radarman Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 If you look at 3dskimaps.com they have the mountains color coded by steepness. Okemo is flat. Thanks for the link. Really cool site. Wish Stowe was on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N. OF PIKE Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 powderfreak is this crap pattern getting you a bit concerned? November featured little qpf but daily refreshers of snow, and damn fine conditions to end the month, dec has featured the whole kitchen sink, including rainy blah days at the resort, the move favorable pattern needs to do something good, the option is on the table for a late december torch and that is the last thing the resorts need after last year. Even minus that with an east based block there is the risk more than a couple storms cutting toward quebec, just saying it's gotta be in the back of your mind, not that your on any ledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 powderfreak is this crap pattern getting you a bit concerned? November featured little qpf but daily refreshers of snow, and damn fine conditions to end the month, dec has featured the whole kitchen sink, including rainy blah days at the resort, the move favorable pattern needs to do something good, the option is on the table for a late december torch and that is the last thing the resorts need after last year. Even minus that with an east based block there is the risk more than a couple storms cutting toward quebec, just saying it's gotta be in the back of your mind, not that your on any ledge. I'm not concerned... it will end up snowing eventually and we'll get our sweet powder days in anyway. The thing that's the most interesting up here is I'm not necessarily always looking for "big storms" but just cold air is a good place to start. Heck as the last few seasons have shown, we actually do a lot better on storms that fly under most people's radar. Things that most folks on this board wouldn't even register (like a few panels of the GFS showing 0.01" can lead to 11" like a week ago Friday) as a "threat" usually end up being better for us than much anticipated synoptic storms. A few of us were talking about this on the lift today, that folks can watch a big ticket nor'easter for over a week and the media hype goes nuts, and we end up with like a widespread 6-12" snowfall. Then we'll have some arctic front come through followed by upslope and drop more than that week-long hyped nor'easter, lol. But I will say if we are going to have a warmish pattern... we are getting to the time of year to do it when averages really start to drop later in December and January. Honestly, I'm all set with a below normal pattern in January. I love snow, not necessarily cold, haha. Riding lifts all day in -20F is not really all that fun to me. I'll take the above normal pattern in January where its 25F although that's tough in SNE where the coastal plain can then be near 40F or higher so I understand why folks are consistently looking for below normal on here. But getting back to your main question... I'm not that concerned about the temps, its more the lack of precip. Last year was dry and snowfall lacked. Dry winters correlate to sub-normal snowfall just because the majority of our winter precip falls as snow to begin with. So we can hash out temperatures all day long and whether it looks cold in the long range, but what I really want to see is just a more active pattern. We really excel in a clipper type pattern so that would be about the best case scenario....a parade of northern stream energy traversing the lakes and NNE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Thanks for the link. Really cool site. Wish Stowe was on there. Me too. That's a sweet site...thanks Hitman. I'm almost tempted to contact that guy, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Me too. That's a sweet site...thanks Hitman. I'm almost tempted to contact that guy, haha. Its not new. I kind of feel like theyve stopped adding mtns. Surprised stowe isnt on there but more surprised you all hadnt known about it. Best viewed on a pc where you can zoom, rotate and tilt the maps. Enlightening to visually see the steep areas. Jh is insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radarman Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Its not new. I kind of feel like theyve stopped adding mtns. Surprised stowe isnt on there but more surprised you all hadnt known about it. Best viewed on a pc where you can zoom, rotate and tilt the maps. Enlightening to visually see the steep areas. Jh is insane. To no surprise the woods between Middle Earth and Rumble at Sugarbush, and those outside Paradise, are some of the steepest around, along with the ridgelines at MRG and to the right and left of the tram at Jay. Actually a couple of the lines up top at Jay are really only skiable in the biggest years... even then its pretty sketchy with frozen treetops jutting out like spikes and generally windblown conditions. East coast version of the Palisades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisM Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 going SICK with the restrengthening to try to get back faster...just short of the juice for now. Really trying to get back on the hill by the end of Dec. It's a long shot, but I'm trying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderwx Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 quick off topic question for skiers out there- maybe PF and others can chime in. so northern VT averages 250-350"/year for any given year lets say. I've heard the Chic Chocs up in the Gaspe region of Quebec can average 400"/year, but usually see numbers lower- in the ~250"/year range. Given elevation, latitude and proximity to moisture source- it seems possible that the chic chocs could easily match or exceed northern VT. Granted, they're 10 hours north of VT, and there's no real resorts up there (which is somewhat surprising- ?) anyone have any thoughts here? apologies for the semi-off topic post. retention. we have more melt cycles that up nord. so the numbers and presentation are novel if your used to snow levels here in the valley of the N Greens. Le Massif and company may get less measurable than Jay, but their base will be 3x what we have. I think the N Greens are still special in their ability to wring every last drop out of the sky, even better than up north,with the exception of the gaspe. Having minimal topography to contend with really lets the spine get loaded up. The ski hills in QC for the most part aren't standing alone. Just my perception, but they seem to have more balance in snow distribution (base and summits close in totals) where we have a lot of elevation dependent snow totals. they still have ski hills. not a lot frills. they're out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mob1 Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 going SICK with the restrengthening to try to get back faster...just short of the juice for now. Really trying to get back on the hill by the end of Dec. It's a long shot, but I'm trying. Good luck man.I broke my tibia and fibula last march and had a cast for 7 months. I went to jiminy peak about a month ago (just a few days after I started PT) and while it was nice to be back on snow I found it very hard to flex my boot and I also had very little range of motion in my ankle. I've been working on strength and endurance as well as ankle motion and I feel like I'm almost there (I'm working out 2+ hours daily between therapy and the gym) I have a mammoth trip planned for February and I'll do everything in my power to be 100% ready by then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderwx Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Good luck man. I broke my tibia and fibula last march and had a cast for 7 months. I went to jiminy peak about a month ago (just a few days after I started PT) and while it was nice to be back on snow I found it very hard to flex my boot and I also had very little range of motion in my ankle. I've been working on strength and endurance as well as ankle motion and I feel like I'm almost there (I'm working out 2+ hours daily between therapy and the gym) I have a mammoth trip planned for February and I'll do everything in my power to be 100% ready by then work dryland, static position weight shifting in your boots and out of your boots, feel the difference in how your hip moves and from leg to leg. Not to imply the ankle work isn't important, you can help manage the ankle tissue strain by getting your hips and pelvis moving equally to both sides. keep it simple, where you feel tight, move slowly, where you don't, strengthen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkO Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 FYI, Google Earth is in 3D. Doah, just realized 3dskimaps uses google earth. Anyway, you can get any mountain in google earth, they're just not color coded. Anyway, on a similar note, I used google earth to figure out what my view would be before I bought the lot I put my cabin on. Pretty cool if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkO Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Anyone ever been to "Church" at SB? Arguably some of the steepest lift accessable terrain in the East. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radarman Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Anyone ever been to "Church" at SB? Arguably some of the steepest lift accessable terrain in the East. Yup. Sweet line. Get there early though. Sugarbush really does have some killer terrain, accessible with minimal hiking. I bought a 4 pack of tickets with no blackout dates for $200. Can't wait. SB, MRG, and Jay are my top 3 in no particular order, but maybe if I can catch up with PF for a run or three Stowe can squeeze into that group. Have had some great days there, but haven't been able to find woods quite on par with those others yet. I'm sure they're there however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baroclinic Zone Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Nice shot of SR from their website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Anyone ever been to "Church" at SB? Arguably some of the steepest lift accessable terrain in the East. pretty much every weekend conditions permit. Here's a clip of me and the kids from last season on a line just beyond what you're referring to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Yup. Sweet line. Get there early though. Sugarbush really does have some killer terrain, accessible with minimal hiking. I bought a 4 pack of tickets with no blackout dates for $200. Can't wait. SB, MRG, and Jay are my top 3 in no particular order, but maybe if I can catch up with PF for a run or three Stowe can squeeze into that group. Have had some great days there, but haven't been able to find woods quite on par with those others yet. I'm sure they're there however. feel free to drop me a line when you are up to SB and I can give you a tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clinch Leatherwood Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Sunday River up to 44 trails. They just keep making snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Sunday River up to 44 trails. They just keep making snow. looks nice too, should be a solid foundation with storms incoming, much better Christmas week this year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkO Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Funny you ski it with the kids. The first time I ever skied it was a morning after a 20" dump. From the lift we saw people skiing an area we didn't know existed. We traversed on over via. the ridgeline and while getting up the courage for that first 10' jump turn a bunch of kids blew by us. Felt like a tool getting schooled by a bunch of 4th graders! anyway, a bud who hung back caught me jumping off that first wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Awesome pic Mark I think I would die in that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adk Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Was in Utah. It sucked: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Yup. Sweet line. Get there early though. Sugarbush really does have some killer terrain, accessible with minimal hiking. I bought a 4 pack of tickets with no blackout dates for $200. Can't wait. SB, MRG, and Jay are my top 3 in no particular order, but maybe if I can catch up with PF for a run or three Stowe can squeeze into that group. Have had some great days there, but haven't been able to find woods quite on par with those others yet. I'm sure they're there however. Oh I'm sure I can change your opinion on that. Stowe's lines aren't as obvious and the trail map gives little clues as to where the best stuff is. I remember my first season or two here in college, I wasn't all that sold. Its once you find out where the "real" skiing is, this mountain is hard to beat for expert skiing. You can find yourself in some serious trouble though if you don't know where you are going... ie 100 foot cliffs and points of no return, etc. You can really scare yourself like you can't do at other areas. Set off avalanches... It just takes some exploring... Really steep pow shots... Large open powder fields... like cat skiing type stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisM Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 drool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Oh I'm sure I can change your opinion on that. Stowe's lines aren't as obvious and the trail map gives little clues as to where the best stuff is. I remember my first season or two here in college, I wasn't all that sold. Its once you find out where the "real" skiing is, this mountain is hard to beat for expert skiing. You can find yourself in some serious trouble though if you don't know where you are going... ie 100 foot cliffs and points of no return, etc. You can really scare yourself like you can't do at other areas. Set off avalanches... It just takes some exploring... Really steep pow shots... Large open powder fields... like cat skiing type stuff. That seals it. NNE gtg at stowe for upslope powder fest. I used to ski stowe often but havent at all since i started skiing off piste. Doesnt help that im a cheap lazy bastard perfectly content to do the same lines i know like the back of my hand on my pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Funny you ski it with the kids. The first time I ever skied it was a morning after a 20" dump. From the lift we saw people skiing an area we didn't know existed. We traversed on over via. the ridgeline and while getting up the courage for that first 10' jump turn a bunch of kids blew by us. Felt like a tool getting schooled by a bunch of 4th graders! anyway, a bud who hung back caught me jumping off that first wall. Thats my 11 year old daughter. Her first year in the sugarbush ski program at age 7, she had a 20 something coach who would chug red bull, dose the kids up on sugar and take them to church and the like. She kicks my ass now which is not very impressive but she has done well in the castlerock extreme freeride comp the last 2 years. Pops is prowd and jealous. Interestingly, ive found on powder days i dont want to take the time to hike over there. Too much powder, too little time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skierinvermont Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Anyone ever been to "Church" at SB? Arguably some of the steepest lift accessable terrain in the East. Yup. Sweet line. Get there early though. Sugarbush really does have some killer terrain, accessible with minimal hiking. I bought a 4 pack of tickets with no blackout dates for $200. Can't wait. SB, MRG, and Jay are my top 3 in no particular order, but maybe if I can catch up with PF for a run or three Stowe can squeeze into that group. Have had some great days there, but haven't been able to find woods quite on par with those others yet. I'm sure they're there however. Where is Church @ SB? I that the line between lincoln peak and castlerock peak where you start at lincoln and head skiers left past paradise? That is some seriously steep terrain and not often skied in my time there. If you like trees Radar check out Saddleback in Maine - they've really done something special there clearing a TON of woods for tree skiing. It's not a huge mountain, but its got tons of vert and half the acres are tree skiing. Nothing super steep but a nice consistent moderately steep grade for some real sweet skiing on a powder day. Mid-week you have the mountain to yourself. I've skied pretty much everywhere in New England, and Saddleback is a hidden gem. And I don't work there anymore so I'm just saying this because I miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skierinvermont Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Was in Utah. It sucked: Wow looks great.. where was that? 2 feet in the past few days with wind holds on summit lifts.. looking forward to the sun tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skierinvermont Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Just for fun I thought it might be interesting to see all the places everybody has skied. Here's my list, sorted by which I have the highest opinion of. I haven't skid a lot at Jay or Stowe but my impression was that they don't quite top the SB,MRG,Saddleback combo. They could though if I skied there some more in great conditions. Heard great things about both. The only thing I'd say is I probably prefer the Jay atmosphere to Stowe's. I would have a hard time picking between my top 3. Sugarbush // MRG // Saddleback Jay Stowe Killington Sunday River Ascutney Waterville Valley The Beast Okemo Middlebury Ski bowl Mt Snow Wachusetts Suicide Six Also: Mt Washington, Breckenridge, A-Basin, Keystone, Snowbird and going to Alta tomorrow (total: 21) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bch2014 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 MA: Nashoba Valley Wachusett Berkshire East Blue Hills NH: Wildcat Bretton Woods Black Cannon Loon Waterville Valley Ragged Sunapee Gunstock Crotched Pats Peak VT: Smuggler's Notch Burke Stowe Bolton Valley Mad River Glen Sugarbush Middlebury Snow Bowl Pico Killington Okemo Stratton Mount Snow Bromley Magic Maine: Sugarloaf Utah: Snowbasin Alta Park City The Canyons Deer Valley Solitude Wyoming: Jackson Hole Grand Targhee New Mexico: Taos Ski Santa Fe Honorable Mention: Concord MA Backcountry, Mount Washington Total Ski Areas: 41 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#NoPoles Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 just so you guys can get a good laugh, i'll make my list Wachusett Nashoba Pats Peak Gunstock Killington Okemo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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