nzucker Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Thanks to all you guys (except NZucker)for making me feel welcome! I was kidding, it seemed obvious that it was a joke considering the picture you posted of a tiny bit of snow in a mass of mud. I'm sorry if it offended you. I do enjoy your reports, being an occasional skier myself. No one is trying to push you off the forum. I do think you sometimes are on the "ra ra Killington" bandwagon instead of giving attention to all the ski centers and the various challenges and conditions they offer. Your posts occasionally come across as more of an advertisement than just an unbiased description of your experience. I wish you'd give your great reports about more places in a more neutral tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Yeah I love the mountains....but the finances keep me close to Boston. Just the way it is with many people....obviously some are fortunate enough to find decent income sources closer by, and more power to them. If I had my choice all to myself with no worry about finances, I'd probably be somewhere like Rangeley ME in NE or out west in a place like Telluride or Jackson Hole. Yeah, its a tough balance to find good income sources around ski country. Good income being enough to live in comfort but without a lot to fall back on if something happens. This area of ski country is probably the best area though for more professional level jobs being 45 minutes from Montpelier and Burlington area. Living in Waterbury is even closer, with only 25 minutes to both spots. Waterbury is one of the most under-rated towns in New England to me...something like mountain living, good snows and weather, and yet very close to professional level jobs. Someone like J.Spin can get 150" of snowfall, be minutes from skiing, have mountains around him, and yet work a professional job at University of Vermont. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I was kidding, it seemed obvious that it was a joke considering the picture you posted of a tiny bit of snow in a mass of mud. I'm sorry if it offended you. I do enjoy your reports, being an occasional skier myself. No one is trying to push you off the forum. I do think you sometimes are on the "ra ra Killington" bandwagon instead of giving attention to all the ski centers and the various challenges and conditions they offer. Your posts occasionally come across as more of an advertisement than just an unbiased description of your experience. I wish you'd give your great reports about more places in a more neutral tone. Skiers and riders are one of the more passionate group of people you'll ever find...especially the diehards. I get her passion and if you ski 90 days at one area, you aren't going to be offering reports about any other place. I mean I haven't skied another ski area in probably 4 years aside from skinning up Bolton Valley a few times pre or post season. J.Spin is usually good for Bolton Valley or Stowe (Sundays) reports...Hitman is good for Sugarbush reports...HubbDave with WaWa...Radarman with BEast or MRG...and skivt2 gives us Killington reports. We all have our usual spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 I was kidding, it seemed obvious that it was a joke considering the picture you posted of a tiny bit of snow in a mass of mud. I'm sorry if it offended you. I do enjoy your reports, being an occasional skier myself. No one is trying to push you off the forum. I do think you sometimes are on the "ra ra Killington" bandwagon instead of giving attention to all the ski centers and the various challenges and conditions they offer. Your posts occasionally come across as more of an advertisement than just an unbiased description of your experience. I wish you'd give your great reports about more places in a more neutral tone. She reports on where she skis. I ski 95% of the time at Wachusett and only really report about that little godforsaken bump, with a 1 time per year foray into another spot. Freak only reports 99% of the time on Stowe, etc. How can she give experiences about a place if she is not there at the time? Plus Killington is the only game in town at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professional Lurker Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Killington's done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Killington's done. Yup just saw that too. http://www.killington.com/site/mountain/conditions This was May 25th... looks like yesterday's 1"+ thunderstorm and the humidity did quite a bit of damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 That sounds illegal, but I like the idea not for long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Skiers and riders are one of the more passionate group of people you'll ever find...especially the diehards. I get her passion and if you ski 90 days at one area, you aren't going to be offering reports about any other place. I mean I haven't skied another ski area in probably 4 years aside from skinning up Bolton Valley a few times pre or post season. J.Spin is usually good for Bolton Valley or Stowe (Sundays) reports...Hitman is good for Sugarbush reports...HubbDave with WaWa...Radarman with BEast or MRG...and skivt2 gives us Killington reports. We all have our usual spots. I feel guilty that I dont ski other areas more. I haven't been to stowe in years and never skied off trail there and really want to. heck, I barely get to MRG more than once a season and thats in my backyard. Problem is that I have a pass so going elsewhere costs money, and since it costs money, I want to make it worth it with good conditions....but when conditions are good I kind of want to stick to what I know and not be somewhere where I'm clueless that I have to drive to. First world problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 not for long. Yeah VT will legalize in the next couple years I bet. It's already decriminalized and cops really couldn't care less if that's all you have. They are out looking for heroin now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Yeah VT will legalize in the next couple years I bet. It's already decriminalized and cops really couldn't care less if that's all you have. They are out looking for heroin now. But then there won't be any money in selling it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Yup just saw that too. http://www.killington.com/site/mountain/conditions This was May 25th... looks like yesterday's 1"+ thunderstorm and the humidity did quite a bit of damage. It's too bad May was a record warmth month or the snow could have easily lasted into June, considering how cold February and March were in New England. There was almost no melt in the snowpack through mid April, whereas usually March has days in the 40s and 50s that condition the snow pack for melt. However, in late April the heat got turned on, and it's been brutally warm for a ski area all of May. Snow just vaporized this month. I assume Mansfield is gone too. What was the last date for the stake? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 Someone asked me the other day if out of 130-140 days of skiing, if I can pick out the best days of the season? I said absolutely, I know exactly what the best day of the season was. It was a straight classic Northern Greens type of day, and the signs started subtly the afternoon prior. As I was leaving the mountain on March 8th, it was absolutely nuking with a couple inches down, and every bit of moisture was unloading right over the mountain. But I was thinking 2-5" or so was possible by morning. I woke up on March 9th, and found 2-3" on my car the next morning, but 5 minutes up the road as I was getting to the resort, I could tell that 2-3 times that amount fell up at the mountain, blasting through over a half a foot in the parking lot at 5am. Up on the hill, it became obvious that snowfall was again doubled between the base area and the upper mountain. So we had a profile like... 3,000ft+...12-13" 1,500ft...6-7" 750ft...2-3" This was a Monday, so there was no one there to begin with except the friends I woke up at 6am to alert them to the surprise dump. In the end, this was the best powder day of the season. No big winter storm warning, no hype, and no one really even realizing it was happening unless you were paying close attention. Empty chair lifts, no crowds, and a foot of upper elevation snow to enjoy all day long. These are the best days, and classic Northern Green days that just don't seem to happen elsewhere in the northeast. The surprise powder days, that lead to a lot better skiing than the big hyped up nor'easters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted May 30, 2015 Share Posted May 30, 2015 But then there won't be any money in selling it! Dunno, but the liquor and beer companies seem to do have done pretty well for themselves since their prohibition ended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewbeer Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 But then there won't be any money in selling it! You can make your own beer at a fraction of the cost of buying it, but it's hard work and takes a lot of effort to get a high quality result. Plenty of people will pay handsomely for a good product ( see heady topper). Last winter was unusual for the consecutive number of days where the temps never got above freezing and it didn't rain. Some of the best bump skiing I can remember doing in new england in a long, long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Some folks still playing on the couple remaining piles at Stowe... this particular pile will definitely last until July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Wonder if parts of Mt. Washington like Tuckerman are still skiable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skivt2 Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Wonder if parts of Mt. Washington like Tuckerman are still skiable. Yes. My friend was there last weekend and today as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Yes. My friend was there last weekend and today as well.Awesome update. They always hold out long...maybe into July though it's been warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongBeachSurfFreak Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Awesome update. They always hold out long...maybe into July though it's been warm. I wonder if there was multi year snow up there during the little ice age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I wonder if there was multi year snow up there during the little ice age.Definitely...in some of our coolest summers the Tuckerman Bowl has held onto snow. I think it happened recently...maybe Summer 2000 or Summer 1992. One of the more avid skiers would know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Definitely...in some of our coolest summers the Tuckerman Bowl has held onto snow. I think it happened recently...maybe Summer 2000 or Summer 1992. One of the more avid skiers would know. I've heard of patches making it through the summer...usually near the bottom of the ravine where it gets the least sun and a really deep snow year where a lot collected down there. It's fairly rare though...but I'd suspect in the LIA, it happened more frequently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongBeachSurfFreak Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I've heard of patches making it through the summer...usually near the bottom of the ravine where it gets the least sun and a really deep snow year where a lot collected down there. It's fairly rare though...but I'd suspect in the LIA, it happened more frequently. Sweet!!! That's really cool. It makes sense with all the snow blowing off the exposed rock and getting stuck down there. Perfect combo of massive amounts of snow, shade and elevation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Skiers and riders are one of the more passionate group of people you'll ever find...especially the diehards. I get her passion and if you ski 90 days at one area, you aren't going to be offering reports about any other place. I mean I haven't skied another ski area in probably 4 years aside from skinning up Bolton Valley a few times pre or post season. J.Spin is usually good for Bolton Valley or Stowe (Sundays) reports...Hitman is good for Sugarbush reports...HubbDave with WaWa...Radarman with BEast or MRG...and skivt2 gives us Killington reports. We all have our usual spots. Yeah, I can definitely understand the propensity to just stick to the usual spots. As much fun as it can be to explore around and visit different ski areas, there’s just a huge level of lifestyle, financial, logistical, social, mental, etc. efficiency in sticking with your “home” mountain. Regardless of one’s financial situation, it’s tough to pass up free, easy-access skiing where you can come and go from the slopes whenever you want with no concerns for getting your money’s worth. There’s no doubt that skiing is a relatively expensive sport in general, but if you’re a local with a season’s pass skiing your home mountain, it’s basically one of the cheapest things you can do all winter. Living close to the mountain with your gear and a pass means that all those potential expenses associated with ski trips like transportation, tickets, rentals, lodging, food, etc. simply evaporate. To take the entire family skiing literally means a dollar or two in gas, that’s it – or zero if you happen to live slopeside the way many people do up at Bolton Valley. One of us can’t go to the movies, or heck, even order a movie on demand, as inexpensively as the whole family can ski. You can’t totally remove the original outlay of money for the season’s passes from the equation, but the thing is, so many locals either work at the mountain, are part of an affiliated business in town, or have some other connection to the mountain that they have either free or very inexpensive season’s passes. We do occasionally visit other mountains as opportunities arise during the season, but when the additional free options of backcountry skiing or skinning for turns at the local resorts gets thrown into the mix, paying for lift tickets becomes less appealing. When one is deciding between skiing pristine snow for free, vs. paying money to ski surfaces that are often of much lesser quality, the frequency of buying lift tickets to other mountains can really fall off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Yeah, I can definitely understand the propensity to just stick to the usual spots. As much fun as it can be to explore around and visit different ski areas, there’s just a huge level of lifestyle, financial, logistical, social, mental, etc. efficiency in sticking with your “home” mountain. Regardless of one’s financial situation, it’s tough to pass up free, easy-access skiing where you can come and go from the slopes whenever you want with no concerns for getting your money’s worth. There’s no doubt that skiing is a relatively expensive sport in general, but if you’re a local with a season’s pass skiing your home mountain, it’s basically one of the cheapest things you can do all winter. Living close to the mountain with your gear and a pass means that all those potential expenses associated with ski trips like transportation, tickets, rentals, lodging, food, etc. simply evaporate. To take the entire family skiing literally means a dollar or two in gas, that’s it – or zero if you happen to live slopeside the way many people do up at Bolton Valley. One of us can’t go to the movies, or heck, even order a movie on demand, as inexpensively as the whole family can ski. You can’t totally remove the original outlay of money for the season’s passes from the equation, but the thing is, so many locals either work at the mountain, are part of an affiliated business in town, or have some other connection to the mountain that they have either free or very inexpensive season’s passes. We do occasionally visit other mountains as opportunities arise during the season, but when the additional free options of backcountry skiing or skinning for turns at the local resorts gets thrown into the mix, paying for lift tickets becomes less appealing. When one is deciding between skiing pristine snow for free, vs. paying money to ski surfaces that are often of much lesser quality, the frequency of buying lift tickets to other mountains can really fall off. Skiing is very similar to golf in this manner. Once past the original outlay for a membership, I can golf relatively inexpensively, if I play at my home course and only play elsewhere as deals pop up. I'm sure that in skiing, like in golf there are plenty of opportunities to spend money on equipment, lessons and other extraneous stuff that are not completely required to enjoy the sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Skiing is very similar to golf in this manner. Once past the original outlay for a membership, I can golf relatively inexpensively, if I play at my home course and only play elsewhere as deals pop up. I'm sure that in skiing, like in golf there are plenty of opportunities to spend money on equipment, lessons and other extraneous stuff that are not completely required to enjoy the sport. Yup that's a great analogy... probably like skiing, once you have a course membership you aren't worried if you don't get all 18 holes in every time you go out. A lot of times you go out you probably know you won't get a full round in...maybe you get out at work at 5pm and just go play until its dark and you get 14 holes in or something. No worries, you didn't pay for the day or the round. Skiing works the same with with a seasons pass, as maybe you can only go up for an hour or two before you have to go to work or pick up the kids or whatever. Any sort of "seasonal pass or membership" has the same dynamics in that you have chosen your "home" location for the activity...and only deviate from that location if there's a really good deal or an incentive that you feel worth it to go experience. Then there's the mental aspect...you know your home location really well, you know the people, the staff, how the process works, etc. Sometimes its better to just go do what you know with the people you know, even if there's a good deal to go elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skivt2 Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 We had Vermont Ski Area Assiciation passes for 15 years....2 each so 32 tickets each per season (2 tickets to each of 16 mountains for each of us or 64 tickets total). So we skied every mountain on the pass at least twice each year unless we traded someone ours for theirs. The only mountains in VT not on the pass were Coharans(sp) and Quechee. So I've skied most mt's in vt around 30+ times. We tended to ski a little more at favorites such as Stowe, Jay, Bolton, Middlebury, Suicide and less at others such as Snow and Stratton. We used to buy 30 additional Okemo tickets as well to get about 50+ days in a year. At one point we switched to American Ski company passes and an okemo black out pass in the same year. It's been an evolution. We got tired of driving all over hell and back and staying in different places. We settled on Killington/Pico for its long season and great terrain within easy driving distance. Now we are there because we are regulars and we are part of the community. We literally are home there. As you said, we have so much sunk into a slope side condo, full season passes, and a heartfelt investment into our ski community at Killington/Pico that we are not going to ski elsewhere very often if at all. No one should be looking for me to post reports about anywhere else because in the winter I live literally 30 steps from the little Pico triple chair. I don't even have to get in the car to go skiing. And of course I'm enthusiastic when it's really good. How else should I be? I'm no Killington shrill but damn it.....I effectively live there and most of my best friends do too. I skied 47 days at Pico this year and 46 days at Killington. I'm not an occasional skier. I'm living the alternative life of a working ski bum and Killington is my home. I think maybe you have to life that kind of life to understand how your home mountain is so much more than just a place to ski. It is almost physically painful when the season is ending especially if you love spring bump skiing and you know you have to give it up for 22+ weeks and say good bye to a bunch of people you care about for at least that long since nice most people don't stick around for the summer. It's just not nice to tell a person going through the emotions of the end of the season that you hope their snow melts and to b**ch at them for reporting enthusiastically on their home mountain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzucker Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Let's torch away that snow, high dewpoints, 90/70, CTBlizz style...it's summertime baby! I hear you, I don't live on the slopes but I feel melancholy when winter ends. Always a tinge of sadness but hey that's the seasons. Interesting you used to ski at Middlebury..I went to college there and had a season pass plus lessons...pretty good skiing for a small area. Went there a couple dozen times easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I've only skied at Middlebury once but had a great time. It was MLK weekend so the natural terrain was a bit sketchy but even so, with low traffic the snow held up well and terrain was extensive enough and varied that it kept us really interested. the next season they (3 or 4 seasons ago) they cleaned out alot of the underbrush to enhance the tree skiing from what I understand. From that one visit, I think if I lived locally it would be my local hill supplemented by occasional visits to Killington to the south and the Stowe, MRG, and Sugarbush to north. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I used to do WaWa a lot as a "home mountain" a decade plus ago...but of course it can't stack up to the northern sites. It's not worth it these days as my work schedule is much more demanding. Damned mutual funds (plus still working part time on the side in winter as a met). So I just pick out deals on liftopia/other venues and usually pick when the snow is good and have done 8-10 days per year the last two seasons. One of these days when my schedule becomes more flexible, I'll seriously think about getting a place up north and a season pass at the associated nearby mountain wherever that may be. It would be great to escape for weeks at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Some updated Tuckermans Ravine photos from yesterday I think...credit Dan Carbonneau via FB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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