Heart of winter

[HowieT2]

Appears they are resurfacing ripcord and birch run.

[vonski]

Brambles, pulled the hoses apparently. nice.

[Orca]

MntMan4Bush says they are blowing sh*tloads of snow on Monkey Paw. That it will be epic to ski. :smile:

[Hawk]

Very cold out there this weekend. I put everything I owned on and that was just about right. Anyway ripchord snowmaking was very good yesterday and it is still on this morning. Skied great. I am also psyched to see the guns on Steins this morning. I saw the little heads lights last night going down the run. They groomed and then turned on the guns. Both gonna be good this morning!

[Hawk]

Another Cold Weekend. I managed to do the Fri-Sat-Sun thing this weekend. Friday ski club was by far the best of the year. Saw all the familiar midweek faces. We skied all over and found some good fresh snow. Saturday and Sunday were also good if you just kept moving and stayed on bumps or woods. Too cold for bullet/GS type runs. I will say that the cold kept the lines just right.

One observation I have from this weekend is that people of all abilities are heading out everywhere into the woods. Unfortunately some are in way over their heads. Three times on Saturday and Sunday I had to give directions to people actually snow plowing in the woods. No kidding. One Guy and his wife missed the bottom traverse at Elevator shaft and struggled about 1 hour they said to get back up to the traverse. I saw the tracks and then found them a ways down near the bottom on Door # 1. They asked me how to get to the bus. I guided them back but wow. They actually had a hard time on the traverse. Not good. Be smart people.

[Plowboy]

About 8" down and still snowing @ base of ME

[HowieT2]

Today was superific. Cold shmold. I was taking my last run around 3:15 when I noticed cr was back up running. Irresistible. Lots of snow in them there woods. Conditions don't get much better than this (or can they?). Get it while the getting us good.

[pcampbell]

there is not much to complain about right now. The snow just keeps coming!! I can't figure out which day to play hookie because it's been so good lately.

[Hawk]

Only one solution. Just quit work. Work is overrated anyway.

[Hawk]

A train of storms looks to hit starting tomorrow. By Monday night they are saying that we may get up to 2'. That would be sweet!

[gostan]

Matt Noyes morning weather forecast calls for 18 inches over Saturday through Monday' particularly on Sunday with most on Monday.

Remember that today is the anniversary of the Blizzard of 1978. I was not even a downhill skier back then, but I do remember cross country skiing through the streets of Newton.

[Hawk]

Another huge weekend of skiing Pow. We did a little bit of everything. With more and more snow things are opening up and it is time for some serious exploring. Got my eye on a few gems. Just need the right crew. Time for people to start back up with trip reports. They do not need to be on that separate main title. We do not have enough of them to separate them out.

[HowieT2]

Another huge weekend of skiing Pow. We did a little bit of everything. With more and more snow things are opening up and it is time for some serious exploring. Got my eye on a few gems. Just need the right crew. Time for people to start back up with trip reports. They do not need to be on that separate main title. We do not have enough of them to separate them out.
The woods are buried. explore indeed. correct if im wrong but my recollection is that its been a few seasons since we've had a snowpack like this.

[Hawk]

What is everybody's feelings on the grooming on natural snow trails like Castlerock, Cottilion, Lower Rumble and lower Middle Earth, Moonshine and Lexi's? There are two trains of thought. It will even out the snow and make it last longer and wear more uniformly once it warms up. Or It ruins the naturally forming bumps and makes it easier for intermediate skiers to ski on Black Diamond terrain. My personal opinion is that there is enough groomed terrain and the grooming does ruin the bumps. I do not care what anyone says they never form the same once they are groomed. I also think it changes the dynamic over at the rock. Now it is not as tough and you can actually go up there and ski it top to bottom even if you are not an expert skier.

[southvillager]

I'd prefer that they focus grooming efforts on groomers with snowmaking. I love steep groomed trails, but I see trails like Steins and Ripcord providing that fuction. It makes no sense to me to groom trails like Moonshine and Castlerock Run.

However, if the bumps under there are solid ice, it may be best to mow them down mid-season and let the process start over. Some of those bumps were hard as rock earlier this year. Maybe rolling it evens out the base and preserves it. If grooming it out enables the trail to be skied longer into the spring, I'm for it.

Like most things, I'm guessing "it depends".

[Benski]

I have not been up since January but this year the bumps did not form well. If they are still auquard starting would be nice.

[angler]

Bumps aside, when i noticed that CR was being groomed I had mixed feelings. On one hand it's nice to keep it to the expert skiers but we all know people go up there that shouldn't anyway. On the other hand it is nice to let people who normally wouldn't go to CR experience the terrain. I know when people come up to visit that do not have the ability to go to CR it makes it hard to break off from them because it's a time commitment to ski CR and you are usually leaving them for a couple of hrs. So when its groomed everyone in the group can go there together take different trails but still meet at the chair lift. In balance, I think it's a good thing to groom on occasion.

[HowieT2]

I like when cr gets groomed once or twice a season. Feel the bumps get refreshed, better and softer.

[Hawk]

This is what happens to bumps when you groom them. The groomer mows them flat and in the process of rolling over the snow with a 15 ton vehicle, the snow compacts. Then skiers and boarders ski the run, some expert, some not so expert. Since the snow is now compacted and not unconsolidated the bumps start to form much further apart and irregular. This makes the new bumps ski like crap. You see bumps need to form with natural un-compacted snow and expert skiers that make short radius turns. That is what makes good bump lines. The grooming will make the trail probably last longer but it certainly does not make better bumps. Also those icey bumps that used to be there collect snow better than a flat trail. The snow blows off a flat trail. Look at MRG. They never groom and all their bumps stay tight and well spaced. I used to ski Freestyle back in the day. Bumps are certainly kind of my thing. ;-)

[djd66]

Look at MRG. They never groom and all their bumps stay tight and well spaced. I used to ski Freestyle back in the day. Bumps are certainly kind of my thing. ;-)

I would agree with you on MRG,.. The big difference is the lack of snowboards at MRG - that's what keeps the bumps well spaced and formed perfectly. I say once the bumps become oddly shaped and irregular, I have no prob running a groomer over them.

[Hawk]

I would agree with you on MRG,.. The big difference is the lack of snowboards at MRG - that's what keeps the bumps well spaced and formed perfectly. I say once the bumps become oddly shaped and irregular, I have no prob running a groomer over them.

I agree that the boarders do affect the bump spacing. Good point. I will add this. If they groom ahead of a big storm (like 2 feet) that would work because the new unconsolidated snow will form good bumps. It's just when they groom with no new snow in the forecast that makes things worse.

[Fourwide]

Non-expert skier's perspective...I checked the trail report and noticed that Castlerock Run was groomed a couple Saturday's ago. I never ski Castlerock, as I'm not a good enough skier to handle it. Trying to bleed off speed while traversing across a bump trail, crashing through those lovely moguls, trying to figure out now to get turned downhill again with one or both skis stuck uphill into a bump while incurring the pity, or wrath, or both, of the better skiers above and across from me, is not how I choose to amortize my season pass! So, I was excited to see that Castlerock Run was groomed. I recall skiing it groomed a few seasons ago, fairly late in the season. We turned the corner by the warming shed and a bluebird chirped in the trees to our left. Nice! The trail was lovely. We exited at Bailout and didn't bother it again. Fond memories!

I'm a better skier now than I was then, but not up to the Castlerock test, unless it's groomed. My buddy and I took the lift up. Man, that's a long lift when it's +2 and the wind is in your face! No one was on Liftline, which I didn't take as a good sign. We skied by the overflowing warming hut (no bluebird, another bad sign) and headed down. Lovely turns! Almost looked as though I belonged. Until, after a nice several turns--a 100 yard mogul field! What! I would have pulled out my iPhone and checked for a way out (and doublechecked the trail report--perhaps I'd missed a footnote- "groomed [sort of, if you need to know more, stay on Gatehouse or Valley House...]", but there was no assurance that the trail to my left was at all a better option (especially as it wasn't reported as "groomed"), so I waited for the traffic (all of it) to clear, and gently worked my way down the moguls (nicely spaced, I'm sure, but hardly relevant). My buddy, a better skier than I, did quite well. I managed to stay upright and not knock down too many bumps, but it wasn't artistic. Another lovely groomed portion, then the small print in the trail report again surfaced--another mogul field. I survived (happy that my wife was away on business for the weekend, as she might not have been as forgiving as my buddy had I taken her on this venture!). We met at the bottom of that field, intact, and looked for a way out. I saw something straight downhill that looked like a bridge, but hard to tell with all the trees and bumps. Was that possibly "Bailout"? At this point, I didn't care much and headed to what I prayed was an exit. Thankfully, my friend, having left less behind on the trail, cut me off and pointed to the right, where several apparently good skiers waiting at the top of Bailout inquired whether we'd seen their children (perhaps they'd seen my efforts and given up the sport?). I attempted to answer, but was unfortunately distracted by the condition of the trail known as "Bailout". It wasn't overly steep, but I suppose I wasn't expecting the misnamed "Bailout" to show 100 yards of moguls, together with exposed rock (the first two outcroppings located exactly where I had to take my first two turns, on newly-tuned skis!). I waited for the couple to ski ahead, offering to keep an eye out for their children, but allowing me to suffer "Bailout" without an audience. No luck, off I went. Left footed turn, scratch, right footed turn, scratch, then 90 remaining yards of ill-spaced moguls (too many skiers like me wrecking them in their escape attempt?), and finally, lower Ripcord.

All this is to say that I got what I deserved. Obviously, the soul of Castlerock object to "grooming," shooing away the groomers before they can finish their good work. There's plenty of great stuff elsewhere on the mountain for me, and skiers like me. If the goal is to provide skiers that can't otherwise handle Castlerock a small taste of Castlerock, that's again exactly what I got. I've walked battlefields and tried to imagine that space with the guns firing and men falling. It's impossible, of course. There's no need for skiers who aren't expert in moguls ever to try Castlerock. Even a small dollop of bumps, as I experienced, reduces "skiing" to something unrecognizable. Completely groomed, while lovely (especially with the bluebirds!), Castlerock simply isn't Castlerock. So, don't "groom" it for my benefit! When I want to pretend to be a better skier than I am, I'll take wide turns down (truly and completely) groomed Ripcord or Organgrinder!

[MntMan4Bush]

Some times you just have to hit the reset button. I've sadly been away for a bit an unable to make it up (this weekend back up though) so I can't give my opinion on if I personally thought it was needed (what does my opinion matter though), but there are times when it definitely is needed. Middle Earth as well can need it (barring Jaws of course). Sometimes the bumps get too deep and too icy and need a knock down. Or there are too many perpendicular to the fall line like Wile E Coyote running into a brick wall.

As Hawk said it would be great if it could be done before a big storm, but when it's necessary and mother nature is not cooperating then go for it. I'm not too worried of it drawing in more people that might not otherwise ski it. I think the volumes would be negligible over the crowd that normally skis it. And if they do come it's not making that much of an impact. Everyone skis groomed and flat terrain differently than they would a bumped up line so a few wider arcing turns in the mix won't change much.

As for who belongs on Castlerock, I guess it's anyone that bought a lift ticket. Now whether they're going to have fun or not is a different story. The danger sign for CR that will one day likely be admitted into the Smithsonian as an icon of northeast skiing pretty much warns all, though maybe it should be moved to the start of the line. Some people may wait a while and finally see it as they are about to load and figured they'll do it anyways since they stood in line so long. Those people are not destined for a good day. However if someone wants to challenge themselves and they have been forewarned then go for it. Does it mean I like coming around a corner on Rumble and having to jib off someone's goggles? Not really. I mean I may gripe for a second that I had to alter/pause my line, but then about 100 feet later I've forgotten about it and I'm moving on. You can find people standing in bump lines on any lift pod on the mountain.

Fourwide - If it makes you feel more comfortable to wait to solo a line then by all means, but if you don't you might get some enjoyment watching someone who's looking pretty good and then about 30 feet into the line completely double ejects. Everyone struggles with icy irregular bumps at some point.

[HowieT2]

I agree that the boarders do affect the bump spacing. Good point. I will add this. If they groom ahead of a big storm (like 2 feet) that would work because the new unconsolidated snow will form good bumps. It's just when they groom with no new snow in the forecast that makes things worse.

I think they always do it before an expected snowfall, no? Last week they did it before the snowfall on Thursday.

[Hawk]

No not always and if it is only going to snow 6"-8", that is not nearly enough. You need a 2' storm.

I think they always do it before an expected snowfall, no? Last week they did it before the snowfall on Thursday.

[ReefBum]

My understanding is that they groom it once or twice a year for snow preservation.....compact the snow down so it lasts longer into spring. Maybe I am wrong on this. What they should be doing now is pushing a lot of snow on the runout since that is always the first thing to go.

[cdskier]

Fourwide: there was indeed a top to bottom groomed route on CR the Saturday you are referring to (the groomer has to drive on the snow, so it isn't really possible to not have a path the groomer followed). This was all listed on the trail report too (Castlerock run, Hi/Lo Road, and Troll Road were all listed as groomed). To avoid the first mogul section on CR that you hit, you could have taken a quick left right above the ungroomed section onto Hi road. That would take you over towards Lift Line. When you hit Lift Line, make a quick right (you're now on the Lo Road portion of Hi & Lo Road). This will take you back over to CR right under that mogul section that wasn't groomed. To avoid the bumps above the Bailout trail, the trick would have been to go left at the intersection of CR/Troll Road/Lower Castelrock Run. From that point follow Troll Road as it crosses back and forth across Lift Line. Eventually it will dump you out by the CR lift and you can just stay left to go to the CR runout and get back to the base area.

As for grooming trails in general at CR, I think my opinion would depend on the condition of the trail prior to being groomed. If the bumps are rock solid and there's a chance of an upcoming storm that will dump a lot of snow and allow it to bump back up nicely, then I think it is ok in that situation once in a while. Also perhaps not a terrible idea before a holiday weekend when a lot of people not familiar with the terrain might visit and find themselves somehow having missed all the warning signs and up on CR with no easy way down.

[Hawk]

I guess I am not an inclusive person when it comes to CR. Anything that increases that line down there is bad to me. It's long enough. By the way they also groomed lower rumble and middle earth. The last 2 sections were flat last weekend. so there are lots of ways you can get down once you get there via Toll road.

[Fourwide]

Thanks, cd. I'll pay more attention next time! I take your point that the groomer wouldn't turn itself off just to make my visit more challenging!

[HowieT2]

It's been snowing all day. anyone know how much has accumulated since this mornings report of 3"?????

fwiw-I expect you all to be doing your preferred snow dances, voodoo, santeria, etc. for wednesday.