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View Full Version : Mad River has 91% of their trails open. Should not Castlerock be open?



Treeskier
01-31-2014, 11:17 AM
Mad River has 91% of their trails open. Should not Castlerock be open? After skiing the minimal amount of snow it took to open Morning Star last Sunday I wonder why Castlerock is not open. My guess is that the snow in and around the lift access is not deep enough but expect the rest of the elevation is. A classic example of the need for a little snow making down from Down spout around the base of Castlerock lift and then up to the first bend. My guess is 6 guns. I personally would not count this as "snow making on Castlerock" but snowmaking below the "frost line" as Betsy Pratt called their base area limited snow making. I really wish our MT would add this little bit of snow making so we get that extra weeks of skiing on Castlerock.

Hawk
01-31-2014, 11:23 AM
Based on the reports form last weekend I would not be skiing there and beilive me my tolerance is high for rocks and dirt. Why open up the lift and wipe out what little base there is. I do not understand this philosophy. Hiking limits the use and cuts down on the traffic. Besides, I had enough excitement in slidebrook a few weeks ago with you. ;-)

Ride Delaware ?
01-31-2014, 03:26 PM
Castlerock is pretty rocky, and I can't imagine that there is enough snow to sustain the traffic it would get on the first weekend it is open. If a couple inches come through this weekend and then the potential 6-12" comes through on Wednesday, I could see the possibility of next weekend.

There is also a massive storm that is on the horizon for the 9th/10th. Yes, it is early, but a bunch of the models are already in agreement. They will be much more likely to open it if the chances for continued snowfall and additional coverage are imminent.

ducky
01-31-2014, 06:05 PM
I skied Mad River today - thin cover. Define "open". The bar was open.

Morning Star was closed yesterday with any upper cover blown off and Castlerock is not skiable yet except for the top third which is wind slabbed. Stick to groomers, they are good and Steins was groomed last night. Going to be another busy weekend. 8:00 to 10:00 will be best.

Heard the missing part from North Ridge will be in Monday. (breath held)

Enjoy.

shadyjay
02-01-2014, 12:36 PM
NRE is definitely open - rode it several times this morning.

I've heard from patrol at LP that Castlerock trails are in no shape for opening. One thing to look at is the present condition of Lower Birdland.

A snowmaking line that goes from the Downspout/Middle Jester Castlerock Cutoff, down to the lift, up to the bridge, then down the runout would definitely be nice to give the 'rock more time in the spring, and early on if conditions down below aren't quite there. Patrol would appreciate it too, since that last curve before the bridge gets all the sun in the spring. But there are other snowmaking lines on the mtn that need attention before that can happen I'm sure.

flakeydog
02-03-2014, 09:26 AM
So did you hike over this weekend? how was it? It is easy enough to hike over there so go for it. My guess is a look at upper morning star probably sums it up. The mountain does a pretty good job of opening terrain and letting us tap dance between the ledges if we so choose. If trails are closed, I generally trust their judgement on it.

win
02-03-2014, 02:35 PM
Mad River has the midstation. The upper part of Castlerock is different than the bottom. Patrol will open Castlerock when in their opinion it is safe to ski.