• Women skiers, this is the place for you -- an online community without the male-orientation you'll find in conventional ski magazines and internet ski forums. At TheSkiDiva.com, you can connect with other women to talk about skiing in a way that you can relate to, about things that you find of interest. Be sure to join our community to participate (women only, please!). Registration is fast and simple. Just be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so your registration activation emails won't be routed as spam. And please give careful consideration to your user name -- it will not be changed once your registration is confirmed.

Northstar, 3/15/2021-3/19/2021

gingerjess

Angel Diva
Oh right, pictures!

I didn’t take many once we got going, but here are a few!

I got started the same place I did yesterday; Logger’s Loop to Cat’s Face. Gorgeous, freshly-groomed, almost-untouched:
A4FB13B7-E8E4-41C7-9A3D-C76DD398CA19.jpeg

The view from about a third of the way down Iron Horse:
2C298EE0-8EFF-45E6-96D0-1EFF3A9A9EE5.jpeg

Near the top of Prosser, the valley laid out below:
2B823477-CE17-4778-9F05-2E873A891D3B.jpeg
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Wow @gingerjess I am totally impressed. You've only been skiing a couple seasons, right?

Divas :

The Rapids is all moguls directly under the main chair on the Backside... probably a mile long of bumps..... I RARELY ski it except maybe in the spring or early season. The other backside runs are really nice long rated black (but plenty of intermediates ski it) with at least one or two groomed.
Lookout Mountain is probably the steepest area at Northstar and my favorite. Prosser and Stampede and Martis are serious steep runs. Both Prosser and Martis have a little drop off that intimidate some skiers. Obviously a little easier if groomed. Washoe can be a challenge if icy and is rated blue but more like a black.

Great to hear you met someone to ski with and showed you around the mountain. You hit all the good spots ! If you get fresh snow, Monument Glades (in between Burnout and other runs) is really great and the trees look tight but they do open up.....
 
Last edited:

gingerjess

Angel Diva
You've only been skiing a couple seasons, right?
Yep, this is my second full season!
The Rapids is all moguls directly under the main chair on the Backside... probably a mile long of bumps..... I RARELY ski it except maybe in the spring or early season.
We got a bit lucky today in that the powder from yesterday was predominant and the bumps were relatively soft; I’m not sure if I would’ve been able to do it if they’d been harder!
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Yep, this is my second full season!

We got a bit lucky today in that the powder from yesterday was predominant and the bumps were relatively soft; I’m not sure if I would’ve been able to do it if they’d been harder!
Still extremely impressed! I know this mountain very well so can vouch for where you skied !!!!!
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Sounds like a great day!

I remember Washoe from when Diva West was at Tahoe. I skied it, while others skied Martis, I think, and my goal was to do the run from top to bottom, without stopping.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Sounds like a great day!

I remember Washoe from when Diva West was at Tahoe. I skied it, while others skied Martis, I think, and my goal was to do the run from top to bottom, without stopping.
You must have been there when Lookout first opened ! Now you don't have to take that silly POMA and can ski over there if enough snow. Washoe is a very long run ! That's one thing I like about Northstar. The backside and lookout runs are all at least a mile long, maybe 2. The Loggers Loop run @gingerjess likes to ski first thing is super long especially if you jump on The Woods and ski to the Village. She does it the first run and I like it the last run!
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
You must have been there when Lookout first opened ! Now you don't have to take that silly POMA and can ski over there if enough snow. Washoe is a very long run ! That's one thing I like about Northstar. The backside and lookout runs are all at least a mile long, maybe 2. The Loggers Loop run @gingerjess likes to ski first thing is super long especially if you jump on The Woods and ski to the Village. She does it the first run and I like it the last run!
No poma - hooray!
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
No poma - hooray!
Oh the poma is still there but last week or so I opted to ski over there. My friend thought it was kind of scary (I'm not sure why-no drop offs) but I enjoyed it !
Thread drift: Hope Diva West skiers will come to Northstar ! It's super fun and the best place to be if windy and stormy....... tons of tree skiing.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
I do it the last run too sometimes! Not today, though; I was too tuckered out to go back up Vista after getting back to mid-mountain!
You had quite a day ! Get the Epic Mix app and you can track your vertical !
I'm still impressed you skied The Rapids top to bottom !!! And Prosser !
 

Iwannaski

Angel Diva
I was so sad today b/c my fave hill closed, but this report made up for it and was so fun to read! So glad you were able to find someone who could share some mountain secrets and ALSO seems like a total badass!!! First season and 36 days? YOWZA!

You sound like you badassed it up today too! WIN!! Cheers...
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
It’s so great to find someone you clicked with who also happened to be able to push you a bit outside of your comfort zone. This is one of my favorite things about skiing with awesome women! Finding that in someone who also seems to have started skiing relatively recently like yourself is even better. Hope you two are able to meet up again and keep it going! :thumbsup:
 

gingerjess

Angel Diva
Day Three theme: joy

After the exertions of the last couple days, I was looking forward to a relaxing day just focused on having fun and remembering why I love skiing so much. And so that’s what I did.

In the morning, I focused on runs that were well within my capacity; runs where I could focus on the feelings of skiing, rather than on trying to stay upright and not moving too fast. Runs like Powder Bowl, a blue run dropping steeply from Northstar’s East Ridge into a swooping tree-lined alley. Or Axe Handle, another snaking and sinuous blue off the West Ridge; wide open with so many choices of lines to be taken.

Taking runs I knew I could do without any trouble really let me experience the thrill of skiing with no special exertion or fear to overcome.

Noticing feelings like the weightless moment where one turn becomes the next.

Or the sensation when you just know the line the mountain wants you to take, and the turns it’ll take to do it.

The moment you notice your focus point on the next crest slow its motion across your vision as you reach the apex of a turn, and then accelerate in the other direction as the next one begins.

When the snow beneath you falls silent under the roar of the wind, and you’re no longer skiing; you’re flying.

Reaching a momentary crest, legs compressed beneath you, and then expanding them downward again as the ground falls away.

Skiing through a crowd of others, almost knowing what they’ll do before they do it, and changing your plan and your motion as they change theirs, flocking together.

These are the kinds of things I noticed, and these things are why I love skiing.

The afternoon brought a different kind of joy. @kiranbot, a dear friend who introduced me to this forum, was in the area, and we met up to ski together in the afternoon. After the long isolation that COVID’s caused, it was bliss just to be in the same place, doing the same thing.

Conversation and silence on the chairlift; leading and following down familiar and unfamiliar slopes. Castle Peak. Sierra Grande. Challenger. Washoe. Prosser. Drifter. Sharing time and space with someone I care about, doing something we both love.

Last year, COVID came in and disrupted lives with little warning. Being near the people we love; doing things we enjoy, became risky and dangerous. It’s been a very long year; almost like last winter never actually ended. But today felt like the start of spring: a hint of joy starting to be realized. I can’t wait for the summer to come.

One picture from today (amazing how ski slopes let you pretend height differences don’t exist):
DFCA2BDF-24D6-4766-9589-F82F228C11D5.jpeg
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
So a few little insider tips:

If White Rabbit open (it's across from Prosser and skis in the opposite direction) - gates to get through and rarely open but very fun never groomed and tight trees at the bottom that aren't impossible to get through. It only opens a few times a year from what I've heard but I have caught it a couple of times. Also made a few mistakes and ended up running out of snow and hiking back to it.
Sawtooth Ridge - at the very bottom of Challenger and rarely open . By the way, you can ski in the trees skiers left of challenger along boundary to get there also. It's a boot pack but not that long and then an interesting ski down in the trees. Gates to pass through and be ready to hike but not that bad.
Also Sawmill Glades - skiers right of Loggers loop and rarely open with enough snow but is a little surprise if you can get in there when there's fresh powder.

Sounds like you're having a wonderful time ! Areas I bolded are rarely open but very fun ! I would NOT attempt if closed as no one will rescue you !
 
Last edited:

ski skuhl

Angel Diva
@gingerjess Skiing aside, look at all the joy you brought to Divas with your detailed write-ups and photos! You had so many living vicariously through you :jumphappy: and you seized all the opportunities. Thanks :smile: for brightening a week that I am loaded down with school work and not skiing which is so hard since March is my favorite month for it.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
26,237
Messages
497,646
Members
8,503
Latest member
MermaidKelly
Top