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The "Sugarbush Thread"

slatham

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Sep 17, 2012
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However the CastleRock/North Lynx pod has always been the most interesting to me. The other trials are well thought out too. Win’s work……
 

Newpylong

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Dec 20, 2005
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Upper Valley, NH
This last one is more accurate and obviously more recent of how the pod would be laid out.

Nice pod too off GMX “summit” down into lower FIS territory.

Real shame how Inverness has become a GMVS dedicated pod. Love racing and racers, but sharing the pod more should occur.

Inverness has been a GMVS "dedicated pod" for decades, it is nothing new. Certainly when I went there in the mid-90s it was the same as today. We had both trails and our Poma then, they have their T-Bar(s) and the same two trails now.

If there were more trails (with snowmaking) the pod most certainly would be utilized more, but there aren't. So it by default becomes pretty much dedicated to them mid-week.
 

kbroderick

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Dec 1, 2005
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716
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Maine
A lift above Inverness might be fairly close to the MRG single.
A while back (somewhere between 2007 and 2014, based on where I was working at the time), a friend and I took the single up and followed the LT over with the intent of skiing that cut.

Turns out that even then it had grown in substantially versus the imagery we had access to, to the point of being damn near impassable. The mature growth next to the cut itself was relatively smooth going but not exactly skiing.
 

Lotso

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A while back (somewhere between 2007 and 2014, based on where I was working at the time), a friend and I took the single up and followed the LT over with the intent of skiing that cut.

Turns out that even then it had grown in substantially versus the imagery we had access to, to the point of being damn near impassable. The mature growth next to the cut itself was relatively smooth going but not exactly skiing.
I tried to find the bottom part, where Upper Brambles turns to the east. Really hard to see anything, though small spruces might have been marking the edges of the cut, but could also have been my wishful imagination.
 

SteezyRob

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Oct 12, 2022
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Vail Corporation Headquarters
Picked up two dudes coming back from MRG one day last month. They looked beat down. Turns out they set out on the long trail from above exterminator. Dropped in too late and bushwacked all the way down to somewhere below Betsies Barn on 17. Said it took them 3 plus hours to get out. I would say bad call.
jeezum that's awful. I skied about 10 feet off that ridge before I said nope. wasted 45 mins in total. apparently my friend found a chute off the ridge but maybe he was trolling me 😂
that pod next to north lynx would be disastrous. obviously there's skiing immediately impacted but that would probably encourage a ton of people to go off the backside. trail next to exterminator would be sick.

BTW I've been eyeing that creek... not asking for definitives but is it worth it to go poking around in there? Off of Middle Earth.
 
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Hawk

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Nov 22, 2016
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Mad River Valley / MA
Both the north linx and the GMX expansions shown above were scraped as far as I know. I think it might have been part of agreements with the USFS and the state.
I'll be honest, I hope both never happen. Those areas are far to sensitive. Prime habitat for bears thrush and swooping whoopers.
 

HowieT2

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jeezum that's awful. I skied about 10 feet off that ridge before I said nope. wasted 45 mins in total. apparently my friend found a chute off the ridge but maybe he was trolling me 😂

that pod next to north lynx would be disastrous. obviously there's skiing immediately impacted but that would probably encourage a ton of people to go off the backside. trail next to exterminator would be sick.

BTW I've been eyeing that creek... not asking for definitives but is it worth it to go poking around in there? Off of Middle Earth.
your friend was not trolling you.

there‘s good stuff skiers left off middle earth but the creek needs a substantial snow pack
 

SteezyRob

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Oct 12, 2022
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Vail Corporation Headquarters
completely unexpected weather today. thought it was going to be nice.

birdland was easily the worst thing I've skied all year. not just because of the hard snow, I don't mind that, it can be fun skiing those rock hard bumps and getting your legs all numb. but it was combined with these massive chunks and gashes that just made it really dangerous. I got down it perfectly fine just skied the zipper line but there was one spot where I thought I was gone. and you would be gone for sure.
 

cdskier

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Mar 26, 2015
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NJ
completely unexpected weather today. thought it was going to be nice.

birdland was easily the worst thing I've skied all year. not just because of the hard snow, I don't mind that, it can be fun skiing those rock hard bumps and getting your legs all numb. but it was combined with these massive chunks and gashes that just made it really dangerous. I got down it perfectly fine just skied the zipper line but there was one spot where I thought I was gone. and you would be gone for sure.

I had fun today sticking to the trails that were groomed last night, although it was definitely colder and cloudier than I expected today. The bumps were nice and soft yesterday though. Those bumps on Steins are getting pretty big. I wouldn't mind a reset before next weekend on that one.
 

flakeydog

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Feb 7, 2014
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Vermont
Kind of looked like that on Sunday... but without the sun, and less 10-15 degrees, oh and it was snowing for a bit so not really the same at all.
But it looked the same as saturday because it was pretty much frozen in time. Same for Birdland, sporty stuff!
 

Blurski

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Sep 17, 2020
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I had fun today sticking to the trails that were groomed last night, although it was definitely colder and cloudier than I expected today. The bumps were nice and soft yesterday though. Those bumps on Steins are getting pretty big. I wouldn't mind a reset before next weekend on that one.
There is $50k-$75k worth of snow on Steins, just sitting there for the enjoyment of very few skiers, thought for sure they would have groomed it Friday & Saturday night.
Been skiing K town, they have been grooming 3/4 of the width of Superstar consistently, by mid day the bumps are back, if you want them big just ski skiers left.
What am I thinking, winch cat would cost $$$$$.
 

Lotso

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There is $50k-$75k worth of snow on Steins, just sitting there for the enjoyment of very few skiers, thought for sure they would have groomed it Friday & Saturday night.
Been skiing K town, they have been grooming 3/4 of the width of Superstar consistently, by mid day the bumps are back, if you want them big just ski skiers left.
What am I thinking, winch cat would cost $$$$$.
I believe they have one
 

cdskier

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Right, they just need to spend the $$ to run it.

They've been using one of their winch cats every night they've been grooming lately. I don't know if they've actually been using the winch itself, but I doubt there's any cost difference on whether the winch itself is used or not.

This is just a a decision where they didn't want to groom Steins yet for whatever reason. I could understand not grooming it Friday night as it never went below freezing. Grooming soft snow on a steep trail isn't ideal. Saturday night was colder, but I don't know how quickly it actually set up and whether that left enough time to groom Steins. Or maybe they just expected Sunday to be warmer/sunnier and thought it would be fine to leave it another day.

We'll see what happens before next weekend...
 

WinS

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They've been using one of their winch cats every night they've been grooming lately. I don't know if they've actually been using the winch itself, but I doubt there's any cost difference on whether the winch itself is used or not.

This is just a a decision where they didn't want to groom Steins yet for whatever reason. I could understand not grooming it Friday night as it never went below freezing. Grooming soft snow on a steep trail isn't ideal. Saturday night was colder, but I don't know how quickly it actually set up and whether that left enough time to groom Steins. Or maybe they just expected Sunday to be warmer/sunnier and thought it would be fine to leave it another day.

We'll see what happens before next weekend...
I agree. It needs a groom.
 

NYDB

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Jan 13, 2016
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Southeast NY /Southern VT
How is the rest of the Pod looking coverage wise outside of Steins? Solid enough to make it through the weekend? Or do you think they will lose a few more
 
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