powderfreak Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 25 minutes ago, PhineasC said: Good ski day today. What dreams are made of! The morning was actually kind of nice but it went downhill real fast 12-1pm. Torrential wind-swept rain outside now at 1500ft, lol. The radar image of skiers dreams. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 1 hour ago, powderfreak said: It is an expensive sport for a very large segment of the skiing public who average 3-5 days on slopes per year. The issue with the whole “skiing is an expensive sport” myth is that people are generally making a huge “apples to oranges” comparison to so many other sports. The way it should be stated is “modern destination resort alpine skiing has a similar cost to other destination resort experiences”. Soccer is the classic example of a sport played around the world that kids and adults engage in, regardless of their socioeconomic status. As long as you’ve got a ball and you’re not traveling any significant distance to play, it essentially costs nothing. Skiing is the same thing for people living in villages in the Himalaya or similar locations, or in back yards and local hills around the world with snow. You strap some boards on your feet, hike up, and then slide back down with gravity. What most people equate to “skiing” nowadays is actually the equivalent of taking a cruise or going to Disney Land. Nobody talks about how those activities are unfairly priced for individuals with low incomes because they’re essentially frivolous activities that one shouldn’t really be engaging in unless they’ve got substantial expendable income. How many people are going to drive five hours, stay in hotels, eat out at restaurants, and get carted up and down a pristinely irrigated and manicured soccer pitch to get to the specific part of the field they want to be on to kick a soccer ball around? And then when you kick the ball, instead of running to get it, you get back in a cart and are driven to the ball, where you get out and kick it again. Guess what, if you want to do that, it’s probably going to cost you about the same amount as going to “ski” at a ski resort. So if you’re not skiing in your back yard on natural snow under your own power, then you’re darned right it should be expensive. You’re engaging in what is essentially a luxury activity at some remote destination, on snow that potentially had to be made by man… and on top of that you’re being automatically carried up the mountain against the force of gravity. How in any way should that be inexpensive? The actual “soccer” equivalent in skiing is living in the mountains with natural snow and hiking up for turns under your own power in your back yard, or a spot that is at least close enough that you can walk there. Beyond getting yourself some equipment, the cost should basically be the same as playing neighborhood soccer. But that’s not the activity most people think of when “skiing” comes to mind. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhineasC Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 13 minutes ago, powderfreak said: What dreams are made of! The morning was actually kind of nice but it went downhill real fast 12-1pm. Torrential wind-swept rain outside now at 1500ft, lol. The radar image of skiers dreams. It’s a beaut’, Clark. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 We decided to close for tomorrow, reopen on Wednesday. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhineasC Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 38 minutes ago, powderfreak said: We decided to close for tomorrow, reopen on Wednesday. Yeah it’s gotta be pretty brutal out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torch Tiger Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 One of the Sunday River base areas after the rain storm... yikes! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhineasC Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 20 minutes ago, powderfreak said: One of the Sunday River base areas after the rain storm... yikes! A couple inches of upslope will cover that right up. Don’t you worry! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 5 minutes ago, PhineasC said: A couple inches of upslope will cover that right up. Don’t you worry! Blowing and drifting will fill it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lava Rock Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 One of the Sunday River base areas after the rain storm... yikes!Not far from the chondola. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Wachusett prob won’t open this weekend in all likelihood. Looking rough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkO Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 4 hours ago, powderfreak said: One of the Sunday River base areas after the rain storm... yikes! Holy smokes! What did they use Elmer's glue on those conduits? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying MXZ Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 11 hours ago, MarkO said: Holy smokes! What did they use Elmer's glue on those conduits? "The dirt will hold them together" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Bulldog Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 How does wind in the Whites look in the wake of this upcoming storm? Anything significant enough to threaten lift closures on Sunday? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBeard Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 15 minutes ago, Boston Bulldog said: How does wind in the Whites look in the wake of this upcoming storm? Anything significant enough to threaten lift closures on Sunday? No update from Wildcat or Sunapee in a while which is ridiculous, Cannon says this weekend is doubtful, Loon and BW are pretty immune to wind holds. I would say the only options that are open will be good to go. I'd be eyeing Sunday River. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Bulldog Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Just now, PowderBeard said: No update from Wildcat or Sunapee in a while which is ridiculous, Cannon says this weekend is doubtful, Loon and BW are pretty immune to wind holds. I would say the only options that are open will be good to go. Yeah I'm leaning Loon, very glad I made the decision to purchase an Ikon pass. Getting information on opening day, snowmaking progress, snow reports etc... from Vail mountains this year has been like trying to hack into the CIA. All mountain websites (outside of Stowe of course) say "commentary coming soon" wtf! Even out west, open mountains like Crested Butte have the exact same message. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBeard Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 4 minutes ago, Boston Bulldog said: Yeah I'm leaning Loon, very glad I made the decision to purchase an Ikon pass. Getting information on opening day, snowmaking progress, snow reports etc... from Vail mountains this year has been like trying to hack into the CIA. All mountain websites (outside of Stowe of course) say "commentary coming soon" wtf! Even out west, open mountains like Crested Butte have the exact same message. Solid. Alpinezone has a 5-6 page thread ranting about Vail right now and the lack of communication. Pretty frustrating situation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radarman Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 12 minutes ago, PowderBeard said: No update from Wildcat or Sunapee in a while which is ridiculous, Cannon says this weekend is doubtful, Loon and BW are pretty immune to wind holds. I would say the only options that are open will be good to go. I'd be eyeing Sunday River. Hoping to break the ice here this weekend but just so much uncertainty with respect to the storm and operations, pretty hard to make a plan. I'm thinking it'll be skins and the Taconics at this juncture. Guess we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBeard Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 8 minutes ago, radarman said: Hoping to break the ice here this weekend but just so much uncertainty with respect to the storm and operations, pretty hard to make a plan. I'm thinking it'll be skins and the Taconics at this juncture. Guess we'll see. Exactly my thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBeard Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 Well looking more like a Mount Toby or powerlines in Brookfield for skinning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIPPYVALLEY Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 25 minutes ago, PowderBeard said: Well looking more like a Mount Toby or powerlines in Brookfield for skinning. The old Mt Watatic ski hill in Ashburnham might be good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcglups Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 With this storm coming up and what appears to be below freezing temperatures for the week out, I'm looking forward to checking out Sugarloaf for the entire week of 12/13. Due to the COVID situation, I'm aiming to ski just mid-week and also during the colder (December to February) and skipping March, even though March is the best experience, it is also the time that slack protocol with masks due to warmth/sun-angle will likely become a problem. Bring it on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radarman Posted December 5, 2020 Share Posted December 5, 2020 WaWa opening tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Was in the Wawa parking lot about 7ish and did a leisurely 3 hour skinny ski tour. Bottom of hill only had 5-6" of snow but not that far above 12+. The summit chair was broken when I got to the top so I skied down on a groomed trail about halfway down and then cut across. Very pretty and was great to be out on the snow. Of course, because of all the running water, my skis got iced up which was a pain. Talking to some folks who were skinnng up, they said there was close to a 100 skier/skinners in parking lot at 6am! The base area with the broken lift and limited terrain must have been a crap show. Problem right now is the ground is so warm, I think grooming is a bit problematic. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 1 hour ago, Angus said: Was in the Wawa parking lot about 7ish and did a leisurely 3 hour skinny ski tour. Bottom of hill only had 5-6" of snow but not that far above 12+. The summit chair was broken when I got to the top so I skied down on a groomed trail about halfway down and then cut across. Very pretty and was great to be out on the snow. Of course, because of all the running water, my skis got iced up which was a pain. Talking to some folks who were skinnng up, they said there was close to a 100 skier/skinners in parking lot at 6am! The base area with the broken lift and limited terrain must have been a crap show. Problem right now is the ground is so warm, I think grooming is a bit problematic. Yeah... my son arrived to work lifts before 6:30AM and the lifts were a mess due to icing and the weight of the snow. Took a while to get the one he was working on running. A zillion people showed up despite limits on passes and tickets. They are only running 4 trails due to lack of snowmaking weather. The other trails don't have enough natural to safely open. They should have a few night this week to blast. Lots of unhappy peopl on social lol. Everyone I think was expecting business as usual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 It was crazy in the parking lot. I didn't realize they opened at 730am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 41 minutes ago, Angus said: It was crazy in the parking lot. I didn't realize they opened at 730am. Yeah. I think they started that this year or last . On weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkO Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Bretton Woods was one of those surprise/ borderline epic days. They had about 16" at top and about 10 at the bottom. Enough to ski the woods (even though they were technically closed). A couple early season water bars, but skiing was great. I left after 5 runs as the lift situation became a bit of a nightmare. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MRVexpat Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Hey there fellow wx/ski enthusiasts. Been lurking on here since about 14-15, my first of four winters at Sugarbush. Was a software admin there and logged 100+ days each winter...what a time that was! I actually laugh every time PF mentions the on-mountain snow stake cams there as I was peripherally involved in their installation yet intimately aware of the challenges we had with those hah. Life has happened since then so I'm now residing in Cambridge MA but still try to get out as much as humanly possible across the region (this winter may prove to be challenging). Anyways, was able to get out to Watatic in Ashburnham on Sunday with some friends for a quick tour after a dawn patrol lap at Wachusett. Found depths of about 10" at the old base area at around 1300'. Was surprised to find spots of 16" near the summit at around 1850' or so. A nice right side up snowfall that skied surprisingly well, dense yet not too wet. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORH_wxman Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Wow nice. Watatic still has a lot of very skiable trails visible on it. It's amazing how long they have lasted considering it hasn't been open in over 30 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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