HoarfrostHubb Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Yeah. Some cold mornings coming up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sankaty Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 Anyone have a sense how cold it will be tomorrow in the Sugarbush area? The point and click for around 2000 feet shows a high of 15F, but that's a little misleading because apparently that's a midnight high Sat. night. The hourly graph has it -8F and 9AM, -1F at noon, and 5F at 3PM. I'd be OK with that, but I think that's a bit too cold for our little ones. Sometimes I think the extreme cold is overdone in the point and click graphs, though. Any thoughts? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT Rain Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Sort of bummed at the overnight developments up north. Models trending quite a bit warmer for the rain on Sunday/Sunday night. Planning on still going to Killington on Monday but a bit nervous about the conditions. The only plus is that temperatures will be near freezing through midday Monday so at least we avoid the flash freeze! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Wachusett was chilly today. -5F at the summit. But it skied well with great views Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardHunter Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Here are some shots from today...you can tell that although the snow is cold and dry, its got some heft to it. Today's 3-4" easily had 0.33-0.5" of QPF in it. Synoptic storm snow, whereas what Petrics is skiing in that photo above is like 18" averaging 25:1 ratio type stuff. Are there actually any trails that have powder on them like that? I don't like skiing trees.(don't like it personally and feel safer on trail where I won't run into a tree. I like to open it up on a trail with pow on it, not dodge tight trees) Can you post some pics of some actual trails at stowe with deep pow on them like that? Or is it all just tree skiing and the trails can't hold any powder?(due to wind?) I'm formerly of the west coast and looking for something resembling wide open pow and slarving turns Is stowe my best bet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardHunter Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 there are two kinds of Powder skiing, there is dry fluff and there is Sierra Cement, you can keep the cement, fluff is fine but I like my ACLs Have you skied the sierras? Their snow averages (12 to 1) which isn't really that wet. That's just normal powder. Anything above (10 to 1) ratio I love. They do get storms that are much wetter than that with lower ratios(5 to 1) and that's where the term sierra cement came about. The key to wet snow is to get it before it's tracked out. Then it's ok. Once it gets heavily tracked out then it's no good unless you like slamming your knees. It's all relative though. 10 to 1 is not considered blower powder/champagne powder, but I wouldn't call 10 to 1 "sierra cement". It's just normal fun powder. 20 to 1 is blower powder.(utah) Lake effect can be 25 to 1, which is the type of snow you don't need a shovel. Just a broom for feet of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardHunter Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I like the scenery more than the skiing on powder days...the trees are all draped in fresh snow. lol....Only on the ec could you hear something like that Get that cord! You don't get enough practice with it here on the ec skiing especially when your closest mountain is wachusett for example which grooms everything on a powder day(correct?) It's hard to get comfortable with it when there's not a lot of it. Once you do, it's pure nirvana. Wide powder skis are a necessity so you don't get tremendous quad burn leaning back on your heels to float. Go live in Salt lake city for a year or two and then come back and tell me if you feel the same way. Pow days on the ec(especially deep) can really kick your ass because you have no practice in 3D snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIPPYVALLEY Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Not a good weekend in the Whites. Vt was the place to be. My friends gave less than stellar reports from Wildcat and Bretton Woods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewbeer Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Are there actually any trails that have powder on them like that? ... No, at least not by the time the standard lift-served customer gets there. Gotta head onto the woods to get the goods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT Rain Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Fantastic day at killington. Definitely some lift issues in the morning after the snow and ice but the powder... Particularly above 3kft was great. Had a lot of fun in the morning around South Ridge with some huge stashes. Easily 7 or 8 inches at the base and 14 or 15 up top. It wasn't really cement either. It had a bit of that cool blue tint but it seemed like the heaviest snow was on the bottom and the snow got fluffier and fluffier on the top as the ratios improved post flip yesterday. Lots of fun and totally worth the trip up even though people drive like morons in the snow and ice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Are there actually any trails that have powder on them like that? I don't like skiing trees.(don't like it personally and feel safer on trail where I won't run into a tree. I like to open it up on a trail with pow on it, not dodge tight trees) Can you post some pics of some actual trails at stowe with deep pow on them like that? Or is it all just tree skiing and the trails can't hold any powder?(due to wind?) I'm formerly of the west coast and looking for something resembling wide open pow and slarving turns Is stowe my best bet? Depends on the day, haha, but like most east coast resorts, the powder gets cut up pretty quickly on the trails just because the acreage isn't huge like it is out west. Of course, you can always find those side trails that get overlooked pretty deep into the day. But the main stuff gets hit fairly quickly. Here were some shots from today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Fantastic day at killington. Definitely some lift issues in the morning after the snow and ice but the powder... Particularly above 3kft was great. Had a lot of fun in the morning around South Ridge with some huge stashes. Easily 7 or 8 inches at the base and 14 or 15 up top. It wasn't really cement either. It had a bit of that cool blue tint but it seemed like the heaviest snow was on the bottom and the snow got fluffier and fluffier on the top as the ratios improved post flip yesterday. Lots of fun and totally worth the trip up even though people drive like morons in the snow and ice! Yeah, definitely not cement. To me it was just standard fair synoptic snow that was 10:1 ratio stuff. Dense, but not wet. You couldn't make a snowball out of it. Down at 1,500ft it definitely was a bit wetter, but nothing that had that wet packed snow feel. I'd say 1,500ft probably saw 8:1 ratio paste, but for the most part, I'd guess the mountain had 10-12:1 ratios above 2,500ft. The woods were ridiculously deep today...with 18" in the past week, and 2 feet in the past 10 days, it all added up to some deep turns in the unskied woods. Plenty of spots on the mountain I was able to jam my ski poles all the way down to the handle, indicating some good 4 foot depths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Fantastic day at killington. Definitely some lift issues in the morning after the snow and ice but the powder... Particularly above 3kft was great. Had a lot of fun in the morning around South Ridge with some huge stashes. Easily 7 or 8 inches at the base and 14 or 15 up top. It wasn't really cement either. It had a bit of that cool blue tint but it seemed like the heaviest snow was on the bottom and the snow got fluffier and fluffier on the top as the ratios improved post flip yesterday. Lots of fun and totally worth the trip up even though people drive like morons in the snow and ice! sweeet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'll post this in here, Any good tips or sites to get discounted deals? I hear about these clubs or groups, but not sure how that works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'll post this in here, Any good tips or sites to get discounted deals? I hear about these clubs or groups, but not sure how that works. Pickles and Diane are the experts on this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardHunter Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Depends on the day, haha, but like most east coast resorts, the powder gets cut up pretty quickly on the trails just because the acreage isn't huge like it is out west. Of course, you can always find those side trails that get overlooked pretty deep into the day. But the main stuff gets hit fairly quickly. Here were some shots from today. 1.jpg 2.jpg 4.jpg Sick pics. During Mid week(non holiday) at stowe, how long before fresh tracks on trail disappear? Does it last 2 hours?(100+ bucks is a lot of dough.) As long as I get in 1 epic hour and then another hour where it's descent before it's all tracked to hell, I'm good. I went to one place after a foot of snowfall and only 3 trails(top to bottom) were left ungroomed. It lasted ONE run. LOL And most of the skiers were avoiding it anyway and it was mid week. By the time I went back up for a second run it was finito. In your opinion, what is the best mountain for getting fresh untracked powder on trails in northern and southern vermont? I've heard magic is the best due to low skier count.(obviously doesn't get as much snow as stowe, but I'm talking when it does actually snow) But I'm thinking all the powderhounds must chase it there so it gets crowded on powder days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Pickles and Diane are the experts on this I saw Will mention it too. Not if it's more about knowing people or just knowing where to find them. I'd rather not go being out of the loop for so long, and get molested by full price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I saw Will mention it too. Not if it's more about knowing people or just knowing where to find them. I'd rather not go being out of the loop for so long, and get molested by full price. Never pay full walk up rate anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'll post this in here, Any good tips or sites to get discounted deals? I hear about these clubs or groups, but not sure how that works. Occasionally you can find some on groupon...check local ski shops for deals on lift tickets (this used to be the old school way), obvious liftopia.com offers some discounts but they aren't always amazing unless it's an off-peak time like mid-week of a non-school vacation week. In March, you tend to find those liftopia discounts better in my experience. Try the ski resorts themselves online...sometimes they have good deals. Sunday River has been notorious through the years for excellent ski and stay packages (Stratton offers some good ones too). I think Ginxy uses that package every March at SR...he goes during late season and mid-week and gets dirt-cheap rates. But the skiing is often the best all year during mid March. I haven't tried the ski club thing, but I think Ryan does one from CT and gets great deals...and it's not expensive to belond to the ski clubs..like $10 or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Also try supermarket or gas station programs...I think Irving Gas does a promotion where if you do 3 fill-ups there, then you get buy one get one free lift tickets at their participating resorts...and some big name resorts belong to it. The smaller resorts very often offer random discounts too...you just have to look for them. There's no single site that lists all these deals which would make it easier so you have to do some digging. SkiNH.com does a good one-stop shop for NH, but they don't always update sometimes, but I have found deals there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Wow, good stuff. Thanks. I'll pole around. A buddy of mine works at a ski shop in Boston right on canal street. Maybe they have some deals there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Sick pics. During Mid week(non holiday) at stowe, how long before fresh tracks on trail disappear? Does it last 2 hours?(100+ bucks is a lot of dough.) As long as I get in 1 epic hour and then another hour where it's descent before it's all tracked to hell, I'm good. I went to one place after a foot of snowfall and only 3 trails(top to bottom) were left ungroomed. It lasted ONE run. LOL And most of the skiers were avoiding it anyway and it was mid week. By the time I went back up for a second run it was finito. In your opinion, what is the best mountain for getting fresh untracked powder on trails in northern and southern vermont? I've heard magic is the best due to low skier count.(obviously doesn't get as much snow as stowe, but I'm talking when it does actually snow) But I'm thinking all the powderhounds must chase it there so it gets crowded on powder days? Yeah 2 hours is probably a good bet. Stowe generally grooms 50-70% of its trails each night, but there are at least 30% that just can't be groomed so there are usually good fresh snow. Plus now that the woods are in, the locals usually head straight for that. On days when it snows overnight like last night, every trail had fresh powder on it except for the last groomed trails which was only a handful. The rest that were groomed overnight had varying depths on them depending on time of grooming. For powder skiing, there's really nothing better than a groomed run with 6" on top of it...just super smooth. I think most spots around here are in the same powder boat. Bolton Valley is actually probably the best spot because its overlooked by the tourists. But Sugarbush/MRG/Stowe/Smuggs/Jay...if you go on a powder morning you'll get a couple hours of trail powder, then need to go into the trees to find the untracked lines. And regarding the rate, never pay walk-up. At least order online and its usually $72-$89 peak season. Like prior to MLK weekend, if you purchased online between January 1 and January 16, the rate was $72. Its still not cheap, but its more in-line with the competition. Basically the point resorts are doing now is trying to take advantage of those that do absolutely no research on prices before going...like Vail is $160 per day for a walk-up rate. But if you buy online its like $90. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardHunter Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 No, at least not by the time the standard lift-served customer gets there. Gotta head onto the woods to get the goods. That sucks if true. But that's different than what powderfreak just told me. Someone's poaching all the trails? The resort allows that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Also try supermarket or gas station programs...I think Irving Gas does a promotion where if you do 3 fill-ups there, then you get buy one get one free lift tickets at their participating resorts...and some big name resorts belong to it. The smaller resorts very often offer random discounts too...you just have to look for them. There's no single site that lists all these deals which would make it easier so you have to do some digging. SkiNH.com does a good one-stop shop for NH, but they don't always update sometimes, but I have found deals there. The ski clubs are the way to go...or bus trips. Bus trips can be ridiculously cheap, and even Stowe you can get the transportation and lift ticket for much less than a day ticket price. Those are sold at like $30 a day. Ski club days are really quite cheap...usually like $59 or something. I know Ryan does the CT one. There are other deals sometimes through credit cards like American Express...use your American Express card and get 4 days for the price of 3, type stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 The ski clubs are the way to go...or bus trips. Bus trips can be ridiculously cheap, and even Stowe you can get the transportation and lift ticket for much less than a day ticket price. Those are sold at like $30 a day. Ski club days are really quite cheap...usually like $59 or something. I know Ryan does the CT one. There are other deals sometimes through credit cards like American Express...use your American Express card and get 4 days for the price of 3, type stuff Yeah bus deals are great if you don't mind the travel time and the constraints...for me personally though, time is worth too much so I won't do them. But for those who don't mind, they are a bargain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 That sucks if true. But that's different than what powderfreak just told me. Someone's poaching all the trails? The resort allows that? There are some early morning skinners, but just ask everyone that was there this morning if they had plenty of powder. I mean don't show up at 10:30 and expect to have untracked main trails. I also think as someone who does this everyday, I know where to go depending on the time of day and situation, so do all the locals. You have a way to attack the mountain to get the most powder. I could definitely see that being different from a first time visitor who hasn't quite figured out the staggered lift opening times and where you need to be and when. But its the same out west...if you know the resort's pattern of doing avalanche control and what bowls open when, and what lifts open when, there's definitely a local advantage to any mountain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT Rain Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Wow, good stuff. Thanks. I'll pole around. A buddy of mine works at a ski shop in Boston right on canal street. Maybe they have some deals there too. I joined the ct ski council (you can be out of state and its only 10 bucks) and they have incredible discounts. Skied today for 45 when the walk up rate is 80 something. Did mount snow a couple weeks ago for 40 and Stowe for 45 last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardHunter Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Yeah 2 hours is probably a good bet. Stowe generally grooms 50-70% of its trails each night, but there are at least 30% that just can't be groomed so there are usually good fresh snow. Plus now that the woods are in, the locals usually head straight for that. On days when it snows overnight like last night, every trail had fresh powder on it except for the last groomed trails which was only a handful. The rest that were groomed overnight had varying depths on them depending on time of grooming. For powder skiing, there's really nothing better than a groomed run with 6" on top of it...just super smooth. And regarding the rate, never pay walk-up. At least order online and its usually $72-$89 peak season. Like prior to MLK weekend, if you purchased online between January 1 and January 16, the rate was $72. Its still not cheap, but its more in-line with the competition. Basically the point resorts are doing now is trying to take advantage of those that do absolutely no research on prices before going...like Vail is $160 per day for a walk-up rate. But if you buy online its like $90. Agreed. ESPECIALLY with blower pow. If you don't groom the first few inches then you end up making a turn and scraping the bottom hard pack that's been completely skied off. Grooming a trail at closing time in the evening makes sense. What's nuts is grooming in the morning first thing destroying powder, except on green trails and maybe a few blues to give intermediates/racers/cruisers some good groomers. I've seen areas leave no powder anywhere basically and I don't get that at all. Yeah, if I'm chasing pow I can't buy ahead because you never know when it will snow for sure. It's like long drive for me so it would only be a pow day I'd go that far away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlizzardHunter Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 There are some early morning skinners, but just ask everyone that was there this morning if they had plenty of powder. I mean don't show up at 10:30 and expect to have untracked main trails. haha Is that a joke? Of course! I'm at the lift before ski patrol even goes up shaking with excitement on a pow day at any ski area. Early bird gets the worm. Hell, even for fresh cord, which I also really like as long as it's soft and good packed powder, I'm there first thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Great. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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