2018 New England Gathering trip report

[dbostedo]

^^^^
Yep...Sigi's Ripcord.

It's something like 32 degrees at the steepest part. It was groomed though, so nice and steep but not quite in double black form.

 

[Tony S]

^^^^
Yep...Sigi's Ripcord.

It's something like 32 degrees at the steepest part. It was groomed though, so nice and steep but not quite in double black form.

Yeah, we skied a few double black pitches over the weekend, but that was not one of them, trail markings notwithstanding. We saved the real ones for @Read Blinn .

 

[LKLA]

Yeah, we skied a few double black pitches over the weekend, but that was not one of them, trail markings notwithstanding. We saved the real ones for @Read Blinn .

Sugarbush Stein’s Run has 26° pitch for the entire length
Stowe Lookout 30° pitch the entire upper section
Stowe Upper Starr has 39° pitch for the headwall from top

 

[Pumba]

^^^^
Yep...Sigi's Ripcord.

It's something like 32 degrees at the steepest part. It was groomed though, so nice and steep but not quite in double black form.

Yeah, that was the warm up run I took Peter on, straight into lower paradise.... sigi’s was not too bad, but ending it with monster freak bumps and sheets of ice was not a confidence builder for either of us! We both struggled to find our mojo from tHen on......still not worthy of these crazy unpredictable eastern conditions....and this was during “excellent” coverage!!.....I’m not worthy!

Still had a blast and am now determined to learn to ski ice with grace next season.

 

[James]

Sugarbush Stein’s Run has 26° pitch for the entire length

That seems low unless it's an overall average.

 

[LKLA]

That seems low unless it's an overall average.

 

[James]

Interesting list. Lower Ovation at Killington should be on it.

Pitch is a tough thing. I don't know that on Outer Limits at Killington the listed pitch is "virtually the entire length". It gets less towards the bottom for a significant amount. As does Steins at Sugarbush. Maybe less for Steins. Those two trails are quite similar in pitch and character but feel quite different. Steins is probably flatter across, more consistent. OL skiers right is a mini gully, plus less snow usually. The view down to the lodge on Outer L plus the lift right there changes the feel likely from the more isolated Steins.

 

[Tony S]

Wine tastings only tell you so much about wine. You can't meaningfully characterize a ski run by its bra size. It all just reminds me of the early Sunday River advertising campaigns for White Heat: "The longest widest steepest stupidest run in the East."

 

[mdf]

Interesting list. Lower Ovation at Killington should be

Before I went out West, Lower Ovation was the steepest thing I had seen. But it really is just one rollover, and then only in the middle of the trail. The sides start down earlier so are less steep.

IIRC White Heat has a more consistent pitch than the others I have skied on that list (which is nowhere near all of them ).

Edit - from the site @SKI-3PO cites in the next post:
Lower Ovation, steepest bit: "95 vertical over 98 length = 44.11*. That's some pretty steep stuff."

Also, MRG: "Steepness means very little when it comes to Paradise." -- good point!

 

[SKI-3PO]

I think this site is interesting because it breaks up sections of trails.

http://ski-degrees.synthasite.com/

 

[James]

Before I went out West, Lower Ovation was the steepest thing I had seen. But it really is just one rollover, and then only in the middle of the trail. The sides start down earlier so are less steep.

IIRC White Heat has a more consistent pitch than the others I have skied on that list (which is nowhere near all of them ).

Your selling Lower Ovation short. That final pitch is no shorter than the final pitch on Superstar.

White Heat has rest areas. But it is consistently very steep for much of it. And they make tons of snow on it.

Double Dipper, Outer Limits, Steins have pretty long consistent pitch for the East.

What's the trail at Whiteface called where they had the Olympic gs? That has a good consistent pitch but I think it's less than OL or Stein's. It has been years since I was there.

 

[LKLA]

Interesting list. Lower Ovation at Killington should be on it.

Pitch is a tough thing. I don't know that on Outer Limits at Killington the listed pitch is "virtually the entire length". It gets less towards the bottom for a significant amount. As does Steins at Sugarbush. Maybe less for Steins. Those two trails are quite similar in pitch and character but feel quite different. Steins is probably flatter across, more consistent. OL skiers right is a mini gully, plus less snow usually. The view down to the lodge on Outer L plus the lift right there changes the feel likely from the more isolated Steins.

You can argue till the cows come home on what these numbers mean so best not to make the mistake of going down that rabbit hole because it is futile at best. For some pitch is the challenge, for others length, for others a combination of both. For some terrain or snow conditions. For others the width can make all the difference.

Just take the data/numbers for what they are and leave it at that.

 

[dbostedo]

Interesting list. Lower Ovation at Killington should be on it.

Pitch is a tough thing. I don't know that on Outer Limits at Killington the listed pitch is "virtually the entire length". It gets less towards the bottom for a significant amount. As does Steins at Sugarbush. Maybe less for Steins. Those two trails are quite similar in pitch and character but feel quite different. Steins is probably flatter across, more consistent. OL skiers right is a mini gully, plus less snow usually. The view down to the lodge on Outer L plus the lift right there changes the feel likely from the more isolated Steins.

This is why I love Hillmap... here's the profile for Stein's :



And here's Outer Limits :

 

[James]

I think this site is interesting because it breaks up sections of trails.

http://ski-degrees.synthasite.com/

Yeah interesting site. Good to see it's still up since last update was 2011.
Then there's the contact page:

"You can contact me via the Barking Bear (aka Epicski) forums. I am skiking4 so just send me a PM (private message). You can request for a run, give feedback to the site, etc."

 

[Phelmut]

You can argue till the cows come home on what these numbers mean so best not to make the mistake of going down that rabbit hole because it is futile at best. For some pitch is the challenge, for others length, for others a combination of both. For some terrain or snow conditions. For others the width can make all the difference.

Just take the data/numbers for what they are and leave it at that.

So true. Fresh snow make a lot of super hairy stuff not so hairy. Also wider allows for easier scrubbing of speed., etc.

 

[Read Blinn]

Yeah, we skied a few double black pitches over the weekend, but that was not one of them, trail markings notwithstanding. We saved the real ones for @Read Blinn .

Yeah, and all I asked for was a few blue bumps (I found them later with @KevinF).

 

[Jenny]

@mdf in Paradise, Sugarbush version.
View attachment 42851

I love the way the two big bumps in the middle by the blue skier look like eyes!

You can also see an evil sort of grin if you move to the right just a smidge . . .

 

[Tony S]

Yeah, and all I asked for was a few blue bumps (I found them later with @KevinF).

 

[Read Blinn]

I take full responsibility (but I’ll take the beer, too).

 

[LKLA]

I take full responsibility (but I’ll take the beer, too).

More beer?