New England 2017-2018 Northeast Thread

[bbinder]

Stowe report for January 20th. Based on the amount of traffic going up Friday night, I was pretty sure it was going to be stupid busy..

So I got an early start (7:30!). Wind at the top was keeping the quad running slow which backed it up pretty quick. I took a couple laps off the quad, a couple off the gondola and then a few off the old creaky double (even that had a line which almost never happens).

Snow was pretty good though actually (still no bump runs though), and it was nice to have pleasant temps for a change.

Not after 1 in the afternoon...

 

[KevinF]

Not after 1 in the afternoon...

Wow, the crowds dissipated that quickly? I left a little after noon time and it seemed like the place was still mobbed. Glad to hear you got some skiing in... are the new boots a success?

 

[Erik Timmerman]

to make matter worse Kevin they groomed Gulch,......

The horror!

 

[Josh Matta]

hey only place on the hill not super steep that no one could run you down from behind.

 

[Tony S]

BTW Le Massif on tuesday is going to be epic. a foot and half of new monday into tuesday.

. I love that place. (I would joke about calling in sick, but I actually AM sick. Which means half an hour in the basement cutting down a pair of poles is about as close as I'm gonna get to skiing.)

Headed there in a few weeks, though, so good to hear they're getting some.

 

[bbinder]

Wow, the crowds dissipated that quickly? I left a little after noon time and it seemed like the place was still mobbed. Glad to hear you got some skiing in... are the new boots a success?

Actually the crowds were there the entire time we were there. It was the snow that was not good.... of course, I am fully willing to admit that I have become a soft snow snob... Daria’s boots are “a work in progress” - better but possibly not ‘there’ yet. It was a last minute trip, otherwise we would have tried to connect with you.

 

[Read Blinn]

Sunapee today — busy enough on the slopes, with sustained but not impossible lift lines. That’s a contrast with MLK, during which parking lots were fuller, the lodges packed, and the slopes empty.

Warm weather tempts, apparently (unless it rains).

 

[Crank]

Actually the crowds were there the entire time we were there. It was the snow that was not good.... of course, I am fully willing to admit that I have become a soft snow snob... Daria’s boots are “a work in progress” - better but possibly not ‘there’ yet. It was a last minute trip, otherwise we would have tried to connect with you.

I'm not soft snow snob. What I am is a fair weather skier. Fair weather = fresh snow.

 

[KevinF]

Stowe report for January 21st. Morning snow was made for hauling on the groomers although the higher traffic areas quickly got scraped down to boiler plate ice.

Crowds stayed manageable. Gondola was fairly quiet even when the quad backed up. Took some Spruce laps in the afternoon which had nice sun softened snow.

Back to the quad in late afternoon which totally sucked — total hockey rink. Left for home.

Stowe (and everyone else in New England) needs a serious infusion of snow.

 

[LKLA]

Stowe report for January 21st. Morning snow was made for hauling on the groomers although the higher traffic areas quickly got scraped down to boiler plate ice.

Crowds stayed manageable. Gondola was fairly quiet even when the quad backed up. Took some Spruce laps in the afternoon which had nice sun softened snow.

Back to the quad in late afternoon which totally sucked — total hockey rink. Left for home.

Stowe (and everyone else in New England) needs a serious infusion of snow.

Been pointing out the need for snow making for two weeks now.

Stowe seems to have dialed back the snow making under MTN ownership.

To be fair, most other places seem to have done the same. Mt Snow has around 65 trails when you would think that given their snow making capabilities that they would be 95% open.

 

[LKLA]

Northeast Open Trails

Attitash -- 45/67
Bolton -- 45/71
Bretton Woods -- 60/62
Cannon -- 60/73
Hunter -- 50/58
Jay Peak -- 55/78
Killington -- 100/155
Mount Snow -- 60/86
Okemo -- 90/120
Smuggler's Notch -- 65/80
Stowe -- 90/115
Stratton -- 80/94
Sugarbush -- 65/111
Sugarloaf -- 60/154
Sunday River -- 80/135
Whiteface -- 60/86

 

[Read Blinn]

Sunapee — 52 of 66. Had been 66/66 before the Flood.

 

[Tony S]

Sugarloaf -- 60/154

Sugarloaf has plenty of trails. 154 is ridiculous.

Maybe insiders can comment, but my observation is that by this point in the season NE areas are still making snow only to the extent that they think it might attract people for Presidents' week. Otherwise they're done. I had a conversation with a Shawnee Peak employee the other day. He was talking about what a huge deal it was for management to shell out for a full on snowmaking blitz after the recent monsoon. It was MLK weekend.

 

[LKLA]

Sugarloaf has plenty of trails. 154 is ridiculous.

Maybe insiders can comment, but my observation is that by this point in the season NE areas are still making snow only to the extent that they think it might attract people for Presidents' week. Otherwise they're done. I had a conversation with a Shawnee Peak employee the other day. He was talking about what a huge deal it was for management to shell out for a full on snowmaking blitz after the recent monsoon. It was MLK weekend.

Sugarloaf has 154 trails, of which 60 are open.

They are far from done making snow, certainly not the mountains in Southern VT like Mount Snow.

 

[Tony S]

Sugarloaf has 154 trails, of which 60 are open.

They are far from done making snow, certainly not the mountains in Southern VT like Mount Snow.

Yeah, I was thinking about the more budget conscious hills that tend to be more prevalent as you get farther from major metro areas.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Been pointing out the need for snow making for two weeks now.

Stowe seems to have dialed back the snow making under MTN ownership.

To be fair, most other places seem to have done the same. Mt Snow has around 65 trails when you would think that given their snow making capabilities that they would be 95% open.

They actually made lot of snow last week. I don't know every trail they did it on, but at two or thee days top to bottom on Gondolier, Main St, Side St Easy ST, East Run, not sure what else.

 

[Tony S]

Sugarloaf has 154 trails, of which 60 are open.

My point was that Sugarloaf has 154 trails like my IQ has 154 points.

 

[mdf]

My point was that Sugarloaf has 154 trails like my IQ has 154 points.

Smart headwall, upper smart, middle smart, lower smart, smart run-out....

 

[KevinF]

They actually made lot of snow last week. I don't know every trail they did it on, but at two or thee days top to bottom on Gondolier, Main St, Side St Easy ST, East Run, not sure what else.

I'm sure Stowe made snow... snowmaking trails seem to have good coverage, it's just high traffic areas are blue ice.

I think what would do more to help conditions at the "big" mountains (Stowe, Bush, Loaf, etc.) is an infusion of natural snow... get the glades and natural snow trails back in play and spread out the skier traffic.

 

[CalG]

Natural trails, that is, trails without snow making provision, are not likely to benefit from management decision to improve the ski area attractiveness through trail count.

95% means nothing when natural snow fall and seasonal melts play trump.