Re: Best Winters at SB

[HowieT2]

My personal experience is limited to the last 4 winters, of which I would say that '06/'07 was the best because of the huge storms and copious amounts of powder.
Interested in hearing those with a more extensive history to compare.

[Strat]

March 2001 was epic, though I really wasn't old enough/experienced enough to appreciate it yet. I know there are pictures, who's got 'em?

[jwt]

Best Winters - a difficult call. '01 was epic but so were Dec '08 and most of 07-08- mainly March 15-18th. Then there were the storms in '94 that I'll never forget - but my point is actually, one has to get out there often to hit these epic events. If one comes up 4-5 times a year, or as the general skiing public average something pitiful like 3 or 4 ski days a YEAR, there is simply not enough time to truly enjoy great snow.

Even if you hit it just right - you'll not have enough staying power or skiing acumen to really enjoy the snow.
You have to get out there each and every weekend you can, regardless of weather reports - because when they are wrong about a rain/snow line - they are generally VERY wrong.

Imagine playing golf or tennis or surfing 2,3 or 4 times a year. You'll never get much better and the enjoyment factor declines as the more active in those sports surpass you and they may no longer enjoy playing w/you.

My best winter? The NEXT one - it's going to be epic. And hey, once you learn what everyone else doesn't seem to get - if you go even when thing s look bleak - at least half the time you get rewarded big time.

I just keep repeating to myself - 'trees don't move' and ski light and quick as I can.
Thre months til it flies!

[summitchallenger]

By and large, 2006-2007 SUCKED. February 14, 2007 onward was awesome, but there was no season before that.

2007-2008 was stellar. Better than 2000-2001 IMHO. But it is a close call....

[HowieT2]

By and large, 2006-2007 SUCKED. February 14, 2007 onward was awesome, but there was no season before that.

2007-2008 was stellar. Better than 2000-2001 IMHO. But it is a close call....

true but valentines day through may was unbelieavibly great. I thought the last 2 winters were more consistent overall but fewer epic days, which clinches it for me.

[summitchallenger]

By and large, 2006-2007 SUCKED. February 14, 2007 onward was awesome, but there was no season before that.

2007-2008 was stellar. Better than 2000-2001 IMHO. But it is a close call....

true but valentines day through may was unbelieavibly great. I thought the last 2 winters were more consistent overall but fewer epic days, which clinches it for me.

Yes, but did that 3 month period make up for the four months before?

And we had one week (end of Feb/early March) which was EPIC this season I thought. Opening weekend at Ellen was FULL of Pow: http://forums.alpinezone.com/45168-sugarbush-mount-ellen-12-20-08-powder-day-i.html

http://forums.alpinezone.com/45171-sugarbush-mount-ellen-december-21-2008-powder-day-ii.html

Although this season was average I would say....considering that March had NO snow.

[HowieT2]

By and large, 2006-2007 SUCKED. February 14, 2007 onward was awesome, but there was no season before that.

2007-2008 was stellar. Better than 2000-2001 IMHO. But it is a close call....

true but valentines day through may was unbelieavibly great. I thought the last 2 winters were more consistent overall but fewer epic days, which clinches it for me.

Yes, but did that 3 month period make up for the four months before?

And we had one week (end of Feb/early March) which was EPIC this season I thought. Opening weekend at Ellen was FULL of Pow: http://forums.alpinezone.com/45168-sugarbush-mount-ellen-12-20-08-powder-day-i.html

http://forums.alpinezone.com/45171-sugarbush-mount-ellen-december-21-2008-powder-day-ii.html

Although this season was average I would say....considering that March had NO snow.

I am well aware of the epic conditions beginning at the end of presidents week this year. I skied 10 straight days and thought I had malaria after wards I was so tired. but it didn't last that long (March was snowless) and the rest of the season was more consistently good than great.

[summitchallenger]

I agree. I think that the order then for the last four seasons would be:

2007-2008
2006-2007 (well, at least 2/07 on)
2008-2009 (consistent conditions, but bad March)
2005-2006

[Lostone]

I'm amazed y'all remember which year was which. For me it is all a blur of white. :lol:


There was one year that stood out, but I'm not sure which it was '99-2K or 2K-2001, there was so much snow that we made laps down Egans, across Lower Birdland, thru Lower Egans, across Lower Organgrinder, into the woods on the left side, and out onto Lower Jester. Never a fear of hitting anything.

Someplace I have a pic of me standing on Lower Organgrinder, that June. (Maybe late May?) I had a hiking pole on the pile of snow that was left, and it was over my head!

I skied 68 days that year. It was my first time going over 51, which I'd really wanted to do, because 52 = 1 day for every week of the year. (Yes... Even then I needed to get out more. :roll: :lol: ) The next year I could have skied more, but I stopped at 67 because I just didn't want to say that year was better than the previous one, in any way.

[Hawk]

Summitchallenger's list looks right except I'm not sure about 08-09 and 05-06. At least in 05-06 we had some good surprise up-slope events that made for good early morning turns. 08-09 was strange in the fact that up-slope was non-existent except for that one huge storm we had.

I also remember that 04-05 should be considered somewhere in the middle of those other years. That year we had several up slope events that were over a foot. My wife and I skied knee to thigh deep for many days.

I also remember a couple of years in the 90's and 80's that were epic but it's too long ago to give specifics. I am sure some of the old timers could throw out some dates.

[vonski]

My first experience with the Bush was way back in March of 1986. I was on spring break and it was 3rd week of March. I was on long boards of course and did not ski the woods then (taboo). But I remember conditions were crazy good. the snow banks on the access road were super high, and one could walk onto the roof of the Bluetooth via snow bank. I have been hooked since. Although I did not ski every year since then. The Bush has been my favorite since then. Not sure if that was a good year all around or just March snows.

[Yard Sale]

I agree. I think that the order then for the last four seasons would be:

2007-2008
2006-2007 (well, at least 2/07 on)
2008-2009 (consistent conditions, but bad March)
2005-2006

Agreed on all fronts except that while last March was clearly disappointing with no storms to speak of, but I wouldn't call it bad per se. It did provide extended killer spring conditions and the base held up pretty much all overtop to bottom, CR included. Gotta love mid morning crust busting on Liftline, and freekin, sweet late afternoons spent in the sun and the corn with the kiddies. Stuck w/ lemons, well you know.

[noski]

I have a pic I will try and scan and post from March 01. I had a large (outside) dog back then with a fairly large dog house- about 4' high. We brought him into the basement that evening and by morning when we went to put him on his run, the chain was hanging from the run and looked like it disappeared into the snow (I had tossed the end into the doghouse as I always did). The doghouse had totally disappeared in the snow.

[HowieT2]

Back to '01 is the best our collective memory can do? come on.

[vonski]

Hey mine was only one week of the season but it was 86. :lol:

[flakeydog]

let me try to go back in time... (i am now stroking my chin and hearing harp music in the background.....)

1995-6 was a good year, about 12 ft of snow at the stake (mt mansfield) in mid april. I remember skiing mad river all trails, woods, everwhere in late april. Many mountains extended their seasons that year also.

I can think back to one year, I believe it was Jan 1989, we got one of those lingering mountain patterns that basically dropped a foot a day of snow on sugarbush with flurries in the valley. I recall hearing >100" that week. Can't say I recall the details of the rest of the season but that week was amazing.

A great way to take a trip down memory lane is to look at the snow at the stake records year by year.

[Hawk]

Back to '01 is the best our collective memory can do? come on.

[Hawk]

Back to '01 is the best our collective memory can do? come on.
I don't know about you Howie but the 80's were kind of rough on the Brain. :wink: I also didn't have the digital camera to record events and attach it to a time frame like now. Thank God for technology. :)

[HowieT2]

Back to '01 is the best our collective memory can do? come on.
I don't know about you Howie but the 80's were kind of rough on the Brain. :wink: I also didn't have the digital camera to record events and attach it to a time frame like now. Thank God for technology. :)

I hear ya. Heck, the first time I came to SB was in the eightees and it took me 15 years to figure out which mountain it had been that I liked so much. I was hoping some of our esteemed older posters would have a reasonable recollection.

[Lostone]

Ok, I found them.



These three pix were taken 05-19-01. That means my best year ever was '00 - '01.

This was leftover snow at the right turn on Lower Organgrinder:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3477/3923170402_8489bf276d_o.jpg



Same pile from above:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3438/3923170406_4aa087ddb7_o.jpg


That year, the tree at the first entrance to Murphy's Glades broke off. I had it in my memory as being very low, in the snow; like boot high. This is a picture of me standing by that stump, in May.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2668/3923170410_8cbce40f70_o.jpg


Anyone else remember that stump, and how much it stuck out of the snow, then?

[mattlucas]

it was a bad year, but my first real powder fell in february 1993. I remember losing a ski near the bottom of steins, and then after finding it not having enough speed to ski without pushing down. I think the storm stuck around for about four days, leaving 50"+ and burying entirely some of the first floor windows in mountainside. Before then, I used to think that four inches was something worth telling everyone about.

[win]

My best is yet to be!