considering driving up to Vt early Thursday to ride some powder. Am I crazy?

[first light]

Have never been on the mountain for a true powder day. I have a season pass for Stratton that I have not been able to use once yet, own a 4wd truck and can take the day off. Is this is a good call or am I insane to even consider this? (driving up from Long Island)

 

[deadheadskier]

Not crazy, but it could take a very long time depending on how late in the evening the storm goes on Wednesday night. You might be better served just hitting something in the Catskills. They've got a good base and will be getting a nice pop from this storm as well.

 

[snowmonster]

Not totally insane. Thinking of driving up to Loon on Wednesday. Crazy, yes.

 

[Glenn]

It's hard to say. VT usually does a pretty good job. However, they have a "safe roads" vs "clear roads" policy. So rt 30 won't be blacktop. A lot depends on how icy things are in CT and how they do clearning things. If you could get up Wed, it would help. But that could be a long ride as well.

 

[thorski]

Have never been on the mountain for a true powder day. I have a season pass for Stratton that I have not been able to use once yet, own a 4wd truck and can take the day off. Is this is a good call or am I insane to even consider this? (driving up from Long Island)

It's only insane to drive home in a snowstorm.

 

[Bandit2941]

Have never been on the mountain for a true powder day. I have a season pass for Stratton that I have not been able to use once yet, own a 4wd truck and can take the day off. Is this is a good call or am I insane to even consider this? (driving up from Long Island)

Never been on the mountain for a true powder day? Do it, you're going to love it!! Make sure you leave plenty of extra time for the drive or better yet head up Weds this way you can wake up rested and ready to ski. Have fun!

 

[mister moose]

Have never been on the mountain for a true powder day. I have a season pass for Stratton that I have not been able to use once yet, own a 4wd truck and can take the day off. Is this is a good call or am I insane to even consider this? (driving up from Long Island)

Powder days are rare. This has the potential to be a good one. Since this will be your first time, you don't know what to expect. If you are a capable, reasonably strong parallel skier, you will have fun. The fact that you can get away midweek is excellent.

The fact you haven't used your season pass once yet this year is a downside though. It doesn't sound like skiing is in your blood. It means your legs aren't going to be in very good shape. The deep snow will tire you as it offers more resistance than groomed slopes, and it will tire you because you will be floundering learning to ski in it. Expect to have low endurance in the deep stuff. You do need to dive in to learn, but on your first day of the season its going to be a challenge.

By the way, the true powder day is Wednesday. Thursday will be leftovers. But still very good skiing.

 

[first light]

I have been up this year, but only twice. (wife had some unplanned surgery) I ride a snowboard and would imagine that it would be easier to ride in deep snow vs twin planks.

 

[skiboarder]

I have been up this year, but only twice. (wife had some unplanned surgery) I ride a snowboard and would imagine that it would be easier to ride in deep snow vs twin planks.

True. Set your bindings torwards the back of the board. It will help keep you from burying the nose.

 

[riverc0il]

For someone considering storm chasing for powder, I say it would be crazy not to go! I recommend you preposition so you can be there for first chair and first tracks.

 

[skiadikt]

like river suggests be there for first chair. also have a plan. check the grooming report and look to hit the trails stratton didn't groom first.

 

[iSki]

Have never been on the mountain for a true powder day. I have a season pass for Stratton that I have not been able to use once yet, own a 4wd truck and can take the day off. Is this is a good call or am I insane to even consider this? (driving up from Long Island)

Go for the POWDAH young man! Post some pics if u can. Wish I was there with ya, but the same old lame excuses apply...kids, work etc. Funny the wifey is all set to pull the kids out of school today and head up to Cannon. Now who's being responsible here?

 

[billski]

! I recommend you preposition so you can be there for first chair and first tracks.

Bingo. Pre-positioning tonight would make much more sense, be safer and faster. No matter how good the highways are, it only takes one ding-a-ling to mess things up for hours. While late and dark (no different than heavy snow and light) there should be few vehicles on the road.
I did that last year going to Magic. Tiring, yes, but not at all stressful, since I knew I had all night to get there!

go! go! go!

 

[skiadikt]

maybe someone has said this, but looking at the forecast, wednesday will be the real powday.

 

[wa-loaf]

It's only insane to drive home in a snowstorm.

this!

 

[BenedictGomez]

Believe it or not, the best skiing of my life was when we drove up to Hunter during the blizzard of 1996.

They had declared a state of emergency and we shouldn't have even been on the roads, yet here we were in an ill-equiped rear wheel drive Dodge Caravan heading up to Hunter. It was incredibly stupid, but 20 year olds are given to incredibly stupid behavior. It was VERY rare that we'd see another vehicle on the road except for those giant plow trucks, and it was real white knuckle driving for the poor sap at the wheel. The caravan got stuck once on a steep bit by the mountain and we had to push. What should have been a 2.5 hour drive took something like 5 hours.

Anyway, because the roads were so bad, and because you werent even allowed to be on the roads to begin with, Hunter was completely DEAD when we woke up the next morning. To this day, I dont know how much snow there was, but I'm going to guess it was 30 inches of powder, and it was fresh everywhere you went on account of how it was essentially a private ski resort. lol. It snowed the next few nights too, and by the 3rd day people were showing up to the mountain, but the skiing those 3 days was amazing. To this day, the best skiing of my life wasnt in Vermont or New Hampshire or the Canadian Rockies or other places that I've been, but at modest Hunter Mountain!

 

[billski]

Believe it or not, the best skiing of my life was when we drove up to Hunter during the blizzard of 1996.

BRAVO FOR YOU! (shhh, I didn't say that...)

 

[dmc]

Believe it or not, the best skiing of my life was when we drove up to Hunter during the blizzard of 1996.

They had declared a state of emergency and we shouldn't have even been on the roads, yet here we were in an ill-equiped rear wheel drive Dodge Caravan heading up to Hunter. It was incredibly stupid, but 20 year olds are given to incredibly stupid behavior. It was VERY rare that we'd see another vehicle on the road except for those giant plow trucks, and it was real white knuckle driving for the poor sap at the wheel. The caravan got stuck once on a steep bit by the mountain and we had to push. What should have been a 2.5 hour drive took something like 5 hours.

Anyway, because the roads were so bad, and because you werent even allowed to be on the roads to begin with, Hunter was completely DEAD when we woke up the next morning. To this day, I dont know how much snow there was, but I'm going to guess it was 30 inches of powder, and it was fresh everywhere you went on account of how it was essentially a private ski resort. lol. It snowed the next few nights too, and by the 3rd day people were showing up to the mountain, but the skiing those 3 days was amazing. To this day, the best skiing of my life wasnt in Vermont or New Hampshire or the Canadian Rockies or other places that I've been, but at modest Hunter Mountain!

That was a legendary day...
We did the drive on a Mustang GT... Hhaha.

 

[marcski]

I believe you should also be concerned about Stratton grooming out the deep snow so their target clientele can still ski.

 

[amf]

I believe if you should also be concerned about Stratton grooming out the deep snow so their target clientele can still ski.

Big double ditto on that... don't mean to dis on Stratton (I do ski it a few times thru the season), but I have been disappointed there on more than one occasion after a powder dump. I think their grooming crew has search and destroy instructions for powder. If you ski trees, you will find some powder hiding in there, and maybe on Kidderbrook since they tend to ignore it now. Otherwise, consider Magic. Mt Snow usually has some nice runs they leave alone too..