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NNE Cold Season Thread 2020-2021


wxeyeNH
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Great morning on Mansfield.  That storm was a true game changer.  Can't say it enough.

Obviously could add another two feet to cover up more shwack and make it less brambly, but still, adding up to 2.0" of water equiv to the mountain was a great shot of base that for the most part has made the trees a lot less sketchy than I thought they would be.

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10 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Great morning on Mansfield.  That storm was a true game changer.  Can't say it enough.

Obviously could add another two feet to cover up more shwack and make it less brambly, but still adding up to 2.0" of water equiv to the mountain was a great shot of base that for the most part has made the trees a lot less sketchy than I thought they would be.

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140565294_10104429584059900_218431250729

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Your buddy TK was up there today

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that looks great but I always worry about skiing in stuff like that if I don't know what's underneath - I'm very cautious. I saw a couple a skiers eject headfirst at high speed at Wildcat on Saturday and land really hard as they came blazing down the slope and caught something under the snow. One guy who I thought had seriously hurt himself, pulled himself off the mat and his friend standing next to me said something like 'you got to chill or you're going to seriously hurt yourself.' he just laughed.

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17 minutes ago, Angus said:

that looks great but I always worry about skiing in stuff like that if I don't know what's underneath - I'm very cautious. I saw a couple a skiers eject headfirst at high speed at Wildcat on Saturday and land really hard as they came blazing down the slope and caught something under the snow. One guy who I thought had seriously hurt himself, pulled himself off the mat and his friend standing next to me said something like 'you got to chill or you're going to seriously hurt yourself.' he just laughed.

Always need to tread lightly and cautiously.  Read the snowpack and adapt.  I feel like today, after a cold night and some minimal settling (whatever was possible given the high QPF) the snowpack felt more supportive.  I wasn't expecting it to ski as it did, I thought it would be much more sketchy.  But I've been wandering around on skis on Mansfield for a long time and that sixth sense definitely helped today.  We found the perfect mix of snowpack and terrain choice for some damn good skiing.

But yes, it's very easy to get hurt bad if you are over-aggressive for the snowpack/conditions.  It's definitely about reading the situation and adjusting when traveling in the mountains.

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You've mentioned that 40" rule - that seems like a good rule of thumb. I saw people skiing Starr Line and Feline on Saturday which is littered with 3-4' plus boulders with 12-18" of snow on it which is just asking to get hurt or break a ski or board...If someone wants to ruin their equipment I don't care but I feel bad for ski patrol who would have to hike up and carry the knucklehead off the mountain if there was an accident. I would be pissed.

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1 hour ago, Angus said:

You've mentioned that 40" rule - that seems like a good rule of thumb. I saw people skiing Starr Line and Feline on Saturday which is littered with 3-4' plus boulders with 12-18" of snow on it which is just asking to get hurt or break a ski or board...If someone wants to ruin their equipment I don't care but I feel bad for ski patrol who would have to hike up and carry the knucklehead off the mountain if there was an accident. I would be pissed.

Yeah 40" is the rule of thumb for more confident tree skiing.  Obviously the type of snowpack does matter.  I remember in early December 2010 we got a 30" upslope event that was blower powder.  Folks were shattering their femurs despite a good snow depth number because they were skiing on essentially 10" of snow topped with fluff.  That was the storm with a high-profile leg break from the shark fin on Upper Liftline above the Haychute.  Dude screaming in absolute agony while folks were riding the Quad not 20 feet above him.  Leaves an impression on you.

I've always thought the real barometer is more "effective base depth".... what is the highest snow depth that your ski sinks into the snow on a turn?  Just 24" at the stake with a bulletproof crust followed by 6" of snow can be a very confident snowpack.  You know if you don't see something, you likely won't hit anything because the crust is so stout.  As a skier, the real question mark is when you don't know how far into the snowpack you'll sink, and when you can't see indications of submerged objects.

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We've had the persistent flurry going on after the period of light snow that dusted things up around 4pm.  It looks like we have more moisture approaching from the west.  I like when Lake Ontario is also adding moisture to a great snow growth profile.  It results in fluff but can also be localized depending on the moisture stream.  30dbz on composite moving through can leave a quick half inch to inch in a short period of time.

Jan_19_845pm.gif.18bc14c1e3503fa19b186f16632e2ed4.gif

BTV NWS latest forecast map for the next few days with several rounds of snow.  Large DGZ zone in the moisture, should be able to pile up some fluff on the Spine through Friday morning.

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53 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Yeah 40" is the rule of thump for more confident tree skiing.  Obviously the type of snowpack does matter.  I remember in early December 2010 we got a 30" upslope event that was blower powder.  Folks were shattering their femurs despite a good snow depth number because they were skiing on essentially 10" of snow topped with fluff.  That was the storm with a high-profile leg break from the shark fin on Upper Liftline above the Haychute.  Dude screaming in absolute agony while folks were riding the Quad not 20 feet above him.  Leaves an impression on you.

I've always thought the real barometer is more "effective base depth".... what is the highest snow depth that your ski sinks into the snow on a turn?  Just 24" at the stake with a bulletproof crust followed by 6" of snow can be a very confident snowpack.  You know if you don't see something, you likely won't hit anything because the crust is so stout.  As a skier, the real question mark is when you don't know how far into the snowpack you'll sink, and when you can't see indications of submerged objects.

As PF says the type of snowpack really matters.  This past weekend was that magic combination of close to a foot of cement followed by close to a foot of nice eastern powder All on top of a maybe 4-6 inch weeks old base.  When that happens it’s magic. Lots of pillows in relatively safe woods runs made them even safer and forgave a lot of errors in judgement. Had to work today so did not get out but my legs needed a rest anyway after the 4 days.  Probably won’t get out again until Thursday but the mountain in my backyard is closed Tuesday/wednesday anyway so short of any skinners it’s all sitting waiting for me just like I left it last night. 
 

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Pretty good conditions at Bretton Woods today. They needed this snowfall badly. I know others have said it, but this totally changed the feel on the mountain.

We had a lot of fun on Two Miles Home. It hadn't been groomed at all since they opened it and was pretty wild. Kids did great handling the bumps and dips. They will want to be in the trees soon I bet. This shot is two of the four on Avalon, I think.

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4 hours ago, Ginx snewx said:

This is crazy, Maine Lobsterman viewing the Whites

The first apartment I looked at when I moved here had a view of the Whites from the living room. I opted for a view of the wharves on Commercial (the apartment was bigger).

We got to take our wedding pictures on the roof of the Eastland (now Westin) and let me tell you. THAT'S a view of the Whites.

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7 hours ago, PhineasC said:

That's the spot right off Randolph Hill Road? 

Get off my lawn, hippies! :) 

Yup! The hippies from GBA did a great job of clearing out 4 or 5 ski lines for the rest of us hippies to enjoy. Nice area for a hike too! Saw some families snowshoeing. It's high up there too, parking lot at 2k I think? Even noticeably more snow than when you first pull off of 2. 

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11 hours ago, powderfreak said:

BTV NWS latest forecast map for the next few days with several rounds of snow.  Large DGZ zone in the moisture, should be able to pile up some fluff on the Spine through Friday morning.

140638439_4893958627342666_3160000056422

There are so many posts in the thread right now just begging for a bread and butter stamp, but having a BTV NWS snow forecast map that essentially screams “bread and butter” is a pretty nice contribution.  Their text from that Facebook post is just what skiers like to hear:

“More good news if you enjoy winter, we are expecting several more rounds of light accumulating snowfall. Here is our latest expected snowfall map through Jan 22 at 7 PM.”

I’d say that “…several more rounds of light accumulating snowfall.” seems to call for this image:

Bread&Butter4.jpg

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