When Oz was cut, it was supposed to be a combination of glades and open western style "bowl" skiing.
They obviously messed up royally with the glade portion of the terrain pod.
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Backcountry/Sidecountry Pruning: OK or Not?
- Thread starter thetrailboss
- Start date
When Oz was cut, it was supposed to be a combination of glades and open western style "bowl" skiing.
They obviously messed up royally with the glade portion of the terrain pod.
dlague
Active member
Am I missing something on the last post?
That was my understanding as well...a 'western bowl' with snowmaking :blink: It's always been ice whenever I have skied it.
They cut WAY too many trees was what I was inferring.
If you were talking about my duplicate post, that was an error. But Oz was admittedly an experiment that has not worked.
Jully
Active member
This winter Oz was nice at points because of the dry powder we saw... but this winter was the only one I can think of where I truly enjoyed Oz in the way they probably initially intended
Puck it
Well-known member
Yup, just use your hands to protect chest.
Sucks when the canopy is loaded with snow.
Dickc
Active member
If I read this remark right, it means WEAR A CUP!
I couldn't imagine wearing a cup skiing. Would be so uncomfortable. I didn't like wearing one playing football or lax growing up, but I did.
No nut shots so far in 30+ years skiing.
No nut shots so far in 30+ years skiing.
dlague
Active member
yup that would be uncomfortable!
Puck it
Well-known member
Your nuts are on your chest if u read this write.
SIKSKIER
New member
Those are illegal in the NFL
JAM614
Member
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- Nov 21, 2013
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- 46
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- 8
This is great discussion.
I would agree that over-cutting is the worst, as well as using a chainsaw on private land without consent. The rule of thumb regarding maximum diameter size is not always appropriate. Consideration on the species and the overall health of the tree have more importance. Depletion of all underbrush/new growth is not desirable either. Keep the trail widths reasonable so the forest can heal as necessary.
The jury is still out regarding "Super Glades" with single species or similar age. Personally I like glades that are narrower that cannot just be traversed. The snow quality holds better and there's generally less traffic since the difficulty weeds out some of the timid.
Time will be the real test to what management practices are best. Glade cutting practices are similar to proper woodlot management, with the added consideration to interesting line choice and snow preservation. It takes experience to make a healthy glade and also one that is interesting to ski.
I would agree that over-cutting is the worst, as well as using a chainsaw on private land without consent. The rule of thumb regarding maximum diameter size is not always appropriate. Consideration on the species and the overall health of the tree have more importance. Depletion of all underbrush/new growth is not desirable either. Keep the trail widths reasonable so the forest can heal as necessary.
The jury is still out regarding "Super Glades" with single species or similar age. Personally I like glades that are narrower that cannot just be traversed. The snow quality holds better and there's generally less traffic since the difficulty weeds out some of the timid.
Time will be the real test to what management practices are best. Glade cutting practices are similar to proper woodlot management, with the added consideration to interesting line choice and snow preservation. It takes experience to make a healthy glade and also one that is interesting to ski.
sorry never knew the name of that mess, I quite going there in the late eighties when in IMHO they butchered the place.
steamboat1
New member
Agree they butchered the Canyon area with Double Dipper & the chair. Superstar trail & chair along with Skyelark & the newly cut Ovation is even a worse mess from what it was originally. I do still enjoy skiing K though. There are still some nice nooks & cranys.
MadMadWorld
Active member
I've missed your rants
MadMadWorld
Active member
Yea after they fucked things up on Creamery, Gazelle, Fall Line, and Paradise just to name a few. They aren't completely innocent.
SkiFanE
New member
Thank you to all the bushwackers out there! At least at SR, their thickety vegetation makes un-trimmed tree skiing nearly impossible. Deciduous forests may be perfect, with pitch and line, but all the low growing stuff, can't ski it. Not sure what most of it is called (husband calls it 'gollem'...something he heard someone call it..?) but it's miserable stuff. It needs to be trimmed, and luckily folks will do it. Then there's the evergreen forests - thick...need serious branch trimming. And when you clear in summer, you're 4' lower than when you are in the winter...so it's almost a winter sport. My husband always takes a fold up saw in his backpack when goes bc, both summer and winter. Winter gives him chance to get high up stuff. He's cut his own lines, but with something that folds up in backpack - not very thick stuff. And the way it grows back - can't see how its any type of environmental issue. I guy with a little saw on a 4 hour hike is not doing much damage lol.
But I recall skiing at Stowe and the nature of the woods there makes BC without trimming much easier. Husband and I would always just pop into the woods and go..not saying there were always perfect lines, but neither did you need a machete and full face shield to get through them. I remember we'd spend half our day just poking around (inbounds, but off-trail or 'glades'). I'm trying to even think of a place at SR you could do that - we found a great little 'glade' this winter - but damn thickets made us leave them...
But I recall skiing at Stowe and the nature of the woods there makes BC without trimming much easier. Husband and I would always just pop into the woods and go..not saying there were always perfect lines, but neither did you need a machete and full face shield to get through them. I remember we'd spend half our day just poking around (inbounds, but off-trail or 'glades'). I'm trying to even think of a place at SR you could do that - we found a great little 'glade' this winter - but damn thickets made us leave them...
from_the_NEK
Active member
The problem arises when it is 20 guys with a little saw on their own 4 hour hikes. Each one of those guys cuts a little more "to improve the line". The next thing you know you have a section of forest 40 yards wide that is free of undergrowth.
In your Stowe example, the woods there were not unlike Sunday River at one time. However, I would venture a guess that there are more guys around Stowe with their saws have been at it a lot longer than those around SR. Around Stowe and Jay, the trimming has had time to mature and the woods look "naturally" free of undergrowth. Sure, at one time, there may have been some strips of completely naturally occurring lines but those have been linked and improved over the years into what you see today.
This situation is why some level of planning/coordination of these trimmed out areas around ski resorts isn't a bad idea. The easily accessible lines around resorts make them enticing for people to go out and "improve" them and IMHO are at the highest risk of being over-cut.
On the other hand, true back country stashes (those away from resorts and major trails like the Catamount trail) that are trimmed out have a pretty low risk of additional uncoordinated trimming.
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