powderfreak Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Sunday was mobbed to the point that it became uncomfortable on the main thruways. I don't mind waiting in line on a warm sunny day, but I could pass on the myriad of near miss high speed collisions. Was skiing with my wife who is in fully in control and makes predictable turns, but we were nearly smashed into any number of times by folks who couldn't be inconvenienced to slow down on the cruisers. If I am going to get injured skiing I'd rather it be launching a cliff than being taken out by a half naked, the other half drunk moron thinking he is showing off on the rolling blue squares. Spring skiing definitely has that added issue of alcohol consumption... there are a lot of college kids and 20 year olds downing shots in the parking lot and then going up and racing down the mountain shirtless. I was there once though, so hard to hate on them. Makes me cringe though to think about what myself and my friends used to do when we were at UVM and skiing at Stowe. A real busy spring weekend can turn into an absolute sh*tshow in the afternoon, haha. Stowe does put Patrollers out on weekends at choke points and high traffic areas to slow people down and keep control of the situation... and it seems to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Yep. I much prefer weekdays but I can't do them all that often given my work schedule. That said, you go on a non-peak weekend in winter and it can be pretty short lines. When I went to Sunday River on March 7-8 this year it was surprisingly empty. Same deal when I went last year on March 22-23. Both weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Most employers offer sick and vacation time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Most employers offer sick and vacation time. Yep and I usually reserve that time to coincide with my wife's vacation time which is predetermined because she is a teacher. On top of that, it is difficult to get vacation time on very short notice. Which is what you want to do if you go on a day trip. Day trips are best when you have the benefit of knowing conditions. If you plan it two or three weeks ahead, you can be screwed by the weather. In short, it's not easy for a lot of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Yep and I usually reserve that time to coincide with my wife's vacation time which is predetermined because she is a teacher. On top of that, it is difficult to get vacation time on very short notice. Which is what you want to do if you go on a day trip. Day trips are best when you have the benefit of knowing conditions. If you plan it two or three weeks ahead, you can be screwed by the weather. In short, it's not easy for a lot of people. True but where there's a will there's a way, have not skied a weekend day in over 15 years for all the reasons Eric radarman described, just not worth it. Obviously some can't but I would highly recommend if you can, ski midweek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Yep. I much prefer weekdays but I can't do them all that often given my work schedule. That said, you go on a non-peak weekend in winter and it can be pretty short lines. When I went to Sunday River on March 7-8 this year it was surprisingly empty. Same deal when I went last year on March 22-23. Both weekends. Vt does get the Yahoo crowd for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radarman Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 True but where there's a will there's a way, have not skied a weekend day in over 15 years for all the reasons Eric radarman described, just not worth it. Obviously some can't but I would highly recommend if you can, ski midweek. Yeah. I mean it was a gorgeous day... I was a little bit annoyed at borderline reckless endangerment, but on the whole I'd have gone again definitely. The other factor of course as I mentioned was that I was skiing on the cruisers with my wife. The usual days with the highland contingent we don't tend to encounter the traffic on the hill. Liftlines don't bother me... it's plenty enjoyable to be outside shooting the breeze, good conversation and people watching. As an aside, we saw a giraffe suit... a flying squirrel suit... a dinosaur suit... pink one pieces with curly blonde wigs and fu manchus... and a bear... a real one, in a tree, poor little guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Yeah. I mean it was a gorgeous day... I was a little bit annoyed at borderline reckless endangerment, but on the whole I'd have gone again definitely. The other factor of course as I mentioned was that I was skiing on the cruisers with my wife. The usual days with the highland contingent we don't tend to encounter the traffic on the hill. Liftlines don't bother me... it's plenty enjoyable to be outside shooting the breeze, good conversation and people watching. As an aside, we saw a giraffe suit... a flying squirrel suit... a dinosaur suit... pink one pieces with curly blonde wigs and fu manchus... and a bear... a real one, in a tree, poor little guy. Nice well any sking is better than no sking but for the same reasons I have not gone to the beach on a weekend either. Just not into crowds I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Yep. I much prefer weekdays but I can't do them all that often given my work schedule. That said, you go on a non-peak weekend in winter and it can be pretty short lines. When I went to Sunday River on March 7-8 this year it was surprisingly empty. Same deal when I went last year on March 22-23. Both weekends. Yeah...last Sunday was one of the longest lift lines of the season. All of March was empty. I'm sure it was the same at Sugarbush, and it's the same everywhere, in that in April there are less lifts running. 99% of the time that works fine, but when you get that 60F bluesky day on a weekend it gets busy. March everyone is still 100% open so say you have a few thousand skiers and it feels empty. Same number of skiers in April can be a mad house. But again, you really need a perfect storm of weather (yay spring), demand (literally no spring weather yet), weekend, and long lead time on said good weather so folks know it's going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Vt does get the Yahoo crowd for sure lol oh ginxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarloaf1989 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I'm taking two days off from work next week to ski with my son and we planned to ski for three days at Saddleback/Sugarloaf. Right now the weather only looks favorable for Sunday and perhaps Monday, so it's hard to plan in advance around the weather. Yep and I usually reserve that time to coincide with my wife's vacation time which is predetermined because she is a teacher.On top of that, it is difficult to get vacation time on very short notice. Which is what you want to do if you go on a day trip. Day trips are best when you have the benefit of knowing conditions. If you plan it two or three weeks ahead, you can be screwed by the weather.In short, it's not easy for a lot of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I'm taking two days off from work next week to ski with my son and we planned to ski for three days at Saddleback/Sugarloaf. Right now the weather only looks favorable for Sunday and perhaps Monday, so it's hard to plan in advance around the weather. Some of the models were actually giving them a chance of snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarloaf1989 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Some of the models were actually giving them a chance of snow. what's your thinking for potential sunshine on sunday-Monday? I'm worried that with bad weather in the forecast for Saturday, Saddleback may not open this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 what's your thinking for potential sunshine on sunday-Monday? I'm worried that with bad weather in the forecast for Saturday, Saddleback may not open this weekend. There could be a weak system with a chance of some rain to snow on Saturday night, but Sunday and Monday look fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Yeah...last Sunday was one of the longest lift lines of the season. All of March was empty. I'm sure it was the same at Sugarbush, and it's the same everywhere, in that in April there are less lifts running. 99% of the time that works fine, but when you get that 60F bluesky day on a weekend it gets busy. March everyone is still 100% open so say you have a few thousand skiers and it feels empty. Same number of skiers in April can be a mad house. But again, you really need a perfect storm of weather (yay spring), demand (literally no spring weather yet), weekend, and long lead time on said good weather so folks know it's going to happen. I think the other factor is that the actual ski runs take much less time. instead of doing a run through the trees for 10-15 minutes, not to mention sidecountry runs taking a half hour, everyone is ripping down groomers which only takes a minute or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarloaf1989 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 There could be a weak system with a chance of some rain to snow on Saturday night, but Sunday and Monday look fine. Wind may be a problem early on sunday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalWx Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Wind may be a problem early on sunday. Yeah I could see that if the euro was right. GFS looked weaker. Still got time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I think the other factor is that the actual ski runs take much less time. instead of doing a run through the trees for 10-15 minutes, not to mention sidecountry runs taking a half hour, everyone is ripping down groomers which only takes a minute or two. Great point...hadn't thought of that. This time of year, even with deep snowpack in the woods, the best skiing is on the trails. Often the trails that see regular traffic. Stuff that doesn't get skied just turns manky and sticky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Yeah...last Sunday was one of the longest lift lines of the season. All of March was empty. I'm sure it was the same at Sugarbush, and it's the same everywhere, in that in April there are less lifts running. 99% of the time that works fine, but when you get that 60F bluesky day on a weekend it gets busy. March everyone is still 100% open so say you have a few thousand skiers and it feels empty. Same number of skiers in April can be a mad house. But again, you really need a perfect storm of weather (yay spring), demand (literally no spring weather yet), weekend, and long lead time on said good weather so folks know it's going to happen. March is the best skiing in New England hands down in my book...I guess we can add the "closing of lifts" as a blemish to April skiing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 March is the best skiing in New England hands down in my book...I guess we can add the "closing of lifts" as a blemish to April skiing. Haha I agree March is by far the best month, and most reliable time period would probably be the first two weeks of the month. I wouldn't say lifts closing is a blemish, as it's literally only a problem maybe once a season, if that. Either a beautiful spring day with long lead time (sun icon on the newscasts starting on Monday prior), or a big powder day off a well-forecast nor'easter. I love spring in general...the entire 6-week period after March 1 is my favorite time of year. Like today and yesterday and Monday have been empty mountain, sunshine daydreams. People have been calling it the Yellowstone Club because it's like a private mountain with beautiful weather and lots of snow. It's also why ski areas close this time of year...it's hard to sustain on one busy weekend day a month haha. When every other day is empty chairs going through the bullwheel even with the most perfect weather you could imagine. When there are Fire Watches up, that's some good spring skiing weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Haha I agree March is by far the best month, and most reliable time period would probably be the first two weeks of the month. I wouldn't say lifts closing is a blemish, as it's literally only a problem maybe once a season, if that. Either a beautiful spring day with long lead time (sun icon on the newscasts starting on Monday prior), or a big powder day off a well-forecast nor'easter. I love spring in general...the entire 6-week period after March 1 is my favorite time of year. Like today and yesterday and Monday have been empty mountain, sunshine daydreams. People have been calling it the Yellowstone Club because it's like a private mountain with beautiful weather and lots of snow. It's also why ski areas close this time of year...it's hard to sustain on one busy weekend day a month haha. When every other day is empty chairs going through the bullwheel even with the most perfect weather you could imagine. When there are Fire Watches up, that's some good spring skiing weather. That makes it a belmish to us folks who want to ski weekends in April but would have to deal with it if it's a nice day or nice conditions. March doesn't have that issue for the most part. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate April skiing, I like it...but it's a notch below March for that reason. If I was up there skiing every day I would probably think more like you, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarloaf1989 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I find April to be the best time to ski Sugarloaf/Saddleback as it's often warm and sunny, which makes skiing above treeline more pleasant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I find April to be the best time to ski Sugarloaf/Saddleback as it's often warm and sunny, which makes skiing above treeline more pleasant. Sugarloaf might have the best April skiing of anywhere in NE...I'd def like to get up there one of these springs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I find April to be the best time to ski Sugarloaf/Saddleback as it's often warm and sunny, which makes skiing above treeline more pleasant. Haha that goes through my head up here a lot too...Mansfield is a windy cold snowy mountain on the whole, and I can't even imagine what Sugarloaf is like way up there, so this time of year is so nice. It's why I get pissed at -20F in March, because it's the time of year we shouldn't have to deal with it, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Wachusett is officially closed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whineminster Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Wachusett is officially closed Nooo I wanted to go one last time!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professional Lurker Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Wachusett is officially closedThey probably suffered the same fate as berkshire east. ...enough snow on the trails, but they lost to much near the top bullwheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Nooo I wanted to go one last time!!! I always hate this time of year (right after the best time of the year too!)...I feel it especially more now that I have returned to skiing more frequently. I always want another few times on the slopes in April but realize that time has run out, but now the long 8-9 month wait begins. Maybe one of these years I'll cave in and do the Superstar runs at Kmart in May. Hopefully we'll have another good November like this past year. I had an awesome day skiing last November on the Saturday after T-day at Killington...about as good as it gets in Novie. Other times you have to wait until January to get good skiing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 They probably suffered the same fate as berkshire east. ...enough snow on the trails, but they lost to much near the top bullwheel.Hmmmm. That is a possibility. They don't really have a big stash up topI'm guessing it is a combination of that and $$$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Wachusett does do a rail jam in early May though. I'm busy that day but it looks fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.