I'm new here, looking for info

[uphillklimber]

Howdy all,
This seems like a site that shoots pretty straight as far as info about ski areas is concerned. It seems that whenever a ski area can post conditions as packed powder, they will do so. When we drive hours to get there and there is a small patch of packed powder ontop of an ice surface... well, I'm sure you have all been there....

The ski resort I am interested in is Big Squaw in Greeneville, Maine. We did go last year for the first time and got a nice hotel room a couple miles down the road. The conditions were just awesome for last year, including corduroy that lasted til after noon! Seems they are far enough north and cold enough to have snow, not ice. It was cold there, so dressed up, but had some of the best skiing last year. Anyways.... We want to visit again this year, but it seems as though that area of Maine has not gotten the snow this year that southern Maine has. I have also noticed that they actually advertised conditions of hardpacked surfaces at times this year. (If packed powder oftens means ices, what does hard packed mean?)

I have had friends and family tell me the skiing is great at this resort or that resort, or this trail or that trail. I have often found that "great" means any number of things. Quite often, it is someone trying to impress us with their skiing ability on glare ice. Or they will lead us to a trail with 14 inches of the fluffy stuff, ontop of glare ice that avalanches out from under you and leaves you on glare ice.... It's a little frustrating to say the least. I have learned to ask these people what great means. How much ice, how crodede, how much cover. Some I have to give the third degree, as all they are looking to do is impress us with their skiing ability... sigh.

This is a four hour drive each way for us, a hotel room for a couple nights, some dining out, or packing microwave dishes, etc.... and if we call the resort for actual conditions, of course they'll say Packed Powder!!! Has anyone been up there recently and can give me the lowdown, in descriptive terms, as to the conditions.

By the way, we are accomplished intermediate skiiers. We have skiied white heat and white nitro at Sunday River and Sugarloaf, even enjoyed it, but need true packed powder to do so. Pretty much and blue square is very enjoyable for us, and most blackdiamonds and traveled with confidence and fun. We are getting more comfortable on ice. No we have not done Tuckerman's. We generally ski a dozen and half days a season for the last four seasons.

[riverc0il]

currently, most of new england has suffered from a lack of natural snow and super cold temperatures for the past month or so. i've found conditions at most resorts lately to be hard pack. groomed stuff i'd guess they would call "packed powder" - that's before it gets skied off. once it warms up a bit and the snow turns to corn (hero snow they call it), you won't have to worry about the hard pack. i get up in arms when ever people refer to conditions as "icy" -- that generally means "scraped" which you can turn on, but it's tough... you really need an excellent edge and perfect technique to ski scraped well. now ice... well you just can't ski ice!

any ways, i was at sunday river for their dollar deal on friday. conditions ranged from awesome packed powder on an occasional trail (upper ruby palace and sections of vortex and oz were sweet) to total scratched up scraped stuff (most of white heat, except for the edges).

problem becomes, how does a resort label "primary conditions" in a single term for the whole mountain? well of course, they use their best trail with their best conditions. take it with a grain of salt and always excellent the "secodary conditions" as reality.

some suggestions for avoiding scraped surfaces: start skiing when the place starts operating the lifts. first tracks are always the best. look for groomed surfaces, as they are the same quality almost everywhere. ski the sides of the trails, never ski down the center, i always find scraped down the center with loose powder on the sides. ski areas less travelled by, analyze skier patterns and avoid the crowds. ski natural snow trails if possible, often times most skiers stick to the groomers leaving the best snow on trails left ungroomed.

and the best suggestion i can offer for avoiding scraped conditions is ski in the spring! wooooooo!!! this is the best time for skiing, i love march!

[uphillklimber]

Gotta agree with you, we were at Sunday River, the day after the dollar deal. Scraped is the word, after noon. First tracks were real sweet though. We were able to ski the scraped stuff alright, having just sharpened the skiis. Still though, it's not surface of choice.

I skiied down Tin Woodsman (yeah, I was in a little over my head) but it was a fun challenge, just the same. There was this one spot, should I say line, across the trail that was just about all ice (not scraped), and only a small area through the ice. That ice was alot different than scraped to ski on.