Photo Credit: squawblog.com
Buy the good book here -> squallywoodthebook.com
We’ve gone through the most heralded lines on the mountain, and we’ve looked at the raddest hucks. Now it’s time for some speed! Squaw is known for a lot of things, and going as fast as humanely possible is one of them. There’s no shortage of pointer’s at Squaw, and at any given level of snow found on the mountain, there’s some straightline that will either make your powder day, or scare the living sh*@ out of you.
Straightlines are a funny thing, especially is you are a transplant from the right coast. Anyone ever meet someone in Squaw from Vermont? No kidding, you’ve met a bunch of them? Huh. Strange. So anyway, yeah, straightlining on the east coast? Not so much. That all changes when you come to Squaw, and you can really work your way up through the ranks of fun factor, difficulty, and consequence depending on how rad you want to get.
skier: Dr. Robb Gaffney. photo: Dr. Grant Kaye Photography
Straightlining changes dramatically with each storm. Ice Fall in the Fingers is not the same ride in December as it is in April, especially in a year like this. Same goes with Banana, and a host of other rowdy pointers that fill in and become less difficult as more snow plasters them over the course of the season. They’re still fun, they just ski with a different feel.
photo: tetongravity.com
But even with a ton of snow, some lines are always fun to straighten’em out, and leave nothing but 11′s in. The Palisades are such an example, with their ominous feel, tight narrow corridors, and smooth run out below. Mainline Pocket is also a fun place to work on short, dynamic pointers with a great run-out below.
skier: Dr. Robb Gaffney. photo: Dr. Grant Kaye Photography
On the scary side a few obvious lines come to mind: No Ways, Frogs and Toads, and the middle of McConkey’s. In low snow levels Patrol Chute (GCP), Deadman’s, and Slitoris can be burly! When snow levels are high, you can make turns down the Needle in C2, but at the start of the season, point this one and you’re going for a fast ride out into C2 bowl. Light Towers runs like the Blizzard Line and the Governor (when’s the last time you saw someone hit that up?) will always have a bit of spice to them. There’s so many options…
skier: Dr. Robb Gaffney. photo: Dr. Grant Kaye Photography
Several staff members are going with Frogs and Toads for “fastest factor”, and Patrol Chute (GCP) for fun factor.
So what do you all think?
Favorite pointer’s on the mountain? Scariest ones? Lines you might like better earlier or later in the season? What do you hope to hit next year, or what made your season this year?
Scariest straightline at Squaw is hands down No Ways.
i have done some of the more technical straight lines mentioned above. one of my favorite nontechnical lines though is straight lining light towers from the top to the end of the flats. do that through some chop and it feels like your riding a bull, holding on for dear life (speaking from mechanical bull experiences only).
Yeah, that is wicked fast……and the length seems a bit more than palisades. Like the bull riding analogy.
You suck Lach!
^^agreed. Although Frogs and Toads is the fastest I’ve ever gone on skis, with a choppy runout that ended up being the real crux of the run. But man, pointing the towers and coming out so fast you can’t pull riders right towards C2, that’s something to do at Squaw.
Papoose
I know LachnLoad & we have some high quality smack talking experience together already and I can assure you that he is lying. He’s never straight-lined light towers nor does he actually know where it is.
That said, I agree that Patrol Chute is the most fun straight-line on the mountain. The scariest are likely HIgh Line on McConkey’s or Schmidiots if they count as straight-lines.
miles don’t make me smack you.. patrol chute is fun but it needs to be early season with obstacles to make it more challenging. that is a good beginner one for you though:)
btw you never did post my pain mcshlonkey smack email to you…
Adrenaline is right there with patrol chute for funnest in my opinion….
adrenaline is a green circle
when in doubt straighten’ em out!
anything in the chimney especially if you are there first you better leave the 11s all the way to the bottom
Leave 11s…..for exactly 11 seconds.
Rowdiest – unheralded straight line at squaw: Frogs and Toads
Best intro to straighlining: that little credit card slot half way up silverado
Funnest: Diagonal in mainline
Burliest: No wayes
Justin for the win!
the Whatever Trevor… and Blanka Ball, only possible with a peculiar sticky snow snow level… burly!
Gotta agree with Frogs and Toads! Sooooo fast. Kinda love the less-frequently skied Granite Peak one where you have to duck and lean left under the rock and the turn back to the right after the straightline to avoid the rocks below…tight wad I think it’s called, right?
The scariest straight line at SV is the drag race from the last turn off on SV Road to pole position in the parking lot when it is announced that Silverado will open for the first time a few days after a storm. Even gnarlier if this occurs on a Saturday, when it seems to lately.
When I lived in Tahoe my favorites were Patrol Chute, and Tube Chute. I also like pointing Extra, although Extra is fun to make turns down too. I always loved coming maching out of Light Towers, but I never straightlined it from the top, only from Easy In.
I never did the Chimney Sweep, and it still haunts me. I’m a yuppie now, skiing about 40 days a year, most of them at Mammoth, so I don’t see skiing the Sweep now, I think my window has shut.
The last time I skied Squaw I made turns down Extra. It was a day with 4-6 inches of new snow, nicely buffed. I had ideas about pointing something, but just did not feel up to it. I think the younger version of me would kick my ass if he could. I always hoped I would still be able to do some cool stuff when I left my skibum days behind, but that is not the case.
Good to see Miles still killing it. My Squaw local days came to an end when I followed him off Smooth Air (Granite Peak) and blew my ACL. Serves me right for trying to keep up with someone WAY better than me
tube and chimney sweep are two of my favorites. markhenka’s (?) at alpine is a great one too
I love how Miles leaves us these fake stories just to hype himself and to back up his own comments. It’s obvious. LOL
This one is actually true. I followed Miles off of Smooth Air in early January of 2004, and popped my ACL. He probably does not remember it, but I won’t ever forget it.
Early January ’04 you say? How early? Like Jan 3rd?
It started dumping on Dec 23rd and didn’t stop until Jan 2. I was in Southlake for NYE and the casino’s had to employ shovel crews to keep the doors open. 10 feet in 11 days. On the the 3rd I hiked up to Mainline Pocket and Shane was shooting. He helped me scout a 30 footer off Pyramid Rock, which I charged and ended up breaking my ankle like a total gaper. Still one of my best days on skis.
Best straight line no one has mentioned is Ludwig’s. Coming out of there hot and bombing down to the Wall is quintessential Silverado.
The Chammy’s Spitter cup is the ultimate straightline comp anywhere!
The box in the fingers seems to scare the crap out of me every time as far as straightlining goes if you take it high enough….The exit is always so screechy..
One of my favorites (fun factor) isn’t mentioned. Skiers right side of No Way Out (just before the rock separating the old dead tree chute). Right off the top, just send into into “old dead tree chute” area……can be done all spring in any conditions.
Great Line!
No-ways is a good one for scary. Fun factor is Tight Wad up on GCP. Duck under bush and then its about 25″ wide.
Has anyone ever run Classic Chute from the top. I have considered the possibility in my head…..if you were first person there, with good snow…..could it be done.
Possibly a weird transition or two in apron, probably have to stay left and avoid a few odd things.
Huckwheat..
Its a bucking bronco but doable….
Easy Once at KW.
Haha, need I even leave a comment?
Please Heckler, Just say it!
I don’t always ski the Chimney.
But when I do, I ski it backwards.
Back in the day (maybe 81-82), we were tucking Extra from the top all the way to the top of Newport. There was a lot of snow packed in to Extra and it was filled in at the top. Fastest straight line at Squaw for me, for sure.
Best straight line ever: Mt run. My buddy had a piece of pepperoni pizza which turned his innards to liquid. Never seen mt run skied so fast as ye he raced to the crapper at the bottom of the mt. shouting to all trollers yelling for him to slow down ” I have to get to the rest room”. He nearly crapped his pants and I nearly peed my pants.
LINKS!
Gotta love the Tube
Toughest straightline last year was the face of Red Dog with a thousand other people early season when nothing else was opened. Pray for snow…I can’t handle another start like that!
I bet none of you are badass enough to straightline Bailey’s Beach.
Everything has been claimed…here is video of a kid killin’ Baily’s!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7oMDOa5mi0&feature=related
scariest line i ever almost nailed was the “almost straight shot” from Red Dog bar to my house on Navajo after a 5 hour tequila bender…in my car. Walked outside for a piss and fell over while pissing and pissed all over myself. Figured it was time to leave. No…i do not condone this behavior
Slitoris and Extra Chute get my vote for fun factor.
AUTOBAHN YOU SWINEHOUNDS!
The best blood pressure monitor brands out there got to where they are through great customer service. Technical support plays a big role to the overall performance of the machines