I figured August is a good time to get this started Some of you know that I work for Afton, running the freestyle team and hosting the free comps. With Vail picking up Afton last year a lot of good changes were made and planned for this season. I open this community thread with some awesome news. Check out the BIG Snowboard Park for Afton this year. They dosed the tubing area, opened up more hill and dedicated a huge chunk of land for the big park. Also, ropetows! This is the largest park they have ever had... being built by the same people that build the olympic parks. Vail is serious about making Afton EPIC!
Yeah they only swing that for big groups. My personal passes go to my sisters and friends. I will keep this page updated when I have a ton of free swag to give away at our comps. I hope to have a nice budget this year for free gear. Get a lesson from a good ski school. Friends suck at giving lessons. This will be my 20th season snowboarding and I can tell you that I had no idea how to teach somone until I started working at Afton. I can do in an hour or two what takes most people a day or two to teach.
Well, after being a season pass holder at Welch Village for 15 years, I think it might be time to jump ship and go to Afton. Welch's park has been useless for the last several years. I'm skeptical of the projected plans for Afton and I'll believe it when I see it...I still may join Afton anyway. Thanks for posting!
Don't worry, Afton is no longer run by Skiers that don't value snowboarding. It is now owned by Vail, who owns places like NorthStar in Cali. IDK if you have ever been to NorthStar but it has snowboard parks on almost every run. It is nuts. I have never seen or ridden anything like it. They take pride in having the best snowboard parks in the West and having people like Shaun White call these places home. They really do value the riders that look for snowboard parks, the hill is going to be a 100% change from years past. I believe the media release stated 10 million dollars in upgrades this summer for next season. I was working when the NorthStar Park Crew flew from Cali to MN to check out our poor excuse for a park. They had some great advice but also were scoping the scene to make it the best park in the midwest. The good news is that a lot of the work to make this park huge has already been done. A company like Vail wouldn't allow a plan like this on their facebook page without being 100% committed to it. We said we need rope tows, and they listened. We asked for more "valuable" area for a park and they delivered. This is only the first year!!!
point taken then...I actually went to Northstar this last winter, and the parks were pretty great. Although I thought Breck was a hair better, both are lightyears beyond the midwest. If all of this does come true, I hope that Afton doesn't get packed like it does out west! No one likes waiting over an hour for a chair lift, esp when the runs take 15 1/2 seconds lol. I'm very hopeful though and about 95% positive that I won't be getting a pass at Welch.
I need to get lessons at some point esp now that I am done with school. I ate lots of **** last year when I came to afton with the lady.
I have heard, but not confrimed that some lifts are being upgraded. If that is the case it will cut down the lift lines a ton. I know they are installing EPIC Mix Readers so you don't have to scan tickets. I guess we'll see. I know the park is happening. Vail made the media announcment and the group that built the Olympic's Snowboard Park posted on their facebook page that they are building afton. Also the internal emails
Sweet. Just saw the pass deal on their site that includes all of the places out west. I will more than likely be buying that pass as I'm sure I'll be going out West at least once or twice this year!
Yeah, it was pretty epic going out to Tahoe and riding different mountains for free last year. I think the pass is a great deal. IIRC flights to CO were $250 when we were looking + the pass may get you a discount via the Vail Shuttle Service, so you don't have to rent a car. It makes going to CO very cheap when you buy an EPIC pass. CA wasn't that bad... IIRC we paid like $425 for our tickets, my buddy scored some for $325 the next day. Either way, it is hard to pass on a deal with 11 Mountains + a handfull in Europe.
I can't wait to ride this season. Annie and I are talking about season passes. That way we can take off on a moments notice and not worry. We're thinking either welch or Afton. Although obviously with Vail getting into the mix, Afton is winning.
Yeah its hard to pass on the out west option. $100 - $150 a day is expensive. Take that amount off your trip and you can buy a set of plane tickets for two snowboarding trips. Debbie and I saved close to $1,000 on our North Cali trip last year.
Looking forward to it! I moved from the mean streets of North St Paul and I am now about 15 minutes from Afton. On the fence about getting a season pass because I am so close now.
the New Balance/686 collabo. Probably one of the most comfortable boots I've ever put on. Super tight so not all packed out, but feels like a shoe inside. Im going to LOVE them so much. http://www.evo.com/imgp/1500/55595.Image.1.jpg
Interesting. I do like the products that 686 puts out. It will be interesting to see how they hold up throughout the year.
I looked around a little bit. Seemed they've done this for a few seasons now. We'll see. At $100 for a comfy boot out of the box, already seems like a great deal. But not knowing anyone that has used them, ya never know.
Yeah that is a legit price! I don't even get my ProForm for that much... but it could also be the boot that I went with. People tent to be brand snobs, so you can never really trust them It will be interesting to see how they hold up. I know that I plan to buy 686 pants again this year, my old ones were 100% worth every penny. They held up through 2 (maybe 3 seasons). That's 2+ days every week and trips out west. They were cool when they needed to be and never let me get cold. Also the zip out sweatpants were very nice for afterbar @ Ray J's. Vail is buying/supplying our uniforms this year, so I actually get to buy snowboard pants that aren't black for the first time in 6 years.
Seeing your posts regarding boots, I've had the same boots for 5 years now (2 seasons of 4 outings). I competed and practiced 5-6 days a week, and my favorite boots I wore through out my snowboarding "career" (never took off like I wanted haha) were made by Salomon. Over Burton, Ride, and the one time I wore Vans; Salomon always came through with the comfort and support I needed. Maybe the reason I wore the same boots for 3 seasons was cause they were broken in and comfortable already, but regardless I was never let down. Also, best snowboard ever produced was the Arnie 5000.. Maybe I am biased.. Scotty Arnold had some awesome board graphics though, and his board tech. was perfect for me as a Pipe and Slope rider. I'm coming to a realization that I quit competing, because Scotty's pro-model was discontinued. Oh well, someone has to sit in a tractor to feed the world, right?
Yeah if you ride multiple times a week, your boots will not last 5 years. If you can get 2-3 years I would be shocked. This coming from someone who rides 2 - 4 days a week, Open - Close of the season. Sure, before I actaully worked for a resort my boots would last years... but once you actually ride all the time it is a different story. Your boots are the first point of contact with your board. A good fitting boot is everything! Slop in your boot = slop in your ride. Boots break down, that is what happens. They pack out, heels lift, toes slide around... there is no way around it. That is the nature of the material in the boots. Technology gets better every year and boots are more roubust. However, there is no way you can ride that often and keep the boots 5 years. My current NorthWaves are 1 season old, and I am already thinking I have to pick up another set next year... if they last that long. The comment about the best snowboard ever being produced is a funny concept. This is 100% opinion and totally based on what you ride. The fact that you said something about the quality of the graphics answers all of my questions I love my K2 Parkstar for Afton and MN riding... however it isn't ideal for my trips out west. There is a reason the people who ride a lot own multiple boards. Different tech for different application. Unless you are going to the demo days every year, riding different boards all the time... you really have no experiance to talk about what is good and what is bad tech. Every board I ride seems to have ups and downs. For instantce, I love the skate banana for tooling around... but I would never want one in the back country or riding an actual mountain. I would rather have something with a solid edge like the Rossi Experiance Magtech. I was able to ride one last year and it cut hills like a beast. Which is also the reason why I would never want that board for flat land tricks or park. There is so many good options out there, I am sure you would like a lot of boards once you get past the design on the base and start to actually see how it rides.
Disclaimer, I am a 2 planker, I can competently get down a hill on snowboard, (yes this includes carving turns, and pulling rescue toboggans), but I just prefer skiing. The same will go for skis, once you progress, it is difficult to have one set of equipment for all of it. Just like tires, there is equipment that will do it all, but specialized is almost always better. I have my big mountain skis, and my midwest everyday skis. One set is big and wide designed for powder and soft snow, the other is designed for short turns and hard pack. When asked for advice, the first question I ask is where are you going to do the majority of your riding? Too many people think they need to invest in a big mountain ski for that 1 week vacation out west, or for the racing stock ski for the intermediate skier here in the midwest. It's hard when there is limited rental equipment available to try before making the big purchase. I also only get a few years out of my ski boots. I spend a lot of time in mine and find they do break down, both with the lining and the plastic shell. The stiffness will go away and become less responsive. Fit is key, most people will buy a ski boot, (and I'm guessing snowboard boots) too big. They buy them like tennis shoes and are comfy in the store, but after a few sessions, find they have packed out already and don't fit like they should. They key to buying any equipment, (cars included) is to be very honest with yourself. Determine exactly what your level is, what your plans are, and where you would like to progress. This makes that big purchase much easier and for a happy end result.
So ready for snow. there. I said it. Looking like we're getting a season pass for Welch. All we can afford at the moment. baby+california state taxes=brokesville. Also, we're planning a weekend trip up to Lutsen. If anyone is interested you can jump on board. I know its not out west, but still decent fun and we do it very cheap. Usually around $100 per person. And that includes food AND booze.
Tony you should do some more research about going out west. We did Tahoe for $125 a person for lodge and that was 5 days in a house with a 8 person hottub. We used to do lutsen but after checking around you can usually find a Montanna or Colorado trip for around $100 - $200 more then what lutsen costs. When you figure in gas, food, lift tickets, lodge it really is not that cheap vs going out west.
Its a lot of the convenience factor. Plus, me and my friends have some awesome memories at Lutsen and just love the place. Its much easier to pack up the cars and be there in 4.5 hours. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE riding out west. But for us, sometimes snow conditions and epic trail runs arent everything. Plus I have zero vacation time left, so going west for a weekend would be a tease.
When I said that it's the best board ever produced it was completely my own opinion. It was just my favorite board I ever rode. During the last 2 seasons I only rode 4 times a year with them, but the 3 seasons before that I was riding 5-6 days a week from 3-close. I used to compete regionally and nationally, which doesn't make me anymore credible, but I was just comfortable in the boots i've had. I bought other boots, but ended up selling them because of my comfort in the old ones, only reason I kept them for so long.
Besides that, I'm hoping that I can get out a couple of times this season. Watching videos of my buddies who ride out west in cali/coloroado doing railjams and comps already is making me wish I never quit.
Going to Colorado for work on November 21st and staying for the weekend to ski Can't wait to put this Epic pass to use! I haven't decided which mountains I'm hitting up yet...will depend on the snow reports for that weekend.
Jealous. Have fun bud. My out west trips will have to wait until the freestyle season is over... I am hoping for Colorado in March.
Where can i snowboard? I live inbetween farmington, mn and apple valley. Also, where would be a good place to get my boards tuned and waxed. I haven't snowboarded in 2 years.
You can snowboard where ever you want! lol Places that are close to the cities are Afton Alps, Welch Village, and Buck Hill. Welch Village is probably closest to you. Although I've never been to Buck Hill, I know its pretty small and probably wouldn't waste my time going there, unless you go for one of their week day deals. For a tune up, most of the ski areas have ski shops and do tune ups there. I've used the shop at Welch for a long time and always had a good experience. For shops in the twin cities, there is Joe's Ski Shop, Hoigaards, Erik's Bike and Board shops, Valley Bike and ski (google for more close to you). I actually just dropped 2 sets of my skis off at hoigaard for a tune up today. Haven't gotten them back yet, but they were somewhat friendly. No knowledge or assessment of my current condition, but I already knew what I wanted. I actually took mine to the sports authority in Eden Prairie once, and the dude working in their ski shop was awesome. Knew his stuff and had good recommendations. Search around and find one that suits you. LOL falling or hard core carving? Didn't even realize Buck opened already.
Hard core carving, I destroy gloves and clothing! Buck was open for two days, closed again. The trick for Buck is do the early bird pass. If I was in Apple Valley I would go to Welch.
What type of boarding? If you are into features (boxes, rails, jumps) I would say check out Afton. If you are looking for carving, speed, and making turns, Welch will be the place to go. Buck Hill will be convenience, smallest of the 3 areas in every sense of the word. I think Welch(this is my home for the winter) will be open the weekend of Thanksgiving. (1-3 runs at the best...) Apple Valley Bike and Ski is a great place. I've shopped there quite a bit and always gotten top notch service.
FYI, Welch is having a cyber Monday sale. Lift tickets are $30.00. Purchased online and good anytime throughout the year. Reminder: Cyber Monday Sale tomorrow! For one day only, 2013/14 Lift Tickets are just $30 each and Lift Ticket & Rental Combos are only $50 each. Happy Holidays! https://sales.welchvillage.com/E-Commerce/ItemList.aspx
I would agree with your sentiments Glen. I got the pass at Afton this year due to the Epic pass option for going out west. I previously have been a pass holder at Welch for almost 15 years. After skiing at Afton a couple times in the last week, I will definitely say that the runs are shorter and not nearly as steep as Welch. I had been to Afton before, but apparently I forgot that. On the bright side however, Afton will actually have a couple terrain parks this year with JUMPS...which Welch's terrain park has not included any decent jumps for the last several years. When I get bored of the midwest skiing, I can at least play in the park at Afton!
