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2016-02-10 Sunday River, best day of the season for me so far

Vortex

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Oct 14, 2004
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Canterbury NH, Bethel Me
Nice Report.


I skied Agony on Monday after the groom. Always a fun run for me after the grooming. I skied it the Friday Prior, the snow needed to be pushed around. I hit downdraft the week before after the groom, it skied well. Saw it got groomed again. Its on the list for tomorrow. I had two people send me messages that yesterday the place was skiing the best it had all season. Vortex.... I skied it last Friday It was huge iced mounds with ruts behind them. May have been the worst run of the year. Sounds like its getting a nice gun treatment now. Be out Tomorrow though Monday. Should be good. Dressing for the cold.
 

skiMEbike

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Vortex.... I skied it last Friday It was huge iced mounds with ruts behind them. May have been the worst run of the year.

Too funny (not really)...I was there on Sunday & skied Vortex. Literally told my buddy...That particular run was probably one of my top 5 worst/scariest runs in the last 10 years. Not only ice with no snow...typically you can hug the tree line to find any bit of snow to get an edge, but there was a section of trail with exposed rocks & ice right along the tree line which I nearly skied (slid) into. The one day Vortex truly skied like a double (or triple ?) black diamond trail.
 

catherine

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Jan 3, 2013
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Heading up to SR on Wed. I know it's supposed to rain on Thurs but the plans were made months ago. Anyone been there recently that can give me an update on conditions? Thanks!
 

skiMEbike

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Heading up to SR on Wed. I know it's supposed to rain on Thurs but the plans were made months ago. Anyone been there recently that can give me an update on conditions? Thanks!

I was there yesterday. You had to really search to find some good snow, which there was some good snow...however there were some really awful bulletproof totally scrapped trails also. Yesterday's mild temperatures made all the difference in making the ski day enjoyable. Shockwave was the trail of the day yesterday with soft snow & bumps. I found many of the groomers up high never really softened up & was pretty much survival skiing for the most part. Lower elevation trails were able to soften up more making those trails much better.

My advice: make sure you ski Weds...snow is in the forecast & may be the best day of the week.
 

SkiFanE

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I was there yesterday. You had to really search to find some good snow, which there was some good snow...however there were some really awful bulletproof totally scrapped trails also. Yesterday's mild temperatures made all the difference in making the ski day enjoyable. Shockwave was the trail of the day yesterday with soft snow & bumps. I found many of the groomers up high never really softened up & was pretty much survival skiing for the most part. Lower elevation trails were able to soften up more making those trails much better.

My advice: make sure you ski Weds...snow is in the forecast & may be the best day of the week.

i started after noon yesterday which I heard was a smart move. Saw people coming down shockwave when I was driving up - but was solo and some days that trail can be hell and didn't want to go alone. Wish I knew! But skied Saturday from 9-4 without a break at all it was so great - so after 2 hours of some soft and some sheer ice on Sunday I left. Saturday was best day of year for me so far (out of 35-40 I think), beat myself up.
 

SkiFanE

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I'm back. I feel like I've had a week off (Bronze pass, blacked out 9 days). I skied a couple hours, got in a dozen runs. Skiing was much better than expected, after the weekend reports. Yes, there are ice patches, and the ice field on Excalibur is well roped off. Mostly though, it was crunchy groomer, and early one real good skiing. The snow over the hardpack was only as thick as the groomer tracks, so it skied off pretty quickly. If I had the legs, I could have gone and found more skiing, particularly at little white cap. They are blowing snow all over Aurora basin, probably because that's the coldest place on the mountain, and they can blow it there in warm weather. Aurora has gotten a lot of man made love this year. Having a fixed grip quad, it doesn't keep a lot of skiers, so that should ski real good by Wednesday. My first two runs were Agony, directly under the Barker Quad, and Right stuff. They groomed both last night. It isn't often you'll hear me say Agony skied better than Right stuff, but that was the case today. Without all the bumps on Agony, you'll get an appreciation for how steep it is. Surprisingly steep in some areas. It's been a tough year for snow, but the groomers and snow makers are giving us a semblance of a season this year. My hat is off to them. They are grooming every bit of terrain they can each night, covering up the thin stuff and ice and smoothing it all out. You can find some icy and not so icy bumps here and there, but not much in the way of natural. Vortex skied real good. On upper vortex, I was checking it out and was thinking of letting it go on Lower vortex, but the shadows made me think better of that decision. I took a run down Excalibur. Wow, did that ski fast, then I took a run on Lolopalooza, that was a real nice run. Everything skied fast today. First time all season I did not need to skate coming across Kansas, I made it all the way across Aurora on momentum alone. I skied ready for the patch of ice everywhere, dodging them where I found them, occasionally going across them. Wasn't a problem as I was ready for them. Sadly, it is looking like it'll have to be next year before we have any true packed powder days.
Grooming Agony Saturday night was a huge bummer. It was great and bumpy on Saturday. So it became ice on Sunday. Things that were not groomed were great on Sunday- at that elevation. Bumps on Risky were perfect in afternoon and so wouldn't have Agony. Sometimes SR mountain ops makes mistakes - and grooming agony Saturday night was one of them. 100 sheets of ice to ski, but 1 bump run (shockwave). And dipping into woods - snow was soft after rain/freeze. Wish SR would learn that unpacked snow absorbs water, groomed turns it to ice.
 

skiMEbike

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Grooming Agony Saturday night was a huge bummer. It was great and bumpy on Saturday. So it became ice on Sunday. Things that were not groomed were great on Sunday- at that elevation. Bumps on Risky were perfect in afternoon and so wouldn't have Agony. Sometimes SR mountain ops makes mistakes - and grooming agony Saturday night was one of them. 100 sheets of ice to ski, but 1 bump run (shockwave). And dipping into woods - snow was soft after rain/freeze. Wish SR would learn that unpacked snow absorbs water, groomed turns it to ice.

My biggest pet peeve with SR....I wish they leave more au-natural. One reason my Loaf to River ratio is like 5 to 1. Furthermore, I feel much safer skiing firmed/iced up bumps, then a groomed out trail that is a sheet of ice. Skiing the top 1/3 of White Heat on Sunday was interesting to say the least.
 

catherine

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Thanks for the info. Hoping that the forecast will change and not rain on Thurs but it sounds like Wed should be ok. Barker being out of service is going to be a pain. I think that's the lift that services our condo. Think I'll make a call to change if we can. Thanks again!
 

SkiFanE

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Thanks for the info. Hoping that the forecast will change and not rain on Thurs but it sounds like Wed should be ok. Barker being out of service is going to be a pain. I think that's the lift that services our condo. Think I'll make a call to change if we can. Thanks again!
Barker doesn't service any condos, so you're fine. Really isn't a huge issue - wouldn't change my ski plans based on that lift. A nuisance maybe, but many other lifts at SR to spread folks around (unless it's a wind hold day lol).
 

SkiFanE

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My biggest pet peeve with SR....I wish they leave more au-natural. One reason my Loaf to River ratio is like 5 to 1. Furthermore, I feel much safer skiing firmed/iced up bumps, then a groomed out trail that is a sheet of ice. Skiing the top 1/3 of White Heat on Sunday was interesting to say the least.
I'm with you on icy bumps vs groomed. Ice scares crap out of me - I have a fear of falling and not being able to stop. So I'll choose ice bump any day over ice sheet. SR has many great qualities that make me love the place - but their overzealous grooming can get to me - especially when no woods are in play by End of February - arghghghghghgh!
 

Vortex

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Canterbury NH, Bethel Me
I will be up Thursday night. I don't care about Barker too much. I really only ski it early and late Season. I use Locke more than Barker anyway. More excited about the pending opening of Black hole and Fire Star . I like the run down Northern lights to Firestar over the Cyclone route. Lets hope we end up with a positive gain the next couple of days. Looks like the Guns are going to keep on going. I think we are better off than many others.
 

SIKSKIER

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Not much, but some....
Here is Mt Washington Observatory's take.

As precipitation spreads in, temperatures will be cold enough initially to allow for snow. However, overnight into Wednesday, warmer air will be surging northward behind a passing warm front. As temperatures rise, snow will transition to a mix of sleet and freezing rain prior to falling as rain by Wednesday afternoon and overnight. As the center of the low lifts northeast, a strong cold front will approach from the west Wednesday night into Thursday morning bringing heavy rainfall and isolated thunderstorms. The heavy rainfall and melting snowpack will likely lead to flooding in neighboring ravines and surrounding low-lying areas Wednesday night into Thursday
 

skiMEbike

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Here is Mt Washington Observatory's take.

As precipitation spreads in, temperatures will be cold enough initially to allow for snow. However, overnight into Wednesday, warmer air will be surging northward behind a passing warm front. As temperatures rise, snow will transition to a mix of sleet and freezing rain prior to falling as rain by Wednesday afternoon and overnight. As the center of the low lifts northeast, a strong cold front will approach from the west Wednesday night into Thursday morning bringing heavy rainfall and isolated thunderstorms. The heavy rainfall and melting snowpack will likely lead to flooding in neighboring ravines and surrounding low-lying areas Wednesday night into Thursday

Damn you Mother F'n Nature !!
 

Vortex

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I will be out with the first Chair Groups Friday. Avoid the Ravines. Sr Opened Black hole today. Resurfacing and expansion still going on. Making the best of it.
 

chuckstah

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The river is saying they blew snow as the snow falls on the mountain. I am not sure who is in charge of this, but they blew snow on Right stuff, which is accessed only from the Barker quad, or a very long hike. Barker quad being down right now and all, they have snow stockpiled for when it opens up again, I guess.... There are so many trails with thin coverage....

Goat Path is open from the Locke triple for access to Right Stuff, most of it anyway.
 
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