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View Full Version : Saturday Powder Jackpot Report (1/3/09) Pics Included.



summitchallenger
01-06-2009, 08:08 PM
Date skied: January 3, 2009

Resort: Sugarbush—Lincoln Peak

Conditions: 6-8 inches of powder and chowder!

Weather: Snow giving way to bluebird skies, temps rising into the mid to upper teens.

2008-2009 Report #: 12

Report: The last few reports have been photo-less, well, that was because it was too cold and windy and the conditions were nothing really to write home about. Today was different. The game plan was to get to Lincoln Peak early for a few hours of quick skiing before it got skied off. I had to go early because of other plans. I awoke in Burlington to find a half-inch of snow on the car and the roads....certainly what was forecast. The Snow Report suggested maybe three inches...but that was at 6:00am. I got on the road...the snow got heavier, and heavier. The roads were slow but I made it in good time and got a great spot in the lot.

I got on the lift at 8:20 and found snow, snow, snow. A few locals were up...but other than that, there was no line. The top of Bravo was quite windy. I stepped off and hit Birdland to find some chowder and good snow. 6-8 inches with deeper drifts in places. It was great. It always amazes me how fast Bravo side gets skied out.....

By now it was getting on to about 8:40 or so. I rode up the lift with some NYC snowboarders who were asking me about the riding and about the mountain. When asked when Heaven's Gate opened, and if it would be good, I pled the fifth, and then made a bee-line for Heaven's Gate to get my seat for first tracks. I got in the long line:

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227437_4352.jpg

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227438_4691.jpg

I could see that the mountain looked great. Ripcord and Organgrinder had been groomed out the night before, or they were de-iced before the snow came. So I resolved to hit Ripcord unless it was really bad. Riding up the lift, I had no doubt...in minutes I was on it and getting nice shots...the snow flew up your legs. Powder Day #4 baby!

It tasted great, extra good after the bad weather as of late! So it was obviously the run of the day and worth three runs. There was some ice underneath, but overall it was edgeable and the headwall skied well. Lower Ripcord was awesome...some folks were hitting other parts of the mountain and leaving that for the taking.

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227439_5010.jpg

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227441_5669.jpg

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227443_6318.jpg

After two spins, I decided to try out Organgrinder since Ripcord was eyecandy for many and it was getting busy. I'd heard that Organgrinder was nice and still had some good snow. By and large it did...but the ice underneath was slicker than Ripcord and the trail did not ski as well.

Next run was Jester to Spillsville cutoff to Ripcord. Still skiing nicely!

So I'd been out skiing for almost two hours straight by this point and took a break before aiming for other terrain. Figuring that the crowds would be heading to Heaven's Gate, and they were, I headed for the snowmaking runs that many would overlook.

Murphy's Glade is getting better, but compared to the real thing there was no comparison.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227444_6654.jpg

I set my sites on Stein's and took Valley House up...but the Blazers were standing en masse at the top and I decided to divert and make another approach. I did Snowball, Upper and Lower. Upper Snowball was quite thin :blink: and not so great. Lower was nice...and the sun was coming out...making it almost the start of another day weatherwise.....

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227446_7366.jpg

summitchallenger
01-06-2009, 08:09 PM
...I decided to make another try at Stein's and found huge bumps on the top and nice snowmaking on the rest of it. Note that there is still some white ice in the middle and thinner cover on the sides of the run. It skied well...that trail seems steeper than I remember!

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227481_5707.jpg

It was now about 11:15 or so and I was getting tired, so I was seeking some mellower terrain. I found it on Gatehouse...complete with sunnier skies and great views. The terrain over there was a bit slicker...but there was snow on the sides. Sleeper was fun and the sun was nice. Hot Shot/Waterfall was decent...the dreaded Waterfall had a nice drift on skier's right for the taking, but Lower Hot Shot was really slick. It was entertaining for an hour or so and using the singles line (which looked like a slalom course) meant many runs.

View of Stein's from Sleeper:

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227482_5949.jpg

Lincoln Peak:

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227483_6347.jpg

Heed the advice...I saved Waterfall after warming up on Ripcord, Organgrinder, and Stein's...it is intense! :wink:

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227484_6595.jpg

Blue skies came out right before noon time. I called it quits at about 1pm and headed back to Burlington. It was one hell of a morning....Sugarbush was the place to be for pow Saturday morning!

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1975/35/104/744459666/n744459666_1227485_6831.jpg

freeheel_skier
01-06-2009, 09:23 PM
Thanks for the TR. Nice Pics too! I need to make an effort to some TR's this season.

HowieT2
01-06-2009, 09:25 PM
Trip report? that was more like a novel. Bravo.