Weekend Observations

**Treeskier** · 11-26-2007, 08:28 AM

Again Sugarbush offers a fine mix and something new to ski on each day!

Friday..Upper Organgrinder skied fun with all of the snow making going on. (Was sadden that the snow guns where so wet. Had to wipe off my goggles every few guns) But nice soft bumps!

Saturday 007 and I went to Jay. Contrary to all of their web snow reports When we crested the hill after watching the snow depths increase, on the Jay side all of the trees where coated with ice. The web site on Wed. said the Tram would be open. But upon arriving we learned that the ice storm scratched that. The trails where very plate-ish (icy). And the one trail they where making snow on was closed to skier's. So you could not play in the soft snow.

The saving grace was that they did let you hike and the trees while crusty under neath they had the advertised 10" of fluff on top. It was really nice to get back into the trees. Technical!

Sunday, As posted earlier, Birdland had really nice snow gun filled bumps . (and the guns where dry!...did not have to clean off my goggles) Ripcord natural snow skied very well ( After a couple friends got hurt. I do wish when they do summer maintenance that they would trim the pine trees to the ground. Not leave 2-5" stubs) Spillsville obviously had lots of traffic on Saturday and was the one place I rumbled over rocks. Murphys Glades was a real nice surprise. Lots of soft snow to ski.

So in closing again I fell Sugarbush won this weekend. While it was nice to get back into the trees. For the general public. Sugarbush offered good fun skiing that changed each day so you had something new each day to play on! Good job.

**summitchallenger** · 11-26-2007, 09:01 AM

Jay Peak promising something and not delivering? Would not be the first time.....

**MntMan4Bush** · 11-26-2007, 09:08 AM

The Jay Cloud strikes again.

I started my season this weekend and was only able to get in Saturday, but it was a great day. Organgrinder had some nice bumps set up. although a little crusty and I was pleasantly surprised to see Spills and Ripcord open with natural snow. Overall I think it was a great start to the season and my tired legs and sore back tell me that I need to talk about going to the gym more. I mean come on. I'm not actually going to go, but talking about it must help some right???

**boze** · 11-26-2007, 09:23 AM

Our family also enjoyed skiing Sugarbush this weekend.

Only issue: Allyn's & Reverse Traverse. Skied them on a lark, and found both chock full of ice - the not-so-nice hard pan, snowcat compressed kind (as if there is a 'good kind'

).

Given their very poor condition yesterday (akin to the bottom of Coffee Run, but for 1000'+) I cannot comprehend any reason to open them other than for 'trail count' vanity.

Too bad. While schleping across these 'luge runs' I came across a 1st time visitor to Sugarbush, a snowboarder. Tried to console his fury given his misfortune of trying out the Allyn's / Reverse Traverse combo, and to steer him to better terrain (ie anything else but especially Murphy's & Birdland). Just not sure we'll see him again. He was that PO'd.

**daevious** · 11-26-2007, 10:11 AM

The reason Valley House Traverse and Reverse Traverse were opened was so that the ski school training groups could have some gentle terrain to work with and stay out of the main traffic flow.

**Hawk** · 11-26-2007, 10:40 AM

Tree, sorry to here that Jay was sub-par. I thought for sure you guys made the right call.

As for the Bush Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I have no complaints. The skiing was great.
We did many runs on Organgrinder - Nice soft bumps on Friday!
Saturday was laps on Spills, Ripcord and Paradise. Sunday was more laps with Murphys and Birdland added in for good measure. I thought the natural conditions were refreshing. It is amazing how durable and consistent the natural snow really is. I think I did about 20 runs on them between the two days.

As for the talk of icy conditions.....I will say this. We are New England skiers and that ice is what makes us who we are, the best skiers in the country.

Think of it as training because it will always be there for us.

**Bubba** · 11-26-2007, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by boze

Too bad. While schleping across these 'luge runs' I came across a 1st time visitor to Sugarbush, a snowboarder. Tried to console his fury given his misfortune of trying out the Allyn's / Reverse Traverse combo, and to steer him to better terrain (ie anything else but especially Murphy's & Birdland). Just not sure we'll see him again. He was that PO'd.

For what it's worth; I think my wife rode the chair with that guy and his two "friends". They were all concerned about getting down Gondolier(yikes!). He had never been on a board before or skis. His "friends" convinced him to go up on the Mt to see if he would like riding before he spent the money for a lesson. They said they wouldn't let any harm come to him. My wife saw the two "friends" waiting for him later in the day on Murphy's near Reverse Traverse.
I guess that wasn't such a great idea afterall.

So he may have been p'd at his "friends" and himself for listening to them.

**boze** · 11-26-2007, 02:10 PM

With "friends" like that...

As for ice, I'm quite familiar with the stuff being a NE skier. My point was, those 2 trails were in pretty lame shape - even for Nov. If they were intended as gentle training slopes then that was a pretty nutty idea, unless the local hockey team wanted to take a group lesson. Not to mention the negative pitch issue with the last 1/3 of Reverse Traverse - - that's gotta be fun for a ski instructor.

**BushMogulMaster** · 11-26-2007, 06:45 PM

[rant]Check out Jay's total season snowfall so far.......... 49"!

Who do they think they're kidding? Even if they count the storm before opening, there's no way they're anywhere near that much natural.

Stowe says 33". I'm assuming that counts that first storm. Why doesn't Sugarbush count it? That would make an 8 or 10" difference in the total. It might not matter by the end of the season, but right now it does. People look at websites for what they perceive are the best conditions. The Bush may have more trails, but it LOOKS (from the websites) like Jay and Stowe have significantly much more snow, which I don't believe is the case.[/rant]

**HowieT2** · 11-26-2007, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by BushMogulMaster

[rant]Check out Jay's total season snowfall so far.......... 49"!

Who do they think they're kidding? Even if they count the storm before opening, there's no way they're anywhere near that much natural.

Stowe says 33". I'm assuming that counts that first storm. Why doesn't Sugarbush count it? That would make an 8 or 10" difference in the total. It might not matter by the end of the season, but right now it does. People look at websites for what they perceive are the best conditions. The Bush may have more trails, but it LOOKS (from the websites) like Jay and Stowe have significantly much more snow, which I don't believe is the case.[/rant]

I was with someone over Thanksgiving who swore Jay gets over 500"/year

**boze** · 11-27-2007, 01:14 AM

[quote="HowieT2"
I was with someone over Thanksgiving who swore Jay gets over 500"/year

[/quote]

Yup, that person's an idjit...aka an idiot.
and i think i know who you are refering to.

**Hawk** · 11-27-2007, 07:41 AM

You have to remember that Jay and Stowe report the total amount of snow that fell from the sky and stuck to the ground. Even if it melts the next day. It is measured from a point close to the top of the high speed quad (the "Freezer"). It does not reflect the current snow base in any way. They have had several events this year that we did not see. People that I mountain bike with are core Jay backcountry people and they skied on closed trails a week and a half ago in 2 feet of fresh. Under the parameter stated above I would not doubt that the snow total for this year is close to the number they have posted.

They have had a couple of years that it snowed a tremendous amount. 500"? Maybe, maybe not - who knows but it sure snows a ton up there and on most years more than us. I have witnessed it first hand on many occasions.