Which is more satisfying: Fresh Powder or Glass?

[Timmy!]

I went snowboarding yesterday and it has been a few years since I have gotten to ride in a ton of fresh powder. I have been loving wakeboarding so much that I forgot why I started riding a snowboard 21 years ago. I am not sure which makes me happier now, riding through fresh powder or carving hard on a wakeboard on perfect glass.

[NICKYPOO]

Tough call. We have had mega dump here for nearly 3 weeks. I went up to the wrong resort for powder (Homewood, not steep enough) on one day when there was 3 ft. of pow. It was all we could do to make it down. After four runs and five more inches of fresh while we were there, we were done. Two days later we hit Northstar. In the 1 full day that had passed, the powder had settled to about two feet and they were able to carve out a couple groomers that accessed secret powder stashes in the trees everywhere. I lost count of runs that day but, it had to be at least 15. It was a tues. so nobody was there. It was just powder run after powder run after powder run all day. You would pop out in various spots under the lift and you could here people on the lift going,"Yeeeahhh" as we were tearing off big chunks of untracked pillow. Definitely one of the best days of riding (anything) that I've ever had.

Then there are the days at the lake when nobody is there, temps in the 80's, water is high and wind is nonexistent. I live for that chit. We are just about there now with lakes well on their way to full, high pressure setting in and temps in the 70's. I'm just about drooling at this point.

Tough call Dude.

[Booms]

I was at Jackson Hole from March 15th through the 19th and it was epic. On the 16th it snowed all day and finished around 10:00 am on the 17th. When it was all said and done the pow in some areas was balls deep. I think the whole city of Jackson took the day off to play on possibly the last Pow day of the season. It was busy but we found our trees and chutes to play in.

I would pick Pow over glass any day. I can get glass conditions almost everyday (first thing in the morning and just before sunset) where as a major dump of snow is much more hit or miss.
Now that I have the snowboard trip out of the way I just wish the 15" of snow would melt and the lakes would get soft again in WI. Probably won't get on the water until the end of April. Even then water temps will probably be in the low 40's. I just want to Surf again!

These pictures are from Weds. during the snow storm at Jackson Hole. We found a boulder with a 10 ft drop into the powder. It was located in the trees and was fun to hit until my buddy landed and missed a tree trunk by inches.

[Timmy!]

OMG - look at that powder! That is awesome! Thanks for sharing the story/pic!

[Duncan]

Tough call. We have had mega dump here for nearly 3 weeks. I went up to the wrong resort for powder (Homewood, not steep enough) on one day when there was 3 ft. of pow. It was all we could do to make it down. After four runs and five more inches of fresh while we were there, we were done. Two days later we hit Northstar. In the 1 full day that had passed, the powder had settled to about two feet and they were able to carve out a couple groomers that accessed secret powder stashes in the trees everywhere. I lost count of runs that day but, it had to be at least 15. It was a tues. so nobody was there. It was just powder run after powder run after powder run all day. You would pop out in various spots under the lift and you could here people on the lift going,"Yeeeahhh" as we were tearing off big chunks of untracked pillow. Definitely one of the best days of riding (anything) that I've ever had.

Then there are the days at the lake when nobody is there, temps in the 80's, water is high and wind is nonexistent. I live for that chit. We are just about there now with lakes well on their way to full, high pressure setting in and temps in the 70's. I'm just about drooling at this point.

Tough call Dude.

I was in Tahoe City this past weekend -- Homewood Saturday and Alpine Meadows Sunday. I agree, there was too much snow for boarding Homewood -- but many of the bigger resorts' lifts were shut down due to high wind. Homewood was still great fun, even with Quail face closed. Alpine was amazing the next day -- the high winds kept re-setting the surface and packing it down just enough to not sink so deep.

I love my time on a snowboard more than my time on a wake board for a few reasons. Snowboarding is much more selfish -- I can ride as much as I want 9am-4pm during lift hours. Time on a wakeboard is necessarily more limited both by having to share time with other people on the boat and by upper body strength exhaustion.

But I love boat time on the whole more than snow time for the experience of being on the water, in sunshine, with a big group.

[IDBoating]

We've been snow skiing for over 30 years, but had sort of dropped out of it for the last 5-10. A few days here and there on our now-ancient "traditional" skis but not the commitment we had in the past.

This winter, some Canadian friends suggested we meet halfway at Fernie in British Columbia. We had so much fun that we picked up new skis, with the latest technology, at this year's closeout sales. We got in exactly one day on the new skis at a local resort before the season closed out.

OMG!!!

The difference these skis make is indescribable. Things I had only dreamed of being able to do now happen with a thought. I've never been much of a deep powder guy yet I spent hours in waist deep fluffy tree powder, carving with a precision I've never felt before. Absolutely remarkable. I cannot possibly overstate it. Literally the best day of skiing in my life, and I've had some biggies (multiple feet of fresh 5% moisture content champagne powder at Vail, that sort of thing). This has completely renewed my enthusiasm for skiing. I can't wait for next season.

That's not to say it's taken the place of the lake. I used to live for winter, with nothing that interested me during those long hot summer months. Whitewater kayaking made Spring enjoyable, wakesports made summers a blast, and now skiing is back with a roar. And there's always rock climbing when nothing else is going on.

I still say, though, that the very best sport I've ever enjoyed is whitewater kayaking. The rest are tons of fun, but kayaking is the best.

[Jeffe]

You should put "YOUR MOM" as an option...since she is not listed, I would have to go with the POW POW!!!

[duffymahoney]

Powder! Took 3 hours on my splitboard to get here. But best line of my life!

[Greg Mallek]

Nice Duff. Is that Silver Mtn or Lookout ??

[Ewok]

Champagne powder at snowbird, no comparison.

[duffymahoney]

That is behind Schweitzer. Almost 1500 vertical from top to bottom, hiked-skinned and snowboarded it twice!

[IDBoating]

Champagne powder at snowbird, no comparison.

I've been to Snowbird, Alta, Park City, Deer Valley, etc. in Utah.

I've been to Heavenly, Kirkwood, etc. in Tahoe.

I've been to Summit County in CO with Breckenridge, Copper, Vail, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, etc.

In all those years, at all those places, the three best days of skiing I've ever had were the one I described above at Schweitzer in Sandpoint ID, that multifoot 5% powder day at Vail, and a similar multifoot 5% powder day again at Schweitzer. Fourth has to go to a day at Alta in UT.

A lot of it is luck and conditions. The others weren't "bad", but my luck of the draw yielded the above.

One really nice thing about living in Spokane is that we have two world class ski resorts within 1-2 hours, and three more "lesser" resorts too. When I was growing up, we had to drive 4+ hours to reach the tiniest, scrawniest hill.

[duffymahoney]

I love living in Sandpoint, Idaho and having a world class ski resort within 25 minutes or less and a giant lake 100 yards from my work

[IDBoating]

I love living in Sandpoint, Idaho and having a world class ski resort within 25 minutes or less and a giant lake 100 yards from my work

"Giant" is the right word, too. That lake is big enough to have its own weather systems!

[spenchey2]

Are you kidding me! I don't even like walking to my car in the winter! NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT THE HEAT!