by External Poster » Mon Jan 10, 2011 8:02 am
This posting is from: kumiko yvonne watanabe
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Hi Cynthia,
I like your enthusiasm for snow boarding!
The closing date is the sticky point. DLV is very close to the
tentative closing date which is right now Sunday, April 10, 2011, which
is the weekend that DLV ends. So its possible to go during DLV...but
that is not a sure thing. It can stay open longer or close earlier. If
they stay open longer then no problem. Its when they can close earlier
that we will have problems.
That date is based on historical temp, available snow, and ability to
make snow. If the temp rises overall and stays in the upper 30s or
higher earlier than expected or the snow melts earlier for any reason,
they will close before the 10th because the snow can melt where it
cannot sustain any form of skiing or boarding. If it stays cold and
below the mid 30s, then they can make snow with the freezing temps and
stay open longer.
Being in a desert, the fun is going skiing or snow boarding then coming
back to LV, get into a swim suit and dive into the hotel/casino
outdoor pool, or even go golfing in green grass courses in polo shirts
and shorts. But the same desert heat can melt the snow too with a
sustained warm wind coming up from the desert.
Moguls are nasty and too much of a physical workout to navigate through
them to be fun for me. I prefer the smooth graded slopes that are
flat.
One can then carve into the snow, and watch the snow spray up. Actually
that action creates the moguls. :-) No green runs have moguls, only
steeper intermediate and black advanced and steep slopes.
For snow boarding, they have special runs or slopes for snow boarders,
with half pipes, rails, and graded jump slopes just to get air time
with the board. Its easy to get into the air, its the gravity and
coming back down on two feet that is the problem.
I like the taste apple schnapps too. There is one good thing about
drinking outside of the lodge. The bottle or glass will always stay ice
cold if not begin to freeze. It makes for a better tasting drink. One
lodge I went to was so crowded my friends and I had to eat outside.
Basically the beer got colder, and the burger got cold and began to
freeze in less than 10 minutes, and made for quick eating or crunchy
veggies with the burger. The hot cocoa became a cold chocolate drink
or pop sickle.
The following is ONLY for discussion. Don't buy this stuff yet for
skiing.. until this becomes offical, or you plan to ski at other times
other than DLV.
GI surplus gear can be used for skiing. I've done it, and was probably
close to or new issue condition when I bought it.
I wouldn't recommend a kevlar helmet nor those steel pot with fiberglass
liner helmets. To heavy and ineffective in falls.
The best was the goggles and jacket. The goggles came with a removable
gray polarized film. It was as good as any ski goggle. The commercial
ski goggle has yellow lenses and some with a mirror reflective coated
lenses. Both styles made objects appear sharper but not necessarily
brighter.
The jacket, if treated with 3M scotch guard waterproofing and layering
with thermals with the nylon liner insert, was as good as any ski
jacket, and when I bought it, was a lot cheaper than a ski outfit...for
a guy that is... not necessarily for a gal or cder. It has enough room
to move around in it, esp for skiing and boarding. The bad is that if
one is lost, the woodlawn pattern will blend with the nearby forest and
no one will see you. I used this pattern, and wasn't worried about
getting lost if I stuck to the known slopes and had a map too.
If available, the attachable hood with synthetic fur edge liner is good
for keeping the head warm. It has a bendable metal wire to shape the
hood opening and drawstring and buttons to connect it to the jacket and
to prevent the hood from blowing back if caught in a wind. This is NOT
repeat NOT good for skiing or boarding, for it funnels your situational
awareness. Its just to keep the head warm when walking around. It also
hides the head and face quite well.
A navy synthetic wool cap in navy blue was what I used while skiing, and
kept my head hair nice and warm even though it was soaking wet for the
snow would fall on it and immediately melt.
Most ski outfits may be treated for waterproofing. I used 3M scotch
guard anyway and a way to be sure of the waterproofing. If ice melts
and allowed to soak the material, if it were to get cold again and
freeze, it makes the material that was wet as hard as rock, and may rip
or tear it. After skiing before I started using the 3M stuff, my pants
from the knees down were as hard and stiff for they got wet, and soaked,
then refroze stiff. Using the 3M stuff on the pants or shell, I never
had that happen again. I also used it on the outside of the ski jacket
too.
For water, I actually had either water bottles in my jacket and at one
time considered taking a GI web belt, get two canteen holders and
canteens and use those while skiing.
It was easier to invest in a Camelbak bladder system. The bladder would
be on the back like a backpack, with a feed tube to the mouth. It is
pricey. I got the one one with a big bladder lid for the bladder for
ease in cleaning and maintenance.
Because of the physical exercise involved and possible sweating its a
good idea to carry water to stay hydrated by drinking water. Then again
schnapps would work too.
The water bladder systems I see are commercial variants. I now know
the military are also moving away from canteens and now are using this
system in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bladder stays more quiet too, with
less sloshing noise.
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(This posting was entered by kumiko yvonne watanabe, an external user of MyDLV.)