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Hardbooter
12-10-2008, 10:45 PM
That's the best picture of the lift line that they cut above inverness that I've seen. I don't think they ever installed a lift or cut any trails. I want them to recut that and stick a surface lift there. I'd be happy with glades and woods up there and no trails. That would be a hell of thing to advertise to the woods skiers of new england. The skiable acres off of that would be huge.

You can see from that photo that we would want a right hand and left hand traverse from the top and probably a traverse out of the stream gully that is on the middle right of the photo that would bring skiers back to the base.

Strat
12-10-2008, 10:54 PM
That's the best picture of the lift line that they cut above inverness that I've seen. I don't think they ever installed a lift or cut any trails. I want them to recut that and stick a surface lift there. I'd be happy with glades and woods up there and no trails. That would be a hell of thing to advertise to the woods skiers of new england. The skiable acres off of that would be huge.

You can see from that photo that we would want a right hand and left hand traverse from the top and probably a traverse out of the stream gully that is on the middle right of the photo that would bring skiers back to the base.
Ask Tin Woodsman about that, haha...

Lostone
12-11-2008, 07:03 AM
If I am correct, what you are thinking of as the Inverness area is really an undeveloped North Ridge area, and the trail is what we now know as Exterminator.

jwt
12-11-2008, 07:47 AM
Lost - think HB is not reffering to Exterm, but way over to the lookers right in top picture - above Inverness. There , facing more South than Castlerock though, is a thin white line - must be Glen Ellen days, was a cut that almost reached ridgeline - or maybe it did - and almost connents with MRG.

South-facing would be a problem if it wasn't just gladed. It is pretty high - maybe 3500'+ though, and it would get the prevailing spin from the WNW snow spinning of the lake. Someone on here has skied that more than once.

freeheel_skier
12-11-2008, 08:17 AM
If I am correct, what you are thinking of as the Inverness area is really an undeveloped North Ridge area, and the trail is what we now know as Exterminator.

If I look @ the 1st pic the trail to the viewers right isn't exterminator or NRE area. :? It's above inverness.


edit: JWT beat me to the punch :oops:

Hardbooter
12-11-2008, 09:01 AM
That trail isn't as south facing as it looks in that photo. It's visible on some arial photos (I think it's in terra server or maybe google maps.) It actually goes all the way back to the long trail over near 20th hole in MRG. The one downside is that, if you look at the contour lines, there is a lot of flatness up there. A lot of it is at about the same pitch as the runout at the base of Mt. Ellen. That's why you would want left and right traverses towards areas with more pitch.

Tin Woodsman
12-11-2008, 09:46 AM
That trail isn't as south facing as it looks in that photo. It's visible on some arial photos (I think it's in terra server or maybe google maps.) It actually goes all the way back to the long trail over near 20th hole in MRG. The one downside is that, if you look at the contour lines, there is a lot of flatness up there. A lot of it is at about the same pitch as the runout at the base of Mt. Ellen. That's why you would want left and right traverses towards areas with more pitch.

1) It faces almost due SE and is very much analogous in aspect and elevation range to North Lynx.

2) I disagree pretty strongly with the characterization of its pitch, or lack thereof. The top 500-600' vertical appear roughly consistent with the pitch of Cliffs whereas the bottom 400-500' are closer to Cruiser/Lower Exterm/Northstar. I'd liove for the area to be a gladed playground but I suspect that you'd end up with at least 1-2 traditional groomers (in addition to other types of trails/glades) on terrain that's perfectly suited for the purpose and gets nice late day sun.

summitchallenger
12-11-2008, 11:02 AM
One odd thing that I've noticed about that abandoned lift line is that the base of the chair is actually on or beyond the first turn in Brambles. It's pretty far from the top of inverness and I presume it's lower by a bit. As it stands now, skiers have to skate uphill to get into brambles from the top of Inverness chair. I presume that they had planned to widen the entrance of brambles so that intermediate skiers could ski down to the new chair.
I wonder if anyone who works for the mountain remembers why that lift line was cut and never developed. I know that Sugarbush owns almost all of the land. Still, it would be very difficult and expensive to develop since it would requires years of permits, environmental reviews and piles of cash for a new chair and cutting and so on. It's definitely in the pipe dream category. It's a pleasant pipe dream though.

Reason I have heard consistently as to why it did not come to fruition was that at some point the liftline crossed into an abutting landowner's parcel and the work was done prior to that knowledge. So they were trespassing onto someone's land.

quadburn
12-11-2008, 11:22 AM
I think I mentioned on a previous thread that understandbly the abandoned liftline above Inverness beckoned me and I skied it back in 1973 by buying a single ride ticket on the MRG single chair and hiking south on the Long Trail about a 1/4 mile. It was already full of young trees but I will confirm that the pitch was comparable to the trails on the North Lynx pod.

summitchallenger
12-11-2008, 11:43 AM
...and FWIW I believe Win has dropped some hints in here that there is at least "talk" about one day maybe reclaiming that area for development. If, and it is a big if, that were to happen, I believe that there would be more energy at Mount Ellen than there currently is.

Strat
12-11-2008, 11:45 AM
http://forums.skimrv.com/viewtopic.php?p=17607&highlight=#17607

It's funny how we always end up coming back to a few topics on this board... the (lack of) webcam, the above Inverness expansion, and not enough snowmaking...

freeheel_skier
12-11-2008, 11:56 AM
http://forums.skimrv.com/viewtopic.php?p=17607&highlight=#17607

It's funny how we always end up coming back to a few topics on this board... the (lack of) webcam, the above Inverness expansion, and not enough snowmaking...

Yup :wink:

Tin Woodsman
12-11-2008, 12:10 PM
Oops. While I was splitting this topic, Hardbooter made his post. I will copy/paste it into this thread so we can keep the original thread on topic.


One odd thing that I've noticed about that abandoned lift line is that the base of the chair is actually on or beyond the first turn in Brambles. It's pretty far from the top of inverness and I presume it's lower by a bit. As it stands now, skiers have to skate uphill to get into brambles from the top of Inverness chair. I presume that they had planned to widen the entrance of brambles so that intermediate skiers could ski down to the new chair.
I wonder if anyone who works for the mountain remembers why that lift line was cut and never developed. I know that Sugarbush owns almost all of the land. Still, it would be very difficult and expensive to develop since it would requires years of permits, environmental reviews and piles of cash for a new chair and cutting and so on. It's definitely in the pipe dream category. It's a pleasant pipe dream though.

vonski
12-11-2008, 12:44 PM
Being just a Mt. Ellen passholder this year, I think there will be some exploration done this year that I have not done in the past as I spent most of my time at South as my son was in Blazers. There has got to be some open lines with a bit of bush wacking on that part of the mountain. Let me know if anyone else is up for exploration and when you want to go. Not into destruction just finding the lines and serenity of the woods.

HowieT2
12-11-2008, 12:55 PM
http://forums.skimrv.com/viewtopic.php?p=17607&highlight=#17607

It's funny how we always end up coming back to a few topics on this board... the (lack of) webcam, the above Inverness expansion, and not enough snowmaking...

you can say that again.

aren't you done with exams by now?

jwt
12-11-2008, 12:55 PM
'It's funny how we always end up coming back to a few topics on this board... the (lack of) webcam, the above Inverness expansion, and not enough snowmaking...'

lack of outdoor fireplaces. . . . . . . . .two of these four issues can be had for short money and no permits! I'd give them all up for the new terrain though. Elevation always trumps snowmaking in my book - never enough up high, and it saves lots of energy too. and Since it's been cooler since '98 we can expect more snow, and cooler temps maybe? Everyone wins, including Win.

HowieT2
12-11-2008, 01:11 PM
Being just a Mt. Ellen passholder this year, I think there will be some exploration done this year that I have not done in the past as I spent most of my time at South as my son was in Blazers. There has got to be some open lines with a bit of bush wacking on that part of the mountain. Let me know if anyone else is up for exploration and when you want to go. Not into destruction just finding the lines and serenity of the woods.

I'm in. just tell me where/when

Strat
12-11-2008, 01:13 PM
http://forums.skimrv.com/viewtopic.php?p=17607&highlight=#17607

It's funny how we always end up coming back to a few topics on this board... the (lack of) webcam, the above Inverness expansion, and not enough snowmaking...

you can say that again.

aren't you done with exams by now?
No, the first one is today actually, I have four (GAH!) and I don't get to go home until next Wednesday (as my signature at the end of each post explains)... I'm deep in American Government right now..

Jwt: Cooler since '98? Says who?

vonski
12-11-2008, 08:54 PM
[I'm in. just tell me where/when[/quote]

As soon as we can. I would think that one would want some good snow pack first. But don't want to miss any opportunities thinking it will be better either. I try to come up every weekend!

random_ski_guy
12-11-2008, 09:15 PM
http://forums.skimrv.com/viewtopic.php?p=17607&highlight=#17607

It's funny how we always end up coming back to a few topics on this board... the (lack of) webcam, the above Inverness expansion, and not enough snowmaking...

well, we are a focused and determined bunch.

jwt
12-11-2008, 10:22 PM
Strat,

here's just one: http://www.factsandarts.com/articles/no-significant-global-warming-since-1995/

and a better one for future snow depth!: http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-blog/global_cooling_is_here_evidence_for_predicting_glo bal_cooling_for_the_next_

PM if you want more.

random_ski_guy
12-11-2008, 10:40 PM
Strat,

here's just one: http://www.factsandarts.com/articles/no-significant-global-warming-since-1995/

and a better one for future snow depth!: http://icecap.us/index.php/go/joes-blog/global_cooling_is_here_evidence_for_predicting_glo bal_cooling_for_the_next_

PM if you want more.

Interesting stuff. thanks.

Tin Woodsman
12-11-2008, 11:38 PM
Thanks for keeping this stuff backchannel, gents. If people want to talk about global warming, taking it to the Misc Forum.

mattlucas
12-14-2008, 06:31 PM
where did the pictures go?

Lostone
12-14-2008, 08:09 PM
This thread was split out from another. The pix stayed with the old thread, here. (http://forums.skimrv.com/viewtopic.php?p=19038#19038)

The Future of SB's Classic Gladed Trails

Yard Sale
12-14-2008, 11:20 PM
http://forums.skimrv.com/viewtopic.php?p=17607&highlight=#17607

It's funny how we always end up coming back to a few topics on this board... the (lack of) webcam, the above Inverness expansion, and not enough snowmaking...

I have a new old one for ya. A clock. A big one. Right over the mountainside entrance to Gate House

HowieT2
12-15-2008, 07:22 AM
http://forums.skimrv.com/viewtopic.php?p=17607&highlight=#17607

It's funny how we always end up coming back to a few topics on this board... the (lack of) webcam, the above Inverness expansion, and not enough snowmaking...

I have a new old one for ya. A clock. A big one. Right over the mountainside entrance to Gate House

Second that.

Until they come out with goggles that have a heads up display, large clocks should be required by law.

vonski
12-15-2008, 07:31 AM
Third that, When the lodge first opened there were no clocks even inside.

Hardbooter
12-15-2008, 08:52 AM
There used to be a clock tower that you could see from all sides.

boze
12-15-2008, 12:53 PM
There used to be a clock tower that you could see from all sides.

I miss that clock tower...but it would remove one common 'excuse' as to my tardiness due to extended playtime on the mtn

John Walden
12-15-2008, 04:48 PM
Everyone n my group misses the clock tower. Bring a clock back somewhere at the base area. Don't tell me that's the new fire pit? Poor excuse for one if I say so.

freeheel_skier
12-15-2008, 06:11 PM
Better than what was there before....nothing :wink:

jwt
12-16-2008, 09:41 PM
If the fire is big and hot, not many will be critiquing the ring of stones around it. Fire is fire. It's all good - it's there! This isn't Dear Valley thank the Lord.