Layman Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 I got a mailer from Saddleback mountain today with some deals on ski/stay packages that looked attractive. I've never been there before. Can anyone speak to it's size? How it compares to other New England mountains? Quality of the terrain? Accommodations if you've stayed before? On mountain amenities? As of now it looks like they're basically completely open and I imagine they're far enough north to keep it that way for awhile. Any info and/or opinions are appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunafish Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 9 minutes ago, Layman said: I got a mailer from Saddleback mountain today with some deals on ski/stay packages that looked attractive. I've never been there before. Can anyone speak to it's size? How it compares to other New England mountains? Quality of the terrain? Accommodations if you've stayed before? On mountain amenities? As of now it looks like they're basically completely open and I imagine they're far enough north to keep it that way for awhile. Any info and/or opinions are appreciated. Awesome mountain. Never stayed over before. Tons of terrain - enough to go all day and not repeat a run. Doesn't get nearly the crowds Sunday River and Sugarloaf get. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Great place. Not sure how old you are but think Sugarloaf before Les Otten! Kind of a Wildcat feel but I've found the snow and terrain to be consistently better. The glade skiing is some of the best in the east IMO - see my January 18 post. I've stayed at the Rangeley Inn - it's fine - there are some pretty good restaurants/bars in Rangeley and Oquossoc. The area is a huge snow mobile area. They have a t-bar that if upper mountain lifts close, you can still ski some pretty good terrain. I highly recommend. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunafish Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Good writeup here on the 20 lost skiers at Killington last month. Lots of unanswered questions, lots not adding up. https://www.boston.com/news/the-boston-globe/2024/02/05/more-than-20-skiers-had-to-be-rescued-from-the-killington-vt-backcountry-but-how-did-they-all-get-lost/?p1=hp_secondary If I had to guess, someone cut a rope or Killington effed up somehow and are covering it? So bizarre. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavisStraight Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 26 minutes ago, tunafish said: Good writeup here on the 20 lost skiers at Killington last month. Lots of unanswered questions, lots not adding up. https://www.boston.com/news/the-boston-globe/2024/02/05/more-than-20-skiers-had-to-be-rescued-from-the-killington-vt-backcountry-but-how-did-they-all-get-lost/?p1=hp_secondary If I had to guess, someone cut a rope or Killington effed up somehow and are covering it? So bizarre. Somethings definitely not adding up, different groups along with an experienced ski instructor, something was wrong, and we may never find out the truth. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 1 hour ago, DavisStraight said: Somethings definitely not adding up, different groups along with an experienced ski instructor, something was wrong, and we may never find out the truth. And I think they fired the ski instructor. That certainly doesn’t seem like an attempted cover up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 5 hours ago, tunafish said: Good writeup here on the 20 lost skiers at Killington last month. Lots of unanswered questions, lots not adding up. https://www.boston.com/news/the-boston-globe/2024/02/05/more-than-20-skiers-had-to-be-rescued-from-the-killington-vt-backcountry-but-how-did-they-all-get-lost/?p1=hp_secondary If I had to guess, someone cut a rope or Killington effed up somehow and are covering it? So bizarre. I doubt they ducked a rope. They followed tracks. It happens relatively frequently. Ski Patrol and resort Ops can’t rope the entire ski area. People love to follow tracks if it looks good. We have a place at Stowe called the “Deer Fields” that Stowe Mtn Rescue ends up going in after people a few times a season. It’s off Toll Road and looks very good and skiable. Problem is it drops you into acres of flats and deep snow by the XC Ski Center. And this stuff often happens off beginner trails to be honest and in this instance at Killington it sounds like it was off Great Eastern (Killington’s version of like Stowe’s Toll Road). It probably looked super attractive if 10+ people were already down there. The more worn the path the more likely people are to follow it. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TauntonBlizzard2013 Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 5 hours ago, mreaves said: And I think they fired the ski instructor. That certainly doesn’t seem like an attempted cover up. I immediately thought it was odd that the first course of action was to fire the ski instructor. Now that more has come out, I do find it hard to believe all these folks ducked ropes or ignored signage, as they weren’t even all together. My guess is there is some operating flaw where the ability to make this mistake is “too easy” and it’s not easily correctable, so we’ll likely never know. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 A few runs today between appointments 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 20 hours ago, TauntonBlizzard2013 said: I immediately thought it was odd that the first course of action was to fire the ski instructor. Now that more has come out, I do find it hard to believe all these folks ducked ropes or ignored signage, as they weren’t even all together. My guess is there is some operating flaw where the ability to make this mistake is “too easy” and it’s not easily correctable, so we’ll likely never know. Sometimes it’s hard to comprehend but humans are like lemmings. It can happen quickly on a busy day. There is zero doubt the area they all left the resort now has signage and is well marked. Ski areas learn where to mark based on past behavior. The one thing that’s good is that the exit seemed relatively easy for rescuers. There is one rule of thumb in the northeast… follow the streams, gullies, rivers. They will almost always lead to access to civilization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Couple of days in VT. Thursday skied at Killington on about as nice an early February as you can imagine. Everything on the mountain that got time in the sun softened into an almost corn surface. I don't ski Killington very often and over the last 15 years, it has only been Superstar bump skiing in early May. It was fun to poke around the mountain and remember all the good terrain I am missing. Coverage is pretty good throughout the mountain. Friday driving home stopped at the Green Woodlands Foundation Nordic center in Dorchester NH. Have heard good things about this place but was blown away. Google it. Surprisingly good pack. Driving from Woodstock over to Dorchester, there is not a lot of snow in West Lebanon/Enfield and I was wondering what I'd find but there is between a 18-24" on the ground. Strangely, in a pretty poor winter, I've now had four very good days of alpine skiing in NE. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcglups Posted February 11 Share Posted February 11 Friday and Saturday were really good at Wildcat. on Saturday it did warm up quite a bit and there was some passing showers with a double rainbow, but that spectacle only lasted for an hour or so, and then it was like cool-spring-like conditions. A few bare spots are showing and wouldn't be surprised if some terrain is roped off until they get a natural refresh or make some snow. Opted to skip today and drive home last night, but itching to get back up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMontpelierWhiteout Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Finally a little Northern Greens refresh. Looks like 3-6 for mountains with Thursday’s clipper too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarloaf1989 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 I'm a little late posting this report. I was at Ski Sundown on Wednesday 2/14 for my third lesson. It was the best skiing conditions of the year with 4" of new snow. It was cold and windy. Making things a bit uncomfortable at times. Ski Sundown isn't making snow anymore. So it was probably my last chance to ski packed powder. I took 5 runs off the summit. Including the last run down a freshly groomed Canyon. Unfortunately while skiing down the run. The Sno Cart left ski dug into the soft snow and released, causing me to tip over. I'm okay, but that scared me a bit. And I quit for the night. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarloaf1989 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 I have one final lesson booked for 3/6. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwt3650 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Still hit the bottom every once in a while, but not bad for a refresh... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Drove west and south yesterday to ski at Catamount (IndyPass) with my son who drove up from Hoboken and was talking about the crazy band of snow that set up from Staten Island over to JFK Friday night. It snowed most of the day with total accumulations maybe 2" (probably generous and including Friday night total) but it definitely helped the ski surface and ambiance. Nice hill - holiday crowd and lift lines were 5 minutes. Some steep terrain in the middle of the mountain with mellower stuff to the sides. You go to these places and see kids who definitely have never skied who follow their friends up the mountain and have no idea how to turn or stop...definitely a few wipe outs and near misses witnessed on the mountain today. There was zero natural snow and you could tell it has been make snow/thaw/rain/snowmaking repeat all season. With the snow that fell and a nice mountain layout, it was a fun day. I guess we call it climatic resiliency. As I said in an earlier post, I really haven't had a bad day of skiing in NE this season. Add to that my morning skinnng at WaWa where the their base easily exceeds 4', I can't complain. The real problem has been the local XC - either out my back door or at the local nordic center. Other fun facts - Catamount terrain sits between Massachusetts and NY so I added that to my list of skiing between ID and MT at Lost Trails and Alberta and BC at Sunshine Village. Stopped at Butternut on way back to the Pike - good holiday crowd and that mountain was bigger than I expected - only been there in the Summer and Fall and never really looked carefully. Headed to Tahoe for 2 days and then 6 days in NM and CO. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginx snewx Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 19 hours ago, Sugarloaf1989 said: I'm a little late posting this report. I was at Ski Sundown on Wednesday 2/14 for my third lesson. It was the best skiing conditions of the year with 4" of new snow. It was cold and windy. Making things a bit uncomfortable at times. Ski Sundown isn't making snow anymore. So it was probably my last chance to ski packed powder. I took 5 runs off the summit. Including the last run down a freshly groomed Canyon. Unfortunately while skiing down the run. The Sno Cart left ski dug into the soft snow and released, causing me to tip over. I'm okay, but that scared me a bit. And I quit for the night. Go Go Go awesome 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Bulldog Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 BIG news out of Southern Vermont: "Black Line Quad passed its load test on Tuesday. And yesterday it passed State Inspection. A few punch list items to take care of today and getting it some run time before it launches Monday! The Quad will open to passholders first on Monday morning! So long and farewell to lift lines at Magic!" (From Magic's Snow Report today) After 4 years of construction woes, mishaps, and some bad luck, Magic Mountain is finally opening their Black Quad! This is a game changer for several reasons. Red is aging quickly and it every year seems like a high wire act to get it approved by the state for the season. Having Black online will take significant pressure off of that workhorse lift and help extend its life. Lines at Red have gotten crazy in recent years due to the mountain hopping on the Indy Pass, so tripling capacity to the summit will go a very long way to increasing efficiency. Some may worry about additional congestion on the trails, but this should be negligible as the mountain is broad enough to disperse skiers. Until they finished Black, Magic seemed to be on tenuous footing due to aging infrastructure and limited finances (exacerbated by this albatross of a lift project). Happy that they seem to have finally figured it out. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GCWarrior Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Good to see the quad going at Magic tomorrow, it’s been a long time. I was there yesterday and they were running it on and off all day testing. Not 2’ like up north sadly. The skiing was super “sporty” and very dangerous. Ice, rocks, roots, dirt and water bars skiing all on very thin cover. I personally love the challenge. Light, quick feet, jumping through rock gardens and landing (very small) airs on to ice! Both me and some how my skis survived unscathed. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston Bulldog Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 14 hours ago, GCWarrior said: Good to see the quad going at Magic tomorrow, it’s been a long time. I was there yesterday and they were running it on and off all day testing. Not 2’ like up north sadly. The skiing was super “sporty” and very dangerous. Ice, rocks, roots, dirt and water bars skiing all on very thin cover. I personally love the challenge. Light, quick feet, jumping through rock gardens and landing (very small) airs on to ice! Both me and some how my skis survived unscathed. Welp they delayed the opening of Black, surprise surprise. Hopefully they have it up and running before the weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunafish Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 RIP Kasha Rigby, Stowe native, who died in a slide last week in Europe. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.denverpost.com/2024/02/18/catherine-kasha-rigby-dies/amp/&ved=2ahUKEwiXiJOM-bmEAxXrkIkEHdS3BO4QFnoECBgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0r5QoHvZl8eMQjnTxaK8vs 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Empty Wachusett this evening. A bit icy but still some good stretches. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 13 hours ago, tunafish said: RIP Kasha Rigby, Stowe native, who died in a slide last week in Europe. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.denverpost.com/2024/02/18/catherine-kasha-rigby-dies/amp/&ved=2ahUKEwiXiJOM-bmEAxXrkIkEHdS3BO4QFnoECBgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0r5QoHvZl8eMQjnTxaK8vs Watched her in a number of big ski films, Warren Miller tours, she was a well known name. Trauma from high speed impact with a tree, caused by an avalanche… so sad but at least it happened fast. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmcginvt Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 Wow so sad, we are the same age and I have been in Stowe since 87. Have known hersince. Sadly have only run into her once since the early 90's . She was fucking rad and a joy to watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunafish Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 10 hours ago, powderfreak said: Watched her in a number of big ski films, Warren Miller tours, she was a well known name. Trauma from high speed impact with a tree, caused by an avalanche… so sad but at least it happened fast. Yes, and her fiancé was by her side the whole time, so at least she wasn't alone. A friend, who knew her, said "She’s the only person I ever saw make 3 turns down the headwall on teles, knees on skis, male or female." Legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoarfrostHubb Posted February 21 Share Posted February 21 A dozen runs mid afternoon 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 Tough couple days around here. On Tuesday evening I saw Stowe Mountain Rescue running code up the road at 8:30pm and that's never a good sign. A guy in his 20s failed to meet his family for dinner and no one could get in touch with him. They pinged his cell phone and it came back to an area on Mansfield known as the Rock Garden, a relatively popular backcountry run down the Wall that exits onto Upper Perry Merrill... but is known to have a lot of large holes, spruce traps and undermined snow throughout the boulder field. They had a Guard helicopter up there relatively quickly spotlighting the area, found him prior to midnight but went back in the daylight to recover him. Here's the Stowe Mountain Rescue post and their photos from Facebook: Last night Stowe Mountain Rescue was involved in the search and recovery of a young man who died in a tragic skiing accident in backcountry terrain, accessed from Stowe Mountain Resort. As skiers ourselves, we understand the draw to explore the backcountry and we’re devastated at the senseless loss of such a beautiful, adventurous young life. Could see the blackhawk searching the area with the spotlight on the webcam. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Layman Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 I enjoy reading about the lost/abandoned ski areas of New England and found this one to be relative due to the reasonably extensive coverage of their struggles throughout the 1980's due to lack of snow. Everything now seems to be hyped as the "most", "worst", "extreme", etc but some of us have lived through so much of all this before. Snow lovers in the 1980's = snow lovers in the 2020's. Mt. Tom, Holyoke, MA: https://www.newenglandskihistory.com/Massachusetts/mttom.php This was a fun quote from the page: "Though the 1984-85 season started on December 9, there was no more skiing until the day after Christmas. The holiday skiing too was short-lived, as temperatures soared into the 70s and melted the manmade snow. Manager Dave Moore told the Holyoke Transcript-Telegram, "If Mount Tom depended on what (snow) was on the ground, it would have been out of business 25 years ago." The season likely ended after the first weekend in March." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amarshall Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 On 2/22/2024 at 10:12 AM, powderfreak said: Tough couple days around here. On Tuesday evening I saw Stowe Mountain Rescue running code up the road at 8:30pm and that's never a good sign. A guy in his 20s failed to meet his family for dinner and no one could get in touch with him. They pinged his cell phone and it came back to an area on Mansfield known as the Rock Garden, a relatively popular backcountry run down the Wall that exits onto Upper Perry Merrill... but is known to have a lot of large holes, spruce traps and undermined snow throughout the boulder field. They had a Guard helicopter up there relatively quickly spotlighting the area, found him prior to midnight but went back in the daylight to recover him. Here's the Stowe Mountain Rescue post and their photos from Facebook: Last night Stowe Mountain Rescue was involved in the search and recovery of a young man who died in a tragic skiing accident in backcountry terrain, accessed from Stowe Mountain Resort. As skiers ourselves, we understand the draw to explore the backcountry and we’re devastated at the senseless loss of such a beautiful, adventurous young life. Could see the blackhawk searching the area with the spotlight on the webcam. How did he die? Just curious from an educational point of view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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