2016 game on

[HowieT2]

It was dumping this afternoon. I have a funny feeling about tonight. May see increased trail count starting tomorrow.

[Benski]

Elbow, lower elbow, lower paradise, spillsville, paradise extention, exterm, lower exterm and way back all open tomorrow according to the snow report. How much longer till we see lower jester from the top and domino chute, can't be much longer.

[sglatham]

Elbow and connectors opened today and skied well if you're ok with some wet man made and skiing under guns (I enjoyed). I have to think Looking Good opens tomorrow. Skiing was good in the open terrain. Only issue, and it's a real safety issue, is that Mainstreet is the only way down in that area,. Why not a wider Lower Northstar? Or both - not talking much real estate. Some trails look very closed on just natural, and based on this afternoons report, some will be open tomorrow. Think Snow!

[Ride Delaware ?]

Same reason we only had Downspout for awhile. There's only so much capacity and different lines that get charged. The priority was probably getting terrain open that services lifts for increased capacity, then spreading low. Plus, even in cold temps, it's usually colder with better production at elevation.

[Benski]

Elbow and connectors opened today and skied well if you're ok with some wet man made and skiing under guns (I enjoyed). I have to think Looking Good opens tomorrow. Skiing was good in the open terrain. Only issue, and it's a real safety issue, is that Mainstreet is the only way down in that area,. Why not a wider Lower Northstar? Or both - not talking much real estate. Some trails look very closed on just natural, and based on this afternoons report, some will be open tomorrow. Think Snow!

Lower northstar is one of those trails that will open tomorrow.

[Ride Delaware ?]

Is the upslope machine still at it?

[beelze]

Becareful out there kids:
A 40 –year-old Czech skier died in the Austrian Alps on Thursday. The Czech first collided with an 18-year-old German skier and then collided with a snow gun. He died of his injuries at the scene. It is not clear whether the Czech skier was wearing a helmet. Austrian police are investigating the case.

[tedwillie]

So who skied today? How was the 6" of new snow that fell overnight!? Was there really only 1" at the base...didn't seem like it would be so elevation dependent with cold temperatures.

Also for the regulars here, when looking at the snow report are the snowfall totals for just Lincoln Peak? Like if localized squalls hit it could be significantly different between the two mountains. Is there a good way to find out snowfall amounts at "MEllen"?

Looks like winter is here to stay!

[Ride Delaware ?]

Yesterday's snowfall is what we call "upslope" snow. It's very similar to lake effect, but it has different origins. Upslope snowfall is very elevation dependent because of the nature of its creation. Have a gander online to learn all the details. That's the main reason the spine of the Green Mountains gets so much snow.

As for the snow reporting, all snow reporting is done from Lincoln Peak. There is a snow stake on Jester, one at Allyn's, and one at Mt. Ops. No way to really gauge the difference between the mountains except for firsthand info.

[tedwillie]

Thanks for the great info RideDelaware! Just googled upslope AND green mountains and there is a ton of info out therehaha. That makes more sense because I was trying to figure out how temperatures below freezing would cause such a difference between base and summit snowfall. It wasn't like it was rain/snow mix at the base and all snow at the summit. But it seems like its just snow that is tied to the ridgelines.

Also thanks for the info on snowstake locations.Assuming Allyn's Lodge stake would be mid-mountain which is cool cause I've always wondered where that was. I always envisioned that to be base of Heavens Gate but not a ton of vertical between there and the base so top of Bravo makes more sense. Ill keep it in mind that the snow is only Lincoln Peak. I've been skiing at North for decades (though not as many days as I used to lately) and always thought it was a snowier mountain than South but that's all anecdotal.

[Ride Delaware ?]

For those of us that predominantly ski/ride at North, we also believe it is snowier and colder there, even if that is all hogwash...

[cdskier]

For those of us that predominantly ski/ride at North, we also believe it is snowier and colder there, even if that is all hogwash...

My thought was always that since North sees less people...the snow that does fall stays fresher longer! I always enjoy heading over to North on busy Saturdays to avoid crowds at LP.

[HowieT2]

There definitely can be elevation differences even more dramatic than those reported today. However, judging by the 3" I got at 1500', it appears the base number may have been underreported. It was dumping from 1:30-3:30 and again around 6. The access road and German flats were in bad shape it came down so fast and furious. Yesterday actually was moisture off Lake Ontario enhanced by the upslope machine. Either way it was most welcome.
We skied mt Ellen. Terminator was fine. Top was sketchy and got skied up pretty quickly but there was plenty of snow. Looked like the top of bravo before the headwall was skiable also. Trails got crowded late morning, and we had gotten a lot of runs in, so we called it a day.

I wouldn't be surprised if by next Saturday most of the snowmaking trails are open. Weather permitting, could be 100% open by mlk.

[steamboat1]

For those of us that predominantly ski/ride at North, we also believe it is snowier and colder there, even if that is all hogwash...
It's not hogwash, at least the colder part. I've seen many days in the spring where LP turns to mush while ME still has mid-winter conditions.

[Ride Delaware ?]

Currently snowing at a good clip at 1,600'. Looks to be some elevation enhanced upslope. Not much going on in the valley. Definitely more up here. Estimating 2" at 6:45.

[djd66]

Winter is definitely full on! Amazing what a difference a week can make. The snow that fell on Tuesday made for an incredible base - like frozen cement. With snow making going on and the new snow coming in the next 6 days I am expecting a complete transformation at the mountain. Can't wait for my first ride in the VHQ. I am sure I speak for a lot of people - so nice to be able to ski down something other than downspout when coming off bravo today!

[Ride Delaware ?]

I would say that I underestimated at 6:45. Tough to gauge with plowing going on and the wind. I would say a much better estimate is 4" right now at 8:45...

[HowieT2]

I would say that I underestimated at 6:45. Tough to gauge with plowing going on and the wind. I would say a much better estimate is 4" right now at 8:45...
And the mtn is reporting 1". Saturday, I had at least 3" at 1500' and the mtn reported 1" at the base. This was an issue last season also.

[cdskier]

I would rather they underreport than over report at least although it looks like the snow report shows 3-6 base to summit now.

[Hawk]

Hardly an issue Howie. it kept the traffic down early in the day. Once the actual word got out, people would show up but only after the watchful got the goods. I like the fact that they under-report.
Skiing at SR on Thursday thru Saturday was not disappointing. I won't bore you with the details.

[HowieT2]

Hardly an issue Howie. it kept the traffic down early in the day. Once the actual word got out, people would show up but only after the watchful got the goods. I like the fact that they under-report.
Skiing at SR on Thursday thru Saturday was not disappointing. I won't bore you with the details.

It is an issue to me. Its one thing to be conservative in reporting the numbers, and I'm all for that, but its quite another to be wrong so often that the reporting is unreliable. I mean, if I was up there this morning and saw the initial report, I might have hit the snooze and slept in, whereas if it was remotely accurate I'd be rushing to the mtn. More importantly, it is abundantly clear that whoever has been doing the early morning reporting the last few seasons, is just throwing a random number in the initial snow report. This is not rocket science. There should be snow stakes with rulers in wind protected spots. You look and measure. Sure there are going to be times when there is drifting and its difficult to get an accurate read, but that isnt what's going on.

[Hawk]

I am the opposite. I see snow in the forecast or look out and see some snow on the ground, ignore the report and heard out early. More often then not it is awesome. Save the snooze for days when there is no chance for snow. Just my thoughts. I hope they never stop underreporting.

[Ride Delaware ?]

From what I can tell, it wasn't an under reporting issue today. They updated the time stamp on the report, but didn't update the report itself. As stated before, it's been fixed.

[Benski]

Just looked up some other ski areas snow reports. Stowe is claiming 7-12 inches in the last 24 hours. Sugarbush has more trails open then Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Okemo, Killington and Stowe. Only Sunday River to have more acres open with 293 vs sugarbush's 258. Okemo still claims to have the most terrain open in but that appears out of date. Also I am surprised Snowball and Spring Fling are not open.

[winjr]

We try to report as accurately as possible and have rulers in three spots. Early reports before a patroller gets on the mountain may be estimated and then updated. Measurements are at LP because that is where dispatch is and totals can vary between the two mountains. Sometimes it is higher at ME but not always.

Today and tomorrow look very good for snowmaking but from Wednesday through Sunday they are marginal at lower elevations so we will have to see where we go next. The Valley House area should be open by Weds am or earlier. We did have one of our three pumps at the Mad River pump station ,and it has been sent our for repairs which unfortunately will take a couple of weeks. That cost us about 500 gpm.

Bravo was delayed this morning until 10:18am. We had a tension pump at the top terminal fail and had to borrow one from Slidebrook until a new one arrives in a day or so. Glad it happened on a cold Monday.

I would ask everyone's help in adhering to and spreading the word on our closed trail policy which you can find on the website:

"A first offense for skiing/riding on closed terrain will result in the loss of a season pass for a week, or the revocation of a day ticket. A second offense will result in the loss of a season pass for the season, or the revocation of another day ticket."

We have this policy for one reason - the safety of our guests and employees. I know it is tempting to duck a rope and I have been guilty of this in the past, but hazards such as waterbars exist and patrol does not believe it is safe to open. They are the sole people to make the call. I think you all know that we are one of the more aggressive mountains when it comes to opening trails so when we have a closed trail it is for good reasons. A few years before we bought the mountain there was a fatality when someone ducked a rope, and we are very mindful of that. So please help us with this.

[flakeydog]

Things are happening out there! After skiing yesterday I was thinking we are really on the cusp of getting a real season going here. A few thoughts going into the new year...

With the snow and temps this year being so elevation sensitive, I say (from my armchair of course) blow as much snow down low as possible. Gate House, Spring Fling, Lower OG, Cliffs, Cruiser, Which Way, Inverness. I know some of this is going on already but anything to get more lower terrain covered the better. Looks like w may be back up high later in the week.

Kudos to the Mtn team so far this season. It has been rough but considering the hand we were dealt this year I am happy with the days I have in so far this season. I think the decision to keep fewer trails with deeper cover paid off versus simple trail expansion. Others may disagree but that is my 2 cents.

Cant wait to give the new VH quad a ride. I will not miss having to ski down VH Traverse every time I want to ski that side of the mountain (but when I do, it will be nice to sail right though to Snowball without the traffic jam)

Also agree with the msg above. You do have to give credit to Sugarbush for what is likely the most aggressive rope drop policy around. I am as guilty as anyone around here on poaching trails but I have not felt the need to poach anything at Sugarbush for years. I did see some folks in in the woods on Sunday though.... no way we are ready for that yet. My body and equipment can wait for a bit more snow.

To the mountain crew, keep up the good work, I'll just keep skiing.

[HowieT2]

We try to report as accurately as possible and have rulers in three spots. Early reports before a patroller gets on the mountain may be estimated and then updated. Measurements are at LP because that is where dispatch is and totals can vary between the two mountains. Sometimes it is higher at ME but not always.

Today and tomorrow look very good for snowmaking but from Wednesday through Sunday they are marginal at lower elevations so we will have to see where we go next. The Valley House area should be open by Weds am or earlier. We did have one of our three pumps at the Mad River pump station ,and it has been sent our for repairs which unfortunately will take a couple of weeks. That cost us about 500 gpm.

Bravo was delayed this morning until 10:18am. We had a tension pump at the top terminal fail and had to borrow one from Slidebrook until a new one arrives in a day or so. Glad it happened on a cold Monday.

I would ask everyone's help in adhering to and spreading the word on our closed trail policy which you can find on the website:

"A first offense for skiing/riding on closed terrain will result in the loss of a season pass for a week, or the revocation of a day ticket. A second offense will result in the loss of a season pass for the season, or the revocation of another day ticket."

We have this policy for one reason - the safety of our guests and employees. I know it is tempting to duck a rope and I have been guilty of this in the past, but hazards such as waterbars exist and patrol does not believe it is safe to open. They are the sole people to make the call. I think you all know that we are one of the more aggressive mountains when it comes to opening trails so when we have a closed trail it is for good reasons. A few years before we bought the mountain there was a fatality when someone ducked a rope, and we are very mindful of that. So please help us with this.

Benski and I were riding the summit lift on saturday with Adam when we saw a rope ducker hiking his way out of Looking Good. I tell my guests all the time, if a trail is closed at sugarbush, its closed for a pretty damn good reason, so you dont want to duck any ropes. Patrol does a great job opening any trail that is remotely skiable.

[Benski]

Looking at the forecast they might want to hit North Lynx next since it may be too warm for Racer Edge and the bottom of Gate House.

[winjr]

Blowing down low is the priority, but if we can't we will go high to either expand places like North Lynx or FIS or improve what we have. GMVS actually like wet snow so we can go their with marginal temps around 28-29 wetbulb but would not want to do that on other trails. Valley House chair will be inaugurated tomorrow morning at 9am, and we should have 70+ trails open. We will keep the traverse closed for one more trail to let it cure and get the equipment off it and then open it on Wednesday. The Mall will be open in the am and we will assess Twist and Moonshine to see if we can open them too.

[djd66]

Looking at the forecast they might want to hit North Lynx next since it may be too warm for Racer Edge and the bottom of Gate House.

Benski - what forecast are you looking at? the one from NWS shows it being real cold all week.

[Benski]

Benski - what forecast are you looking at? the one from NWS shows it being real cold all week.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=44.12649406113767&lon=-72.925721174106&site=okx&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text#.VorZCsArK2w

[cdskier]

I tell my guests all the time, if a trail is closed at sugarbush, its closed for a pretty damn good reason, so you dont want to duck any ropes. Patrol does a great job opening any trail that is remotely skiable.

Absolutely agree. I see no reason to ever duck a rope at Sugarbush. They are very lenient with deciding when to open trails. If something isn't open, I trust patrol's decision 110%.

[HowieT2]

Blowing down low is the priority, but if we can't we will go high to either expand places like North Lynx or FIS or improve what we have. GMVS actually like wet snow so we can go their with marginal temps around 28-29 wetbulb but would not want to do that on other trails. Valley House chair will be inaugurated tomorrow morning at 9am, and we should have 70+ trails open. We will keep the traverse closed for one more trail to let it cure and get the equipment off it and then open it on Wednesday. The Mall will be open in the am and we will assess Twist and Moonshine to see if we can open them too.

Congratulations!

[winjr]

We have a special weather service from Tony Vazzano that many ski areas use. It arrives around 6:45am. It is very specific for the next 48 hours giving us temps, humidity and wind direction and speeds at summit, mid and base. It also has a rain or snow forecast. It also has a slightly less detailed report for next 5 days. This is what we rely on when we do our daily snow plan at 1 pm and often get a verbal phone update if we feel it is needed.

[winjr]

Rode our new VH lift at 9am today and skied silk on Upper Snowball and Spring Fling. Opened Stein's, The Mall, Twist and Moonshine too. We will run VH all week to get run time. Then next week we go to running it Friday to Sunday and Holidays but clear it every day in case needed.

[Hawk]

That is good news Win. I bet today was the day to ski. So Jealous.

[gostan]

Rode our new VH lift at 9am today and skied silk on Upper Snowball and Spring Fling. Opened Stein's, The Mall, Twist and Moonshine too. We will run VH all week to get run time. Then next week we go to running it Friday to Sunday and Holidays but clear it every day in case needed.
Win , Congrats. We weekend (sometime Week) Warriors are all extremely jealous.

[winjr]

Just have to brag a bit while we can. This is from this morning's Snocountry.com. As I said in a prior post, we do open terrain aggressively if deemed sage by patrol.

1/5/2016 Trails Open Acreage Open Miles Open

Sugarbush 67 308 30
Killington 39 153 14
Mount Snow 17 177 12
Okemo 42 252 18
Smuggs 28 40 NA
Stowe 46 NA NA
Stratton 27 145 11
Jay Peak 35 60 9
Bolton 4 15 1
Sugarloaf 46 229 21
Sunday River 48 293 22
Loon Open 30 195 15

It is nice to see everyone expanding terrain. We opened 4 more after this report and I see Stowe opened three. Did not check the rest. Everyone needs this after the dismal start to the season.

[cdskier]

I'm very jealous at the moment sitting in my office seeing these reports.

[othripper]

Great job this season Win, great news on the new Valley House lift. congratulations.

[Dblshot]

Hopefully some of the natural trails can hold up to the weekend. Very jealous of the mid week peeps.

[winjr]

Hopefully some of the natural trails can hold up to the weekend. Very jealous of the mid week peeps.

The cold weather of the past couple of days should help that. Opening the Rock for hiking tomorrow (sorry!) This sure beats my former life!:cool:

[HowieT2]

The cold weather of the past couple of days should help that. Opening the Rock for hiking tomorrow (sorry!) This sure beats my former life!:cool:
That hurts. Think of us flat landers.

[djd66]

Just have to brag a bit while we can. This is from this morning's Snocountry.com. As I said in a prior post, we do open terrain aggressively if deemed sage by patrol.

1/5/2016 Trails Open Acreage Open Miles Open

Sugarbush 67 308 30
Killington 39 153 14
Mount Snow 17 177 12
Okemo 42 252 18
Smuggs 28 40 NA
Stowe 46 NA NA
Stratton 27 145 11
Jay Peak 35 60 9
Bolton 4 15 1
Sugarloaf 46 229 21
Sunday River 48 293 22
Loon Open 30 195 15

It is nice to see everyone expanding terrain. We opened 4 more after this report and I see Stowe opened three. Did not check the rest. Everyone needs this after the dismal start to the season.

Great to see Sugarbush kicking every other ski area's ass!

[Hawk]

That hurts. Think of us flat landers.

It's OK Howie. You will get some soon enough. The word from the secret poachers coalition is that CR is skiing pretty good. Wish I could be up there but work sux right now. Alas. the weather guys are starting to slide the forecast in the wrong direction for this weekend. I hope they are wrong. What are the local forecasters saying?

[shadyjay]

Great seeing those numbers. Wish I could be out there enjoying it, but someone has to make the snow ;-)
No problem, plenty of season still to come, including the best parts.

[HowieT2]

It's OK Howie. You will get some soon enough. The word from the secret poachers coalition is that CR is skiing pretty good. Wish I could be up there but work sux right now. Alas. the weather guys are starting to slide the forecast in the wrong direction for this weekend. I hope they are wrong. What are the local forecasters saying?

my peeps saying light snow to mix saturday, r$%^&n sunday and then a favorable set up for multiple light events next week.

[winjr]

It's OK Howie. You will get some soon enough. The word from the secret poachers coalition is that CR is skiing pretty good. Wish I could be up there but work sux right now. Alas. the weather guys are starting to slide the forecast in the wrong direction for this weekend. I hope they are wrong. What are the local forecasters saying?

Our guy this am said "Saturday cloudy, snow showers possibly mixed. Saturday night cloudy, chance mixed by morning. Sunday mixed early then rain likely". Then it turns cold again and the rest of the week looks good for more snowmaking and some snow.

[winjr]

Great seeing those numbers. Wish I could be out there enjoying it, but someone has to make the snow ;-)
No problem, plenty of season still to come, including the best parts.
You and your team are doing a great job Shady.

[HowieT2]

Our guy this am said "Saturday cloudy, snow showers possibly mixed. Saturday night cloudy, chance mixed by morning. Sunday mixed early then rain likely". Then it turns cold again and the rest of the week looks good for more snowmaking and some snow.

Concerns about the wind saturday?

[winjr]

Concerns about the wind saturday?

That is a long way out, so don't know yet. Hoping not as the front is not a big one (unfortunately). Some of the best skiing right now is off the VH lift!

[cdskier]

Any info on what's going on with the Summit lift at ME?

[winjr]

Any info on what's going on with the Summit lift at ME?

We installed a new drive this and it has been getting irregular electrical impulses. The main guy who did the work is coming today with a new card which hopefully we cute the problem. Since it was so cold and only Rim Run open we thought it wise to just run Northridge until it was fixed and not risk a stoppage.

[cdskier]

Yea, no one is missing much without it right now. Just was wondering what was going on. Thanks!

[HowieT2]

We installed a new drive this and it has been getting irregular electrical impulses. The main guy who did the work is coming today with a new card which hopefully we cute the problem. Since it was so cold and only Rim Run open we thought it wise to just run Northridge until it was fixed and not risk a stoppage.

wasnt there a similar issue with one of the lifts last season after a new drive was installed???

[winjr]

Not really. We have been upgrading the drives on most lifts as needed. Last year one of the lifts we installed a new drive in was Northridge. The vendor finished it late and delayed the opening a few days, but the big issue was the motor failed and had to be rebuilt. Summit is scheduled to open today.

Now some other updates. First the good news. Today and tomorrow should be great days to be on the mountain. However, Sunday is looking like another "transition day" as the forecasters call it. It will be rainy and moderate to heavy at times during the course of the day and windy especially at the higher elevations. Not sure what time this will all settle in so the start of the day may be better than the end of the day. But it is a quick system and it will be turning a lot colder by night, maybe ending in some snow. Our groomers will be busy on Monday. Then the good news! Next week will have good snowmaking temps again from the base up and there is some snow in the forecast. Maybe not a big storm, but a few smaller clippers will put the mountain in great shape for next weekend.

[HowieT2]

Not really. We have been upgrading the drives on most lifts as needed. Last year one of the lifts we installed a new drive in was Northridge. The vendor finished it late and delayed the opening a few days, but the big issue was the motor failed and had to be rebuilt. Summit is scheduled to open today.

Now some other updates. First the good news. Today and tomorrow should be great days to be on the mountain. However, Sunday is looking like another "transition day" as the forecasters call it. It will be rainy and moderate to heavy at times during the course of the day and windy especially at the higher elevations. Not sure what time this will all settle in so the start of the day may be better than the end of the day. But it is a quick system and it will be turning a lot colder by night, maybe ending in some snow. Our groomers will be busy on Monday. Then the good news! Next week will have good snowmaking temps again from the base up and there is some snow in the forecast. Maybe not a big storm, but a few smaller clippers will put the mountain in great shape for next weekend.

This may be a stupid question, but what's the difference between the drive and the motor? I'm no mechanic, obviously.

As bad and disheartening as Sunday is looking, we may be dodging a bullet somewhat in terms of how much qpf. Looks like we miss the heaviest. Should be close to fully operational by mlk.

[cdskier]

This may be a stupid question, but what's the difference between the drive and the motor? I'm no mechanic, obviously.

According to this site it is the "brains"...I was more inclined to think the "drive" was similar to the driveshaft on a car, but I would have been quite wrong on that guess it seems.

http://www.skilifts.org/old/glossary.htm

[winjr]

According to this site it is the "brains"...I was more inclined to think the "drive" was similar to the driveshaft on a car, but I would have been quite wrong on that guess it seems.

http://www.skilifts.org/old/glossary.htm


That is a good way of describing it. Quite a complicated set of electronics that makes everything happen.

[cdskier]

I am very impressed by the work of the mountain ops team since my last visit right before Christmas. It looks like a ton of snow was made. The new lift is very cool as well. The redesigned area at the end of VHT is excellent. Job well done on that too.

[HowieT2]

I am very impressed by the work of the mountain ops team since my last visit right before Christmas. It looks like a ton of snow was made. The new lift is very cool as well. The redesigned area at the end of VHT is excellent. Job well done on that too.

Meanwhile, spring fling was open. Nice snow out there today. Middle earth was great.

[djd66]

Meanwhile, spring fling was open. Nice snow out there today. Middle earth was great.

Yep, spring fling skied really nice today - not sure why it was being reported as closed. I did chuckle every time I skied it. Great snow everywhere. I love the new lift - I kept thinking I was going to go over the edge of the conveyer����. Amazing what a job was done over the past week with the snow making and the additional natural snow. As long as it does not get too crazy tomorrow, I would not be surprised if more stuff opens up next weekend.

[cdskier]

Meanwhile, spring fling was open. Nice snow out there today. Middle earth was great.

Spring fling sure was open and skied beautifully.

[gostan]

My first ride today on the new VHQ. The modifications at the top make that intersection so much safer. Amd the snow making on Spring Flimg & elsewhere is extrenely impressive. Natural snow trails are what I would expect. Ski them if you can. I am extremely impressed about how far we SB has come this season. Kudos to the entire management team and all mountain employees.

[winjr]

My first ride today on the new VHQ. The modifications at the top make that intersection so much safer. Amd the snow making on Spring Flimg & elsewhere is extrenely impressive. Natural snow trails are what I would expect. Ski them if you can. I am extremely impressed about how far we SB has come this season. Kudos to the entire management team and all mountain employees.


Thank you. It was good to see you yesterday.

[Dblshot]

The new chair is very nice, smooth quick ride. It will be interesting to see how the mountain skis with crowd dispersement when 100% open with the new chair

[nhskier1969]

Looks like SB is in for a pretty good weekend with a few storms rolling in. Just wondering if anyone knows when they are going to open North Lynx triple area?
p.s. skied over the weekend and the mountain was in great shape considering the lack of snow this year. Great job to the mountain crew.

[mountainsider]

They hit hot shot/waterfall, easy rider and sleeper pretty hard over the last couple of days, no sign of snowmaking on north Lynx yet. Conditions at the end of the day today were thick dust on crust. Should groom out fine.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[HowieT2]

They hit hot shot/waterfall, easy rider and sleeper pretty hard over the last couple of days, no sign of snowmaking on north Lynx yet. Conditions at the end of the day today were thick dust on crust. Should groom out fine.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Would guess they need 3 days to make snow to open north Lynx, and they haven't even started yet, so doubtful for the weekend.

[cdskier]

They hit hot shot/waterfall, easy rider and sleeper pretty hard over the last couple of days, no sign of snowmaking on north Lynx yet. Conditions at the end of the day today were thick dust on crust. Should groom out fine.

I was thinking they hadn't started sleeper yet since there was no mention of it in the snow/trail report yet. Nice to hear they started it already. That pretty much leaves North Lynx and Steins at LP as the major areas they haven't hit with at least some snowmaking yet then. If they switch over to snowmaking on NL tomorrow, then I think they would have a shot at it for the weekend if Howie's 3 day estimate is right (and that sounds right to me from what I remember) and if snowmaking temps hold of course. It may warm up a bit later this week, but NL also has an elevation advantage over the trails they are hitting now down lower on Gate House. If they still need to keep the guns going on the current GH trails a bit more, then the chances for NL being even a possibility for the weekend would go down. If not this week, then I would think by next weekend it would be ready (assuming no surprises in the weather).

[shadyjay]

No North Lynx just yet. All the ground gear is on Hot Shot/Waterfall and is needed there. Also will be needed on Sleeper. I don't believe Sleeper's been fired up yet, then again I haven't worked since Sunday night. And oh what a night that was. Walking in slush to frozen hardpack in a matter of hours, and firing up Hot Shot/Waterfall for the first time in some gnarly winds. I'll see what happens when I'm back Thursday night.

[winjr]

I am out of town for a business trip but when I spoke to the team yesterday the plan was to try to get NL for the weekend. It does require a lot of land gear given the acreage. Sleeper also needs land gear as there are only a few spots where towers can be used. If plan has changed I will let you know later today.

[tedwillie]

What's with the snow report these days?

9" summit 3" mid and 4" base? I'm no weatherman but something seems off. Summit has been getting like three times the rest of the mountain this season. I dont remember it ever being as varied as this season.

And why does the written get updated at 6:30, the snowfall box at 7, and at 720 the phone still isn't updated? All other area mountains have it all updated by like 630 at the latest.

Maybe I'm just jealous I'm not there for this powder day...but the consistency of the most viewed and monitored information at the resort needs to be looked at.

[Hawk]

They have never been totally up to date with this. I would bet they never will. That would mean that a person would need to be dedicated full time to skiing the hill and giving live updates. You are not the first to mention this believe me. When they first come in they report a guess based on the grooming people and what they see on the ground. Later the ski patrol reports back and they updated. I suspect that the 3 at mid mountain has to do with the winds whipping around. I can't ski until the weekend so it is what it is and I will find out exactly how much on Dawn Patrol Saturday morning. At least that is the plan right now.

I was also hoping that NL would stay closed for another week so we could some quiet in the back country. But as I said, it is what it is.

What's with the snow report these days?

9" summit 3" mid and 4" base? I'm no weatherman but something seems off. Summit has been getting like three times the rest of the mountain this season. I dont remember it ever being as varied as this season.

And why does the written get updated at 6:30, the snowfall box at 7, and at 720 the phone still isn't updated? All other area mountains have it all updated by like 630 at the latest.

Maybe I'm just jealous I'm not there for this powder day...but the consistency of the most viewed and monitored information at the resort needs to be looked at.

[Hawk]

Shady, don't they usually hit Steins, Murphys, Birdland, Sleeper and the rest of Middle jester first before NL? it is usually last.


No North Lynx just yet. All the ground gear is on Hot Shot/Waterfall and is needed there. Also will be needed on Sleeper. I don't believe Sleeper's been fired up yet, then again I haven't worked since Sunday night. And oh what a night that was. Walking in slush to frozen hardpack in a matter of hours, and firing up Hot Shot/Waterfall for the first time in some gnarly winds. I'll see what happens when I'm back Thursday night.

[Benski]

Shady, don't they usually hit Steins, Murphys, Birdland, Sleeper and the rest of Middle jester first before NL? it is usually last.

Usually Steins is after North Lynx.

[cdskier]

Usually Steins is after North Lynx.

And technically speaking they already hit bird land and Murphy's last week although I'm sure they need more at some point. Haven't seen them since before they groomed out the piles.

[djd66]

What's with the snow report these days?

9" summit 3" mid and 4" base? I'm no weatherman but something seems off. Summit has been getting like three times the rest of the mountain this season. I dont remember it ever being as varied as this season.

And why does the written get updated at 6:30, the snowfall box at 7, and at 720 the phone still isn't updated? All other area mountains have it all updated by like 630 at the latest.

Maybe I'm just jealous I'm not there for this powder day...but the consistency of the most viewed and monitored information at the resort needs to be looked at.

I read the same report this morning and was kind of chuckling. 9" at top; 3" at mid and 4" at base? Hah?? If this actually happened it belongs in Scientific American :)

[shadyjay]

So got out finally today for the first time since before Christmas. Yeah, I know, I've been slacking, and to be honest, I haven't really been missing that much. But today the powder was nice! Birdland and Murphy's have both been pushed out and groomed over the past few days. Birdland rode a lot nicer than Murphy's. When I left, they had dropped the rope on more terrain, including Hot Shot, Sleeper, etc. Guns were still going on Hot Shot and Pushover.

Looks like we're moving up to North Lynx tonight, concentrating on Birch Run to hopefully get that open for the weekend, as it is a holiday weekend and it helps take pressure off Gate House. May also be running towers on Sleeper. We will see what happens. I'd guess with us pulling off of Hot Shot, it'll probably be groomed by the weekend as its a key intermediate run for the Gate House side.

Trail count is back up to 87. Amazing since just a couple days ago it was thundering, lightning, and raining heavily. Still some bare spots out there, especially on the natural snow trails. Be wary of waterbars, rocks, and such and a hard surface beneath on some trails.

ENJOY!!!

[tedwillie]

I read the same report this morning and was kind of chuckling. 9" at top; 3" at mid and 4" at base? Hah?? If this actually happened it belongs in Scientific American :)

Haha scientific american. yeah could be a meteorological journal or something as to how that happens. we've seen some big ranges this year. 3-9" between mid and summit...then there was the 1-6" day a couple weeks ago.

They do state they have stakes in locations that aren't affected by wind as this post on facebook today.

________

Sugarbush Resort We have top/mid/bottom snow stakes in sheltered spots, so no drifts, with regular rulers attached, checked by Patrol, groomers or snowmakers each morning.

________

Youare shittin me if 9-3-4 isnt wind affected or drifted.

hoping to see some deep blower pow shots of that 9"...face shots galore?

[HowieT2]

So got out finally today for the first time since before Christmas. Yeah, I know, I've been slacking, and to be honest, I haven't really been missing that much. But today the powder was nice! Birdland and Murphy's have both been pushed out and groomed over the past few days. Birdland rode a lot nicer than Murphy's. When I left, they had dropped the rope on more terrain, including Hot Shot, Sleeper, etc. Guns were still going on Hot Shot and Pushover.

Looks like we're moving up to North Lynx tonight, concentrating on Birch Run to hopefully get that open for the weekend, as it is a holiday weekend and it helps take pressure off Gate House. May also be running towers on Sleeper. We will see what happens. I'd guess with us pulling off of Hot Shot, it'll probably be groomed by the weekend as its a key intermediate run for the Gate House side.

Trail count is back up to 87. Amazing since just a couple days ago it was thundering, lightning, and raining heavily. Still some bare spots out there, especially on the natural snow trails. Be wary of waterbars, rocks, and such and a hard surface beneath on some trails.

ENJOY!!!

Thanks Shady for your work and the reports.

temperatures are more than ideal tomorrow so wondering if this gets done. The Mtn really doesnt get going until north lynx is open.

[wolftracks56]

Whatever. Amount of sno fell we need it had4-5 at condo Never thought it could come back this decent but skiing was good today !!!even did runs under guns which were sweet, pretty dry. Product for the most part things will get polished and worn if we don't get more hope it storms this weekend sharpen up


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[winjr]

Usually Steins is after North Lynx.

Usually the last. NL spreads people out,

[djd66]

Win - any idea when Slide Brook will come on line?

[winjr]

As you know we need the right snow depth to get snowmobiles carefully it to the towers. We will check tomorrow.

[cdskier]

As you know we need the right snow depth to get snowmobiles carefully it to the towers. We will check tomorrow.

I heard quite a few people asking out loud on lift rides this past Saturday why Slide Brook wasn't running. I gave the answer of "probably not enough snow yet under the lift" to anyone that would listen :D

[steamboat1]

Wow you guys have been getting the best dumpich in the east yet still complain.

[gostan]

Wow you guys have been getting the best dumpich in the east yet still complain.
Nature of the beast. We live in an I/Me entitled society today. Askimg questions is fine, which is the purpose of this forum. But there will be those who always complain instead of being thankful.

[Hawk]

There are valid complaints and there is Bitchin. I for one will point out what I see. Good and Bad and usually it is pretty fair. What I will not do is sit around like Paulianna and look at everything through rose colored glasses. It is not in my make up. Some see it as an attach on the management but it quite the opposite. I am trying to affect change for the better.

The one thing that I have always thought is that Win Smith and Summit Ventures have transformed this mountain and made it a beautiful place to ski. The buildings, the landscaping the vibe are excellent. My only real want/wish is a better snowmaking system because that is where I came from and really know. Most on here disagree but I honestly think that they really have no idea what that is all about. It's all ok. They inherited the system and infrastructure here and are dealing with it the best they can with the capital they have. I honestly am so invested here at Sugarbush that I can't see going anywhere else.

Stan I really wish I could be super positive like you but it is not in my make up. You have a gift. But also if you don't say anything and blindly go forward, things stay status quo.

[Ride Delaware ?]

Hawk, you also have to realize that SR basically has an unlimited use permit to pull water from the Sunday River. I'm not saying the system couldn't be upgraded to take advantage of the times when water is abundant, but I have to imagine that there are times when the natural recharge and water level of the Mad River actually make it difficult to run what we have.

Regardless, things have really improved over years past.

[winjr]

Our blog is tame compared to the Killington Zone!

Looks like NL will be a go for the weekend although we will likely still be blowing there. Saturday may shut the guns down though as temps rise. We had to borrow a tension pump from Slidebrook for Bravo and have ordered a new one. Trying to get it so that if the snow depth is OK we can run SB for the weekend. We absolutely want to if at all possible. We did have an incredible lightning storm Sunday night that hit five lifts,our phone system and some other things. The Lift mechanics did an incredible job of getting the fuses and parts replaced and all the lifts open on Monday. Since SB has not run because of the tension pump, we do not know if lightning hit there too, butif it did, I am sure we will get that fixed quickly too. We have never experienced a lightning storm like this. The ground was a conductor and even though we have lightning rods and all protection of the lights terminals and towers the lightning struck broadly and circumvented the protectors. That is was the evening and not the day.

[HowieT2]

Our blog is tame compared to the Killington Zone!

Looks like NL will be a go for the weekend although we will likely still be blowing there. Saturday may shut the guns down though as temps rise. We had to borrow a tension pump from Slidebrook for Bravo and have ordered a new one. Trying to get it so that if the snow depth is OK we can run SB for the weekend. We absolutely want to if at all possible. We did have an incredible lightning storm Sunday night that hit five lifts,our phone system and some other things. The Lift mechanics did an incredible job of getting the fuses and parts replaced and all the lifts open on Monday. Since SB has not run because of the tension pump, we do not know if lightning hit there too, butif it did, I am sure we will get that fixed quickly too. We have never experienced a lightning storm like this. The ground was a conductor and even though we have lightning rods and all protection of the lights terminals and towers the lightning struck broadly and circumvented the protectors. That is was the evening and not the day.

Geez! its always something. maybe mother nature owes us a positive surprise now.

[tedwillie]

Hawk, you also have to realize that SR basically has an unlimited use permit to pull water from the Sunday River. I'm not saying the system couldn't be upgraded to take advantage of the times when water is abundant, but I have to imagine that there are times when the natural recharge and water level of the Mad River actually make it difficult to run what we have.

Regardless, things have really improved over years past.

Win is literally picking up the pieces of what ASC left behind. They ruined the mountain to some extent, as Sugarbush was quite far down their list of priorities when they were buying up every resort they could. Then they got in hard times and couldn't put money back into it anyway.

Regarding snowmaking, its just an older system that they are trying to upgrade as much as possible. They don't have the unlimited pockets of Stowe where AIG can just write them a check for $10 million. Imust say Stowe does have one heck of a snowmaking system now and can often keep pace with Killington and Sunday River early season but trying to expect that sort of massive and quick upgrade (as I've heard, Stowe literally ripped out most of their pipe, put fixed equipment/tower guns everywhere, and fan guns in all high traffic areas on the lower mountain) at Sugarbush is not feasible I'd imagine. Win and the boys have done a great job replacing it methodically and with the funds they have.

Is water that big of an issue at the Bush? I've always thought it was more a limitation on the pumping capacity because the two mountains are seperated? Again I've been out of the industry for years but I don't remember many spots being limited by amount of water they can take from the local environment. Of course there are limitations but with full ponds no one is in a situation that they can't make snow today because they can't take more water out of a local waterway. However I could also be wronghaha.

[Hawk]

I have always thought that Air Pressure was the issue. Win has said that water it the limiting factor now that they have the new guns. Last year we also had days that the power company limited our power consumption due to demand. At any rate yes it would be a large capital upgrade and that is not in the cards.

By the way, why do you say that ASC ruin the mountain. Do you really understand what they did here? Check out this excerpt from the NewEngland Ski History site. Doesn't sound like they ruined it to me.

"In October of 1994, Les Otten's LBO Resort Enterprises Corp. purchased Sugarbush for a reported $9.1 million. Following that season, massive changes were about to take place.

For the 1995-96 season, a staggering four new quad chairlifts were installed at Sugarbush, three of them detachables. Perhaps the most eye-catching of the new lifts was the 11,000 foot Slide Brook Express chairlift, which allowed skiers to go from Sugarbush South to Sugarbush North in only a few short minutes, without so much as having to take off their skis.

In addition to the Slide Brook, Sugarbush South saw the installation of its first detachable chairlifts, with the Gatehouse and Super Bravo quads providing high speed service to the lower portion of the mountain. Not only that, but a 63 million gallon snowmaking pond was constructed."

Sounds like they did some good stuff to me.

[cdskier]

Yes, ASC did do some good stuff, but they apparently also left a lot of "deferred maintenance" type of items which created problems down the road that Win and team had to take care of. I'd agree that they didn't necessarily "ruin" the mountain. They just neglected certain aspects of it.

[Dblshot]

And installed all the snowmaking at South. There was nothing for snowmaking there before ASC. What was installed was not maintained very well. From my memory I believe there is still room for one more pump at the pond and 5 more pumps at CB-1. Lower pressure form the pond to CB-1 then high pressure out the building to the hill. Pond is almost never dry unless river gets very low and/or it doesn't rain. They can draw water proportional to river level. Higher the river, more water. When it rains there is a high flow valve that fills it quickly without concern for water level.

[Hawk]

Actually it wasn't just ASC. They left in 2001. Some of the deferred maintenance crisis falls under the current administration also. Just trying to be fair. I have heard all of the tails. Both good and bad. There is plenty of blame to go around.


Yes, ASC did do some good stuff, but they apparently also left a lot of "deferred maintenance" type of items which created problems down the road that Win and team had to take care of. I'd agree that they didn't necessarily "ruin" the mountain. They just neglected certain aspects of it.

[winjr]

Actually it wasn't just ASC. They left in 2001. Some of the deferred maintenance crisis falls under the current administration also. Just trying to be fair. I have heard all of the tails. Both good and bad. There is plenty of blame to go around.

Les did some great things early on and we benefitted from them but later days the deferred maintenance piled up and we have pecked away at it as fast as we could. We also had to fund operating losses for the first few years until we could regain the list market share. We have reinvested 100% of our free cash in SB since 2001. Wish we had a Government bail out but we didn't.

Now the update on SB. We have the replacement pump but as of Thursday afternoon there is not enough snowpack to run SB. Fingers crossed for Saturday but as of now not looking like enough snow to get it open this weekend.

[HowieT2]

Les did some great things early on and we benefitted from them but later days the deferred maintenance piled up and we have pecked away at it as fast as we could. We also had to fund operating losses for the first few years until we could regain the list market share. We have reinvested 100% of our free cash in SB since 2001. Wish we had a Government bail out but we didn't.

Now the update on SB. We have the replacement pump but as of Thursday afternoon there is not enough snowpack to run SB. Fingers crossed for Saturday but as of now not looking like enough snow to get it open this weekend.

If you want bailout money you gotta get back into the financial services industry. Otherwise, you're just like the rest of us.
Looking forward to a good weekend

[Njski]

A question for Win regarding Slide Brook: Can you explain the concern for the amount of snowpack under the SB lift? I am guessing it is so that emergency services can get there via snowmobile? If that is the case, wouldn't a 4 wheeler (quad) do the job?
Also, given your choice, would you have liked the opportunity to develop the Slide Brook Basin, as opposed to Les giving up that option when he built the SB lift?

[HowieT2]

A question for Win regarding Slide Brook: Can you explain the concern for the amount of snowpack under the SB lift? I am guessing it is so that emergency services can get there via snowmobile? If that is the case, wouldn't a 4 wheeler (quad) do the job?
Also, given your choice, would you have liked the opportunity to develop the Slide Brook Basin, as opposed to Les giving up that option when he built the SB lift?

my guess is that quads would do the job but they have many snowmobiles but only one quad, so they need the snow.

[winjr]

NJski, yes that is the biggest issue but it is also so that our lift mechanics can get in safely and quickly on snowmobiles. 4 wheelers might be an option if their was just ground but they are not a good option with thin cover, icy services and open waterbars. We did recondition a groomer so that it can get in and pack the snow to get the lift open earlier, but the cover right now is too think for that.

Would we have liked to develop the SB Basin? Probably not extensively. With the Beechnut orchards this is a bear habitat and we would want to be very careful of harming that. Had lift not been done the way it was, we might have done somethings differently just as maybe running a lift from the bottom of Elevator Shaft to the crossover. It would have also been nice to have more year around recreational opportunity in there. Essentially, between April 15th and November 15th it is off bounds for any activities we might want to pursue. We can not even run the lift in that period other than for some summer maintenance. However, SB does provide a great relief on a busy weekend or Holiday and allows more people to enjoy Mount Ellen. Even though the bus takes about the same time, fewer people ride the bus than the lift.

[HowieT2]

NJski, yes that is the biggest issue but it is also so that our lift mechanics can get in safely and quickly on snowmobiles. 4 wheelers might be an option if their was just ground but they are not a good option with thin cover, icy services and open waterbars. We did recondition a groomer so that it can get in and pack the snow to get the lift open earlier, but the cover right now is too think for that.

Would we have liked to develop the SB Basin? Probably not extensively. With the Beechnut orchards this is a bear habitat and we would want to be very careful of harming that. Had lift not been done the way it was, we might have done somethings differently just as maybe running a lift from the bottom of Elevator Shaft to the crossover. It would have also been nice to have more year around recreational opportunity in there. Essentially, between April 15th and November 15th it is off bounds for any activities we might want to pursue. We can not even run the lift in that period other than for some summer maintenance. However, SB does provide a great relief on a busy weekend or Holiday and allows more people to enjoy Mount Ellen. Even though the bus takes about the same time, fewer people ride the bus than the lift.

that ridge would be a great place for some mtn bike trails.

I was thinking about that this summer. The new flow trails like at blueberry lake are akin to skiing groomers. Blue trails. Easy/fun. So you can put kids and first timers on there. People who are in vacation and want to try something. The trails at the mtn now are great. Old school. Love them. But u need to have some blue trails to open the activity up to a bigger market. And those trails should be off gate house/north Lynx.

Snow was great today. Lot was full but no lift lines at Mellon. Dense fog in the afternoon upper part of the mtn.

[Dblshot]

Question on snowmaking plan- over at Mt Ellen they have been blowing on Lower Northstar for 4 days, just wondering why that trail needs so much snowmaking when Lower Cruiser or Mainstream has depths. Why not be running Which Way for a few of those days? Has anyone been up to FIS since Monday when they were blowing on it? Skied it Saturday and it was in rough shape from some very wet snow/water, especailly the top section. Hopefully some dry manmade and natural covered it for a while. Not trying to stir it up, just curious.

[boot-up-room-poacher]

Question on limiting access to certain, privileged skier/rider populations over on the Inverness side at Mt. Ellen:

This past weekend all open and available terrain over on the Inverness side (i.e,, both Brambles and Inverness) was limited for a time to GMVS folks only (Walt's Run and Semi-Tough were not yet open and not enough cover to enter any woods at that point). I approached the area via Northway from GMX only to be told by a liftie/mountain ops guy at the top of the Inverness chair that we all had to turn around and return to Northridge Chair on Northridge Expressway.

I can appreciate that GMVS may contribute lots of $ to the resort and the value GMVS may add to Mt. Ellen in numerous non-financial ways but I walked away from the experience frustrated over the following: 1) If GMVS gets to own and llimit access to both Inverness trail AND Brambles, then there should be more open terrain options other than 2 flat traverses, 2) GMVS and/or resort staff should regularly maintain better signage at the entrance to Northway traverse heading over to the Inverness side. Specifically, at intersection of Exterminator and Northway there is flip sign indicating whether Inverness trail is open or closed to non-GMVS people and it is never maintained the way it used to be a long time ago. Also, if GMVS gets to buy/own Brambles and prevent the rest of us from skiing/riding on it then the sign should also be modified to indicate that Brambles is temporarily limited/closed and only available to privileged GMVS people.

I don't like that Brambles is closed off now on a regular basis when it is safe and skiable. Doing so takes away value from my season pass and my skiing experience at Mt. Ellen. This kind of experience I had and closing off Brambles to non-GMVS people leaves me resentful of GMVS.

[Benski]

I can appreciate that GMVS may contribute lots of $ to the resort and the value GMVS may add to Mt. Ellen in numerous non-financial ways but I walked away from the experience frustrated over the following: 1) If GMVS gets to own and llimit access to both Inverness trail AND Brambles, then there should be more open terrain options other than 2 flat traverses,

I don't like that Brambles is closed off now on a regular basis when it is safe and skiable. Doing so takes away value from my season pass and my skiing experience at Mt. Ellen. This kind of experience I had and closing off Brambles to non-GMVS people leaves me resentful of GMVS.

You can't blame the resort for not having enough snow on walt's and semi tough and unless you are in exterminator woods you should never take north way when the inverness lift is running but there was no reason to keep inverness or brambles closed after lunch since you could easily ski around there course.

[cdskier]

You can't blame the resort for not having enough snow on walt's and semi tough and unless you are in exterminator woods you should never take north way when the inverness lift is running but there was no reason to keep inverness or brambles closed after lunch since you could easily ski around there course.

To be fair, if coming from anywhere up higher at ME and heading to Inverness, it is far quicker to take the North Way trail over to Inverness rather than going to the bottom and taking the Inverness lift up. I do it all the time. That lift is pretty slow...

Of course the flip side is that if I knew Inverness itself was closed for GMVS and Walts and Semi-Tough weren't open, I wouldn't have bothered heading over to Inverness just for Brambles even if I thought Brambles was open.

[Benski]

To be fair, if coming from anywhere up higher at ME and heading to Inverness, it is far quicker to take the North Way trail over to Inverness rather than going to the bottom and taking the Inverness lift up. I do it all the time. That lift is pretty slow...

Of course the flip side is that if I knew Inverness itself was closed for GMVS and Walts and Semi-Tough weren't open, I wouldn't have bothered heading over to Inverness just for Brambles even if I thought Brambles was open.
I just would rather ski to the bottom than take the lift. I consider North Way as bad as sitting on a lift.

[Hawk]

I think the bigger issue is the signage at the top. It sounds like he got all the over there and was turned back. Clear signage would have probably made this a non-issue to some extent. I have no stake in this game as I do not ski over at north that much and usually only on crowded days or on powder days as a pass thru for part of a day.

[cdskier]

While I haven't been that way yet this year, I swear I remember seeing the flip sign at the entrance to northway saying Inverness was closed several times last season.

[sglatham]

And I take issue with with advertising to the general public that all 111 trails are "open" when two high quality trails are off limits. Might be splitting hairs but if you claim 111 on the snow report, and I buy a ticket, I should be able to ski 111.

Further, I see no reason why BOTH Inverness and Brambles are taken over by GMVS. One or the other. Or use one side of the trail - both are wide enough.

GMVS is a key revenue driver for Ellen but there needs to be a balance and from what I've seen and read it has not been balanced.

[Dblshot]

Both trails closed s a bit much. The only time Brambles should be closed is when the race course blocks the exit. The exit is at the top of the new tow. Inverness and 3 lifts at their disposal is enough for training. And they free ski the entire hill. Really only a problem on the weekend.

[Hawk]

Blowing Steins this morning. Looks beautiful. Gonna be a great day. I'm getting out early.

[steamboat1]

When I skied Mt. Ellen Thurs. not only was Semi Tough open it probably had the best cover of any other natural snow trail on the mountain. Not to many tracks in the new snow. Definitely my run of the day. Yes Inverness & Brambles were roped off but no one turned me away from skiing Semi Tough the two times I traversed over there.

[steamboat1]

While I haven't been that way yet this year, I swear I remember seeing the flip sign at the entrance to northway saying Inverness was closed several times last season.

It showed closed this past Thurs. when I was there. On the other hand it showed open when I was there a couple of weeks earlier. Unless you know about the sign it's easy to miss.

[winjr]

Both trails closed s a bit much. The only time Brambles should be closed is when the race course blocks the exit. The exit is at the top of the new tow. Inverness and 3 lifts at their disposal is enough for training. And they free ski the entire hill. Really only a problem on the weekend.

I will weigh in now on this. We are very lucky to have a Ski Academy here at Sugarbush, and they predate our ownership. The Academy trains on both Inverness and Brambles during the week unless they are racing and the weekend program uses those trails on the weekend. There are around 150 kids in the weekend program and more than one set of gates are often set. We will open Brambles if gates on Inverness are not interfering with the exit from Brambles and Brambles is not being used. The trail map also shows an "R" on an open trail to note that it is being reserved for racing that day. Once training is done for the day the trails are open to all.

[winjr]

Blowing Steins this morning. Looks beautiful. Gonna be a great day. I'm getting out early.

Glad you were. That snow was as good as it gets. Will probably shut down later this afternoon and move over to Snowball and Spring Fling, so that would be a great early choice tomorrow am. Are also moving over to Sunrise and Cliffs at ME.

[jimmck]

It was pretty sweet this morning. Still making snow as of 5pm!http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160123/fc9e7226fed897c34dfabaaf8a423d01.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160123/75aab44a1e4e39c807f8667f9978de78.jpg

[cdskier]

Steins was great this morning. Headed over to ME after slide brook opened and skied there the rest of the day. Great conditions all around. No lines at all. Some natural trails thin in spots but that is to be expected at this point.

[Dblshot]

Steins was great all day. Great job on the dry snow

[cdskier]

Yea...the quality of the snow being made was fantastic. Great job by the snowmakers!

[djd66]

Yea...the quality of the snow being made was fantastic. Great job by the snowmakers!

Yep, completely agree - they are doing a great Job. Personally, I love the new snow guns and the product they put out. I also love that they are so much quieter than the old guns. Skiing on sunrise yesterday was awesome. Can't beat a day with blue sky and no wind.

[HowieT2]

groomed snowmaking trails are good. some natural trails also good, some not so good. we need snow.

[Spartan82]

Some new snow would be welcome. Moonshine and Twist were great on Friday, but I bet they are skied off by now. Still, overall, conditions were pretty good this weekend when you consider how bleak it was in late December.

[djd66]

groomed snowmaking trails are good. some natural trails also good, some not so good. we need snow.

Yep,... We definitely need some more snow. But, it's certainly better than what we had in December.

[gostan]

Craig Spear and I were skiing Solitude today after 3 days @ Powder Mountain. Tomorrow we ski Snowbasin. We will try our best to send some of Utah's white stuff east when we leave. We will both be back to Sugarbush this weekend.

[Dblshot]

Heaven's Gate on double secret wind hold :-P

7:22 AM

**GMX, Heaven's Gate, Inverness, Village Double, North Lynx & Heaven's Gate are on wind hold.**

[Benski]

Heaven's Gate on double secret wind hold :-P

7:22 AM

**GMX, Heaven's Gate, Inverness, Village Double, North Lynx & Heaven's Gate are on wind hold.**

Village double on wind hold, but not gate house. I am not sure it is possible for village double to be hit with worse wind than gate house.

[Hawk]

Think about the weight of those tiny double chairs and the weight of those large Quad chairs. The double chairs swing a lot easier. That would be my take.

[shadyjay]

Yep, completely agree - they are doing a great Job. Personally, I love the new snow guns and the product they put out. I also love that they are so much quieter than the old guns. Skiing on sunrise yesterday was awesome. Can't beat a day with blue sky and no wind.

Glad everyone's enjoying it. Some of those piles on Stein's and Sunrise were MASSIVE! Got out to do some runs yesterday - had a great day!

Brief break, but we'll be making snow again soon... purely under the cover of darkness.

[Dblshot]

Glad everyone's enjoying it. Some of those piles on Stein's and Sunrise were MASSIVE! Got out to do some runs yesterday - had a great day!

Brief break, but we'll be making snow again soon... purely under the cover of darkness.

Down to the 5 coldest nights? Staff getting a little smaller?

[nhskier1969]

Down to the 5 coldest nights? Staff getting a little smaller?


Did SB get any of that "R" stuff today?

[ducky]

Yes, being reported as base consolidation.

[HowieT2]

I heard that the snow reporter was sacked after suffering serious injuries skiing.

[winjr]

I heard that the snow reporter was sacked after suffering serious injuries skiing.

That is not true.

[winjr]

Yes, being reported as base consolidation.

Not s lot but some. There is some light snow in the forecast between now and the weekend. Back to some snowmaking tonight.

[djd66]

Not s lot but some. There is some light snow in the forecast between now and the weekend. Back to some snowmaking tonight.

Man, we just can't catch a break this season. I think if I owned a ski area in VT I would be on heavy does of Prozac. If it helps Win, you and your snow making team have done a great job with the cards you have been dealt - thanks for all the hard work.

[HowieT2]

Man, we just can't catch a break this season. I think if I owned a ski area in VT I would be on heavy does of Prozac. If it helps Win, you and your snow making team have done a great job with the cards you have been dealt - thanks for all the hard work.

big big second half coming up.

[tedwillie]

I heard that the snow reporter was sacked after suffering serious injuries skiing.

I have noticed that John Atkinson seems to be back to doing the snow report at least 4-5 days per week, which is definitely in our and SB's best interest. Not sure what happened to that "Tom Lyons" guy but doesn't seem to be doing it anymore. Maybe he was the one that got sacked? Also haven't heard Nadine Rowell (?) in a while but she was doing the afternoon reports for a little bit. Same with John Bleh.

Report says 2 inchs of snowfall today but I saw on another board some question about that, saying wind-blown dusting (they may have been at North though). But 2" would make a huge difference in the conditions if that's legit.that's all that frozen loose granular needs to become more enjoyable.

[tedwillie]

I skied last weekend and have to say it was awesome all things considered with the weather this year. There were quite a few natural snow trails that were marginal at best but I also know that so have no one to blame but myself for going down them ha. I know the SOP is to open it all on as little cover as possible, and by Saturday afternoon the crowds had done a number on some of the stuff like Moonshine and Twist which are two of my favorites.

All in all, awesome weekend and great sunny day on Sunday. Too bad the Pats lost. That was the only negative.

[cdskier]

Too bad the Pats lost. That was the only negative.

I suppose that depends on your perspective. Some of us were thrilled to see that! :lol:

[Hawk]

My expectations have been sufficiently lowered. Any snow would be good at this point. Right now this is contending as that worst year in my 31 years of season passes as various mountains. It is funny to see all the difference perceptions. Some people, Stan for instance, would say this has been a great year. I can understand his positive outlook. I can't go there thou. My knees are old and cooked and skiing mostly snow making, rocky natural trails and hard icy bumps this year is taking it's toll. I hope the switch flips but not for at least a week it looks like. Actually they are saying maybe some snow this Friday? Lets hope so.

Howie, when do I get to officially call this a lean year? LOL

[HowieT2]

My expectations have been sufficiently lowered. Any snow would be good at this point. Right now this is contending as that worst year in my 31 years of season passes as various mountains. It is funny to see all the difference perceptions. Some people, Stan for instance, would say this has been a great year. I can understand his positive outlook. I can't go there thou. My knees are old and cooked and skiing mostly snow making, rocky natural trails and hard icy bumps this year is taking it's toll. I hope the switch flips but not for at least a week it looks like. Actually they are saying maybe some snow this Friday? Lets hope so.

Howie, when do I get to officially call this a lean year? LOL

it aint over till its over.
That being said, next week looks bleaker than bleak. '06-'07 didnt turn until V-day and then it was epic.

[gostan]

My expectations have been sufficiently lowered. Any snow would be good at this point. Right now this is contending as that worst year in my 31 years of season passes as various mountains. It is funny to see all the difference perceptions. Some people, Stan for instance, would say this has been a great year. I can understand his positive outlook. I can't go there thou. My knees are old and cooked and skiing mostly snow making, rocky natural trails and hard icy bumps this year is taking it's toll. I hope the switch flips but not for at least a week it looks like. Actually they are saying maybe some snow this Friday? Lets hope so.

Howie, when do I get to officially call this a lean year? LOL Hawk, My take, having just returned from Utah, is that we eastern skiers have to take every step possible by expanding our 15-16 ski experience with travel to some of the western resorts that are hwving great snow this year. And hopefully eastern conditions will turn aroud later in the season. I will return to Vermont this weekend relaxed, rested and happy to have been able to ski on gobs of soft powdee. Lets see how long that peacefulu easy feeling lasts.

My long term plan has always been to eventually take a month off in the winter and rent an extended stay suite in Utah for a month of skiing.

Hope to see you all this weekend.

[HowieT2]

My expectations have been sufficiently lowered. Any snow would be good at this point. Right now this is contending as that worst year in my 31 years of season passes as various mountains. It is funny to see all the difference perceptions. Some people, Stan for instance, would say this has been a great year. I can understand his positive outlook. I can't go there thou. My knees are old and cooked and skiing mostly snow making, rocky natural trails and hard icy bumps this year is taking it's toll. I hope the switch flips but not for at least a week it looks like. Actually they are saying maybe some snow this Friday? Lets hope so.

Howie, when do I get to officially call this a lean year? LOL

I hear ya about the body. I was planning on giving myself a rest this weekend but looks like we have some fresh snow on saturday, so the layoff might have to wait until the following weekend.

[HowieT2]

Hawk, My take, having just returned from Utah, is that we eastern skiers have to take every step possible by expanding our 15-16 ski experience with travel to some of the western resorts that are hwving great snow this year. And hopefully eastern conditions will turn aroud later in the season. I will return to Vermont this weekend relaxed, rested and happy to have been able to ski on gobs of soft powdee. Lets see how long that peacefulu easy feeling lasts.

My long term plan has always been to eventually take a month off in the winter and rent an extended stay suite in Utah for a month of skiing.

Hope to see you all this weekend.

hoping to do this for my 50th in 2 years. http://www.nonstopsnow.com/courses/6-week-off-piste-ski-camp-fernie/

[Hawk]

I have Telluride on tap for first week in March. The pics I saw of Stan and Treeskier looked good. So jealous.

[pinnoke]

I have Telluride on tap for first week in March. The pics I saw of Stan and Treeskier looked good. So jealous.

302 (not sure why rotated pic...sorry) I've been as lucky as gostan and am now on my second western trip of the season...CO in December and UT right now. Deer Valley yesterday (you can see how many people I needed to share the snow with) and Powder today. BTW, SemiPro says hello...met him in the base lodge during apres beer consumption! So much snow here, with more on the way for my final two days (unless I get snowed in, for more)!

[HowieT2]

My expectations have been sufficiently lowered. Any snow would be good at this point. Right now this is contending as that worst year in my 31 years of season passes as various mountains. It is funny to see all the difference perceptions. Some people, Stan for instance, would say this has been a great year. I can understand his positive outlook. I can't go there thou. My knees are old and cooked and skiing mostly snow making, rocky natural trails and hard icy bumps this year is taking it's toll. I hope the switch flips but not for at least a week it looks like. Actually they are saying maybe some snow this Friday? Lets hope so.

Howie, when do I get to officially call this a lean year? LOL

I was thinking about this and how quickly you forget how things were at this time two seasons ago. You were freaking, conditions were awful and the lifts were a mess. Definitely worse than this season. I don't know what the second half will bring, and next week is no way to get things going in the right direction. But I was expecting a slow start and iffy January, as well ups and downs temps wise. And that's what we've gotten. I was also expecting some big storms and obviously we haven't gotten squat, but all it takes is one big one and the next 3 months are prime time.

[gostan]

302 (not sure why rotated pic...sorry) I've been as lucky as gostan and am now on my second western trip of the season...CO in December and UT right now. Deer Valley yesterday (you can see how many people I needed to share the snow with) and Powder today. BTW, SemiPro says hello...met him in the base lodge during apres beer consumption! So much snow here, with more on the way for my final two days (unless I get snowed in, for more)!Pinnoke, PowMow is a real trip. We found fresh lines in the trees everywhere. I was surprised by the scacirty of skiers. But with 7000 acres I should not have. I understand that all of the areas in SLC/Eden/Ogden area are expecting heavy snow over the next few days. I would definitely hit Solitude if you have the opportunity. Although PM was great, Solitude was ourr best day (although we skied it on a Monday to avoid weekend crowds). Bring some of the white stuff back east and have a blast.

[winjr]

Don't forget '08. Winter did not really begin until early Februsry. Then the Holiday storms. Keep the faith. Roger Hill sees the trend changing on Thursday of next week after another rain event in Wednesday. Keep the faith. There are three months remaining.

[Hawk]

Now that is the definition of small world. How on earth did you get to figuring out that connection. LOL He is from my past world over 12 years ago.
Skiing out west is good right now which usually means that we are not here in NE. Glad to hear people are get the goods man.


302 (not sure why rotated pic...sorry) I've been as lucky as gostan and am now on my second western trip of the season...CO in December and UT right now. Deer Valley yesterday (you can see how many people I needed to share the snow with) and Powder today. BTW, SemiPro says hello...met him in the base lodge during apres beer consumption! So much snow here, with more on the way for my final two days (unless I get snowed in, for more)!

[pinnoke]

Now that is the definition of small world. How on earth did you get to figuring out that connection. LOL He is from my past world over 12 years ago.
Skiing out west is good right now which usually means that we are not here in NE. Glad to hear people are get the goods man.

I overheard him telling an SLC friend that he was with about the MRG single chair, and chimed in. Now, I'm going to have to seek you out in GHL or ME...when I return from Utah after our last (pow) day at Solitude (note to goStan) tomorrow! OK...about to head out for some weak Utah beer...

[HowieT2]

Nice write up in today's times.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/travel/vermont-skiing-mad-river-valley.html?referer=&_r=0

[HowieT2]

For hawk

http://www.madriverglenweather.blogspot.com

[cdskier]

I sure hope Josh is right! This season is still young so I'm going to continue to believe we will get snow at some point.

[HowieT2]

Skiing today was pretty darn good. Even ventured into the woods. Snow as good.

[mountainsider]

The woods are terrible, please stay out of them [emoji3]


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[cdskier]

Spin out to lower fis was my pick of the day. The runout at the bottom needs snow though. The last section is a bit rough right now.

[HowieT2]

The woods are terrible, please stay out of them [emoji3]


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FYI-the upper entrance to emerald forest is damn near impassable. Couple of trees down with root balls ripped out of the ground. I had to get off my skis and hike it. Doubt even a reasonable snowpack will make a difference..

[Benski]

FYI-the upper entrance to emerald forest is damn near impassable. Couple of trees down with root balls ripped out of the ground. I had to get off my skis and hike it. Doubt even a reasonable snowpack will make a difference..
Are you talking about the main entrance or your traverse which most people don't use.

[Hawk]

Ya Howie. That is some challenging skiing. Funny how tough things are with only 1 foot of snow. LOL Almost killed myself this weekend a couple of times. We need 2 + feet. I don't care what people are saying. We went to Ben's place Saturday night for Lisa's 50th Bday party and skied Killington. They have blown a ridiculous amount of snow. Conditions were Great and really no one there on Sunday. Kind of Odd. He says hi. I hope you are right about the weather. After Wednesday we are going to need it.


FYI-the upper entrance to emerald forest is damn near impassable. Couple of trees down with root balls ripped out of the ground. I had to get off my skis and hike it. Doubt even a reasonable snowpack will make a difference..

[wolftracks56]

Super ripe today ,all natural trails closed ,no hg due to wind going to lock up any minute. Great afternoon with Wendal and scot ripping corn like crisp http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/02/01/07454d177ad497f81661e59520bbc90b.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/02/01/207bc25b9c1b4715cd309db37bd135c4.jpg


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[HowieT2]

Thought the mtn was surprisingly busy this weekend. Was it me?

Think the new valley house lift is working like a charm. Tons of traffic on snowball

[HowieT2]

Thought the mtn was surprisingly busy this weekend. Was it me?

Think the new valley house lift is working like a charm. Tons of traffic on snowball

[cdskier]

I agree Howie. It seemed pretty busy to me too. Even the trails at ME seemed more crowded than usual on a Saturday. The base lodge at ME was packed when I went down there as well to get a new pass after somehow losing mine (someone actually found it as later on when heading up the Summit quad I saw it sitting on the control panel. I expected the clip to be broken but it wasn't so I really have no idea how it came off my jacket).

[steamboat1]

Thought the mtn was surprisingly busy this weekend. Was it me?

Think the new valley house lift is working like a charm. Tons of traffic on snowball

F-lot

Nothing to do with the chair.

[gostan]

Thought the mtn was surprisingly busy this weekend. Was it me?

Think the new valley house lift is working like a charm. Tons of traffic on snowball Saturday was extremely crowded. But I found that surprisingly the crowds Dissipated on Sundqy.

[Dblshot]

What is the snowmaking plan after the thaw? Full capacity on re-surfacing 24 hours a day or just nights?

[cdskier]

Saturday was extremely crowded. But I found that surprisingly the crowds Dissipated on Sundqy.

Maybe a lot of daytrippers? My condo complex parking lot was less crowded this weekend vs last weekend.

[winjr]

Thought the mtn was surprisingly busy this weekend. Was it me?

Think the new valley house lift is working like a charm. Tons of traffic on snowball

Yes, Saturday saw around 7,600 visits and Sunday just over 6,000. Those are very strong numbers for a non-Holiday. The new lift is doing just what we hoped for.

[southvillager]

Thought the mtn was surprisingly busy this weekend. Was it me?

Think the new valley house lift is working like a charm. Tons of traffic on snowball

Agreed. A lot of skiers on that side. Moonshine, Twist, Eden, the Mall, etc were "thin cover" to the extreme, so they were almost empty. Stein's was unpleasant ice-whales. So everyone was crowded onto the groomed snowmaking trails. When the natural trails improve, things should spread out. Even with the heavy traffic, most of Spring Fling was in decent shape into the afternoon on Saturday. Unfortunately it was a crusty hardpack skied-off side-skidding groomer track mess below Springroad. As was the section of Racers Edge just above the NASTAR course. Quite a shocker for the uninitiated.

The crowds looked big. But I never waited more than 3 or 4 minutes for a ride up. The new lift is a yuge improvement.

[phin]

Skiing Stein's this past Saturday was probably the most difficult run I've taken this entire season. Downhill ice skating at it's finest.

[Dblshot]

There were a few times we looked up Fling and it looked like Downspout, escpecially below Spring Road since Racer's Edge is closed for Nastar. Skied great on Sunday with hero snow

[HowieT2]

Skiing Stein's this past Saturday was probably the most difficult run I've taken this entire season. Downhill ice skating at it's finest.

it hadnt been groomed, right?

[Hawk]

Nope. Not groomed. if you stayed on the far right edge it wasn't that bad but the middle was pretty slick. Hey they blow it wet. What do you want. :-)

[HowieT2]

Nope. Not groomed. if you stayed on the far right edge it wasn't that bad but the middle was pretty slick. Hey they blow it wet. What do you want. :-)

I assume they left it ungroomed because of the forecast and rain tomorrow. but it wasnt blown wet. the weekend before it was dry and silky snow.

[Chewbarka]

Skiing Stein's this past Sunday was probably the most fun I've had on the mountain this entire season. A downhill terrain park at it's finest. Absolutely edgeable soft snow every square inch of the trail. What a blast! Must have down 5 or 6 top to bottoms in a row because I just could not stop myself. Did not ski it Saturday.

Skiing Stein's this past Saturday was probably the most difficult run I've taken this entire season. Downhill ice skating at it's finest.

[Benski]

There were a few times we looked up Fling and it looked like Downspout, escpecially below Spring Road since Racer's Edge is closed for Nastar. Skied great on Sunday with hero snow

You are making me question weather the lift was an upgrade. Maybe the race course should be on slowpoke. I don't think that trail gets much use anyway. I would just be worried about people zooming down pushover to get to it.

[Dblshot]

It was an upgrade from the standpoint you can get out of the base area faster between that and Bravo. It has made that section of the mountain much more crowded which is a negative for me. That is one of my favorite areas on the hill. I do like the new lift though.


You are making me question weather the lift was an upgrade. Maybe the race course should be on slowpoke. I don't think that trail gets much use anyway. I would just be worried about people zooming down pushover to get to it.

[mountainsider]

I think the new lift is an upgrade across the board. Shorter lines and no more long flat traverse with a narrow, dangerous, icy intersection at the end. Spring fling has always been crowded when natural snow is scarce.


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[nhskier1969]

Skiing Stein's this past Sunday was probably the most fun I've had on the mountain this entire season. A downhill terrain park at it's finest. Absolutely edgeable soft snow every square inch of the trail. What a blast! Must have down 5 or 6 top to bottoms in a row because I just could not stop myself. Did not ski it Saturday.

Stein's was a lot of fun on Sunday. My kids and I were skiing the steep whales down the middle. My family and I were fortunate to come up on Friday and ski LP on Friday, ME on Saturday and then back to LP on Sunday. No crowds lots of fun.

[ducky]

Steins was fantastic on Monday. Mt Ellen survived the thaw and freeze from last night and the groomers skied very well today. Elbow amazing.

[Hawk]

See Howie. This is exactly what I am talking about with this whole perception thing. The skiing was good last weekend and the weekend before don't get me wrong but if you are telling me that the snowmaking as dry and silky then you need to sample other places to understand what that actually is. Because I skied all of the snowmaking trails under the guns all day long. Steins, Birch, Sunrise, all of them and that was not dry silky snow under most of the guns. I actually did the snow makers test. You hold out your arm and if the snow falling from the gun sticks to your jacket it is too wet. if it bounces off them the guns are dry. There is no way you can tell me that the snow was bouncing off. Also how do you explain the absolute bomb proof nature of the snow mounds the day after they turned off the guns. Dry snow has a Styrofoam carve-able texture. That was not. I still say thy are running the air too low. Air is what makes the snow lighter and dryer.


I assume they left it ungroomed because of the forecast and rain tomorrow. but it wasnt blown wet. the weekend before it was dry and silky snow.

[nhskier1969]

See Howie. This is exactly what I am talking about with this whole perception thing. The skiing was good last weekend and the weekend before don't get me wrong but if you are telling me that the snowmaking as dry and silky then you need to sample other places to understand what that actually is. Because I skied all of the snowmaking trails under the guns all day long. Steins, Birch, Sunrise, all of them and that was not dry silky snow under most of the guns. I actually did the snow makers test. You hold out your arm and if the snow falling from the gun sticks to your jacket it is too wet. if it bounces off them the guns are dry. There is no way you can tell me that the snow was bouncing off. Also how do you explain the absolute bomb proof nature of the snow mounds the day after they turned off the guns. Dry snow has a Styrofoam carve-able texture. That was not. I still say thy are running the air too low. Air is what makes the snow lighter and dryer.


On MLK weekend, Stiens was blowing brown snow when you were looking up from the chair.

[pinnoke]

Perception is the key, indeed. And, conditions on different areas and exposures of the mountain change continuously. Though I stayed away on Monday, I later heard some of the same fantastic comments about Stein's...only a day or two away from the "downhill skating rink" description...and I'll bet both are accurate! Changing temps have a huge impact, as I don't need to explain. Yes, Ducky, ME skied really nicely on Tuesday (groomers only). However, I, for one, wouldn't go so far as tagging Elbow as "amazing". I like to reserve that, and "epic", for conditions that deserve the full blown fanfare. It was good, for sure. I'm spoiled, though, having just returned from four "epic" days of Utah sun and pow. :lol:

[HowieT2]

See Howie. This is exactly what I am talking about with this whole perception thing. The skiing was good last weekend and the weekend before don't get me wrong but if you are telling me that the snowmaking as dry and silky then you need to sample other places to understand what that actually is. Because I skied all of the snowmaking trails under the guns all day long. Steins, Birch, Sunrise, all of them and that was not dry silky snow under most of the guns. I actually did the snow makers test. You hold out your arm and if the snow falling from the gun sticks to your jacket it is too wet. if it bounces off them the guns are dry. There is no way you can tell me that the snow was bouncing off. Also how do you explain the absolute bomb proof nature of the snow mounds the day after they turned off the guns. Dry snow has a Styrofoam carve-able texture. That was not. I still say thy are running the air too low. Air is what makes the snow lighter and dryer.

I dont know. the weekend before last when the guns were on steins, I avoided it on saturday morning because I hate skiing under wet guns. then at lunch someone told me that the guns were in fact dry and so I skied it in the afternoon and it was dry. no sticking to the goggles or shell. the snow was dry. did laps on it sunday and it was the same thing, dry silky snow on the trail and 'nothing sticky.
now if you're talking about birch, that was a different story. up top there was a gun blowing wet. But when I was on steins, it was dry.

[HowieT2]

Perception is the key, indeed. And, conditions on different areas and exposures of the mountain change continuously. Though I stayed away on Monday, I later heard some of the same fantastic comments about Stein's...only a day or two away from the "downhill skating rink" description...and I'll bet both are accurate! Changing temps have a huge impact, as I don't need to explain. Yes, Ducky, ME skied really nicely on Tuesday (groomers only). However, I, for one, wouldn't go so far as tagging Elbow as "amazing". I like to reserve that, and "epic", for conditions that deserve the full blown fanfare. It was good, for sure. I'm spoiled, though, having just returned from four "epic" days of Utah sun and pow. :lol:

hope you brought us back some powder. I'm actually optimistic that once we get past todays disaster, we get some real storms. not confident, but optimistic.

[Dblshot]

Tang- just dirty water from the pipes. Stein's was dry, it depended where you skied and where you did your sleeve test. On top of the piles was wetter becuase less fall time for the crystal. By the hydrants unded the tower arm was much drier. Only one had some stick to it. I do agree they blow snow much wetter now in general- production snow we used to call it. I was pleasantly surprised by Steins that day.

One thing I have been wondering the past few weeks is the new guns and how they keep maxing out the system on water. Could they run more guns if they used some of the older less efficient ones so they used more air and spread the water to more guns?

[nhskier1969]

Tang- just dirty water from the pipes. Stein's was dry, it depended where you skied and where you did your sleeve test. On top of the piles was wetter becuase less fall time for the crystal. By the hydrants unded the tower arm was much drier. Only one had some stick to it. I do agree they blow snow much wetter now in general- production snow we used to call it. I was pleasantly surprised by Steins that day.

One thing I have been wondering the past few weeks is the new guns and how they keep maxing out the system on water. Could they run more guns if they used some of the older less efficient ones so they used more air and spread the water to more guns?

I have to say what everyone is thinking, this stinks. The weather I am talking about. This past weekend was the best weekend on the mountain. Now everything is going to turned into packed ice. So that being said does anyone know what the plan is for snowmaking? I know there isn't an endless budget for snowmaking and the holiday time ate a lot of that budget up. So is SB planning on just resurfacing the high traffic areas? or are they going to slowly hit all the snowmaking trails and have it blend in to the existing base?
What ever the case, Win and his staff have done a great job this season with all the curveballs mother nature has thrown at them.

[Ride Delaware ?]

Dblshot, my understanding is that they would gain nothing out of switching to the older guns. Very simply put, the old guns and the new guns use the same amount of water. I know it doesn't seem this way, but after I checked with people in the industry, that is the consensus. So, they can either max air and run X guns with the old ones, or max water and run 2X guns with the new ones. Running more guns means covering more ground. Air is considered a waste in the snowmaking industry since there is no product to show for it. Water is created into snow and air just goes back into the atmosphere/environment. They would rather max on water because it translates into something, then max air and watch it just disappear. When an old Ratnik/SR-7 uses 200 + cfm of air and the new guns use 5 cfm, that's a lot more guns helping to max water.

[djd66]

Dblshot, my understanding is that they would gain nothing out of switching to the older guns. Very simply put, the old guns and the new guns use the same amount of water. I know it doesn't seem this way, but after I checked with people in the industry, that is the consensus. So, they can either max air and run X guns with the old ones, or max water and run 2X guns with the new ones. Running more guns means covering more ground. Air is considered a waste in the snowmaking industry since there is no product to show for it. Water is created into snow and air just goes back into the atmosphere/environment. They would rather max on water because it translates into something, then max air and watch it just disappear. When an old Ratnik/SR-7 uses 200 + cfm of air and the new guns use 5 cfm, that's a lot more guns helping to max water.

RD - thanks for your explanation. Sounds like you actually know what you are talking about and it's consistent with what Win has been saying. It's amazing that the new technology uses ( based on your numbers) 2.5% air of the old technology. Personally, I love how much quieter the new guns are. I guess all that compressed air made a lot of noise.

[Hawk]

RD the piece that you and others are ignoring is that the air is the key ingredient. The air pressure is what breaks down the water droplets into smaller droplets and also allows the cold air to do the job more efficiently. if you use less air and more water then you get wet snow. It seems to me that the new guns do make a bunch of snow. Maybe more that the old guns because of the amount of water they use. But there is a minimum amount of air that you have to use to get lighter/less wet snow. I do have experience doing this job back in college. I also have long time friends back at my old ski area that run the system at that mountain. This is not a guess. The air water mixture is checked every couple of hours at my old mountain. Now lets see how fast they recover after this thaw.


Dblshot, my understanding is that they would gain nothing out of switching to the older guns. Very simply put, the old guns and the new guns use the same amount of water. I know it doesn't seem this way, but after I checked with people in the industry, that is the consensus. So, they can either max air and run X guns with the old ones, or max water and run 2X guns with the new ones. Running more guns means covering more ground. Air is considered a waste in the snowmaking industry since there is no product to show for it. Water is created into snow and air just goes back into the atmosphere/environment. They would rather max on water because it translates into something, then max air and watch it just disappear. When an old Ratnik/SR-7 uses 200 + cfm of air and the new guns use 5 cfm, that's a lot more guns helping to max water.

[steamboat1]

Temperature also plays an important role in snowmaking. More air is needed to produce snow in higher temperatures so when they make snow in marginal temperatures the system usually maxes out on air. When temperatures are lower they they can send more water through each gun using less air. When making snow in low temperatures the system usually maxes out on water not air. Sending more water through each gun means they can produce more snow using less guns.

[Benski]

Is it true that Cliffs, Organgrinder and Ripcord are closed?

[HowieT2]

RD the piece that you and others are ignoring is that the air is the key ingredient. The air pressure is what breaks down the water droplets into smaller droplets and also allows the cold air to do the job more efficiently. if you use less air and more water then you get wet snow. It seems to me that the new guns do make a bunch of snow. Maybe more that the old guns because of the amount of water they use. But there is a minimum amount of air that you have to use to get lighter/less wet snow. I do have experience doing this job back in college. I also have long time friends back at my old ski area that run the system at that mountain. This is not a guess. The air water mixture is checked every couple of hours at my old mountain. Now lets see how fast they recover after this thaw.

dude, you made snow back in college and that was what, 30 years ago? there's new technology and its not just SB using these new guns so there must be some merit to them. theyre not always going to put out a perfect product and I'd bet back in the day the old guns werent perfect either. bottom line is the mtn did a pretty respectable job of making snow this season compared to its peers. They start off slow because of the inherent water limits at LP, but once mellon opened up, they were on par or better than the neighbors. and that includes killington where it was a fooking disaster for awhile.

[winjr]

No more snowmaking talk from me. I have said all I can. When it snows the subject with change anyways. Hawk, if you ever want to sit down and speak to those to run our snowmaking department, I would be pleased to arrange. You know my email.

So, here's an update from this morning. It rained a lot yesterday although it did start as freezing rain on the upper part of the mountain and the rain was off and on most of the day. The temperatures actually peaked around midnight and then started coming down and will do so all day. Most of the natural trail will need a foot or more to reopen as will Slidebrook. The snowmaking trails, however, have held up reasonably well. I only had a little over an hour to ski today so I only got out on LP. Spring-like buttery conditions on the lower half of the mountain and firmer up high. Tonight we will have an aggressive grooming plan and as the snow sets up they can patch the trails together well. We will be get the guns back on during the night. The exact plan will be decided in a bit at our daily snow plan, but it looks like the priorities at LP will be lower organgrinder, downspout and some other mid-mountain locations. Upper mountain trails at both ME and LP are in good shape and depth for grooming.

Looking at the forecast we do not see any near term warm-ups. A clipper system could deliver some snow Saturday and Sunday and most of the meteorologists are looking at a system that could be meaningful Monday night into Tuesday. Fingers crossed on this one.

[ducky]

To echo Win's report, LP lower mountain skied well - corny snow over hardback. I heard MtE not so much. Gatehouse was the best, though I did hit Upper Jester and it was carvable - Spring Fling also nice enough. People were doing laps on Steins. Frankly, it does not look much worse than a few days ago. We need snow but the hit was not too bad. I came expecting to be one and done but stayed for a couple of hours.

[Hawk]

I would take you up on that Winn but what good would that do. They do the best with what they have and work hard at it. They will not change my opinion and I will not change theirs. Anyway I hear the message. No more snow making talk for the rest of the year from me.

[Hawk]

OK, I'm done. But you are wrong. I know a lot more than you would think. Someday I will show you why. Carry on.

dude, you made snow back in college and that was what, 30 years ago? there's new technology and its not just SB using these new guns so there must be some merit to them. theyre not always going to put out a perfect product and I'd bet back in the day the old guns werent perfect either. bottom line is the mtn did a pretty respectable job of making snow this season compared to its peers. They start off slow because of the inherent water limits at LP, but once mellon opened up, they were on par or better than the neighbors. and that includes killington where it was a fooking disaster for awhile.

[djd66]

I would take you up on that Winn but what good would that do. They do the best with what they have and work hard at it. They will not change my opinion and I will not change theirs. Anyway I hear the message. No more snow making talk for the rest of the year from me.

Hawk - don't be such a schmuck. The owner of the mountain personally invited you to talk with his snowmaking team and you basically tell him his equipment sucks. Enough already. So you worked on a snow making crew 30 years ago,... certainly does not make you an expert on the subject.

[phin]

has anyone checked out mt ellen base camp event being held on saturday nights? how has the turnout been?

[winjr]

Update after snow plan. Temps are coming down slower than expected so probably no snow making tonight. We will use the night to let the groomers do a lot of hard work. Winching Ripcord tonight and probably Sunrise, Organgrinder and possibly Stein's tomorrow if time allows for all of that. There was a break in the electrical line that powers the radio station at the top of Lincoln Peak and it took awhile to actually locate the spot. Since the power line runs up Ripcord the trails was closed. Organgrinder until winched is not skiiable. Cliffs is the same now but hopefully can get that open soon too.

[gostan]

Snowing in metropolitan Boston area with 4-8 inches expected. One of those unruly winters. I will be up tonight to ski this weekend. So far, all season, the conditions and skiing has been bettter than I expected. Hope it keeps up and that the Storm that is forming for Tuesday heads to MRV.

[Hawk]

Thanks for your comments. I will take that under advisement. Carry on.


Hawk - don't be such a schmuck. The owner of the mountain personally invited you to talk with his snowmaking team and you basically tell him his equipment sucks. Enough already. So you worked on a snow making crew 30 years ago,... certainly does not make you an expert on the subject.

[HowieT2]

OK, I'm done. But you are wrong. I know a lot more than you would think. Someday I will show you why. Carry on.

I dont even know what Im wrong about. I do know, that you know a lot more about snow making than I do, so perhaps my ignorance explains why I dont get as bent out of shape about it as you do. I got enough to worry about with this shit crappy weather, that's the real culprit here.

[HowieT2]

Update after snow plan. Temps are coming down slower than expected so probably no snow making tonight. We will use the night to let the groomers do a lot of hard work. Winching Ripcord tonight and probably Sunrise, Organgrinder and possibly Stein's tomorrow if time allows for all of that. There was a break in the electrical line that powers the radio station at the top of Lincoln Peak and it took awhile to actually locate the spot. Since the power line runs up Ripcord the trails was closed. Organgrinder until winched is not skiiable. Cliffs is the same now but hopefully can get that open soon too.

Not an easy business.

[HowieT2]

Snowing in metropolitan Boston area with 4-8 inches expected. One of those unruly winters. I will be up tonight to ski this weekend. So far, all season, the conditions and skiing has been bettter than I expected. Hope it keeps up and that the Storm that is forming for Tuesday heads to MRV.

First time in about 20 years I wont be up for the superbowl. gonna give the body a rest and recharge for what hopefully is a better second half.

[cdskier]

Today's positives: no lift lines and the runs under the guns are quite nice
Today's negatives: sad seeing all the bare natural trails and the trails without active snowmaking are getting skied off very quickly

[winjr]

Today's positives: no lift lines and the runs under the guns are quite nice
Today's negatives: sad seeing all the bare natural trails and the trails without active snowmaking are getting skied off very quickly
You summed it up well. 100% last week and now down to 68 trails tomorrow. Will start to move snowmaking tonight up to Organgrinder because of the forecast tonight, so that trail after being winched last night could be a great first run. Unless you want to do a freshly groomed Stein's.

[cdskier]

Thanks Win. I think I know my first 2 runs tomorrow morning.

[teleo]

Thanks for the tip Win. Just gave me a little incentive to get out tomorrow. And I needed some incentice. So depressing with no snow in the valley in Feb:-(

[steamboat1]

I've seen worse in VT. going into Presidents week. In fact the lack of snow in VT.during Pres. week is what first got me up to Quebec City many moons ago. Don't know if it's the same this year but that year QC was buried, I mean buried, VT. brown.

[HowieT2]

I've seen worse in VT. going into Presidents week. In fact the lack of snow in VT.during Pres. week is what first got me up to Quebec City many moons ago. Don't know if it's the same this year but that year QC was buried, I mean buried, VT. brown.

That's how I feel. Not that this is good, it's inarguably awful, but there have been a few seasons in recent memory that have been crappy going in to presidents week.

[cdskier]

The grooming on steins last night was outstanding. First run down steins was awesome at 8. I skied it again around 9 and it had changed quite a bit by then with everyone skiing it but it was still fun.

The snow being made on upper organ grinder seemed much wetter and stickier than the snow being made yesterday on downspout and lower organ grinder. Maybe temps were better yesterday.

All in all a good day this morning.

[nhskier1969]

It seemed the snow that the marketing department had shipped from out west at the Beginning of January did the trick, but we need more help. Maybe they can fly the yeti spotted in Spain over in February to get it to snow again. The picture looks like paradise.
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[Benski]

Looking at the snow report i don't see any snow being made at Mt Ellen. Is the mountain done making snow at Mt Ellen.

[Dblshot]

V
The grooming on steins last night was outstanding. First run down steins was awesome at 8. I skied it again around 9 and it had changed quite a bit by then with everyone skiing it but it was still fun.

The snow being made on upper organ grinder seemed much wetter and stickier than the snow being made yesterday on downspout and lower organ grinder. Maybe temps were better yesterday.

All in all a good day this morning.
The grooming on Steins was nice. Took their time and reshaped the trail.
Did not go to upper grinder under the guns because everyone coming off of it was pasted with wet snow. Too bad.
Lower grinder especially germ chute was a sheet of ice from yesterday's snowmaking. Guns were getting wet as it warmed up and looks like they get to it until too late. Oh well, more base. All things considered not a bad day of skiing.
Think Snow!!!

[Hawk]

Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!!!! Everybody. Hope all you guys up there today have a drink with Shawn today.

[HowieT2]

Laissez les bon temps rouler!!!!!! Everybody. Hope all you guys up there today have a drink with Shawn today.

what?

[Benski]

what?

I think he already had a few drinks with Shawn.

[BarkingDog]

I think he already had a few drinks with Shawn.

He should, it's Fat Tuesday!

[Hawk]

what?
Just do a translation........

it is what they say in NOLA during Mardi Gras. It means Let the good times role. Sorry I jjust came from there and I guess I am in the spirit.

[djd66]

Just do a translation........

it is what they say in NOLA during Mardi Gras. It means Let the good times role. Sorry I jjust came from there and I guess I am in the spirit.

And I thought you may have hit your head on the darn shelf in the men's room ������

[Hawk]

Funny you should say that. I saw a kid nearly knock himself out on that shelf just two weeks ago. He even cut himself on his forehead.


And I thought you may have hit your head on the darn shelf in the men's room ������

[ducky]

Very good skiing on the groomers today.

[wolftracks56]

Upslope squall could drop 2-5 "

Cm :)
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[wolftracks56]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/02/10/31fb2e676f7e8fc5b76cd9455c07fb88.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[djd66]

Upslope squall could drop 2-5 "

Cm :)
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Looks good on the webcam! Anything to even cover up the brown spots.

[wolftracks56]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/02/11/7b38308f784550e7235dede1bb572224.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/02/11/ebc5f61cff7610fddff388f1cb9966d5.jpg 3-6" for sure more up high


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[nhskier1969]

The snow miser paid a visit to SB last night
305

[HowieT2]

Hawk-you skiing tomorrow? I'm driving up tonight.

[ducky]

Today day 44, usually over 60 by now. Best day of the year for sure. Still have to watch out for obstacles - be careful. 8-9" and still dumping hard. Cold.

[cdskier]

Figures it would start snowing again right before the weekend I'm not going up.

[Hawk]

Not tomorrow. Saturday. Work is killing me.

Hawk-you skiing tomorrow? I'm driving up tonight.

[Hawk]

Ducky, you ski waaaaay to much. I think the rest was good for you. ;-)

Today day 44, usually over 60 by now. Best day of the year for sure. Still have to watch out for obstacles - be careful. 8-9" and still dumping hard. Cold.

[shadyjay]

A couple points as we head into the President's week holiday period:

They dropped the ropes on pretty much everything over at Mt Ellen (except Black Diamond) and a couple natural snow trails over on LP. I will say this, though: the snow that has fallen in the past 24 hours is very light and fluffy. Its not enough to cover a lot of the bare spots. As tempting as some trails may look, those that are closed are closed for a reason. Just three days ago, they were bare ground. I had to chuckle a little bit to myself when I saw a boarder come out of Egan's Woods on Wednesday and onto Lower Birdland. Those trails where the ropes have dropped will get skied off pretty quickly. Skier's left of Hot Shot was bare ground the other day and by the end of today, some bare was already showing.

It's going to be COLD this weekend. Highs Sat and Sun probably won't get above 0 and we're already under a Wind Chill Watch. I overhead some people say today was really cold. Today will feel like a heat wave compared to what's being forecasted for temps over the next couple of days. Be safe, take breaks, and look out for each other.

Slide Brook probably won't run this weekend, even if there was enough natural snow in the basin for the evac roads. Temps will keep it from spinning as it has to be I believe at least 5 deg. Stay warm, take the bus.


Enjoy the snow and the mtn, be safe, and have a great weekend!

[djd66]

funny thing is shady - the weather we will have this weekend, is pretty much the weather we had all winter last year. Lets hope this cold keeps up - I'll take cold over rain any day!

[Benski]

Skier's left of Hot Shot was bare ground the other day and by the end of today, some bare was already showing.


I have not been up in a while. are the snowmaking trails thin? I am getting worried ski season will end in mid march this year.

[shadyjay]

I have not been up in a while. are the snowmaking trails thin? I am getting worried ski season will end in mid march this year.

Most trails on the mtn took quite the beating from last week's warmup/NCP event. That's why snowmaking is pretty much back in earnest at least for the next few days. A TON of snow was made on Downspout and now they're going back to Birdland, Murphy's, Stein's, Spring Fling, and Racer's. Murphy's has taken a hard hit. It was quite thin - that's the reason it's been out of the grooming plan for so long. Birdland is thin too. Over at Mt Ellen, the condition of trails after the thaw was "rugged". The mood today on the mtn was probably as optimistic as its been since sometime around MLK weekend. Amazing what some snow and a surprise pow-day can do to uplift the spirits. A lot more spirits would be uplifted if the forecasted temps for the wknd were about 20 deg warmer. That would put us at about +20 deg F and that would be just fine.

As far as how long the season will last, it depends on numerous variables, among them, the temps for the next 1-2 months, weather patterns/storms (snow or NCP), etc. Let's hope for more normal temps and some significant dumps, like a more dense snow, followed by a nice refresh like what fell today. I'd still like a chance to ride Castlerock this year.

[winjr]

Yesterday reminded me of why I own a Ski Resort. Best day of the year and it kept snowing all day. Shadyjay gave an accurate description of our plan. We are now focused on the spring trails and the goal as always is to try to ski at LP everyday through Sunday April 24th and reopen for a final weekend if possible with an end on Sunday May 1st. The depth on our snowmaking trails is very good. The area on skier right of lower Hot Shot is always difficult because the lift is so close and you don't want guns freezing it up.

More natural trails at LP will be opening today as patrol checks them.

Cold this weekend but the proper layers will allow for some great skiing and riding. Next Tuesday we are likely to see snow and some mix and possible some rain again but it turns colder fast so I think this will be a net gainer. Keep your fingers crossed.

[winjr]

Update from snow plan. We will be 100% open tomorrow with 14 lifts. We are going to open CR for hiking only since it is still thin but can handle hiking traffic. It will be too cold to run SB on Saturday and Sunday but we are grooming out the roads tomorrow to be prepared when the temps change. Making snow on Murphy's this afternoon and tonight and also Stein's and lower Spring Fling. After that we will get the rest of Snowball and Spring Fling and Coffee Run to prepare for spring skiing and then we are likely done. Early tomorrow will be best as temps fall through the day. We will still have torch light and fireworks tomorrow, though.

[wolftracks56]

Today was the best sunny day of the season for me ripcord was sweet http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/02/12/78b667f578c43f1c0950bcc20cdacad7.jpg


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[nhskier1969]

Update from snow plan. We will be 100% open tomorrow with 14 lifts. We are going to open CR for hiking only since it is still thin but can handle hiking traffic. It will be too cold to run SB on Saturday and Sunday but we are grooming out the roads tomorrow to be prepared when the temps change. Making snow on Murphy's this afternoon and tonight and also Stein's and lower Spring Fling. After that we will get the rest of Snowball and Spring Fling and Coffee Run to prepare for spring skiing and then we are likely done. Early tomorrow will be best as temps fall through the day. We will still have torch light and fireworks tomorrow, though.

Get last couple of days. Wanted to share a couple of photos
306
306
307

[HowieT2]

Yeah, spectacular. The groomers were a little slice of heaven. Ripcord, birch run, snow ball all just about perfect. No base on natural snow trails but plenty of powder. Paradise was bare under the light powder. Og was great. Best day of the season.

[Hawk]

C-C-C-C-Cold-ass out there today. Started the day at 6 and it has slowly dropped to -7 at the base right now. Wind picked up at around noon and made it feel even colder. Pretty good conditions up top. There is absolutely no snow under the 6 or so inches of fluff from about mid mountain down. Be careful out there.

[tedwillie]

C-C-C-C-Cold-ass out there today. Started the day at 6 and it has slowly dropped to -7 at the base right now. Wind picked up at around noon and made it feel even colder. Pretty good conditions up top. There is absolutely no snow under the 6 or so inches of fluff from about mid mountain down. Be careful out there.

6" from mid-mountain down? The report says 19" in the past 72 hours at mid-mountain Could it really settle that fast?

I skied before the big dump, and I thought it was pretty good all things considered. Must be pretty epic with two feet of new snow in the past few days.

[tedwillie]

Update from snow plan. We will be 100% open tomorrow with 14 lifts. We are going to open CR for hiking only since it is still thin but can handle hiking traffic. It will be too cold to run SB on Saturday and Sunday but we are grooming out the roads tomorrow to be prepared when the temps change. Making snow on Murphy's this afternoon and tonight and also Stein's and lower Spring Fling. After that we will get the rest of Snowball and Spring Fling and Coffee Run to prepare for spring skiing and then we are likely done. Early tomorrow will be best as temps fall through the day. We will still have torch light and fireworks tomorrow, though.

Win a quick question. Why does the snowmaking team take mid-week days off and then blow snow all weekend? I noticed that pattern the past couple weeks. I usually read every snow report in New England because I'm obsessed like that, but a lot of the other major ski areas are saying they shut the guns off this weekend so people don't have to ski thorugh the guns. Killington makes mention of it, so does Stowe and Mount Snow. That seems like a very good plan given weekend traffic vs. midweek traffic.

I know the snow report says it is so we can be skiing into April and even May, but can't you do that mid-week? It just seems like once you don't HAVE TO make snow you should go to midweek snowwmaking.

[Hawk]

It has been pretty windy. it could have blown around. Hey I am just reporting what I ran into down low in the woods. Nearly killed myself

[shadyjay]

Why does the snowmaking team take mid-week days off and then blow snow all weekend?

You've got to make the snow when you can. Given most of the snowmakers have moved on to other on-mountain ventures (myself included), we're down to one night crew and one day crew. They were on for about 5 or 6 nights/days in a row so they needed a couple days off. Temps earlier this week allowed that. Now one final push before the temps give out again come Tuesday. The timing may be off but its not like we're looking at a 9k/day weekend.

As I write this, it's -14 at the base and -20 at mid/bot Heaven's Gate. Stop and say thanks to a snowmaker if ya see them. Temps like this were a constant for about a month straight last winter!