Jump to content

  • Member Statistics

    17,611
    Total Members
    7,904
    Most Online
    NH8550
    Newest Member
    NH8550
    Joined

The 2017-18 Ski Season Thread

Skivt2

By Skivt2,
in New England

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 818
  • Created
  • Last Reply
bch2014

bch2014

Posted
Posted
44 minutes ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Was going to possibly make the drive up to Wachusett Thursday to ski.... not for 60$.

Cant believe that’s the price for a midweek day in the middle of March. Yikes.

im starting to get priced out of this hobby.

Ski Mt Snow or Wildcat Friday for $17.

Better deals, better mountains, and better snow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Iceman

The Iceman

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Was going to possibly make the drive up to Wachusett Thursday to ski.... not for 60$.

Cant believe that’s the price for a midweek day in the middle of March. Yikes.

im starting to get priced out of this hobby.

That's what happened to me. Living down here in SE PA, I grew up skiing in the Pocono's as a kid. But after taking my first ski trip up north when my aunt and uncle moved to NH, I could no longer find enjoyment in the poconos because they are like bunny hills compared to those mountains. So in my high school and college years, I would go to my aunt and uncles several times a winter to ski because lift ticket prices were similar despite the Pocono's being a bunny hill compared to VT/NH mountains so my parents didn't mind. But once I graduated and had to hit the real world, I couldn't afford to be both an avid golfer and skier. And since I have like 5 golf courses within 15 mins of my house compared to having a 5-6 hour drive to ski, I chose golf for now. Sadly I haven't even been up to NH once this winter but for the last 3 years I would go up once for a long weekend in March or Feb and spend 4 days skiing; usually 2 at Okemo and 2 at either Killington or Sunapee. And despite having a free place to crash, free meals, and free transportation to the mountain there's just no way I could afford to do that more than once a season and continue to play golf in the summer among other things I enjoy doing. Plus because it's a fairly long trip for me, I have to plan the trip in advance not only to get cheaper lift tickets but so my relatives can plan for me too and as we know better than most the weather doesn't always cooperate with those plans. It really sucks to plan and spend all of that money months in advance, only for that weekend to have awful conditions or awful weather and just having to power through it. I miss the sport big time though and if I ever move to SNE where I am a short drive from several good mountains, I'd definitely get back into it. But the prices for single day passes have become too steep for me to be more than a casual skiier and I could never get up there enough to justify a season pass. Love reading this thread though! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mreaves

mreaves

Posted
Posted
37 minutes ago, The Iceman said:

That's what happened to me. Living down here in SE PA, I grew up skiing in the Pocono's as a kid. But after taking my first ski trip up north when my aunt and uncle moved to NH, I could no longer find enjoyment in the poconos because they are like bunny hills compared to those mountains. So in my high school and college years, I would go to my aunt and uncles several times a winter to ski because lift ticket prices were similar despite the Pocono's being a bunny hill compared to VT/NH mountains so my parents didn't mind. But once I graduated and had to hit the real world, I couldn't afford to be both an avid golfer and skier. And since I have like 5 golf courses within 15 mins of my house compared to having a 5-6 hour drive to ski, I chose golf for now. Sadly I haven't even been up to NH once this winter but for the last 3 years I would go up once for a long weekend in March or Feb and spend 4 days skiing; usually 2 at Okemo and 2 at either Killington or Sunapee. And despite having a free place to crash, free meals, and free transportation to the mountain there's just no way I could afford to do that more than once a season and continue to play golf in the summer among other things I enjoy doing. Plus because it's a fairly long trip for me, I have to plan the trip in advance not only to get cheaper lift tickets but so my relatives can plan for me too and as we know better than most the weather doesn't always cooperate with those plans. It really sucks to plan and spend all of that money months in advance, only for that weekend to have awful conditions or awful weather and just having to power through it. I miss the sport big time though and if I ever move to SNE where I am a short drive from several good mountains, I'd definitely get back into it. But the prices for single day passes have become too steep for me to be more than a casual skiier and I could never get up there enough to justify a season pass. Love reading this thread though! 

What you need to do is get into a less expensive winter hobby, like snowmobiling :lmao:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Iceman

The Iceman

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, mreaves said:

What you need to do is get into a less expensive winter hobby, like snowmobiling :lmao:

:lol: In all my years going up there, I've actually never once snowmobiled even though my uncle and cousin each have one. Probably because subconsciously I know that if I did, I would end up back in PA with a pissed off fiance and a snowmobile in my driveway living in an area that averages ~ 20" of snow a year..  It looks like a blast though especially with all of those trails up there, I think my uncle told me that NH has like 300 miles of trails or something nutty like that. That area really is a winter sport lovers dream.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ORH_wxman

ORH_wxman

Posted
Posted

Skiing is def a rich man's sport, but you can find deals and do it for pretty cheap if you are willing to put in the time. You can get some nice 2 for 1 deals...a lot of resorts will run the gasoline fill-up promo which I think is you get 2 for 1 lift tickets once you fill up 3 times at qualifying gas stations (I know I did one with Irving gas a couple years ago). A lot of them have 2 for 1 on certain weekdays...I think Cannon does Tue ad Thu and Bretton Woods on Wednesdays?....and I think Sunapee has discount Wednesdays too and Cranmore has throwback Thursdays.

I also love to scour the web for deals late in the season...you can really snag some sweet deals in March and early April with ski conditions that are many times better than mid/late December when they are twice as expensive. Always check liftopia too...some places just randomly will have really discounted lift tickets at certain times of the year while resorts right near them will hardly have any discount. Seems there is no real rhyme or reason why, but if you constantly search, you'll find the deals.

 

Tauntonblizz, if you're gonna try and ski thursday, go into liftopia and put the date in and see what pops up. I quickly saw waterville valley is like 47 bucks...it's a pretty easy drive. Prob like 2.5 hours for you. Only an extra hour versus WaWa.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
shawnmov

shawnmov

Posted
Posted

You can make skiing a bit more affordable if you really plan ahead and work at it.  I buy my skis down Cape Cod at a ski tent that Rogers Ski and Sports sets up.  I've bought prior used demo skis (like used 4-5 times) for way cheap.  I get my kids stuff there too.  This year, we had the MAX Pass that I bought early on for myself and my son - $599 for mine and $249 for his.  We've skied about 17 times this year.  If you bring lunch and save on the outrageous prices at the resorts for crappy food, you should be good.

It's less expensive than being a hockey parent!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mreaves

mreaves

Posted
Posted
22 minutes ago, The Iceman said:

:lol: In all my years going up there, I've actually never once snowmobiled even though my uncle and cousin each have one. Probably because subconsciously I know that if I did, I would end up back in PA with a pissed off fiance and a snowmobile in my driveway living in an area that averages ~ 20" of snow a year..  It looks like a blast though especially with all of those trails up there, I think my uncle told me that NH has like 300 miles of trails or something nutty like that. That area really is a winter sport lovers dream.

I think NH has 5,000-6,000 miles of snowmobile trails.  VT has 5,500 and ME has close to 14,000 miles of trails.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LongBeachSurfFreak

LongBeachSurfFreak

Posted
Posted

I’m a grounds keeper, landscape designer and life guard. I have 23 days in so far with 3 more to come this weekend. 

I bought a value season pass for Stratton for 600$. Got in on a share house with some buddy’s for 1000 for the winter. I even scored free passes to white face.

it does not have to be a rich mans sport!!!

this weekend looks epic again. 

66” at Stratton in the last 2 weeks with more to come the next two days. It’s been a dream come true 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
powderfreak

powderfreak

Posted
Posted

Several large avalanches have been seen and reported in the Mount Mansfield and Smugglers Notch region this week with the last storm cycle delivering 25" and now we've seen over 20" so far in this one.

One huge slide ran 1,300 vertical feet to the road and was reported by dog walkers to a Stowe PD unit parked at the base of the Notch.  That one luckily the skiers were able to get out of the way.

Now there's been another slide with reported injuries of the Army National Guard doing training in the Notch.  WCAX is reporting 6 guardsmen were injured and are being taken out.

Quote

 

Multiple crews are responding to Route 108 in Cambridge where six people were injured in an avalanche.

The victims are soldiers who were training as part of Army Mountain Warfare School in Easy Gully near Smugglers' Notch.

The Army Guard says the avalanche hit at about 1 p.m.

Crews are staging at the south gate of Route 108 on the Smugglers' Notch side of the Notch Road where rescuers are trying to bring the soldiers out.

This is the second time this week there has reportedly been an avalanche in the Notch.

WCAX News has a crew headed to the scene and will update you when we have more information.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Angus

Angus

Posted
Posted

After Friday, I'll be in $165 for 5 days of downhill. Usually I have way more days but not this winter. You could have started skiing March 1 until end of season at Sunapee for $129. Killington's got a deal starting Friday to end of season for $199 I think. You do need to plan ahead and bring your lunch! I've always said, ski the minimum # of days in December, January and February to get yourself in shape and then go hard in March/April when you can find lots of deals, days are long and warm and snow is soft and fun!

Given this winter's weather, high avalanche danger is not surprising. There were a bunch of natural/human caused releases this past weekend in MWV. The guy who caused the 1,300' slide posted it on social media and got some blowback. Felt bad for him, seemed like he was experienced, recognized his mistake and was posting for educational purposes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ORH_wxman

ORH_wxman

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Angus said:

After Friday, I'll be in $165 for 5 days of downhill. Usually I have way more days but not this winter. You could have started skiing March 1 until end of season at Sunapee for $129. Killington's got a deal starting Friday to end of season for $199 I think. You do need to plan ahead and bring your lunch! I've always said, ski the minimum # of days in December, January and February to get yourself in shape and then go hard in March/April when you can find lots of deals, days are long and warm and snow is soft and fun!

Given this winter's weather, high avalanche danger is not surprising. There were a bunch of natural/human caused releases this past weekend in MWV. The guy who caused the 1,300' slide posted it on social media and got some blowback. Felt bad for him, seemed like he was experienced, recognized his mistake and was posting for educational purposes.

Years like this are especially epic for March/April skiing and the prices are so much cheaper during that time of the year....and you get top grade conditions. We've had some good ones recently with colder Marches in 2013, 2014, 2015, and last year....this year hasn't been cold in March, but it has been very snowy which is fine too if you are avoiding the cutters and torches which we are.

 

I remember back in 2014, I skied two days at Sunday River on March 22-23. It had been cold and they had gotten 3 feet of snow in the previous 9 days. I arrived to a natural snow pack of about 45-50 inches near the base of the mountain and skied all weekend on chalky mid-winter snow with high temps around 25F each day, with a 3 inch refresher on the afternoon of the first day. I spent 94 dollars for a 2 day lift ticket on liftopia before that trip and stayed at Evergreen Valley Inn about 25 minutes south for 70$ a night. I was thinking to myself how I could have spent triple or quadruple the amount of money for the same two days during February vacation week with inferior conditions.

That isn't even my total favorite either...my favorite was that same winter but about 2 weeks later on April 6th....Bretton Woods was giving out $25 lift tickets for the rest of the winter and I did a day trip there. Skied on hero snow all day with temps around 40F under bluebird skies with deep snow still burying the mountain from that prolific Feb/Mar 2014. Best $25 ski day I ever had.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bobbutts

bobbutts

Posted
Posted

"Mission Affordable" went on sale today at Ragged Mt.  Full season pass for next season, no blackouts for $259 and you get the rest of this year included.

Yeah, if you want a full pass at a major resort and lodging and the newest gear, it's very expensive, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Angus

Angus

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, bobbutts said:

"Mission Affordable" went on sale today at Ragged Mt.  Full season pass for next season, no blackouts for $259 and you get the rest of this year included.

great mid-size mountain. A little slow to open terrain early in the season - they bury trails and then move on. - but when they get natural snow, the woods skiing is great and you can get there quick from Boston.

Replying to bobbutts below...never take New Canada Road during the Spring!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bobbutts

bobbutts

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, Angus said:

great mid-size mountain. A little slow to open terrain early in the season - they bury trails and then move on. - but when they get natural snow, the woods skiing is great and you can get there quick from Boston.

Even quicker from Bow especially with New Canada Rd. (don't blame me if you bottom out or slide off)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HoarfrostHubb

HoarfrostHubb

Posted
Posted
19 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said:

Was going to possibly make the drive up to Wachusett Thursday to ski.... not for 60$.

Cant believe that’s the price for a midweek day in the middle of March. Yikes.

im starting to get priced out of this hobby.

If you plan ahead you can get reduced priced tickets online

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ORH_wxman

ORH_wxman

Posted
Posted
36 minutes ago, LongBeachSurfFreak said:

Some southern Vermont mountains calling it the best skiing they have ever had. Over 70” on the month so far at Stratton and counting... can’t wait to get back up there!!

Pretty hard to beat the run they've been on. Combo of massive synoptic dumps and then huge upslope events that have the extra ingredients available to crush S VT instead of just N VT.

 

S VT is taking out its frustration all at once from the past few years of being in screw zones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LongBeachSurfFreak

LongBeachSurfFreak

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

Pretty hard to beat the run they've been on. Combo of massive synoptic dumps and then huge upslope events that have the extra ingredients available to crush S VT instead of just N VT.

 

S VT is taking out its frustration all at once from the past few years of being in screw zones.

Exactly. I follow the snow reports and when it comes to upslope svt usually struggles. It’s not uncommon to see Stowe 20” and Stratton 2” during upslope events. If next week also produces it’s going to be the biggest month of all time. (Close already on the 15th!!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MarkO

MarkO

Posted
Posted

Looking at the snow reports and the mountains I frequent (WV, Loon, Cannon, BW) have gotten between 2-4' the past 3 days!!! That's pretty unusual for that area. Temps have been below freezing, so it's safe to assume mid winter conditions. Also noticed forecast calling for mid winter conditions through the weekend. Primary concern however is wind. I can see some exposed lifts on wind hold. Plan accordingly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ORH_wxman

ORH_wxman

Posted
Posted

Nice pics. Full on winter and it's going nowhere anytime soon. Megan and I are thinking of sneaking up to Sunday river on the 24th while we have grandma watch the little one...good chance we will have mid-winter conditions just like 2014 was in late March. I love when the whole mountain is buried and yet you don't have mid-winter lines. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...