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Ski Season

B

bgranc02

VUSports.com All-American
May 6, 2002
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Not the buthcer sort... the kind done on snow in the winter. Usually have a decent yearly thread on here that lives for a bit. Who is doing what this year?

My wife was away the weekend before thanksgiving and I burned a vacation day and headed up to Mt. Snow for their opening day on that Friday. Then saw that Stowe got some snow so headed up there for their opening day on Saturday. They had gotten 20 inches that week and also did well last week with another 14 or so. Both mountains were in good shape for November... not a ton of options at Mt Snow but a few trails top to bottom, Stowe had a good amount of terrain open of their four runner quad with more poachable.

Will be up in Stowe again over New Years, got a family VT trip with some of my cousins lined up for February and trying to figure out my westward trip plans. Would love to get two trips in if I can swing it with work... ideally somewhere I haven't been in colorado or jackson hole and Utah since its so easy.
 
I have not yet planned family ski trips this season, but likely will be heavy okemo.

However, have booked trip (without family) to breckenridge, we are also doing a snowcat day while there. My first time skiing off mountain.

My buddy was at Vail this weekend and said it was a great early season snow, another buddy was at Okemo and was happy with the snow too.

I'd like to try a weekend in Sunday River this year, have never done it
Posted from Rivals Mobile
 
Originally posted by TwoDecks:
I have not yet planned family ski trips this season, but likely will be heavy okemo.

However, have booked trip (without family) to breckenridge, we are also doing a snowcat day while there. My first time skiing off mountain.

My buddy was at Vail this weekend and said it was a great early season snow, another buddy was at Okemo and was happy with the snow too.

I'd like to try a weekend in Sunday River this year, have never done it

Posted from Rivals Mobile
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I was up at Okemo for Thanksgiving and got four good days of skiing in. Got a foot on Wednesday so Wed afternoon through Friday were terrific. Saturday was okay. I'm up there all the time so let me know if/when you head up and I'll buy you a Long Trail.
 
Just booked a Feb trip to Sugarbush, same trip I did last year. My wife has a trial the last week of January so we won't be able to go away until that is over. Would love to swing a dudes trip while she is gone but unfortunately my only skiing buddy just had a baby so he is going to be out. Probably won't make a west coast trip this year sine I am poor now.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
 
Lots of fond memories for me of Mt.Snow. We went practically every weekend during the season in the early 70's.
 
Haven't been out yet, waiting for more coverage. But early snow and temps are very promising for the east once again. I have Dec. 18 - Jan. 1 off; rented a car and will look to Gore Mountain and possibly Whiteface. Got the Empire pass for $99 that gets deals at both, plus Belleayre if I really feel like slumming it. I can mix in some bus trips to Hunter/Windham/Vermont before and after.

I have next Thursday off but not sure if I'll go yet.

Sugarbush MLK weekend with OvRride looks good, that will fill up fast. They're also doing Jay Peak the weekend after. Stowe St. Patrick's weekend looks good again, and another Jay Peak trip right after that is scheduled.

I'm booked for Utah in Feb. Snowbird, Alta, Park City, Deer Valley for four days in that order, then red-eye back back to NYC.

This Austria trip looks pretty good - 7 days/5 days skiing for 3K - http://ovrride.com/shop/aa02-06-15/ - would've considered it had I not already made my Utah plans.
 
Originally posted by tjc3844:
Lots of fond memories for me of Mt.Snow. We went practically every weekend during the season in the early 70's.
Click to expand...
Tony_1.jpg
 
Dean not sure if you have been to whiteface before... its got some great terrain for the east coast, may have the most vert, but its reputation as Iceface is well deserved. I think due to its location and aspect the place just gets blasted by the wind which scours everything, especially up top..... but if you can handle that, there is usually some decent snow to be found.

Twodecks where are you guys doing the cat trip out there, you know? Heading to Vail pass? Breck is in the mix for my Co. trip as I have never been there. Heard the new area they opened last season is great.
 
Originally posted by bgranc02:

Twodecks where are you guys doing the cat trip out there, you know? Heading to Vail pass? Breck is in the mix for my Co. trip as I have never been there. Heard the new area they opened last season is great.
Click to expand...
I think this is the spot, I am not arranging details

http://www.powderaddiction.com/the-experience/cat-skiing/

we have enough guys to reserve our own cat for the day, so we get a bit more control over what and where we go.

I did Breck when I was 15 and haven't been back. We were trying to pick a place relatively close to Denver Airport given we're all coming from different locations and trying to jam the trip into a short amount of space. I got a relatively good deal on direct flights out of Boston when you throw in using my FF miles ($300 outbound United, free return on Jet Blue)
 
Yeah bgranc I know - I haven't been to Whiteface yet but if they get major snow the next couple weeks I will give it a shot. The only real reason I want to try it is that I rarely have access to a car by myself for 10 days. I want to drive to the best conditions but save the big VT mountains for later in the season when I go with OvrRide and Urban Sherpa. I am looking at places I haven't been to if there's snow like Jiminy Peak (MA), Cannon / Wildcat (NH), and also never been to Smuggs.
 
Anyone have a good recommendation for a mountain on the east coast for NYE?
 
TwoDeck that will be a great trip I'm sure.. filling the cat is nice since you guys all will be on the same page. Gets tricky when you mix ability levels in a group of strangers. Access part for Breck is great, I really want to hit Crested Butte this year but its a pain.

Dean Smuggs is nice.. its been a long time but the terrain is as good as anywhere out here, stuff off Madonna is fantastic but its probably been 15 years since I have been there and little has changed. You used to be able to head up spruce at stowe ski off the backside and buy a one trip pass at smuggs to get back.

NorCal what are you looking for?
 
Would be going from NYC, so the easier the better. Looking for a good mountain, with reasonable cabin rentals nearby within walking distance of a town with some semblance of night life. Perfectly fine with local bars, just some place to go out. Not looking for a place that thinks its a nightclub.
 
Stratton might fit your needs well... though its a bit spendier than the other southern VT mountains. Actually has a mountain village with apres/nightlife options. Killington has night life and the lodging but its all on the access road.... no real town to speak of. Mt Snow has some options and is the closest to NYC. Those would be 3 to look at
 
Originally posted by NorCalVU10:


Would be going from NYC, so the easier the better. Looking for a good mountain, with reasonable cabin rentals nearby within walking distance of a town with some semblance of night life. Perfectly fine with local bars, just some place to go out. Not looking for a place that thinks its a nightclub.
Click to expand...
Vermont is your best bet.

Gore in North Creek is a solid mountain but the town is extremely small - it's been reduced to one real bar on Main Street.

You can stay at the Alpine Lodge on Main St ($159 per night). Main St. is the "town."
 
I think if you're single, Killington would be your best bet. Snow and Stratton tend to be family heavier, where as K has a few larger bars catering towards a single crowd. Of course there is no "village"
 
I was at Killington a couple of years ago for NYE. They have a big party at this bar called the Wobbly Barn, which is actually a pretty decent restaurant as well. Pro tip, if you eat at the restaurant, you get a free ticket to the party and also don't have to wait in line to get it, since you can just walk right upstairs to the bar from the restaurant.

They have live music and it's a decent crowd for a back woods ski town.

http://www.wobblybarn.com/site/index.html
 
Wobbly mention

http://www.buzzfeed.com/thenorthface/mountain-town-bars-you-must-drink-at-this-winter?s=mobile
 
New Fresh:

Sugarloaf 16"
Sugarbush 12"
Jay Peak 12"
Wildcat 12"
Wimdham 12"
Smuggs 10"
Okemo 10"
Killington 10"
Hunter 9"
Stowe 8"
Whiteface 7"
Loon 6"
Belleayre 6"
Stratton 4"
 
Seems like good base building snow as well even with some rain/sleet mixed in. Should hopefully set up nice for the holiday weeks. I'm actually going to sneak up to hunter Friday. Looks like they will have 12 or so when all is said and done and it has stayed snow there.
 
Originally posted by bgranc02:
I'm actually going to sneak up to hunter Friday.
Click to expand...

Don't you mean "Hunta"?

Honestly, you couldn't pay me enough to ski there, particularly on a weekend.
 
Huntahhh and on a Friday in December pre-Christmas it will be empty.. In fact any weekday any time of the year. Saturday and Sundays are nuts but It satiates my need to get on a hill. Even weekends of you get they early you can get in a ton of runs before it's too bananas and if the north side is open you can get away from the crowds.
 
NYC companies that provide transportation and lift tickets to mountains in NY and VT. OvRride also organizes trips to the West Coast and international resorts.
 
VERMONT & NORTHERN NEW YORK




A Cold Week With A Couple Clippers



Summary




As the weekend storm exits, there will be some lingering
snow showers into Monday that could result in some light accumulations.
Otherwise, cold air starts to make a comeback on Monday and Tuesday. Midweek,
an Alberta Clipper storm will quickly swing through. Behind that Clipper, the
coldest air of the winter will settle in, with the chance of another Clipper at
the end of the week.



Details




There could be some lingering snow showers in the wake of
this weekend's mess of a storm. Any of those snow showers will likely be at
higher elevations. Any accumulations will be on the light side, with a coating
to a few inches at most.


Cold air will move back in as the storm exits as well, allowing
snowmakers to get back to work for Monday and Tuesday.


On Wednesday, an Alberta Clipper storm will move through.
These storms are typically very fast moving and moisture starved. However, they
also tend to come along when temps are already quite cold, which means that
water to snow ratios end up being quite high. Expect widespread accumulations
to be on the light side, with 1-3 or 2-4 inches likely. The bigger
accumulations will be in the locations that typically see orographic
enhancement, (i.e. mountain enhanced precipitation)...resorts like Jay, Stowe,
etc.



Long Range




This Clipper will also usher in even colder air. In fact,
expect the coldest temperatures so far this winter by far. The second half of
the week will see highs in the single digits and even below zero further north
and at elevation. You read that right...highs below zero. This will make skiing
a bit tough (make sure to cover up!), but it will also make for some fantastic
snowmaking conditions. Temperatures that cold not only allow snowmakers to
produce high quality snow, but also produce more of it all while using
considerably less energy.
 
Hit Bromley on Saturday right after XMAS (and right after 3 days of rain). Was in better shape than I expected (or maybe my expectations were so low . . .) Tried to ski on Sunday, but was raining when we woke up.

So far pretty bad for Vermont/NH since mid December - let's hope this upcoming cold weather gets the snowmakers going non-stop. My colleague spent the holidays in Utah, said medicore snow conditions there. CO I've heard has done very well. If lots of snowmaking this week, I might sneak up to Pat's Peak or Sunapee in NH on Sunday
 
I got hit by rain at Gore on the 23rd, wettest I've ever been while skiing and called it a day at 2 PM.

By Sunday New England should be in the 20s and good to go.
 
CO has been getting hit and Wyoming. .. friend sent some great pics from Jackson.

Did Stowe over New Years with my wife. Was in better shape than expected, but despite more open terrain, probably not as good as opening weekend in November. They got a bit of snow Thurs night and again Saturday but it turned to rain Sunday am. Could use a refresh for sure.

Hopefully the January thaw hit early with that Christmas weather and the pattern stays good here on out.
 
Originally posted by TwoDecks:
My colleague spent the holidays in Utah, said medicore snow conditions there.
Click to expand...
Yeah well you're not going to get waist-deep Utah powder in December. He probably went to Park City.

Alta - 66" base, 87/116 trails
Snowbird - 64" base, 152/168 trails
 
Trying to plan a feb break with the kids skiing. Okemo will be the default, but looking for back-up plan given last minute planning and ever increasing costs at Okemo and Stowe. Anyone have thoughts on Smuggler's Notch, Sugarbush, or Sunday River. (I have skied Sugarbush, but haven't been in 10+ years) and have never been to Smuggler's or Sunday River.

My youngest is just learning to ski, older two are still green / blue skiers - so looking for good ski-on / ski-off condo options with lots of blue and green groomers . . .
 
I'll caveat that I have not been to Smuggs or Sunday River in a bit. Sunday River is a big place, plenty to ski for everyone and when I was there (6 years ago or so) I recall getting an absurdly good deal on a ski in/ski out place.

Smuggs has amazing terrain off Madonna and then some more moderate stuff off sterling and morse for the family. They also always get high rankings as a family resort.. think they have some great ski school programs for kids. My issue is that the lifts are the same as the last time I was there and they were slow then. On the other hand, its usually not too crowded.

And for Sugarbush... not sure it will actually be much cheaper than Okemo or Stowe in my experience pricing out trips.
 
Did Whiteface between Christmas and New Years, skied three days, none great. Did 26, 27 and 28. Wet first day, awful morning second day which then got cold and dry by lunch, cold icy third day. At least the Summit was open all three days which alleviated the middle of the mountain a bit. One plus was it was not overly crowded despite being a holiday week and Lake Placid itself being crowded. I think the rain from just before Christmas dampened peoples desires to ski a lot.
One good thing about having two young kids, 6 and 4 though, is that they don't care as much about the conditions. My 6 year old really has greens down pat now and hopefully later this season will work into blues, and my 4 year old is now fully operational on the lift and greens, which is great. Ski school at whiteface is really good for little ones. Teacher to kid ratio is awesome, in fact by mid day on the first day each kid was about 1.5 or even 1 to 1 for most days, and that was in group lessons.

I don't love that mountain, despite prob having been there a dozen times since childhood. I have never seen it at full strength, rather there is always either too much ice, fog, rain, not enough snow, something. I do really lake Lake placid village though. I am a sucker for the Olympic nostalgia, some really good restaurants and eateries, a few fun bars, good accommodations for families in and near town, a bunch of cool off mountain stuff to do, reasonable costs for lodging. Ski on ski off is non existent, but when we go there I prefer staying in town anyway. Most other places like Stratton I prefer ski on ski off.


Trying to plan a Feb trip, which of course will be jam packed but staying Northeast again. Maybe Stratton


Next year the family moves to London, but already eyeing up a France trip during the Feb schools break in UK. Seems many of the French ski resorts have great ski schools for kids. A couple in Austria too.
Will be back in US for holidays though and will decide between lake Placid and Stratton again, we did Stratton since my teens until last two years doing LP. We go with my folks and my sis/bro in law and other various extended family and was some talk of Park City next year for holidays, but good to see the comment above that snow can't be counted on just yet in Dec. we prob just need a few more years of family oriented places before we can really open up to more mountains again and hit some of the awesome places you guys are mentioning to really take advantage of the mountain.
 
Originally posted by jiggie_agent:

Trying to plan a Feb trip, which of course will be jam packed but staying Northeast again. Maybe Stratton
Click to expand...
I would consider Mont Tremblant in Quebec if the kids have passports. Amazing village, dining and lodging options. There is a microbrewery within the village (La Diable). When snow is good it's as good as anywhere in VT.

Right now you're getting about $1.18 CAD per US dollar, which is as good as it's been since 2009 or so.

cc849fd6f542456b91c32ffd6bf03be0.jpg
 
Originally posted by TheDean:


Originally posted by jiggie_agent:

Trying to plan a Feb trip, which of course will be jam packed but staying Northeast again. Maybe Stratton
Click to expand...
I would consider Mont Tremblant in Quebec if the kids have passports. Amazing village, dining and lodging options. There is a microbrewery within the village (La Diable). When snow is good it's as good as anywhere in VT.

Right now you're getting about $1.18 CAD per US dollar, which is as good as it's been since 2009 or so.

ec
Click to expand...
I've never been colder in my life than Mt. Tremblant. The temp difference between the base and the peak was staggering. That being said, great atmosphere and a fairly easy trip.

JA - I've not done France, but our friends in London who have 4 young kids (10,8,6, and 2) go to Courchevel every year rave about it. It's expensive, but when they describe what they get out of it, it is actually quite reasonable. We have neighbors here who do Kitzbuhel every other year, but their kids are in High School / Freshman college - they've been doing it since their youngest was in 4th grade
 
TD, great stuff, I am reading the sticker prices in France, especially Val d'Isere area where Courchavel is and they are very expensive . . . but like you said, you do get a lot. For instance ski school looks really pricey per kid, but includes everything for 6 days.

Kitzbuhel is a dream of mine, I may save that till the kids are teenagers and we can really absorb the whole mountain

Heard Aplach and Obergurgl in Austria are great for little kids
 
Absolutely dumping in Park City right now - upwards of 16"

Took off yesterday to get a day in at Mt. Snow between cold spells - some of the best conditions early in the day I have seen in three years - they had a fresh 5" of powder and it kept snowing throughout most the day; high 20s. The North Face was completely empty until 11:00, I was creating my own bumps on "Chute" for several runs.
 
Also MLK Weekend, who's got big plans?

I will probably just ski Hunt-ahh Monday.
 
Originally posted by TheDean:
Also MLK Weekend, who's got big plans?

I will probably just ski Hunt-ahh Monday.
Click to expand...
Personally, I'd rather be a quadriplegic than to ski over MLK weekend. Why bother?
 
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