Your 2011 / 2012 Ski Season Recap

[DJAK]

Stats, thoughts and pics from 16 eastern ski areas on the topic in our SKI THE EAST year in review...

http://bit.ly/KvEYmN

[snoseek]

I had a nice long ski season.

Started @ Sunday River somewhere around halloween and skied a half dozen days on the EC while piling up the funds.

Mid December drove across to Tahoe, getting rid of some stuff I had stored in Denver on the way.

arrived in Tahoe to virtually no snow. skied groomers everyday and played up on the rim trail (hike/bike) in the afternoon. Some days I jst skied 9-4. Somewhere about Mid January I hit the road for Utah as they (and tahoe) were getting a decent storm. Skied lcc/bcc/pow mow for 11 days...following terrain openings for the year, snowpack was low tide but soft.

Drove back to Tahoe for a few days and decided to return to Utah for a few more...this time I didn't drive which was a nice rest. Skied a few days on ok snow....packed down at Pow Mow. First time was much softer.
Returned to Tahoe and skied more groomers into Mid Feb. Finally the snow was starting to fall abit at places like Kirkwood and some exploring could happen. This was the beginning of the good season for me. It came very very late.

Late February I grew impatient once again and chased a storm that sorta busted into Utah. Had a couple fun days at Pow Mow (WJenness had the best day that week I would say), then moves even further east as the Western Slope was getting pounded. Stayed with a friend in Grand JCT and skied three EMPTY two foot cold smoke days at Powderhorn. Two areas that were going off were Steamboat and Powderhorn. Also did some Mountain Biking in Fruitta and went out a couple nights, this trip turned out to be 9 days and tons of driving.

Returned literally the day before it went off in Tahoe. The month of march was a fucking dream! Skied till exhaustion every day....not too many lesiurely days. Somewhere around mid month things really started ramping up and even Heavenly was skiing pretty good, Mott, Killbrew and the slack stuff. April first was a big day and we got onthat one! skied a day at Squaw in Early April and confirmed that's where I'd like to spend a good deal of time next winter, the place is hyped but there definitely is a reason.

Was enticed into stepping back into my former job for the summer so I packed it up around mid month and stuffed my ski poles with some quality mendecino souvineers and got back a couple weeks ago. I am now in full on work mode till just before halloween when I start the cycle all over again...

Overall it was a tough year for many. I'm not gonna bitch tooo much as I did ski 100+ days and got a nice break from working. I road tripped WAYYY too much and spent too much money in doing so but what are ya gonna do when its so dry? I will pay for my sins this summer. I did manage to make things happen under the circumstances and can only imagine next year will be a drastic improvment for many. Driving back Colorado snowpack was as low as I've ever seen it in the month of april. LL pass looked like memorial day weekend so I'm not feeling any regrets about not going back to Colorado this season.


Edit-forgot to add I got home the day before closing day @ the river, so ultimately I opened and closed my season at Sunday River!

[snowmonster]

^ Yeah! And you opened and closed the season with the same bunch of miscreants at the River!

[St. Bear]

Stats, thoughts and pics from 16 eastern ski areas on the topic in our SKI THE EAST year in review...

http://bit.ly/KvEYmN

I mentioned this on Twitter, but I'd be interested in seeing how the totals are skewed by single large storms. For instance, Jay Peak claims 254" for the season, but received 60"+ over Leap Day Weekend, which is almost 1/4 of their yearly total. Magic Mountain received 18" over the same weekend, which is almost 1/3 of their claimed 65".

[legalskier]

35, almost all in the 'Cats. None in November or April (first time I can remember that).
A bad day of skiing beats a good day in the office, but I'm afraid I got spoiled by the prior two epic seasons. I'm very disappointed that I never got to the northern reaches, which I was saving for the last month of the season, which- infamously- never happened. Still had a few decent days though. Best part of the season was compressed by Mother Nature to right after Presidents' Week until the first week of March. If I could've known it was destined to go poof so fast, I would have been out much more then. But I ASSumed it would last til April.

What a strange season it was.

[maineskier69]

I started my season in October with a powder day (if you squinted) on 2 open trails at Sunday River. This is the first year I did not ski outside of "The Great State of Maine", but thats just how it worked out. I didn't keep an official tally, but I ended up in the low 40's for # of days. Most of those days were at Sunday River which when you have a winter like this one (and hopefully never will again) is IMHO the best place to be when it comes to making snow. I had 2 great "powder nights" at Shawnee Peak which were a couple of my best ski expiriences this season. Made it up to Saddleback for Presidents Day Weekend (thank you Silver Pass) which I have decided is my favorite mountain to ski in Maine (when there is snow). My biggest regret was not making it once up to Sugarloaf this year. In my 20 years of living in Maine, this was the first season I didn't make it to The Loaf. We had intentions, but due to high winds we were steered to Sunday River.
So from a skiing perspective it wasn't the best season, but from the social perspective it was great because when the skiing isn't up to par you head to the bar..

[aveski2000]

I had a pretty good season, in spite of the lack of snow. Started at the River in October and ended the season there in April. Probably got around 30 days or so. Two days at the Loaf and one at Saddleback late in the season. Had only one powder day in the East. The highlight of the year was going to Jackson Hole in late February into March and doing the Steep and Deep Camp. We had fresh snow three out of the four days of camp. A truly amazing mountain. I got my two seconds of fame in one of the Steep & Deep clips.
I'm at 1:45 - 1:47.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRTw9...yer_detailpage

[rocojerry]

seasons in the signature --

but best day? Probably @ Copper.

For how little mother nature cooperated, I feel like I had 1-2 bad days all season --

I was shooting for 32 days, so fell about 5 short......

[Hawkshot99]

Skied somewhere in the sixties for my yearly number. I no longer keep track exactly, but thats close. Past 3 years I have done in the eighties, so not bad but not definitely short. This was doen with working 6 days a week, minimum of 60 hours a week of work, usually more (although I do work at the mtn., but not in a skiing role).

I only had 1 real powder experience all winter. 9-10 inches the last Friday night of X-mas break. Was a real fun night of skiing. I did quite well in advancing my racing however and was very happy with my results in my 2 leagues.

I was a bit disappointed in the # of mtns I skied(6), but did ski Stowe for the first time, although it was late spring bumps, nut I would love to try it mid winter. The other place I went quite a bit was Bromley, had not been there since I was a little kid. I dd not get in any earned turns this winter(thats what I get for buying AT boots!)

[Scotty]

Skied somewhere in the sixties for my yearly number. I no longer keep track exactly, but thats close. Past 3 years I have done in the eighties, so not bad but not definitely short. This was doen with working 6 days a week, minimum of 60 hours a week of work, usually more (although I do work at the mtn., but not in a skiing role).

I only had 1 real powder experience all winter. 9-10 inches the last Friday night of X-mas break. Was a real fun night of skiing. I did quite well in advancing my racing however and was very happy with my results in my 2 leagues.

I was a bit disappointed in the # of mtns I skied(6), but did ski Stowe for the first time, although it was late spring bumps, nut I would love to try it mid winter. The other place I went quite a bit was Bromley, had not been there since I was a little kid. I dd not get in any earned turns this winter(thats what I get for buying AT boots!)

That is awesome that you can ski so many days and work all those hours.