sankaty Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 11 hours ago, snowgeek said: I'm trying to plan a last minute ski trip out west from 3/29 - 4/4. Cheapest airfare is Denver but the conditions don't seem great? Utah is a definite option. Airfare isn't too bad and the ski areas are easy to get to. Conditions have gotten pretty good? Lake Tahoe looks to get dumped on this week, so conditions should improve fast. Jackson Hole looks too expensive. Big Sky looks expensive and hard to get to. British Columbia looks great right now, but hard to get too? I'm looking for: 1) Deep base. 2) Easy to get too. Easy flights so I can get 4-5 days of skiing in. 3) Not too pricey Any recommendations and ideas would be appreciated. Do you guys think Utah conditions have improved enough? Any areas in Colorado have enough snow to make it worthwhile? Thanks, Ken We skied Copper last week and conditions were great. They're a bit below normal for the year, but have still gotten 170", so it's not desperate by any means. Utah got off to a slow start, but they've been doing better recently (80" in Feb at Snowbird, 240" for the season). I'd look for areas that have a range of north/south exposures so that you can choose winter/spring conditions depending on the weather. Your dates are still far enough away that really anything could happen. There are places that are having much more productive seasons so far (Big Sky, Jackson Hole), but I don't think you need to definitely avoid either Big/Little Cottonwood Canyon or Summit County resorts at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian5671 Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 19 hours ago, alex said: Conditions are depressing at the moment. Hopefully we get some snow but it's not looking too hot as long as there is no rain, we will be happy-skiing with my wife and kids who mostly do greens and low blues-any tips on particular trails? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 It is toaster bath time for the backcountry folks but the groomers at bigger resorts will survive a bit. I am sure there will certainly be plenty of ice to contend with, but you may be to enjoy some early spring skiing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowgeek Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 Thanks for all of responses so far. So I found some pretty good airfares to Bozeman, MT (Big Sky) and Glacier Intl (Whitefish). Any thoughts on those 2 resorts. I've never skied Montana and maybe north is better since I'll be there into early April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongBeachSurfFreak Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 5 hours ago, Brian5671 said: as long as there is no rain, we will be happy-skiing with my wife and kids who mostly do greens and low blues-any tips on particular trails? There is still potential for a solid dump with this coming storm. But I think you may be a little to far north for the primary snows and a little to far south for the overrunning snows Maine’s going to get. I’m going up to southern Vermont Thursday night and just hoping for the best. Honestly even a few inches Friday will be welcome. There’s still the potential for something much much more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted February 27, 2018 Share Posted February 27, 2018 37 minutes ago, snowgeek said: Thanks for all of responses so far. So I found some pretty good airfares to Bozeman, MT (Big Sky) and Glacier Intl (Whitefish). Any thoughts on those 2 resorts. I've never skied Montana and maybe north is better since I'll be there into early April. I've never been personally but everyone I know who has, loves montana. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 8 hours ago, Brian5671 said: as long as there is no rain, we will be happy-skiing with my wife and kids who mostly do greens and low blues-any tips on particular trails? I didn't get to ski the last 2 days but I've heard from some of our guests that the conditions were actually surprisingly good! Bretton Woods has very easy terrain, so you'll be able to ski pretty much the whole mountain. The trails between the Bethlehem Express quad and the Zephyr quad are among the easiest; "in between" is one of my favorites and a but less popular so it tends to have great snow. You can also do Two Miles Home from the very top (Rosebrook quad); you'll get some killer views but it can be a bit icy. Off of this trail you can visit the Mt Stickney cabin, which can be a blast on a beautiful day. You can grab a soup, a snack and a beer and hang out for a whole; on a nice day there's always people hanging out outside playing corn hole by the outdoor fireplace, and it's really fun. Reminds a bit of the small chalets you'll find skiing in the Alps. ENJOY! And don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 9 minutes ago, alex said: I didn't get to ski the last 2 days but I've heard from some of our guests that the conditions were actually surprisingly good! Bretton Woods has very easy terrain, so you'll be able to ski pretty much the whole mountain. The trails between the Bethlehem Express quad and the Zephyr quad are among the easiest; "in between" is one of my favorites and a but less popular so it tends to have great snow. You can also do Two Miles Home from the very top (Rosebrook quad); you'll get some killer views but it can be a bit icy. Off of this trail you can visit the Mt Stickney cabin, which can be a blast on a beautiful day. You can grab a soup, a snack and a beer and hang out for a whole; on a nice day there's always people hanging out outside playing corn hole by the outdoor fireplace, and it's really fun. Reminds a bit of the small chalets you'll find skiing in the Alps. ENJOY! And don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything! Conditions have been very good lately. It's not fresh powder but sunshine and 30-40F creates a very nice ski surface (almost Spring corn without getting sloppy soft)...it's more peeling off the top layer of snow and chalky consistency. The 2" of snow/sleet we got that Sunday storm led to legit smooth packed powder on Monday. That was like dream groomed conditions you could dig trenches into. It's funny how certain weather produces such good conditions that people assume wouldn't. If it was 5-15F it would've been much worse... but the crystals at 30-40F are really enjoyable to slide on. Plus the weather is euphoric when it's sunny and 30s this time of year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Just now, powderfreak said: Conditions have been very good lately. It's not fresh powder but sunshine and 30-40F creates a very nice ski surface (almost Spring corn without getting sloppy soft)...it's more peeling off the top layer of snow and chalky consistency. The 2" of snow/sleet we got that Sunday storm led to legit smooth packed powder on Monday. That was like dream groomed conditions you could dig trenches into. It's funny how certain weather produces such good conditions that people assume wouldn't. If it was 5-15F it would've been much worse... but the crystals at 30-40F are really enjoyable to slide on. Plus the weather is euphoric when it's sunny and 30s this time of year. Great point. The scenery has also been stunning with the deep blue ski and Mt Washington all covered in snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skivt2 Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 26 minutes ago, powderfreak said: Conditions have been very good lately. It's not fresh powder but sunshine and 30-40F creates a very nice ski surface (almost Spring corn without getting sloppy soft)...it's more peeling off the top layer of snow and chalky consistency. The 2" of snow/sleet we got that Sunday storm led to legit smooth packed powder on Monday. That was like dream groomed conditions you could dig trenches into. It's funny how certain weather produces such good conditions that people assume wouldn't. If it was 5-15F it would've been much worse... but the crystals at 30-40F are really enjoyable to slide on. Plus the weather is euphoric when it's sunny and 30s this time of year. It's ok where there is lots of snowmaking. Not so good at places that rely on natural snow. Not so good for folks who like to ski the woods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redmorninglight Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Well I booked 3 nights at Mt Snow starting Thursday night. I'm expecting anywhere from 2 feet of snow to heavy rain to cloudy skies Friday. Something in my gut says big time refresher snows for ski areas but who knows. Models are super jumpy and temps are marginal. I might stretch the trip to Monday if conditions are good. It's pretty much spring down here with birds caroling every morning and lawns greening up. It will be a treat to see snow again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southshorewx Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 14 hours ago, sankaty said: We skied Copper last week and conditions were great. They're a bit below normal for the year, but have still gotten 170", so it's not desperate by any means. Utah got off to a slow start, but they've been doing better recently (80" in Feb at Snowbird, 240" for the season). I'd look for areas that have a range of north/south exposures so that you can choose winter/spring conditions depending on the weather. Your dates are still far enough away that really anything could happen. There are places that are having much more productive seasons so far (Big Sky, Jackson Hole), but I don't think you need to definitely avoid either Big/Little Cottonwood Canyon or Summit County resorts at this point. Heading to copper a week from Friday. Looks like they are piddling snow here and there keeping conditions up. I'll give a report Friday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 11 hours ago, snowgeek said: Thanks for all of responses so far. So I found some pretty good airfares to Bozeman, MT (Big Sky) and Glacier Intl (Whitefish). Any thoughts on those 2 resorts. I've never skied Montana and maybe north is better since I'll be there into early April. Heard great things about Big Sky this season and the place is massive with great terrain. Went to "Big Mountain" - that's what the locals call it this past November snowshoeing up to the summit. Looked like a fun mountain with good terrain but not enormous. My choice would be Big Sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baroclinic Zone Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 22 hours ago, Professional Lurker said: Seems like a long drive and an expensive lift ticket just to spend time on your butt figuring out your edges on the bunny hill and on greens. ...just sayin that there are closer, cheaper places for you to learn how to snowboard. It's certainly not skiing; its much tougher to learn. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk Have a vacation house in Bridgton so the drive is nothing ~40min. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian5671 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 10 hours ago, alex said: I didn't get to ski the last 2 days but I've heard from some of our guests that the conditions were actually surprisingly good! Bretton Woods has very easy terrain, so you'll be able to ski pretty much the whole mountain. The trails between the Bethlehem Express quad and the Zephyr quad are among the easiest; "in between" is one of my favorites and a but less popular so it tends to have great snow. You can also do Two Miles Home from the very top (Rosebrook quad); you'll get some killer views but it can be a bit icy. Off of this trail you can visit the Mt Stickney cabin, which can be a blast on a beautiful day. You can grab a soup, a snack and a beer and hang out for a whole; on a nice day there's always people hanging out outside playing corn hole by the outdoor fireplace, and it's really fun. Reminds a bit of the small chalets you'll find skiing in the Alps. ENJOY! And don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything! Thank you Alex! Let's hope Friday's storm is snow or a miss-no rain please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sankaty Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 Really interesting and challenging forecast for the ski areas on Friday. My gut tells me that the scenarios where there is tons of rain in the mountains is unlikely; if there are enough dynamics to produce more than an inch QPF, it will cool the boundary layer enough for snow, at least above 2000 feet. My best guess is either a fair amount of snow or not much of anything. Thoughts? Is the February 25th, 2010 blizzard a reasonable analog purely from a thermal perspective? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Brian5671 said: Thank you Alex! Let's hope Friday's storm is snow or a miss-no rain please! Indeed! And if you have time stop by and say - I'll be home with the kiddos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnt Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 10 hours ago, Redmorninglight said: Well I booked 3 nights at Mt Snow starting Thursday night. I'm expecting anywhere from 2 feet of snow to heavy rain to cloudy skies Friday. Something in my gut says big time refresher snows for ski areas but who knows. Models are super jumpy and temps are marginal. I might stretch the trip to Monday if conditions are good. It's pretty much spring down here with birds caroling every morning and lawns greening up. It will be a treat to see snow again. really hard to get a handle on this, isn't it? Supposed to be heading to Stowe Friday PM, but we're thinking of bailing on that and hitting the catskills thursday night. But dang - seems like a chance it's a rain event. But boy, there are some big snow numbers out there..... need to make a decision here..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolMike Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 12 hours ago, Redmorninglight said: Well I booked 3 nights at Mt Snow starting Thursday night. I'm expecting anywhere from 2 feet of snow to heavy rain to cloudy skies Friday. Something in my gut says big time refresher snows for ski areas but who knows. Models are super jumpy and temps are marginal. I might stretch the trip to Monday if conditions are good. It's pretty much spring down here with birds caroling every morning and lawns greening up. It will be a treat to see snow again. Nice choice. Looks like Mt Snow is in a great spot for some heavy wet snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radarman Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 19 hours ago, Hitman said: I've never been personally but everyone I know who has, loves montana. Yeah it has been a banner year in MT. If he flies to Kalispell it's not too long of a drive up to Fernie, or he could stay on this side of the border and ski Whitefish too. If he opts for Big Sky he can't really go wrong though I think it's $135/day. I'm touching down in Spokane in 20 mins... Winter storm incoming. Schweitzer tomorrow and then we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 29 minutes ago, radarman said: Yeah it has been a banner year in MT. If he flies to Kalispell it's not too long of a drive up to Fernie, or he could stay on this side of the border and ski Whitefish too. If he opts for Big Sky he can't really go wrong though I think it's $135/day. I'm touching down in Spokane in 20 mins... Winter storm incoming. Schweitzer tomorrow and then we'll see. head north. its going off in BC. have u been to Nelson? its the bomb. I just came back from spokane on saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarloaf1989 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 I'm planning on going skiing this Sunday somewhere in Vermont, maybe Magic Mtn if they get a decent amount of snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 1 hour ago, Hitman said: head north. its going off in BC. have u been to Nelson? its the bomb. I just came back from spokane on saturday. Have friends who have been skiing at Fernie last two weeks and are reporting great conditions. Having skied there, I can confirm it's a fun mountain. I think you can get good lift ticket deals at Big Mountain. Depending on time, you could do a big 14 hour drive time loop - hit Big Mountain, Fernie, Whitewater, Red and then Schweitzer! I've done a distance loop in BC and it was a ton a fun. Friends and I have discussed something similar but dropping Big Mountain and adding KH and Revelstoke. Gosh, skiing is so bad right now back here and spring looks so grim that this is depressing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 43 minutes ago, Sugarloaf1989 said: I'm planning on going skiing this Sunday somewhere in Vermont, maybe Magic Mtn if they get a decent amount of snow. South is better with this one. The northern mountains look to get screwed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongBeachSurfFreak Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 1 hour ago, eyewall said: South is better with this one. The northern mountains look to get screwed. Magic is south. Though I wouldn’t bother unless there is a 2 foot miracle. That place needs a ton of natural snow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sankaty Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 How likely is it that lifts won't run tomorrow in southern/central VT due to wind? The Okemo/Killington point forecasts have much higher winds Friday/Saturday than the Stratton area (50-55 MPH vs 26-30 MPH with higher gusts). Is that just a difference in forecasting from BTV vs ALB, or is there reason to believe that S VT will be less windy? I would have thought more wind in S VT because it's closer to the storm center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southshorewx Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Heading to okemo sometime tomorrow or tomorrow night. Have had this weekend planned for months. Was just ordered mandatory overtime and won't make it for Friday. Looks like some rain to start will okemo come out positive on snow from this? Or will it be patchy sloppy mess? Trying to decide if I put the effort into driving up at 11pm for first lift saturday or just sleep and head up when I wake up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sankaty Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 2 hours ago, Southshorewx said: Heading to okemo sometime tomorrow or tomorrow night. Have had this weekend planned for months. Was just ordered mandatory overtime and won't make it for Friday. Looks like some rain to start will okemo come out positive on snow from this? Or will it be patchy sloppy mess? Trying to decide if I put the effort into driving up at 11pm for first lift saturday or just sleep and head up when I wake up. I'm in nearby Reading now (planning to ski Okemo or Stratton tomorrow if winds allow the lifts to run). I don't expect much rain. It's already near freezing. I'll post observations during the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redmorninglight Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Just got to mount snow. It's 34 and light snow has begun. Point n click says 4-10" but possibly 12". Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowgeek Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 Decided on Big Sky 3/29-4/4 with 5 days of skiing. Hoping for some sunny beers on decks, some powder, some hero spring snow, some hot tubbing and a nice tan.....and some kick ass views!!! Psyched to ski out west again after 31 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.