Question: un-groomed blues and groomed black

[Jenny]

Yeah because we can - I usually don't gravitate towards groomed runs unless I'm feeling like cruising....but IMHO ungroomed blacks are more fun than groomed blacks. Most of the time. Last season our only choice in Tahoe was mostly groomed runs with snowmaking but not this season.... It's good to diversify. If you only ski groomed runs, what happens when it snows and gets tracked up?

It gets a lot harder!

 

[surfsnowgirl]

It gets a lot harder!

I was told that's what happened at Jay Peak on the last day when it snowed. We didn't ski and I heard that after a couple hours when the snow got all pushed around Jay Peak was one giant mogul run. I have never done moguls and I was told I would have hated it.

 

[DeweySki]

I skied at Sierra-at-Tahoe yesterday. I went most of West Bowl area. Powderhouse, a blue square, was very steep and powdery. I believe it was groomed, but by the time I went down it, it was late in the day. Maybe 3:00 pm. And it was not as nice as it was earlier in the day.

I only skied Sierra once on a very warm day during President's day weekend. Compared to other Tahoe resorts and even other Western resorts, I would agree that their ratings are pretty similar. One thing I did notice is that Sierra has some interesting natural terrain like rollers and boulders that could make a run be rated more difficult even though it is not that steep. Another thing to remember about Sierra is that it's pretty low compared to other Tahoe mountains--the base is only 6640. So snow turning to slush and snow getting tracked out can be major factors and really change a run throughout the day.

But back to your original question...I agree with others that skiing a groomed black and skiing an ungroomed blue are really different skill sets. I chose to start skiing in ungroomed terrain pretty early in my ski training so I that I could ski a larger percentage of the mountain and get into more interesting terrain like trees. Because I focus on ungroomed, my groomed skiing is not the best, and I certainly cannot carve the most beautiful turn. I would be completely helpless on the icy hard pack that I hear our East Coast Divas have mastered So really I think it's whatever you like more, and what you want to focus on in your skiing.

 

[ling]

But back to your original question...I agree with others that skiing a groomed black and skiing an ungroomed blue are really different skill sets. I chose to start skiing in ungroomed terrain pretty early in my ski training so I that I could ski a larger percentage of the mountain and get into more interesting terrain like trees. Because I focus on ungroomed, my groomed skiing is not the best, and I certainly cannot carve the most beautiful turn. I would be completely helpless on the icy hard pack that I hear our East Coast Divas have mastered So really I think it's whatever you like more, and what you want to focus on in your skiing.

Agree 100%

Some of us prefers ungroom terrain so never spent enough time on the icy groomers to be good at it. Hence not very good at groomers. I found a lot of groomed blacks difficult. Worse, when they're icy, even groomed blues can be a handful. I can generally ski ungroom of the same "color" as well, if not better sometimes, then groomer of the same.

 

[santacruz skier]

In spring, most of us (well I should speak for myself) don't even go out until snow softens (could be 11:00) ... why is that? Maybe we (I) never learned to ski ice and don't want to deal with it... But having skied in many areas in Europe, the end of the day is an icy race course for about 6 miles to the bottom . Scared the *** out of me.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

In spring, most of us (well I should speak for myself) don't even go out until snow softens (could be 11:00) ... why is that? Maybe we (I) never learned to ski ice and don't want to deal with it... But having skied in many areas in Europe, the end of the day is an icy race course for about 6 miles to the bottom . Scared the *** out of me.

I know if I had the opportunity to ski on your turf I'd probably not feel this way I love ice and hard pack. In early March I was at my home local hill and the conditions were on their way to getting very cruddy. There was a fundraiser race going on that day and the race course going down main street looked glorious. Is it sad that I contemplated entering the race just so I could ski down that gloriously shiny/icy/hard packed race course. That run had the best conditions that day

Back to topic I'd probably go down a groomed black before I went down an ungroomed blue

 

[santacruz skier]

I know if I had the opportunity to ski on your turf I'd probably not feel this way I love ice and hard pack. In early March I was at my home local hill and the conditions were on their way to getting very cruddy. There was a fundraiser race going on that day and the race course going down main street looked glorious. Is it sad that I contemplated entering the race just so I could ski down that gloriously shiny/icy/hard packed race course. That run had the best conditions that day

Back to topic I'd probably go down a groomed black before I went down an ungroomed blue

Ah but to round out your skiing, you should try going down both.... the mountains really open up for you

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Ah but to round out your skiing, you should try going down both.... the mountains really open up for you

I agree completely. I haven't been skiing that long so groomers are still crazy fun for me, not bored yet . I feel like I'd need a mogul lesson before I ventured down a lot of ungroomed trails lol. We skied down mostly ungroomed trails at Mont Sutton in Quebec and I actually did like that so perhaps there's hope for me .

 

[Albertan ski girl]

I tell you though - ungroomed blacks are still easier for me to go down than most groomed blacks. That snow can really slow you down when you need it!

 

[bounceswoosh]

In spring, most of us (well I should speak for myself) don't even go out until snow softens (could be 11:00) ... why is that? Maybe we (I) never learned to ski ice and don't want to deal with it...

Maybe. But for me, at least - by spring, I've gotten up to an alarm (either for work or for skiing) every single day since December, with maybe one or two exceptions. So when I have the choice of skiing ice or getting some extra ZZZZs .... yeah. That's what happened this morning, and the skiing was glorious. I *can* ski ice. But I'm not sure what it would have added to my experience today.

 

[ling]

I tell you though - ungroomed blacks are still easier for me to go down than most groomed blacks. That snow can really slow you down when you need it!

Bumps are natural speed breaks.

 

[Jilly]

I love steep, groomed and fast....but respect steep and bumps too!

 

[santacruz skier]

In tahoe, once the snow softens, the VW size bumps are skiable.... When icy, Gunbarrel for example at Heavenly, often closes the run until softens up. That probably wouldn't happen on the east coast as that is what you're all used to!.
I could be wrong though.

 

[Jilly]

No, they will wait till a run softens up before opening. Some runs today didn't open till after lunch here at Tremblant.

 

[sibhusky]

It's either an open sheet of ice here right now or an open field of gummy slush. Seems to change from one extreme to another in a half hour.

 

[nopoleskier]

I love steep groomed and also lots of fresh on steeps... I need my quiver to tackle bumps (old knees)

 

[Scribble]

I find groomed blacks to be easier than ungroomed blues when things are really compacted, but soft, ungroomed runs are more fun.

 

[geargrrl]

nm

 

[marzNC]

I find groomed blacks to be easier than ungroomed blues when things are really compacted, but soft, ungroomed runs are more fun.

The OP asked the question several years ago. She was skiing around Tahoe. What region do you ski the most?

 

[SierraLuLu]

This is all just to remember that the snow conditions on a run can greatly affect its difficulty and the specific skills needed to go down it, and it goes beyond grooming too.

A heavy powder day can make even a green run difficult for people not well-versed in powder skiing.

Western powder bumps are VERY different from eastern rock hard icy bumps.

Skiing a black run when the snow is deep is much easier than skiing the same run early in the winter with low coverage.