Sikwam a bust and conditions

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powdersc
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Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:00 am
Location: Ottawa ,Ontario
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Sikwam a bust and conditions

Post by powdersc »

Guys...
I like reading your posts every day and seeing if things are changing or variables with weather might have affected the mountain etc, but i am having a tough time continuously reading that edge set properties and control etc are always at the best.. I have been up 4 days over the last twelve and IMHO during morning hours with this continuous freezing period at night, there is very minimal edge set properties. It has been boilerplate until the suns rays are able to soften the surface and spit up some granular to grab on. I am not saying that this spring is 100 times better compared to last, and i realize different level abilities will have different opinions on how the surface quality is .....but ice is ice. At this pont in the season and with the end unortunatley right around the corner,,, I would rather have the warmer conditions with corn snow right from the get go. If Tremblant had any intention of extending the season.....which i doubt they ever would.... then the colder nights are better for sure.

As for the Telus festival it seems that year after year the Telus Spin or now known as the "sikwam" has deteriorated significantly... Im not sure they should be even posting some of the "features" as they are just staples during the year anyways.........

* Street entertainers?? same three you get from December on
* A BBQ on the north side?? Are you seriously promoting hamburgers and hotdogs
* Demo days?? Not a real exclusive event by any means
* Saturday night fever?????? I dont even have a comment for this one and apparantly they couldnt come up with one either except stretch your legs!!!!??
* outdoor concerts.. I am young enough that i actually know a few of these LOCAL dJ's but there isnt one headlining act or show that would bring people out just for the music.

The culinary companant might be a neat feature for the right demographic and the RedBull 76 will be funny and entertaining but WOW, what happened to the VW bordercross, BMX, motocross, bands that people actually know?!! Whistlers Telus event continuously gets bigger and Tremblants could'nt be going in the other direction faster..

I could be way off but if promoting a BBQ is adrenaline family action fun, they are really pulling at straws. They even took the fun out of the name (spin)!! Sikwam??? c'mon, thats great, be one with the mountain but seriously??

I'd love to hear if people are thinking the same thing about this as i have watched it get worse slowly year after year..
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T360
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Re: Sikwam a bust and conditions

Post by T360 »

Yo P S/C,

Thanks for your thoughts.

We're really careful to say that the surface characteristics such as
edge set and carve-ability are the best "Possible". This is not to be confused
with "Perfect" or "Glitch Free" because when working with Mother Nature
the efforts of humans can only go so far and hazards and imperfections
exist in many places.

We put these conditions "Caveat's", as sampled below, in all the time.

The third one down is interesting because riding up the Flying Mile
at "last run" one day last week, 2 "young adults" were slamming
the "Sheets of Ice" they had found that day. A few questions about
their experience turned up the fact that they had been doing metal
rails and stairs etc., etc., for the past couple of days and neither had a
tuneup since they could not even remember. In the mean-time my
Atomic ST-11 Slalom Skis have 2 day fresh edges and I'm carving everywhere
and don't notice much ice at all, sure there's ice around, but it was not giving
me any trouble.

Suddenly it hit me, these guys have been grinding their edges off for how
many days on the metal Park features and now they're complaining about
ice? They have no edges! Well, they do have edges, but they are round,
not square, or sharp!


We got to the top and I showed them the difference... their edges were literally
rounded off, it you drag your fingernail upside down across my edges it will shave
off a ribbon of nail because they're as sharp as razors.

I can carve on stuff they can't even skid across under control.

We know exactly what you mean on this, that's why we've been "politely"
hammering on people to get tune-ups.

Ideally, it might be great if we could go from pure "winter" one day to
pure "Spring" the next, but that's certainly not happening now so all
we can do is cope with the transition. We have specifically stated that
when the transition occurs to 24hr "+C" temps happen, it will be fantastic
"Spring" conditions. If it's all soft, they'll be no doubt about that.

As for Sikwam and Spin content, that's the domain of Resort Management and we
don't pass any judgements other than for $149.00 the pass is a great deal,
which it is. As you know, we try to stay focused on the Alpine sports experience.

--------- Sample Conditions Caveats
with Ice/Tune-up references in past week -----------


Conditions Caveat:

"As fine as things are for the vast majority of groomed areas,
that does not mean there are no glitches. Dealing with Mother
Nature means that not everything can be perfect, only close.
You need to use common sense with regard to speed and
braking/steering control, particularly in areas that get daily sun
exposure, traffic and wear patterns, as well as on steeper pitches
or around trail intersections and run-out zones, for some examples.

There are variable icy sections created by daily Spring temperature
cycles that require carefully speed controlled navigation. Watch out
for both surface and traffic conditions that may be encountered without
a lot of notice."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conditions Caveat:

"Beautiful Spring coverage, but some slick or icy bits
created by transitional temp swings. The depth of the base is
quite remarkable for this late in the season. The firmness of
that base has been groomed by Mountain crews into a very
"carve-able" surface for the vast majority, however the
presence of some of these icy bits does require attention
to speed control as you may find yourself with less traction than
ideal.

Where the sun has the intensity to soften things up, you need to pay
attention to afternoon mogul formation below blind crests. A good
example yesterday was Toboggan. By just after lunch, cresting over
some of Toboggan's contours, there were some good sized bumps forming
and if your speed was too much, hitting those bumps could have been
difficult to navigate safely."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conditions Caveat:


"Ski and Board edges degrade gradually in sharpness with use.
The difference day to day is small enough that most people will
not notice, so if it's been more than 10 full days of use, you need to
get a tune-up. Chances are you will think you have new skis.

If you spend time running the rails in the park and wonder why
your skis/board do not grip in icy or firm conditions, stop wondering.
Metal edges on metal rails loose sharpness almost immediately.


If you want big grip on hard snow or icy alpine ski runs, avoid dulling
your edges on metal features in the parks.


Again, Metal on Metal = dull edges."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conditions Caveat:

(We have to put this in because participating in a high speed
Spring Alpine Snow Sport requires safe, completely controllable
responsibility.)

Conditions within all rated skill levels are Excellent, but...

It is the nature of "Spring Skiing/Boarding" to potentially have
highly variable surface conditions as a result of:
transitional spring daily temperature cycles that can go from
below freezing to above freezing...
increasing solar energy effects...
differences between "sunny" and "shaded" sides...
depth of base...
Mountain user daily wear patterns...
naturally occurring hazards, etc., etc.,

Therefore, use caution to explore terrain that is appropriate for your
skill level. Maintain complete control of speed and your ability to stop,
brake and turn in order to safely navigate and verify safe passage before
you go ripping around.


We recommend that you have a tune-up on your Skis or Board
in order to maximize edge control and grip and that you wax or coat
your bases with material that is suitable for the temperature ranges
you will be working with."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


We always welcome thoughtful debate regarding the two sides of the
coin, so-to-speak, so thanks for raising your concerns.


.
The Tremblant360.com Team
powdersc
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 10:00 am
Location: Ottawa ,Ontario
Contact:

Re: Sikwam a bust and conditions

Post by powdersc »

appreciate the feedback regarding it!!

As for the "sikwam" event, i realize you guys just relay the information.. and also realize that keeping any negative content with regards to it may be for the best for the resort.. just a shame in my opinion to see such a great festival go downhill so fast,,, especially with conditions and trail count so high this season..... Guess I cant complain walking right onto a patio at noon and picking pretty much any seat ;)
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