same folks over and
over again throughout the week. I was alone, but never
alone.
Leaving Taos after skiing Wednesday, I set off on highway 64
toward Pagosa Springs. At Piedras the road was closed due
to drifting snow. A real treat, I would head north to
Antonito, then west on CO 17, over two passes I hadn't hit
before. Exciting. La Manga Pass, and Cumbres Pass,
respectively 10.2k and 10k. For the entire passage, I saw
only snowplows, deep blowing snow, and beautiful scenery.
Absolutely no traffic other than myself and the plows for
miles and miles. I was unable to hit the Hot Springs in
Pagosa as planned due to my round about detour, so I stopped
at the grocery, restocked my cooler, and made my way to
Silverton. Highway 550 north of Durango is fantastic in the
summer, downright scary in the winter. Huge piles of snow
ply both sides of the road, threatening to bury my car at
any moment. At the top of Molas a semi was disabled in the
middle of the road, with nowhere to go, he just sat there
with his flashers on in the shadowed darkness. Dropping
into Silverton in the winter is amazing. The lights of the
small town lighting up the valley below, pulling your gaze
off the road - a road that is completely unforgiving, with
ice, and drop offs that offer no gaurdrails, no snow banks,
nothing but steep vertical that would smash my Subaru and me
should I screw up and slide off the road and into oblivion.
Arriving in the town of Silverton, CO at 9:45 the town was
quite dead as expected. A couple of bars seemed open, a few
snowmobiling types stumbled around the roads. Everything
was locked up. I drove to a couple of motels that were
closed for the night. The only place open, did not allow
dogs. I would be camping. The forecast called for no
overnight snow, so I headed up the road.
The road to my campsite at the base of Silverton mountain is
a mining road that is maintained fairly well. Wide, with
large snow banks that get deeper as you approach the area.
6.5 miles from town, I arrived, parked, and enjoyed a couple
of Sierra Nevada Porters under the clear sky, -4 temps, and
crisp mountain air in my coveted lawn chair. When my dog
started to pick up her freezing feet, I put my lawn chair
away and retired to my -20 NF bag, with one closed cell foam
pad underneath a Thermorest. Sleeping at -4 in a car with
the proper gear is great, especially at a remote spot like
Silverton.
The next day, early morning patrollers awoke me as they
stumbled around the cold. Through my frosty windows I could
see that the mountain rose above me the same way Telluride
or Taos does. Straight up. The surrounding mountains were
glowing in the early morning sun with their deep, unblown
snow. The safety meeting was around an hour starting at 9
am. We rented what gear we needed ( you have to have a pack,
shovel, prove, transceiver.) I needed a transceiver, probe,
and chose a pair of 170 Fischer Big Sticks over my 191
Bandits. My guide was Alex, skiing on Tele's with Bomber
Bindings. Very impressive machining on these bindings. The
rest of the group consisted of three people from Copper
Mountain, and 4 friends who graduated from school together
and lived in NYC, and SF, CA. All were excellent skiers,
and attitudes were non-existant.
The day of skiing that followed rates as the best single day
of skiing I can ever recall. The Big Sticks were amazing.
I was waterskiing on snow, flying past stuff, carving
uncarvable turns, and eating up the steeps in the chutes
that seemed to line the middle of all the runs. Avy danger
was extreme, but that didn't seem to dampen the skiing - as
much terrain was available. Everything we skied that was
steep was skier compacted with around a foot of powder or so
on top. The flatter stuff seemed less compacted. After 4
runs the day was declared epic. Riding the converted UPS
truck back to the base of the double chair, Alex strapped
into his skis, and waved us on for a fifth. Five runs of
sheer pow, pow with maybe a total of 15 minutes of hiking.
Nice ratio. The last run was started through deeply buried
tree trunks that were spaced just wide enough to allow
passage with my short skis. It was excellent. I paired of
with Alex and did what I could to keep up. The group
reformed on a well compacted outlet slope with smiles all
the way around as we finished the day exhausted.
In the tent for beer afterwards I snapped some more pics,
and engaged the Copper Mountain folks in some good
conversation. The gal asked me how I ever learned to ski
like that living in Iowa. A great compliment coming from an
accomplished Colorado skier. I was grateful for the
unsolicited comment, but gave credit (deservedly so) to the
two by six like fatty rental skis. I need some of these!
The Copper folks would be skiing Crested Butte in the
morning. I'd see them there.
After tipping Alex, I drove to Gunnison for the night. $34
earned a king size bed at the ABC Motel. Another $34 for
ski and stay ticket to Crested Butte. Arriving late the
German owner agreed without hesitation to open the hot tub
up for me and my tired legs. I soaked my legs and relaxed
with memories of Silverton flashing through my brain.
Unfortunately the hot tub malfunctioned and began leaking
out all over the floor. I went to bed, with the German
owner cussing in the hot tub room next door. Ah, the joys
of being a tourist. I fell asleep to the endless Iraq
debates on the first TV I had seen in a week.
Crested Butte, was in fantastic condition according to all
the locals I chatted with. Tired early in the morning (I am
always a slow starter - ski best in the afternoon), I saw
the Copper Mountain folks at the base area from Silverton.
Its great to be greeted with friendly smiles in the morning.
They had extended a friendly invitation to show me around
the Butte the day before, but I knew I would be slow to warm
up, so I explored the new to me mountain on my own. CB
seems to be low on cruiser count. A good place for
beginners or experts, perhaps lacking on long intermediate
cruisers. After warming up on easy runs like Keystone, etc
for a bit, I headed over to the North Face Poma.
Immediately I was shocked (although I shouldn't have been
after years of reading reports and ratings) by the steepness
of the backside. It steps down in a series of chutes,
bowls, trees, or whatever you choose. Rock and boulder
strewn with cliffs, and trees thrown in for good measure.
No way I was going to be able to see it all in a day. The
snow was good, but a bit thin for the rockpile that is CB,
and the light was flat in the morning with the northern
exposure, so I headed to the steeps on the SW side. I hit
Banana Peel I think, or whatever the far right hand gully
is. The sun was pounding hard, and the snow was soft and
compliant. Already the south facing lip of the gully was
becoming thin with the exposure. It was a great choice for
skiing while the sun gained a hold on the Extreme Limits
area. I was the only one on the slope, and nobody else was
even visible except in the village below.
The snow and light in the EL - North Face area was great
later. I took several Poma rides, hiked the different
trails back, and enjoyed several great runs of varying
steepness on perfect loose packed powder. Mostly I think I
was in Third Bowl, and Phoenix Bowl. A snowboard
competition had closed the Headwall area of High lift for
most of the day, so when they opened it at around 2:45 I was
there, enjoying a couple runs of more steep fun. I was
getting steeped out, and left CB satisfied as hell.
The only negative that I came away from CB with were the
large groups of skiers from Club Med. They were hard to get
away from, and would start out right in front of you, even
on tiny trails with slow skiers, clogging the way. It was a
hot topic among the local skiers, who unanimously decried
the large group format employed by CM.
On my way to Copper for Saturday I stopped in Leadville for
the night at the Timberline Motel. It was pricey at $58
dollars for the night, but right next to downtown, and
within walking distance of several pubs. A dog sled race
was being held nearby, so me and my dog did a lot of
greeting strange, strong, huskies that were being ushered
about by their owners. I went to a well decorated Irish
Pub, where the bartender gal who didn't look like a skier
told me that she had a pass to Vail, Cooper, and Copper.
Skis almost every day all winter. The girl next to me (a ski
patroller from Cooper) was drinking beer with her mom who
was visiting. The guiness was good, but the pub was slow,
so I was pointed down the street and around the corner to a
lively joint with Kareoke. After talking to a few varied
soles, I decided that Leadville harbors some awfully strange
folks from an extremely wide range of backgrounds. Off to
bed and back to the relative sanity of my room and the
company of my dog Summit.
The way to Copper over the mined Fremont Pass gave a great
view of the way numerous slides on SE exposed slopes. One
in particular caught my eyes, as it had fractured in a small
opening below some trees, and slid a ways through some trees
on its 50 ft wide path.
Copper was like reuniting with an old familiar mountain that
continues to mature in its Intrawest reincarnation. A
friend joined me, and we hooked up with 4 other locals
shortly thereafter. We did a run off of Spaulding then
headed up S. lift for the hike over to Tucker Mountain. An
easy hike of 30-40 minutes, we fired over the sastrugi like
windblown Fremont Glades into 'chute 3' below. Once within
the trees, the snow was the softest, lightest of the trip,
plenty deep, with lots of classic lines through the small
pines littering the slope. Excellent skiing through barely
tracked on one of the busiest days of the year at an area
only 1.5 hours from Denver. A little short, but well worth
the hike.
With some great runs off of Storm King into Spaulding Bowl
under are belts, the gal with us wanted to do some bumps
under Resolution. We did, and I was reminded how nice bumps
can be at Copper on the gentle blacks that dominate the
front left side of the mountain. Nicely spaced and soft, I
was able to dance pretty good with my longish sticks.
The house wheat beer and wings after at the Blue Spruce Inn
(I think that was the name) and it was time to work my way
back to Iowa. My friend, and the locals all declared it a
great day. My sixth 'great day' in the week at the fourth
ski area. Skiing with good skiers is fun. Skiing with
great skiers is even better. That's the kind of day
Saturday was for me at Copper. Good mountain, great
company.
Stopping briefly in Evergreen to regroup for the trip home,
I set out across I-70 then I-76 at 80 mph to join I-80 and
its path leading to all things flat. After another sleep
over in my car, I reflected on a solo ski trip that turned
out to be anything but lonely, full of great skiing and
friendly folks. The American West is still wild, full of
fantastic adventure skiing at places like Silverton, and
with plenty of places like Taos to hide from crowds. Its
also affordable so long as you are willing and able to
venture off the beaten track.
The best skiing never has been, and never will be easy to
pinpoint or simple to find, and it isn't available within
the package tours or among high priced accomodations. With
luck it is sometimes found within a spirit of exploration,
well placed plans, uphill hiking, and some damned wide skis.
Last week, luck was on my side.
-Nate
Related Links:
http://www.skitaos.org/
http://www.silvertonmountain.com/
http://homepage.mac.com/saemisch/Silverton/Silverton.html
http://www.crestedbutteresort.com/
http://www.coppercolorado.com/
I will post any interesting pics that I get back from
developer. I am still not digital, and was playing with my
35mm camera, so results are yet unknown. Lots of pics at
Silverton, and some at Taos.
Let Mikey Ski It!
>...
>The day of [Silverton] skiing that followed rates as the best single day
>of skiing I can ever recall. ...
Great! Glad you hit a good one and liked Silverton. We are looking at going
back very soon. How many skiers were there that day? Did you get out as far
as Ropey Dope?
...
>The best skiing never has been, and never will be easy to
>pinpoint or simple to find, and it isn't available within
>the package tours or among high priced accomodations. With
>luck it is sometimes found within a spirit of exploration,
>well placed plans, uphill hiking, and some damned wide skis.
Words to live by. [See separate note on Berthoud. It is not as far of a
drive :) ]
Great report! Thanks!
Mike...
--
Littleton, Colorado (reply to msaemisch at yahoo dot com)
See my ski photography at: http://PowderDay.us
Carpe powder-diem
uglymoney
<msae...@usa.net> wrote:
> uglymoney <mailto:nouglym...@cedar-rapids.net> wrote:
>>...
>>The day of [Silverton] skiing that followed rates as the best single day
>>of skiing I can ever recall. ...
>
>Great! Glad you hit a good one and liked Silverton. We are looking at going
>back very soon. How many skiers were there that day?
It was completely full. I had tried to book Friday way back
when, after reading your report, but it was already full.
It worked out fine. I was exhausted anyway after Thurs.
Thurdays are obviously the best day for powder as you have
pointed out(as it seems Wed must be at Berthoud).
At the end of the day, several random folks showed up trying
to book into Friday's cancellations, but there weren't any,
so they were shut out.
Sounds like they were completely full for that weekend, and
the bar chatter made it sound like the rest of the month
will be very busy for them.
When are they closing for the year? I would kill to hit
that area in the late spring sometime. I'm glad things seem
to be going well for them.
> Did you get out as far
>as Ropey Dope?
No, I don't think so, maybe??? Unfortunately, I didn't have
a notepad to take down the names of the runs we were on, but
they were basically the front and side chutes. We stayed
off of anything that was wide open, blown in, or otherwise
avy prone. On the entrances to the various chutes we were
contained to pathways of relative compaction and safety.
It didn't impair the skiing. We left lots of powder for the
Friday skiers. Forty skiers seem to be completely swallowed
up on a mountain that size. The guide said that only a
couple days in late Jan. were void of easy to find
untracked.
I loved their powder preservation methods. In no way did
they try to impose on how we skied, our lines, or anything
else. The guide would simply lay a boundary line that was
fair game to ride in or so many feet to the left or right -
depending on the run. A far cry from one European
experience I had that was frustrating. The guide in Europe
tried to get me to ski all straight and back Euro style
while laying tracks of exact proportion to the guides. Not
my (very American!) style :)
>
>...
>>The best skiing never has been, and never will be easy to
>>pinpoint or simple to find, and it isn't available within
>>the package tours or among high priced accomodations. With
>>luck it is sometimes found within a spirit of exploration,
>>well placed plans, uphill hiking, and some damned wide skis.
>
>Words to live by. [See separate note on Berthoud. It is not as far of a
>drive :) ]
Yep I need to do Berthoud, and saw your note. More than
likely possible on a weekend getaway for me someday in the
future. Keep us RSA'rs posted on openings within your
group!
Nate
Let Mikey Ski It!
> Sounds like they were completely full for that weekend, and
> the bar chatter made it sound like the rest of the month
Wow. Good for them. I wonder if we are shut out for the rest of the
year. I will call and see what's available and when they close. Bro was
still looking at dates (and we have a powder 8 contest sometime week
after next).
> No, I don't think so, maybe??? Unfortunately, I didn't have
> a notepad to take down the names of the runs we were on, but
> they were basically the front and side chutes. ...
Then you probably did not get to Ropey Dope. It is most of the way up
the southwest ridge towards "the Silverton Drive In". You will just have
to go back! (Duh) It was very easy hiking. But, we did not go as far as
the fixed ropes which sounds and looks freakin hairy. This shot is
looking up Ropey Dope from the bottom. The various entrances are in the
rocks up top:
http://homepage.mac.com/saemisch/Silverton/DSC_1901-tb.html (Bruno
skiing)
> Yep I need to do Berthoud, and saw your note. More than
> likely possible on a weekend getaway for me someday in the
> future. Keep us RSA'rs posted on openings within your
> group!
Normally, we fill up with a waiting list with just the usual suspects.
Since we are having trouble filling the last seats, I doubt we will book
two cats in the future so we will have one over-booked cat. So, again,
this is a unique opportunity if you do not have a full group yourself.
Not to put any pressure on or anything :) .
I think next year we will try and get a Silverton group of 8 together
which is easier to do since you don't have to buy by the group.
Mike...
--
uglymoney
wrote:
>uglymoney wrote:
>
>...]
>> A ski partroller had a short talk with me about skiing back
>> this far alone.
>
>No shit? I've skied all ove the ridge alone quite a bit and never had
>that happen to me. Even the ones that don't know me. Hmmm.
That was what I was thinking! No shit. If I really needed
a partner, then why not a transceiver, shovel, and probe? I
took the 'ski with a partner' signs as a suggestion, not a
mandate, and still do.
He told me it was a yankable offense.
I was just standing eating a granola in the trees, right
off the traverse, getting ready to chute down the run when
he showed up and started hollering about the location of my
partner. He seemed to back down really quickly, so I'm not
sure where he was coming from, and next thing I know he was
just chatting with me. Anyway, it ended well, and since it
was actually almost my last run, I could have cared less if
he did actually snip me - not that I think he would have.
>
>[...]
>> The best skiing never has been, and never will be easy to
>> pinpoint or simple to find, and it isn't available within
>> the package tours or among high priced accomodations. With
>> luck it is sometimes found within a spirit of exploration,
>> well placed plans, uphill hiking, and some damned wide skis.
>
>Well said. Nice TR, it's too bad I blew the meeting time - it would
>have been nice to take some runs together. Next time.
>
As they say in the movies, "I'll be back"
Nate
John Red-Horse
As for your Yyyy swing, you've managed to hit the better parts of it (the
ski area and the town), IMO. Do you always travel so efficiently? <g>
cheers,
john
H. R. Bob Hofmann
can do a lucid and interesting report without using four-letter words.
H. R. (Bob) Hofmann
pigo
"H. R. Bob Hofmann" <hrho...@att.net> wrote in message
news:deadaa59.03031...@posting.google.com...
> Nate's trip report was great, and suitable for family reading. You
> can do a lucid and interesting report without using four-letter words.
So what's the point?
I don't mind some colorful descriptions. If you don't I suppose you
could ..........fuck off? Or not.
Poachise
> can do a lucid and interesting report without using four-letter
words.
>
to do a trip report without using such four-letter words as
"trip" and "dude".
I will have to go tell the dudes in my bible study posse about
this. They will think it's massive.
Schwingy!
-P
CowPunkŠ
<nouglym...@cedar-rapids.net> wrote:
snip a fatastic TR...
Well done, Nate, well done
Cow
H. R. Bob Hofmann
Pigo - I would like to let other members of my family read these
posts, and I really don't want them to see how poorly some members of
the group are able to express themselves unless they use words that
are generally not used in polite society. The trip report was great,
and didn't require the use of what I (and probably many others) think
is not polite language. You are free to write what you wish, I just
was encouraging those writers who can express themselves without using
such language to continue to contribute to this newsgroup.
Bob Hofmann
Mike Speegle
> "pigo" <pigop...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:<%xcca.72979$F1.2537@sccrnsc04>...
>> "H. R. Bob Hofmann" <hrho...@att.net> wrote in message
>> news:deadaa59.03031...@posting.google.com...
>>> Nate's trip report was great, and suitable for family reading. You
>>> can do a lucid and interesting report without using four-letter
>>> words.
>>
>> So what's the point?
>> I don't mind some colorful descriptions. If you don't I suppose you
>> could ..........fuck off? Or not.
>
>
> Pigo - I would like to let other members of my family read these
> posts, and I really don't want them to see how poorly some members of
> the group are able to express themselves unless they use words that
> are generally not used in polite society.
Bob, I have nothing against families, I even used to be in one. But
since you're being the gatekeeper what difference does it make? ;-)
--
Mike
________________________________________________________
"Colorado Ski Country, USA" Come often. Ski hard.
Spend *lots* of money. Then leave as quickly as you can.
Rec.Skiing.Alpine.Moderated is up and working! Join in!
uglymoney
<mikes...@netscape.net> wrote:
>H. R. Bob Hofmann <hrho...@att.net> typed:
>> "pigo" <pigop...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>> news:<%xcca.72979$F1.2537@sccrnsc04>...
>>> "H. R. Bob Hofmann" <hrho...@att.net> wrote in message
>>> news:deadaa59.03031...@posting.google.com...
>>>> Nate's trip report was great, and suitable for family reading. You
>>>> can do a lucid and interesting report without using four-letter
>>>> words.
>>>
>>> So what's the point?
>>> I don't mind some colorful descriptions. If you don't I suppose you
>>> could ..........fuck off? Or not.
>>
>>
>> Pigo - I would like to let other members of my family read these
>> posts, and I really don't want them to see how poorly some members of
>> the group are able to express themselves unless they use words that
>> are generally not used in polite society.
>
> Bob, I have nothing against families, I even used to be in one. But
>since you're being the gatekeeper what difference does it make? ;-)
I agree. In this forum, or anywhere on the net for that
matter, picky parents should really be their own active
gatekeepers.
Its great to read comments indicating people enjoyed
reading my TR - thanks Bob and others - I appreciate it. I
wrote it because I enjoy skiing, thinking about skiing,
reading about skiing, and writing about skiing - and I think
that is true for most posters here. However if I had been
trying to write a 'family friendly' report from the start, I
doubt I would have even written two words before heading to
the fridge for thirteen, fourteen beers and just forgetting
about it.
Nate
The Real Bev
A very diplomatic statement/request, but I have to disagree with the
sentiment. You can't control what your family (Is your wife included? Do
you control her reading material too?) sees forever, and as a mom and
grandmom I think it's a waste of time to even attempt to protect them from
the kind of language you're objecting to, especially since they're
undoubtedly already familiar with it. You might want to save your big
guns for something far worse.
Like snowboarders.
--
Cheers,
Bev
====================================================================
"We thought of one of those discount store caskets, but, frankly, we
were worried about the quality." -- mortuary commercial
Alex Heney
<nouglym...@cedar-rapids.net> wrote:
>On Sat, 15 Mar 2003 12:38:41 -0700, "Mike Speegle"
><mikes...@netscape.net> wrote:
>
>>H. R. Bob Hofmann <hrho...@att.net> typed:
>>> "pigo" <pigop...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>> news:<%xcca.72979$F1.2537@sccrnsc04>...
>>>> "H. R. Bob Hofmann" <hrho...@att.net> wrote in message
>>>> news:deadaa59.03031...@posting.google.com...
>>>>> Nate's trip report was great, and suitable for family reading. You
>>>>> can do a lucid and interesting report without using four-letter
>>>>> words.
>>>>
>>>> So what's the point?
>>>> I don't mind some colorful descriptions. If you don't I suppose you
>>>> could ..........fuck off? Or not.
>>>
>>>
>>> Pigo - I would like to let other members of my family read these
>>> posts, and I really don't want them to see how poorly some members of
>>> the group are able to express themselves unless they use words that
>>> are generally not used in polite society.
>>
>> Bob, I have nothing against families, I even used to be in one. But
>>since you're being the gatekeeper what difference does it make? ;-)
>
>I agree. In this forum, or anywhere on the net for that
>matter, picky parents should really be their own active
>gatekeepers.
>
He was being.
He was just saying it was nice to find a good post that he could let
through.
--
Alex Heney Global Villager
Some people act crazy, others aren't acting.
To reply by email, remove NO and SPAM from above address
uglymoney
Understood.
I have no further comment on this matter :)
Nate
Paul Christofanelli
: I departed the flat state of Iowa last Friday (Feb. 28) for
: the journey across Nebraska, Colorado and into New Mexico.
: My Subaru Outback, newly equipped with a Yakima Spacesaver
: box, was packed. Full of food and fuel, my dog and I were
: ready for exploration. Stopping to sleep a couple of times
: in my car with the back seat folded flat, I finally arrived
: at Taos around 3:00 pm Saturday.
: ...
Nice trip report, interesting and entertaining. You must be
a youngster...us older folk gotta sleep in the plush conditions
anymore. Reminds me of college days. Of course, a friend of
mine older than me still sleeps in his 'metal condo' on top
of Rabbit Ears Pass on occasion.
Taos was just starting to get good when I was there. Glad it
was great for you...when it's good, there's no other area that
packs more interesting skiing in the same space.
Ski on, MacDuff, and damned be the one that first cries "enough"!
(something like that)
-Paul C.