Steamboat Springs

[BrookeK]

Guys, I'm so excited! I'm flying to Steamboat Springs on Monday!

The thing is, I'm not sure if I should bother bringing my skis (Fischer Motive 86 @ 168).

My Fischers performed wonderfully in Utah last year, but I was mostly on the groomers. Never got into any powder more than ankle deep.

I definitely want to get into real powder this time around, and it sounds like the weather there isn't going to give me a choice anyway! And trees! I've never skied trees!

Do I bring my fischers? Do I ask my buddy if I can borrow his Soul7s @ 180 (I pond skimmed on them last year and skied them all over my mountain. They were fun. A tad longer than I'm used to, my other skis are RTMs @ 171 and Salomons xwings@ 176) Do I rent? Or demo? Do the mountains let you demo a ski for multiple days, so you don't have to repeatedly go thru the demo process? And if I demo, is there any ski you think I really ought to try, if given a chance? (5'5", 230 lb, solid intermediate + east coast skier)

This is going to be a whole new world! (Have to admit. I'm a little nervous...I have this mental image of plummeting down thru the snow, stuck up to my eyeballs)

 

[Powgirl]

Hey, Brooke...I ski at Steamboat quite alot (my mom lives there). Last year, I skied my Black Pearls, 88 underfoot...this year, I skied my K2s at 80 underfoot, and I haven't had any issues, even with a fresh dump of snow. In fact, I skied better with my K2s, as I think they handle the bumps better.

The thing about Steamboat is there isn't a lot off piste...they do a pretty decent job grooming, but you won't find alot of corduroy...lots of bumps, tho! Fun tree skiing that you can go in and out of.

I think if it were me, I would take your Motives...

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

Bring your Fischers and then if you decide you want something different then demo. If you rent demos skis from the shop at the base in Sheraton you can keep them for the whole time. If you rent demos from the yurt at the top of the gondola they want those back by like 3pm each day and you'd need to go through the process each time.
Christy Sports has lots to demo--but I think they need them back each day. If you want to rent through Christy and don't want to return them each day you can still get some newer model skis but they are not "demos" per se. They are just more recent models in the rental fleet. Those skis are upstairs and the true demos are downstairs on the main floor.

 

[BrookeK]

Thanks guys! You're really helpful!

That settles it. I'm taking the Motives. Better to have them and not need them than to not have them and find I could have used them.

 

[Little Lightning]

If you do decide to demo Christy Sports is the place to go. I talked to them last year and they told me they had every Women's ski in every size available for demo. I assume that also means the same for unisex skis. Besides demos they have a rental department. Don't confuse the 2. The rental department doesn't have the same selection. Have fun, Steamboat is an intermediates heaven.

 

[BrookeK]

This place is amazing! Yesterday was ski day 1. I brought my Fischers and they were wonderful, I didn't need to worry.

My friends want to go to the backside first thing today. Who has been back there and how extreme is it? I can ski...blue and blacks all day yesterday...but I'm no hero and I tend to be really conservative as I get to know a new place and I've heard stories of people getting lost and into pretty serious trouble back there.

 

[Powgirl]

Brooke...if you are talking about Morningside, you should be just fine (it's stunning)...just stay away from Fish Creek area...stay in bounds as avalanche is a very real and present danger.

I bet you are ready to move there, huh?

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

Yes, much of Morningside is actually fairly flat. There a number of different ways to get in there, plus more that I probably don't know about! But if you look at the trail map, the steepest entries are what you'll see from the Morningside lift. If you enter from say Cowboy Coffee (traverse over from Sundown or Sunshine lifts) that is really flat.
It's really pretty in the Morningside area too, snowy trees etc.

 

[xoxo_jojo]

Brooke - if you're concerned about getting lost (legitimate), consider taking a group lesson. My husband is a stronger skier than I - so when we go, we split up - he takes level 8 lessons (which is basically hard core / instructor level skiing all day) and I stick with the 7s (I ski slower) -> this is how I found out about many of the most wonderful unmarked trails). Over the years, we've seen all sorts of people end up upside down, in tree wells, and even one kid who somehow ended up in the "river" (creek) near the bottom of Morningside. It never ceases to amaze me that so many people still don't wear helmets.

Much like Powgirl has noted, it's hard not to want to move there ;) Surprisingly, the summer's are even more spectacular than the winters. Enjoy your trip. xo

 

[BrookeK]

I would LOVE to take a lesson or 20 here. Sadly, it's not in the budget this time around. Heck, this vacation isn't in the budget!
We didn't go down the backsside, we were having so much fun front side. But that's our game plan tomorrow. I ended today a little early, just because my legs are feeling it and tomorrow.will be my last ski day here, so I intend to suck up every minute.
This place is incredible. I've found eden.
That's what the locals say : people come for the winter but stay for the summer.

I need to move!

 

[Powgirl]

So glad you are enjoying The Boat...and xoxo_jojo is so right...summer is glorious there!!