Slides?

[SKIdds]

Anyone find it curious that the pics on the Website are of the access trail to the Slides?

Really, seems to me like it would be a bad idea to show people how wonderfully snow covered it looks, teasing all the hardcores, bringing the trrrain into very public attention, if they had no designs on it being accessible in the near future.

Your thoughts?

[AdironRider]

Not going to lie, if I didnt know any better it looked pretty skiable from the summit lift this past weekend. You could always hike up the access road.

[SKIdds]

Fortunately we do know better and defer to patrol, but why throw those pics out if they weren't close? Not that i'd bet much, but I'd bet they open soon.

[Face4Me]

I saw a ski patroller head in on Saturday afternoon with shovel, beacon, etc. when I was coming off chair 6 ... wasn't able to see him in there on my next trip up ... not sure if he came down or hiked back out ...

[AdironRider]

Patrol can only open it up when they can be sure the public is going to be safe. Say what you want about the new gold. silver, bronze ratings, but Id bet a pretty penny that even to open it up requireing a beacon and a partner is going to be pretty strict compared to what an educated expert skier might actually do. Get what I mean.

[SKIdds]

Agreed. Patrol needs to err on the side of caution. Heck, even for educated experts who can handle such terrain anything can happen, and performing a rescue out there can't be any fun. Then you have the uneducated experts. The people who can ski Skyward so they think they can handle anything patrol sees fit to open. Even if I might not agree protecting the yahoos from themselves on something like Empire, in a backcountry area like the Slides I agree with the need for being conservative. Nobody wants to wander into avi danger, and I'm not about to start diggin pits.

[freeheelwilly]

That's a bit of a stretch callin' the slides "backcountry". Slackcountry is closer to the truth. Just sayin'.

[SKIdds]

East coast "backcountry"-ish.....is that better?

I wouldn't call The Chin at Stowe true backcountry either, but for east coast it also qualifies. Hike to, un-cut, as nature intended, sort-of-out-of-bounds terrain, waterfalls, rock bands, etc. Maybe not hairball Western backcountry, but how else would you define backcountry on the east coast? Tuckerman's maybe?

[highpeaksdrifter]

That's a bit of a stretch callin' the slides "backcountry". Slackcountry is closer to the truth. Just sayin'.

I hear what you're saying Willy, I refer to them as slack countery too because of the lift. However, do you think the terrain itself is as worthy as anything you had to hike/skin too?

[SKIdds]

Alright, anything you need to spend hours using skins to get to is most definitely more backcountry than the Slides......but we're talking backcountry-like terrain for the non-free-heel-resort-crowd. No, that isn't real backcountry, but does the terrain itself qualify?

I'm sure willy has skinned to plenty of real backcountry stuff around the east that isn't connected to a resort, but he's prolly a rare breed compared to most of us. How many out there own skins and randonee gear?

[freeheelwilly]

It's lift served backcountry (which is kind of an oxymoron). The terrain itself is really good - steeper and better than a lot of stuff in the backcountry. Backcountry is just that: It's in the backcountry and you have to go into the backcountry to get it. Earn your turns and all that.

The slides rock - they're as good or better than most anything you'll hike to in New York. The feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day isn't the same though.

Randonee: That's french for "can't tele". 8)

[highpeaksdrifter]

he's prolly a rare breed compared to most of us.

He's a rare breed alright, a very rare breed. :wink: :lol:

[Jack the Ripper]

Not going to lie, if I didnt know any better it looked pretty skiable from the summit lift this past weekend. You could always hike up the access road.

Don't bother. They need another 2 feet min. for coverage. Empire's not even open for gods sake. :evil:

[Jack the Ripper]

That's a bit of a stretch callin' the slides "backcountry". Slackcountry is closer to the truth. Just sayin'.

How's the view from that high horse? :shock: Pretty good. Not all of us have a free heal. Plus I'm spoiled by WF. Walking right into a gondi at 9:30am on a Sat., Tons of vert., and lift service quote unquote backcountry skiing. It may not be true BC but it's the best lift service, small hike around. 8)