The Official 1/18 Storm Discussion Thread

[Bob R]

So all the nea sayers. 5 inches so far at the river and I'm at work. Just wrong.

[deadheadskier]

Originally Posted by loafer89

We got about 2.5" of snow and then rain on top, now it's raining, foggy and 34F

It's snowing quite hard in Maine at the moment.

I'm wondering where the change over line is. It is absolutely POURING *r* here in Portland as I type this.

[jaywbigred]

Originally Posted by gladerider

jaywbigred - that's not a bad route. very quite back there. you can avoid the 24 traffic that way but you'd still have to deal with the backup that builds between 24-287 merge and 287-80 merge. i am going to try that route today and give you the comparison when i get back, on this thread.

This is actually a good test. I will prob be taking 24 today, but leaving a tad early (3ish). My guess is that Holiday Weekend + Early Leave Time = Traffic levels like a normal friday right at 5. We can compare notes on Tuesday.

Btw, I've found that if you stick to the right lanes, those slow downs on 287 are annoying but predictably move. 5 minutes a piece tends to be average. It is much worse to actually be on 24 or 80 trying to merge on/off than it is to be on 287 itself. A good backway if you are on 24 is to get off 24 at Columbia Turnpike and then get on 287 off of Lafayette Avenue. Again, though, this puts you below the 24 merge, but I find it much faster.

[jaywbigred]

Anyone in the MRV able to comment on storm totals/conditions? Sugarbush is reporting 4 inches as of this morning.

[hiroto]

Report from Gunstock where I'm going this weekend.

9:17AM: UPDATE - After recieving 5+ inches of snow it turned to an icy mix and now it is back to snow. The hill has firmed up and may be a bit challenging until things clear out around noon. Everything that was groomed early this morning is riding well but the trails that were groomed through the overnight are firm. This storm has set us up for a great weekend of skiing, riding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and tubing...don't miss out on the fun!
The Park is open and looking sick.

[thinnmann]

Originally Posted by gladerider

i normally brave it out on 24. 20-30 minutes delay. maybe i'll try the back road tomorrow, but i think the back roads have local rush hour traffic as well that can easily add 20 minutes so i normally brave it out.

I always take I-78 east to 24 to I-287 from central NJ, Somerset County. I have found that leaving LATER gets me there faster. I figure if I have to work and eat dinner and stuff, might as well do it at home, save money, be more relaxed, maybe even sneak in a quick 5 mile run. We take a later drive, listen to some tunes, and maybe the kids even get off the damn iPod or DS or computer and sleep a little bit.

zoom zoom -

[skimore]

.an Arctic Cold Front Is Expected To Cross Western And Central New
York Saturday Morning With Lake Effect Snow Bands Setting Up East
Of The Lakes Late Saturday And Continuing Through Sunday Night.

At This Time It Appears That The Potential For The Heaviest Snows
Will Be East Of Lake Ontario...including The Tug Hill Area. Two
Feet Of Snow Is Possible For The Whole Event Through Sunday Night.

[Greg]

Originally Posted by jaywbigred

Anyone in the MRV able to comment on storm totals/conditions? Sugarbush is reporting 4 inches as of this morning.

Sugarbush - 1/18/2008

[danny p]

K was really good yesteday. I'm not going to post a trip report because I didn't take any pics. The 4" of fresh was just what was needed up there, just enough to get a little float on pow action going. Trees were doable but you had to be real light on your feet, and honestly most trails had lots of snow to push around, so I only took two glade runs. Totally uncrowded! Very good vibe on the mountain.

[gladerider]

Originally Posted by jaywbigred

This is actually a good test. I will prob be taking 24 today, but leaving a tad early (3ish). My guess is that Holiday Weekend + Early Leave Time = Traffic levels like a normal friday right at 5. We can compare notes on Tuesday.

Btw, I've found that if you stick to the right lanes, those slow downs on 287 are annoying but predictably move. 5 minutes a piece tends to be average. It is much worse to actually be on 24 or 80 trying to merge on/off than it is to be on 287 itself. A good backway if you are on 24 is to get off 24 at Columbia Turnpike and then get on 287 off of Lafayette Avenue. Again, though, this puts you below the 24 merge, but I find it much faster.

OK. I went by the back roads. It did bypass the 24 traffic, but i don't think it really saved me much time. i think taking the last exit on 24 is the best bet. i hit the 287-80 traffic at 5:30 and it was really bad.