Your season wrap-up report, goals, new areas, ect.

[eastcoastpowderhound]

havent kept track of the days...but did ski a few new areas this year:

Yellowstone Club in Montana...WOW, so that's what its like to be a billionaire, holy crap! Not a super challenging place, but when you're sharing 2200 acres and a dozen or so lifts with less than 100 people, its pretty freaking cool. Where else will you bump into the president of Mexico and Scot Schmidt in the same day?

Leogang Austria...2 days, early season...thanks to the euros for saying on piste and leaving the 10" of 7 day old "fresh " for us yanks!

St Anton, Austria about 2 weeks ago...easily the worst day I had all year...super warm the day before we skied and then well below freezing the night before and a cloud covered day do not make for fun spring skiing. So we yodelled and ate schnitzel...

Those were the new resorts, also skied Sunday River, Loon, Winter Park, Jackson Hole, Targhee, Snowbird, big cottonwood backcountry, Snowbasin and Squaw Valley. Added about 35,000 elite qualifying miles to my mileage plus account...sold some skis and boots, met some new people, and in general, had a pretty good winter. Hope to get a couple days in hood this summer, but otherwise done for the year...unless I can get a prototype of the watea 120 for some "testing" at mammoth in may.

[Zand]

Total days: 42

Burke: 19
Wachusett: 12
Sugarbush: 5
Sunday River: 2
Jay Peak: 2
Mt. Snow: 1
Killington: 1

Personal Records:

1st and 4th earliest days ever (10/17 and 11/16); first time ever skiing in October
4th latest day ever (4/24... short of 4/25/09, 4/27/08, and 5/2/09)
Longest season ever (6 months, 7 days; 10/17-4/24)
2nd most days ever (42... one short of last years 43)
Shortest offseason (5 months, 13 days; 5/2-10/17)

Being my first year living in Vermont, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect as far as mixing skiing with school. Set my days prediction for 75 or something like that, then lowered it to 50 once school got going. Would've gone past 50 easily, but the skiing was very sub-par for much of the season past MLK. I was here for about 4 weeks of quality skiing at Burke... the other 5 that I was here that they were open were borderline terrible due to rain, freeze, snow drought cycles. The NEK got about 35-40% of its average snowfall this year. Otherwise, the Sugarbush pass ended up being pretty much useless for me as I didn't even break even with it. Switching to the Triple Major pass next year. Will be much better for me because Jay is closer and I'll even be able to get some weekday days on it in addition to the few weekend days that I feel like making the trip. MRG will be a nice bonus a couple times.

Next year's goals:

First off, a big offseason goal is to get back in shape this summer... freshman year of college hit me really hard in that sense

Can't expect to be out as early as this season, but hope to be on skis whether lift serviced or earning sometime in October.

Ski later into the spring (if I keep up the being in shape goal, should be able to fulfill that with a Tucks trip)

Hopefully work enough this summer to be able to afford new skis (my only pair is 6 years old... 210 or so days on them with many of them on borderline coverage in the woods)

Get around a bit more (Killington yesterday was only the 4th different area I've hit out of school... and here I am within 90 mins of about 80% of ski country)


Overall, this season wasn't nearly as great as some past ones... hopefully I can get it back going again next year.

[Brownsville Brooklyn]

The 2009-2010 ski season has finally ended. A short version this year due to bad weather and a late start. Still had a good/great season. Twenty six days at K and four at Ski Sundown. Highlights of the season were meeting Joyce in Bay 1 on my first day. She pulled up 5 mins before me. We had a great season skiing together. Then I’d have to say the 2 foot dump on Feb 24th and the 10 days I was at K over the holidays. How could I forget the alpine zone guys and their beloved institution Ski Sundown. A great place. IM hoping to be back  too top off the season we had a very warm and sunny March. Easter weekend was almost 80 degrees. Lets hope for a two foot dump in November and no warm ups until March

[skiadikt]

The 2009-2010 ski season has finally ended. A short version this year due to bad weather and a late start. Still had a good/great season. Twenty six days at K and four at Ski Sundown. Highlights of the season were meeting Joyce in Bay 1 on my first day. She pulled up 5 mins before me. We had a great season skiing together. Then I’d have to say the 2 foot dump on Feb 24th and the 10 days I was at K over the holidays. How could I forget the alpine zone guys and their beloved institution Ski Sundown. A great place. IM hoping to be back  too top off the season we had a very warm and sunny March. Easter weekend was almost 80 degrees. Lets hope for a two foot dump in November and no warm ups until March

didn't see you this weekend?

[Brownsville Brooklyn]

didn't see you this weekend?

enough of the driving....it gets harder & harder each season....i sat on 684 for 3 hours 2nd weekend in december on a sunday heading up after that blackice debacle ...took 9 hours to get to k....had great conditions when i got there....i would have come up thursday night but my partner had to work friday....

[skiadikt]

enough of the driving....it gets harder & harder each season....i sat on 684 for 3 hours 2nd weekend in december on a sunday heading up after that blackice debacle ...took 9 hours to get to k....had great conditions when i got there....i would have come up thursday night but my partner had to work friday....

your partner?? joyce?? think you were with her when i ran into you in the canyon.

you missed a good one.

[Smellytele]

I met some goals such as getting 35 days in (Actually 36). Got to Burke twice(great), Tenney (not so great) and Stowe (great) all for the first time. As an added bonus got up to Tuck's again which is always a goal every year, this time with my 11 year old for his 1st time!
Goals that I didn't have when the season started but happened - raced on a race team this year. Well I went around some gates anyway.
Goals that I didn't reach - Make it to Saddleback

[snowmonster]

It looks like Tux is fried and, with the World Cup and beach season looming, I think it's time to finally slap on the summer wax and turn down the bindings.

2009-10 in Review:

1. Personal high of 37 days this season (from October 31 to May 23). It would have been higher if I got out of work earlier to use my Wachusset pass.
2. Got 7 powder days (Cannon, Sunday River, Jay, A Basin and Loveland).
3. Skied Saddleback for the first time.
4. Did NELSAP areas (Commonwealth GC and Prospect Hill).
5. Finally skied in the American West: Colorado (A Basin and Loveland).
6. First time skiing in the Gulf of Slides and the East Snowfields.
7. After years of visiting the Loaf, I finally skied the snowfields when it was fat.
8. Skied Paradise, Octopus' Garden and Little Paradise at MRG.
9. Spent more time in glades than ever before.
10. Poached like a maniac on powder days.
11. Joined the cult of reverse camber.
12. Skied with a great bunch of AZers on AZ Day ... and became a fan of the Widowmaker!

Goals for next year:

1. Do more backcountry: Thunderbolt, the "blog-free zone" on the Rockpile, Oakes Gulf, Mt. Jefferson, Huntington Ravine, the Bruce and Teardrop trails.
2. Head out west again: UT. A return to CO would be great too.
3. Finally ski Smuggs. I think it's the only major NE resort that I haven't hit.
4. Ski more Magic -- and Jay, Stowe, Saddleback (aside from my usual Sunday River-Sugarloaf-Loon trifecta).
5. Return to the Gulf of Slides and Great Gulf.

Prepping for the ski season now: doing cardio and leg exercises, scouting for a new helmet and back protector, and drooling over some of last season's skis (if the price drops, hmmm...).

It never really ends.

[riverc0il]

33 days. Ouch. Least amount of days since the year I left MA. Not even a few October days at Sunday River could help the late start to the season, March was the driest March I have ever seen as a skier. and of course I managed to injure myself. Despite skiing through a sore knee for two months, I gave up pushing my luck the last week of April and got no May or June days and the snow will be long gone even in Tux before July. Only 12 powder days for a 1/3 ratio which is not bad but less than ideal.

I finally skied Smuggs ( <3 ) and I didn't tour half as much as I had expected. Also had new areas with Abram and returned to the Loaf for the first time since I was a kid. Finally explored Killington and Mount Ellen fully. Skied off the Chin at Stowe finally. BDay turns in October were nice. I skied Magic more than Jay and had some amazing days at Cannon.

Highlights include Epic Two Foot Powder Day at Cannon (six hard earned runs in six hours after missing the bigger day before), A Special Powder Day at Smuggs, Five Runs in Five Hours at Cannon, and Mount Washington with Descents of Ammonoosuc Ravine & the East Snowfields. Despite the lack of snow, my season as filled with many interesting adventures that were shared with quite a few great folks. Disappointed with the quantity of days, quantity of powder, and lack of truly epic days but overall very satisfied with the body of work, lots of firsts, and reigniting my passion for Cannon.

[deadheadskier]

Well, been over a month since my season was done, so guess it's time for me to do a wrap up post as well.

The good:

-26 days on the hill. Easily my most since my last year ski bumming 9 seasons ago. My goal was 22 days, so it was great to surpass it considerably.

- First October turns since High School.

- Getting up on the Chin at Stowe for the first time in several years. Particularly special was being alone and having the magic all to myself.

- Had a blast meeting several new Azers both at the Sugarloaf Summit and other times throughout the season.

- The AZ summit while not the best conditions, was a total blast and something I hope is an annual event.

- Return visit to my childhood home mountain of Okemo.

- Epic late April Powder day during Reggae weekend at Sugarloaf

- End of the season great day at Killington, skiing, tailgating and meeting many folks from there that I've known from AZ for a long time, but had not met in person.

- Really enjoyed the laid back vibe of my 'home' mountain for the season; Ragged.

- Still skied a decent variety of areas despite spending as much time as I did at Ragged. Breakdown: Sunday River: 10/17, 3/26, 4/11; Ragged 12/12, 12/13, 12/26, 1/1, 1/3, 1/4, 1/9, 1/10, 1/17, 2/7, 2/13, 2/20, 3/6, 4/3; Stowe 1/23, 2/27, 3/21; Okemo 2/28; Crotched 3/10, Sugarloaf 3/27, 3/28, 4/17; Killington 4/25

- very pleased with quiver / gear expansion choices ; both hard goods and soft goods.

- was in better shape than the previous season.

the just ok:

- not in as good of shape as I would've liked to be



- minimal powder turns. Mother Nature was unkind on the weekends, which constitutes 95% of my skiing. Those skiing with me at the AZ summit on the windblown on Skidder where I was as excited as if it were 2 feet of blower could see my jones due to lack of powder turns this season.

- minimal good bump skiing days out. Just wasn't there at Ragged and several of the other places I visited. Only one truly great day being the day of the Sunday River Bump comp.

- didn't do any touring despite having plans for and purchased the gear to do it.

- no new areas

goals for 2010-2011

- at least 27 days on the hill

- visiting some areas I haven't hit in several years: Jay and Magic especially.

- hitting Killington mid winter. Haven't done so in well over 10 years and it's long overdue.

- A weekend skiing in Quebec

- hopefully a better season at Ragged with more bumps and the glades open more often.

- at least one day out on Washington - no excuses

- continue to improve my fitness / lose weight. I'm down 18 pounds from last October. 12 more to hit my goal.

- identify an All Mountain replacement for my aging B2s and score a great end of season deal on them.