The 2018-2019 Ski Season Thread

[LongBeachSurfFreak]

50 minutes ago, Jason215 said:

Sorry to hear about your friends injury. This was one of the few situations where the poconos had better snow. Was visiting a friend in the Harrisburg PA area. Skied a small fun mountain (only 600ft vertical) called Roundtop. With temps around 45, snow had prime spring conditions. Points north such as Catskills, VT, etc were all ice. No thanks. Did that earlier this year at Killington. I had a rude reminder of how much I dislike skiing on ice.

I guess you missed the later post where I did it to myself the next day. Shattered my radious and have to have surgery. If there is one rule, one rule I will stick to from here on out forever it’s no more snow boarding on ice. I’ll just not head up or do something else. 

My buddys who are mountain safety guys and I had a good talk about why mountains on the east coast stay open on severely icey days. Iron clad wavers of liability. If it’s not brown send people down.

[Jason215]

7 hours ago, LongBeachSurfFreak said:

I guess you missed the later post where I did it to myself the next day. Shattered my radious and have to have surgery. If there is one rule, one rule I will stick to from here on out forever it’s no more snow boarding on ice. I’ll just not head up or do something else. 

My buddys who are mountain safety guys and I had a good talk about why mountains on the east coast stay open on severely icey days. Iron clad wavers of liability. If it’s not brown send people down.

Oh man! I pray you make a speedy recovery. One thing I have learned from reading this thread this year is that Skiing/riding on ice is just not safe. It’s not a matter of whether it’s a pleasant snow surface or not. I had previously thought that skiing on ice just required more skill.

When I see a really really good skier, they look confident in all conditions (maybe they shouldn’t be). When I ski on ice, I’m much more timid and cautious with my turns.  After reading of all the injuries this year with these freeze/thaw cycles, I will be extra vigilant to not ski in crappy/Icey conditions. 

[snowgeek]

9 hours ago, Jason215 said:

Sorry to hear about your friends injury. This was one of the few situations where the poconos had better snow. Was visiting a friend in the Harrisburg PA area. Skied a small fun mountain (only 600ft vertical) called Roundtop. With temps around 45, snow had prime spring conditions. Points north such as Catskills, VT, etc were all ice. No thanks. Did that earlier this year at Killington. I had a rude reminder of how much I dislike skiing on ice.

I grew up in Baltimore skiing Roundtop and Ski Liberty!  Lots of Middle and High School ski trips.  Fun little mountains!

[snowgeek]

8 hours ago, LongBeachSurfFreak said:

I guess you missed the later post where I did it to myself the next day. Shattered my radious and have to have surgery. If there is one rule, one rule I will stick to from here on out forever it’s no more snow boarding on ice. I’ll just not head up or do something else. 

My buddys who are mountain safety guys and I had a good talk about why mountains on the east coast stay open on severely icey days. Iron clad wavers of liability. If it’s not brown send people down.

So sorry you got hurt again!  That really sucks.  Southern New England ski areas seemed to have wildly variable conditions this year.  Too many thaws and freezes.  Dam Ice!!!!  I don't go skiing any more when it can be icy.  I remember once at magic when my newly razor sharp edges wouldn't do a thing as I accelerated towards the trees.  Almost got really hurt.  Once I retire in 5 years, I plan on skiing at least 10 days a year out west!

[snowgeek]

I plan on skiing Whiteface on Sunday.  I was thinking of going Saturday but worried about tough driving and wind lift holds.  Looks like they are going to get crushed!

[J.Spin]

1 hour ago, Jason215 said:

Oh man! I pray you make a speedy recovery. One thing I have learned from reading this thread this year is that Skiing/riding on ice is just not safe. It’s not a matter of whether it’s a pleasant snow surface or not. I had previously thought that skiing on ice just required more skill.

When I see a really really good skier, they look confident in all conditions (maybe they shouldn’t be). When I ski on ice, I’m much more timid and cautious with my turns.  After reading of all the injuries this year with these freeze/thaw cycles, I will be extra vigilant to not ski in crappy/Icey conditions. 

There is certainly a level of training and skill required to ski on ice, and indeed ski racers absolutely want that type of surface – they want a consistent, firm, fast surface with no surprises (loose snow means surprises).  They’ve got the equipment, the edges, the training, (and hopefully insurance) to be out there.  But for just about everyone else, what’s the point of being out on crappy, dangerous snow?

There is this badge of honor thing put forth by many “Eastern” skiers about getting out there in all conditions and how “skiing on ice and crap snow makes you a better skier”.  From firsthand experience after living out in the Rockies for a number of years, I can tell you that by and large that’s a massive crock.  For the most part it’s just a defense mechanism or maxim used by skiers who are stuck skiing crap snow.  Racers from essentially everywhere in the world train on ice, since the courses are either specifically iced up for use, or they get that way from repeated traffic in the same lines.

I know a lot of us up here in the Northern Greens, much like many folks in the Rockies etc., are sort of “Powder Princesses” to some degree, because we get a lot of good snow days and can pick and choose to ski when the best snow is available.  It’s a recreational sport though, so why am I going to force myself to go out and do it (and potentially even spend money) if it’s not fun?  For the typical recreational skier, I’ve just never understood the point of “getting good at skiing on ice”.  Why?  So you can go out and ski more ice?  To me, skiing on ice is the equivalent of going out to swim in cold water on a cloudy day with temperatures in the 60s F.  Sure you can do it, but why?  Honestly, if people aren’t simply fooling themselves, and honestly find skittering around on sloped ice more fun than skiing soft, quality snow, then more power to them I guess.

From an instructional standpoint though, I find that my students learning to ski can push themselves much farther, they can improve faster, and they have much more confidence and fun on soft snow.  I see this borne out all the time, but a perfect example was just a couple of weeks ago when I was able to bring my students down the relatively steep pitch of West Slope at Stowe.  With the good snow available, it was right at the edge of their ability, but I know from previous experience working with them that they would have easily frozen up and panicked if the surface there was icy.  I would never have brought them there under icy conditions, but instead, they got to ski something steeper than they’d ever skied and improve their ability to manage their turns on that type of terrain.

A lot of the above is about preference, but a far more important aspect of avoiding overly icy snow surfaces is safety.  With all the injuries (and even deaths) I’ve heard about in this thread this season due to hard snow conditions, I’m glad folks are recognizing that major issue.

[Hitman]

2 hours ago, J.Spin said:

There is certainly a level of training and skill required to ski on ice, and indeed ski racers absolutely want that type of surface – they want a consistent, firm, fast surface with no surprises (loose snow means surprises).  They’ve got the equipment, the edges, the training, (and hopefully insurance) to be out there.  But for just about everyone else, what’s the point of being out on crappy, dangerous snow?

There is this badge of honor thing put forth by many “Eastern” skiers about getting out there in all conditions and how “skiing on ice and crap snow makes you a better skier”.  From firsthand experience after living out in the Rockies for a number of years, I can tell you that by and large that’s a massive crock.  For the most part it’s just a defense mechanism or maxim used by skiers who are stuck skiing crap snow.  Racers from essentially everywhere in the world train on ice, since the courses are either specifically iced up for use, or they get that way from repeated traffic in the same lines.

I know a lot of us up here in the Northern Greens, much like many folks in the Rockies etc., are sort of “Powder Princesses” to some degree, because we get a lot of good snow days and can pick and choose to ski when the best snow is available.  It’s a recreational sport though, so why am I going to force myself to go out and do it (and potentially even spend money) if it’s not fun?  For the typical recreational skier, I’ve just never understood the point of “getting good at skiing on ice”.  Why?  So you can go out and ski more ice?  To me, skiing on ice is the equivalent of going out to swim in cold water on a cloudy day with temperatures in the 60s F.  Sure you can do it, but why?  Honestly, if people aren’t simply fooling themselves, and honestly find skittering around on sloped ice more fun than skiing soft, quality snow, then more power to them I guess.

From an instructional standpoint though, I find that my students learning to ski can push themselves much farther, they can improve faster, and they have much more confidence and fun on soft snow.  I see this borne out all the time, but a perfect example was just a couple of weeks ago when I was able to bring my students down the relatively steep pitch of West Slope at Stowe.  With the good snow available, it was right at the edge of their ability, but I know from previous experience working with them that they would have easily frozen up and panicked if the surface there was icy.  I would never have brought them there under icy conditions, but instead, they got to ski something steeper than they’d ever skied and improve their ability to manage their turns on that type of terrain.

A lot of the above is about preference, but a far more important aspect of avoiding overly icy snow surfaces is safety.  With all the injuries (and even deaths) I’ve heard about in this thread this season due to hard snow conditions, I’m glad folks are recognizing that major issue.

I'm always amused at those who claim this ski or that ski is better on ice.  ice sucks and if its real ice, not just hard packed snow, you arent turning on it no matter what you're riding.  My experience hasn't made me better skiing on ice, its made me smart enough not to even try to turn on it.  and if you fall on it, it hurts. 

[Jason215]

5 hours ago, J.Spin said:

There is certainly a level of training and skill required to ski on ice, and indeed ski racers absolutely want that type of surface – they want a consistent, firm, fast surface with no surprises (loose snow means surprises).  They’ve got the equipment, the edges, the training, (and hopefully insurance) to be out there.  But for just about everyone else, what’s the point of being out on crappy, dangerous snow?

There is this badge of honor thing put forth by many “Eastern” skiers about getting out there in all conditions and how “skiing on ice and crap snow makes you a better skier”.  From firsthand experience after living out in the Rockies for a number of years, I can tell you that by and large that’s a massive crock.  For the most part it’s just a defense mechanism or maxim used by skiers who are stuck skiing crap snow.  Racers from essentially everywhere in the world train on ice, since the courses are either specifically iced up for use, or they get that way from repeated traffic in the same lines.

I know a lot of us up here in the Northern Greens, much like many folks in the Rockies etc., are sort of “Powder Princesses” to some degree, because we get a lot of good snow days and can pick and choose to ski when the best snow is available.  It’s a recreational sport though, so why am I going to force myself to go out and do it (and potentially even spend money) if it’s not fun?  For the typical recreational skier, I’ve just never understood the point of “getting good at skiing on ice”.  Why?  So you can go out and ski more ice?  To me, skiing on ice is the equivalent of going out to swim in cold water on a cloudy day with temperatures in the 60s F.  Sure you can do it, but why?  Honestly, if people aren’t simply fooling themselves, and honestly find skittering around on sloped ice more fun than skiing soft, quality snow, then more power to them I guess.

From an instructional standpoint though, I find that my students learning to ski can push themselves much farther, they can improve faster, and they have much more confidence and fun on soft snow.  I see this borne out all the time, but a perfect example was just a couple of weeks ago when I was able to bring my students down the relatively steep pitch of West Slope at Stowe.  With the good snow available, it was right at the edge of their ability, but I know from previous experience working with them that they would have easily frozen up and panicked if the surface there was icy.  I would never have brought them there under icy conditions, but instead, they got to ski something steeper than they’d ever skied and improve their ability to manage their turns on that type of terrain.

A lot of the above is about preference, but a far more important aspect of avoiding overly icy snow surfaces is safety.  With all the injuries (and even deaths) I’ve heard about in this thread this season due to hard snow conditions, I’m glad folks are recognizing that major issue.

Totally agree with everything you said. I’ve come to realize that skiing a double black diamond in good snow is a lot of fun, and I’m confident my turns, but skiing the same terrain on sheets of ice would be much more intimidating and for good reason. Same trail, but difficultly and hazards increase with lack of snow quality.

I’ve taught many people how to ski and one thing I noticed is spring conditions makes for easy learning. The snow is relatively slow, soft and easy to sink an edge into. 

I rate snow quality on a scale of 1-10. If I think it will not at least be a 6, I won’t bother skiing it.  Many times the snow starts out at a 7.5 and decrades to a 6 by end of day.  Or vice versa if it’s thawing from a hard freeze overnight. 

I skied Killington in January after a Rainer/cutter. Rain ended during the early morning hours on Saturday..say 3AM. Temps then dropped to about 32 by 8AM and was in the teens by 4PM.

You could not have worse timing for the weekend. I convinced my group to sit out Saturday and let them blow snow for 24hrs and ski on Sunday. We did just that. I then mapped out all of the trails with a highlighter which either had snowmaking within past 24 hrs or were making snow during that day. Even using my strategy, the snow surface was between a 2 and 6.   I think Okemo would have recovered better in that situation. They have an impeccably deadly grooming/snowmaking routine. Not the most challenging mountain, but they do have their wheelhouse. 

When the snow is good, I’m hot dogging it under the lift, when the snow is bad, I’m more like a scared cat, LOL! 

Totally want to hit some mtn this weekend with the forecasted Spring Dump. I have other stuff to do, so I don’t think I’ll pull the trigger. 

Hitting Jay Peak in 2 weeks though. Ski in/out becomes affordable there at Stateside Hotel late season!!  

Jason

[ChasingFlakes]

On 3/20/2019 at 8:21 AM, powderfreak said:

Nice.  I love the excitement of the camera man, that's what it's all about to be sending it with your friends down a snow covered mountain.

Funny thing is I had just met them the run before, I was hiking up to beat the tram line, a group of 4 had the same idea right behind me. We all took an awesome run together down the shoulder.  Just so happened I met up with two of them at the top two runs later, I told them I had eyed this line from up top but needed to hike down to check it out.  Suprisingly they were down for it. I guine pigged it, and Aiden followed suit as he tried to avoid my bomb hole which had uncovered a buried tree. I ended up skiing with them the rest of the day.  They offered to let me crash in NH that night, which cut my drive back to PA the next day.

 Whenever I do a solo powder trip, I always end up meeting cool people that hook me the hell up! Same thing happened at mount snow and now I have friends that work at the mountain and have a house there.  Hard to find good people to ride with coming from PA, so it is nice! 

Speaking of, I promised the clip of my buddy Aiden taking a nice yardsale in the zone the previous video was filmed.  They drop just skiers right of the icefall I dropped.  I'm looking back up the 'chute'.  He tried to take a nice powder turn, but uncovered the other side of the icefall which had been covered with 1-3ft of dry snow.  Unfortunately I wasnt in the best spot to capture his first tomahawk but I got the tail end, he went through a bush/over a small drop.

Also thinking of driving up to maybe mount snow this weekend.  I'll be done early tomorrow but have to be back for work 5am Monday so I dont think anything further than SVT is on the table, despite the forecast for another awesome right side up 2ft+ snowfall in NNE.. 

[Boston Bulldog]

Looking towards Cannon tomorrow, but worried about the winds. Would anywhere in the Whites be a better bet with regards to wind closure?

[Ginx snewx]

Worst day to ski,, wind holds, crowds but wow from JSpin

that have been able to report in already this morning, the list of north to south storm totals from the Vermont ski areas is below:

 

Burke: 31”

Smuggler’s Notch: 23”

Stowe: 21”

Mad River Glen: 30”

Sugarbush: 23”

Middlebury: 26”

Pico: 11”

Killington: 11”

Okemo: 14”

Bromley: 9”

Magic Mountain: 11”

Stratton: 9”

Mount Snow: 10”

[Boston Bulldog]

Cannon was amazing today! The Tram and Cannonball started off the day on hold, but the Cannonball was back online by noon. Mittersill and Hardscrabble (Mid-Hard especially) were simply fantastic, and the various glades off the summit housed deep drift stashes that had blown off the trails. Visibility was poor, but the crowds were essentially non-existent. 

Snow trended from untouched to chowder by the end of the day, with knee-deep drift stashes easy to find off the Summit well into the afternoon. Stoke level and atmosphere was off the charts for most of the day! Can't ask for anything more.

[ChasingFlakes]

Rode magic today, as usual some areas were nice, others were rocky ice-filled death chutes.  Got some good footage, will upload later.  Up in St. Albans right now, I'll be at Jay tomorrow.  Supposed to work early Monday am so may have to bomb back to PA afterwards, or play hookie.  Either way it should be another good day at Jay tomorrow as they fast approach 400".

[Jason215]

Congrats to you guys who are able to ski/ride this weekend. Between powder day Saturday and bluebird on Sunday with temps close to 40, it’s arguably the best weekend all season to hit the mountains.  Unfortunately I’ve got other obligations that kept me from attacking the mountains.

[cny rider]

17 hours ago, Jason215 said:

Congrats to you guys who are able to ski/ride this weekend. Between powder day Saturday and bluebird on Sunday with temps close to 40, it’s arguably the best weekend all season to hit the mountains.  Unfortunately I’ve got other obligations that kept me from attacking the mountains.

We missed you at Plattekill today. In the woods:

 

Bluebird can't get any more bluebird than this:

 

 

 

[Jason215]

1 hour ago, cny rider said:

We missed you at Plattekill today. In the woods:

 

Bluebird can't get any more bluebird than this:

 

 

 

Nice Pics!! Yeah, I know Platty was money today! 18 inches of new snow and all that sunshine. If there ever was a weekend to hit Plattekill, this was it. Glad you were able to cash in!!!  

Taking a few ski weekends off and then hitting Jay Peak April 4-7th.  I want to help them break the 400” mark. 

[radarman]

Perfect weather for the season end festivities in a lot of places today.  Took in some of the cardboard sled races in between soft turns and they didn't disappoint.  Burgers cooking on the summit for ski patrol fundraisers. Music and rays.  Great day to be alive.

[Jason215]

1 minute ago, radarman said:

Perfect weather for the season end festivities in a lot of places today.  Took in some of the cardboard sled races in between soft turns and they didn't disappoint.  Burgers cooking on the summit for ski patrol fundraisers. Music and rays.  Great day to be alive.

So Jealous of everyone who got out there!! What mountain did you go to?  At this point, I feel like going to the tanning salon with my goggles on!

[radarman]

51 minutes ago, Jason215 said:

So Jealous of everyone who got out there!! What mountain did you go to?  At this point, I feel like going to the tanning salon with my goggles on!

Local hill, Berkshire East.  Softened around noon, skied beautifully thereafter.

[snowgeek]

Mount Snow rocked today too. Got 20,000 vertical of soft bumps, trees and silky packed powder. Very festive with bands and pond skimming and cardboard races. Sunny all day and no lift holds.


.

[HoarfrostHubb]

On 3/18/2019 at 12:49 PM, LongBeachSurfFreak said:

Well I did it again (my collarbone is finally healed) This time it’s a broken radious, actually shattered. Have to get surgery so that’s the end of my season at 18 days. Lost control on the ice at Stratton and put my left hand down (luckily right handed). I’ll still get up to Vermont for some hiking. Next season I’ll be sitting out icy days...

I missed this post.  That sucks.  You got more days in than me. I’ve been out since Feb 4.  Hope you heal fully

[Jason215]

13 hours ago, radarman said:

Local hill, Berkshire East.  Softened around noon, skied beautifully thereafter.

Nice Mountain! Another Anti-Resort for sure. Skied there years ago when chasing the best snow. Since they were the furthest southeast- got the best snows from that particular storm.. similar feel to Magic, Plattekill and Bolton Valley. 

[Jason215]

13 hours ago, snowgeek said:

Mount Snow rocked today too. Got 20,000 vertical of soft bumps, trees and silky packed powder. Very festive with bands and pond skimming and cardboard races. Sunny all day and no lift holds.


.

Looks like a picture perfect day. That was the dream weekend Spring Day of the year. Looks like you got some air! Noice!

[LongBeachSurfFreak]

I actually headed out over the weekend for a few careful runs. Powder and a deserted mountain we’re calling Friday. So I did a few again Saturday and Sunday. Actually my favorite weekend of the season. Stratton reported 9” but there was way more then that above 3000’ as Friday mornings snow was higher ratio the higher you get. That’s where Stratton’s extra elevation comes in handy with allot of terrain above 3,000’. I was debating on heading over to magic for the ski free day but it was raining at their base!!! Stratton’s peak at 3850 is a full 1k above Magic’s at 2850. Though Magic’s terrain is way more challenging!

[Ginx snewx]

Its amazing how many people give up on skiing in early March. Amazing bluebird with deep deep cover. Miss it

[powderfreak]

Mansfield is just loaded with snow.  It's hard to even ski the glades because you are skiing in the tree canopy.  All the branches that are normally trimmed are at like knee height.  I'm 6'3" and can barely get through a bunch of areas.

Mountain is a playground.

Lots of folks teed it up off the Chin yesterday. 

 

The Ultimate Chutes area...only skied by a handful of skiers with ropes, harnesses and ice climbing gear.  I still remember being at UVM when one of the Ski The East/Meathead Films guys (Alex Stall) fell to his death in here.  His slough pushed him over a cliff leading to a 100+ foot fall that was survivable. 

After growing up skiing in SVT, I remember that happened my first winter skiing at Stowe/Mansfield and thinking, this place is unlike any other mountain I've seen in VT.  The consequences are real if you wander into the wrong area.

[MarkO]

Re: ice, get a quick tune. You'll feel more confidence with a sharp edge. I also go with a narrow GS ski on fast/furious days. This weekend was tops Saturday alone. Nearly 2' of dry powder at BW. A little slow in some areas, but the trees with a kittle pitch were epic! Almost as easy as skiing spring corn. Sunday was beautiful blue bird, but WV was a bit crowded due to lack of lifties. Management there can be piss poor and this weekend was a reflection of it. Too bad, they had a lot of outsiders in for the races.

[LongBeachSurfFreak]

37 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Mansfield is just loaded with snow.  It's hard to even ski the glades because you are skiing in the tree canopy.  All the branches that are normally trimmed are at like knee height.  I'm 6'3" and can barely get through a bunch of areas.

Mountain is a playground.

Lots of folks teed it up off the Chin yesterday. 

 

The Ultimate Chutes area...only skied by a handful of skiers with ropes, harnesses and ice climbing gear.  I still remember being at UVM when one of the Ski The East/Meathead Films guys (Alex Stall) fell to his death in here.  His slough pushed him over a cliff leading to a 100+ foot fall that was survivable. 

After growing up skiing in SVT, I remember that happened my first winter skiing at Stowe/Mansfield and thinking, this place is unlike any other mountain I've seen in VT.  The consequences are real if you wander into the wrong area.

It really is another world up there. There is a reason Jake (Carpenter) Burton moved from Stratton to Stowe. The southern Vermont mountains are a plateau and rounded peaks with nearly flat tops. Up there it’s a ridge line. I wonder if that had anything to due with the ice age. The plateau just doesn’t upslope well. You could see it very clearly on radar Saturday night. While Mansfield was ripping 3” an hour SVT was doing .5” an hour. If it weren’t so far of a drive from NYC I would be up there in a heart beat.

[Jason215]

2 hours ago, LongBeachSurfFreak said:

I actually headed out over the weekend for a few careful runs. Powder and a deserted mountain we’re calling Friday. So I did a few again Saturday and Sunday. Actually my favorite weekend of the season. Stratton reported 9” but there was way more then that above 3000’ as Friday mornings snow was higher ratio the higher you get. That’s where Stratton’s extra elevation comes in handy with allot of terrain above 3,000’. I was debating on heading over to magic for the ski free day but it was raining at their base!!! Stratton’s peak at 3850 is a full 1k above Magic’s at 2850. Though Magic’s terrain is way more challenging!

Good call on avoiding the rain. I think snow surface quality trumps terrain. 

I have a shot at a good experience at Jay Peak in a 11 days, but it would be hard to equal what you guys had this past weekend. I’m glad you were able to get some despite your injury. Be careful and heal up!  I have a fondness for Stratton. It was my first big mountain I ever skied . Also skied there during the March 1993 Super Storm Blizzard until the lifts closed at 4PM. That was insane. Took over an hour to drive to the Red Sled motel just down the road and I was driving right behind a snowplow. There was thunder and lightning- the whole 9 yards! 

[ChasingFlakes]

Rode Magic Saturday, I would have gone further north to sugarbush or Stowe but my buddy left his skis and boots in a locker at mount snow, so we had to grab them early in the morning.  This is why I dont mind solo trips, stuff like that doesn't happen.  Anyways, Magic was nice where there was a base previously or that had not been windblown.  The trees held anywhere from 8-12" of fresh from bottom to top.  It was definitely loud powder with a scraping hardback under the fresh snow in a lot of places. 

Sunday I somehow found myself at Jay Peak again, only 10 days after being there solo March 11-13th for 2 feet of dry upslope powder.  Coming from the Philly area, I've put 2500+ miles on my car in two weeks.  Anyways, the 2 feet they recieved this storm had turned heavy and almost hard packed by Sunday morning, although certain shaded zones or wind deposits stayed dry.  This never happened the week before, where it managed to stay dry for at least a full day of bluebird conditions.

 We hiked the peak Sunday morning on first chair and got fresh tracks on the 'mellow' line skiers right along the shoulder and eventually off skiers left that opens into a steep snow field before entering the trees and a steep narrow chute. Here's a picture looking up the short snow field.  You can tell I didnt dig deep into the snow at all.

 

Also, I almost died.  I was going fast, about 20-25mph through open trees where it was exposed to wind.  Just skiers right of that roped wind exposed death patch of ice/grass under the flyer just before the lift flattens out and dips down up top.  I hit a roller and grabbed indy, but when I landed my nose dug under the heavy windblown powder. I slid out onto my stomach at about 15mph, but because the windblown snow was harder at the top, I didnt break through.  I slid superman style 15 feet, where there was a nice tree that greeted the back of my head/base of my neck.  I was probably going about 10mph at impact.  If I had not been wearing a helmet, I would probably be dead. My buckled helmet popped off and in the process gave me a nice bruise next to my eye. My neck and shoulders are a little sore in the muscles, but I was able to ride fine the whole rest of the day and even dropped a good 12 footer afterwards. Overall it was nice, but again, conditions didnt compare to either of the 3 days I was there the other week.  Glad I made the journey though as I got more great footage and was able to show my friend a great mountain on a great day.  I'll try to share more as soon as my buddy has a chance to dropbox them over to me.