Whitefish Mountain Feb 2021
Re: Whitefish Mountain Feb 2021
yeah, I didn't really want to post a review until I felt I had done the skis justice
Re: Whitefish Mountain Feb 2021
well I just skinned up for the last time. it was great. there was a steady line of people going uphill. some faster, some slower than me. at the 2/3 mark, I young woman caught up to me while I got water out of my pack. I was determined to keep pace with her to the top. her pace was about like mine, but unlike me, she never stopped for the 30 second breaks I like to take to reset my heart rate. I followed her up the last 2 steep pitches. man, she had me redlined at 168 for about 15 mins. when we got up the last pitch and had about 1/4 mile to the summit lodge, I started my power-shuffle, which was a little too fast for her. at the top I was transitioning and she got there and said "man, you just charged out of there" and I said "yeah but you dragged me up the last 2 pitches at my redline". she laughed. great uphill community here..and yes, I am pleased with myself for keeping up with a 20-something year old woman. she was killing it...and I am not 20-something.
Re: Whitefish Mountain Feb 2021
well I made it home last night. it took 12 hours door to door. got to bed at 2:30am. flights were delayed. there is a lot more oxygen here, but a distinct lack of snow and mountains.
Re: Whitefish Mountain Feb 2021
I haven't unpacked yet, but I wanted to make a note about what I packed for a 30 day trip to Montana. I brought 2 very large bags of gear: 1) a huge rolling duffel bag 2) a massive rolling suitcase 3) a single pair ski bag.
Montana weather had nearly a 100 degree temp range while I was there. we had days of -50F, and days of plus 40F
I skied uphill on some days, and downhill on other days. I had packed for cold weather running, and this proved very useful when I pivoted to skinning uphill.
I used every piece of gear I brought with a couple of exceptions, and still needed to buy more.
what I did not use:
1. 2 pairs of running shoes. the roads weren't really conducive, and after finding the uphill scene, running was not my priority. I also did not use my running shorts or running tights
2. my winter hat. I didn't own a hat until I won one as a prize in a trail race in the fall. I packed it. it was too warm to wear uphill, and not needed under my helmet going downhill
3. Intermediate weight gloves...eg like XC gloves. they were either too hot going up, or not warm enough going down. instead, going up, I either wore no gloves, or very light smart wool gloves. going down, I either wore hestra gloves or lobster mitts
4. I brought 10 t-shirts for street wear. I really only needed 5 because I had laundry machines
5. dark lens ski goggles. there were a small number of bluebird days, but what was more important were low light lens goggles.
6. down sweater. I normally wear this in the house. my rental was very warm and I didn't need it.
7. headphones. I always run while listening to music, but for whatever reason, going uphill I didn't feel like having music. I was surprised by this.
what I ended up buying
1. Hestra lobster mitts. I knew before I went on the trip that I needed mittens. I didn't have a chance to buy them before I left. I didn't want lobster mitts, but that is what I was able to buy in Whitefish. while skiing uphill I mostly did not wear any gloves, but going down, there is nothing better than warm dry mitts
2. low light goggles. I only owned dark lens goggle. Low light lenses are critical in a place like Whitefish
3. Dynafit stretch pants. basically an AT/skimo pant. I wore these everyday going uphill. they were great
4. Used Mountain Hardware "goretex" parka shell. probably not "gore tex", but similar idea. I wore this going uphill when it was -30 to -50. it kept out the wind, but did not breath well. I paid very little for it, and don't own something similar, so it was ok
5. AT skis/binding/skins. bought them used
6. Atomic Hawx AT boots. really nice. I like them
7. Ski bag - given that I had traveled out with a single bag and 2 sets of poles, I needed another bag to get home. I had hoped to buy a double padded Dakine that would have left room for additional gear. Whitefish and Kalispell basically had nothing that I wanted. my only option was a 2-pair Sportstube. the problem with the tube is that its really designed for 2 pairs of traditional alpine skis. my Dynafit ST AT bindings are very tall in the back. I was able to get 2 pairs into the tube, but definitely not by following the sportstube instructions. I used the single bag I brought for the poles and some outerwear. I do think that the tube would hold the poles and skis.
I'm not going to do a long review of everything that I wore and used, but I will say this: I brought 2 full sets of Smartwool base layers. the 250 and the 350 weight. I love Smartwool!! in -30 to -50, the 350 weight was great. when it was warmer I wore the 250 shirt, but chose UnderArmor tights on the bottom under whatever ski pants I was wearing. also, the lightweight smart wool gloves were fantastic.
what I need to replace
1. my backpack. its a solid 20 years old. some of the nylon zippers have fused shut over the years, so I can't use all the pockets. its not a great technical pack, so the fit in the shoulders and waist are not great. but because I only used it to carry dry clothes for changing after going uphill, it was not heavy, so the poor fit wasn't that big a deal. the broken zippers are the real problem
2. my helmet. also 20 years old. after so much time and repeated sweat and drying, its just not comfortable anymore.
3. Scarpa TX Pros. they are very old. I bought them used 10 years ago. the hole in the bellow cannot be repaired. they are a size too big, and the heel slip destroyed my ankles with blisters. not a big deal going downhill, but I will not use them again to go uphill.
4. my alpine bibs. they are cheap O'neil bibs. they are fine when its dry, but they absorb water which is a problem when its snowing wetter snow, especially on the lifts. they are too bulky to wear uphill. I only use them for lift served days
lower priority things I *could* do:
1. replace OutlawX with Meidjos. after using my AT boots/bindings with the tech toe, I'm sold. the catch is that I don't have a local shop that I would trust to remove the Outlaws and mount the Meidjos. I don't even know if this swap is viable given the different hole locations.
I'll add to these notes as I think of more stuff
Montana weather had nearly a 100 degree temp range while I was there. we had days of -50F, and days of plus 40F
I skied uphill on some days, and downhill on other days. I had packed for cold weather running, and this proved very useful when I pivoted to skinning uphill.
I used every piece of gear I brought with a couple of exceptions, and still needed to buy more.
what I did not use:
1. 2 pairs of running shoes. the roads weren't really conducive, and after finding the uphill scene, running was not my priority. I also did not use my running shorts or running tights
2. my winter hat. I didn't own a hat until I won one as a prize in a trail race in the fall. I packed it. it was too warm to wear uphill, and not needed under my helmet going downhill
3. Intermediate weight gloves...eg like XC gloves. they were either too hot going up, or not warm enough going down. instead, going up, I either wore no gloves, or very light smart wool gloves. going down, I either wore hestra gloves or lobster mitts
4. I brought 10 t-shirts for street wear. I really only needed 5 because I had laundry machines
5. dark lens ski goggles. there were a small number of bluebird days, but what was more important were low light lens goggles.
6. down sweater. I normally wear this in the house. my rental was very warm and I didn't need it.
7. headphones. I always run while listening to music, but for whatever reason, going uphill I didn't feel like having music. I was surprised by this.
what I ended up buying
1. Hestra lobster mitts. I knew before I went on the trip that I needed mittens. I didn't have a chance to buy them before I left. I didn't want lobster mitts, but that is what I was able to buy in Whitefish. while skiing uphill I mostly did not wear any gloves, but going down, there is nothing better than warm dry mitts
2. low light goggles. I only owned dark lens goggle. Low light lenses are critical in a place like Whitefish
3. Dynafit stretch pants. basically an AT/skimo pant. I wore these everyday going uphill. they were great
4. Used Mountain Hardware "goretex" parka shell. probably not "gore tex", but similar idea. I wore this going uphill when it was -30 to -50. it kept out the wind, but did not breath well. I paid very little for it, and don't own something similar, so it was ok
5. AT skis/binding/skins. bought them used
6. Atomic Hawx AT boots. really nice. I like them
7. Ski bag - given that I had traveled out with a single bag and 2 sets of poles, I needed another bag to get home. I had hoped to buy a double padded Dakine that would have left room for additional gear. Whitefish and Kalispell basically had nothing that I wanted. my only option was a 2-pair Sportstube. the problem with the tube is that its really designed for 2 pairs of traditional alpine skis. my Dynafit ST AT bindings are very tall in the back. I was able to get 2 pairs into the tube, but definitely not by following the sportstube instructions. I used the single bag I brought for the poles and some outerwear. I do think that the tube would hold the poles and skis.
I'm not going to do a long review of everything that I wore and used, but I will say this: I brought 2 full sets of Smartwool base layers. the 250 and the 350 weight. I love Smartwool!! in -30 to -50, the 350 weight was great. when it was warmer I wore the 250 shirt, but chose UnderArmor tights on the bottom under whatever ski pants I was wearing. also, the lightweight smart wool gloves were fantastic.
what I need to replace
1. my backpack. its a solid 20 years old. some of the nylon zippers have fused shut over the years, so I can't use all the pockets. its not a great technical pack, so the fit in the shoulders and waist are not great. but because I only used it to carry dry clothes for changing after going uphill, it was not heavy, so the poor fit wasn't that big a deal. the broken zippers are the real problem
2. my helmet. also 20 years old. after so much time and repeated sweat and drying, its just not comfortable anymore.
3. Scarpa TX Pros. they are very old. I bought them used 10 years ago. the hole in the bellow cannot be repaired. they are a size too big, and the heel slip destroyed my ankles with blisters. not a big deal going downhill, but I will not use them again to go uphill.
4. my alpine bibs. they are cheap O'neil bibs. they are fine when its dry, but they absorb water which is a problem when its snowing wetter snow, especially on the lifts. they are too bulky to wear uphill. I only use them for lift served days
lower priority things I *could* do:
1. replace OutlawX with Meidjos. after using my AT boots/bindings with the tech toe, I'm sold. the catch is that I don't have a local shop that I would trust to remove the Outlaws and mount the Meidjos. I don't even know if this swap is viable given the different hole locations.
I'll add to these notes as I think of more stuff
Re: Whitefish Mountain Feb 2021
Went for my first easy run in a month. the effort felt super easy...not surprising when suddenly you are at 0 ft elevation and not 7,000ft, and you don't have 8lbs of gear strapped to each foot. BUT, after a few miles my quads were like "hey, what are you doing. this doesn't feel like skinning". quads will be sore tomorrow. nothing else really replicates the pounding of running.
-
chris_the_wrench
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:29 pm
Re: Whitefish Mountain Feb 2021
I just found this site. I live in Whitefish and enjoyed your travel log. Good work! Lifts stop spinning tomorrow. I remember those cold days we had this year.
Re: Whitefish Mountain Feb 2021
@chris_the_wrench
you can check out my YouTube channel. I posted a ton of videos this year from Whitefish including the Whitefish whiteout race. it will all look very familiar to you...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBo7X6 ... u0Qicg9Elg
you can check out my YouTube channel. I posted a ton of videos this year from Whitefish including the Whitefish whiteout race. it will all look very familiar to you...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBo7X6 ... u0Qicg9Elg