The "Sugarbush Thread"

[Hawk]

Mountain-forecast seems to consistently overstate snow totals by a lot. I rarely find it accurate.

Maybe because snow totals are nearly impossible to predict accurately. Measure it when it is on the ground. These sites are only to get a basic understanding of the potential.

 

[Hawk]

Just wondering if Stowe can write a good report,why can't sb.
Similar in size, owned by companies Similar in size.

Stowe has Scott Braaten on staff who is probably one of the best at forecasting Stowes mountain micro-climate. There are also several other meteorologists that call Stowe their home. They are all friends and talk. Stowe has a couple of different full scale monitoring stations on the mountain including the famous "Snow stake". Even NOAH uses thier data. The mountain also takes pride in having accurate weather forecasts so they can plan accordinly with mountain operations.
Sugarbush has a millenial kid in his 20's that they hired. New this year i think. He is tasked with putting up an entertaining report that has positive spin. None of it is check thoroughly or updated based on observations as far as I can tell. That is it in a nutshell.

 

[mikec142]

idk man, "howdy beast fans" is pretty gay

Rob, you might want to rethink this one.

 

[Smellytele]

Stowe has Scott Braaten on staff who is probably one of the best at forecasting Stowes mountain micro-climate. There are also several other meteorologists that call Stowe their home. They are all friends and talk. Stowe has a couple of different full scale monitoring stations on the mountain including the famous "Snow stake". Even NOAH uses thier data. The mountain also takes pride in having accurate weather forecasts so they can plan accordinly with mountain operations.
Sugarbush has a millenial kid in his 20's that they hired. New this year i think. He is tasked with putting up an entertaining report that has positive spin. None of it is check thoroughly or updated based on observations as far as I can tell. That is it in a nutshell.

Millennials aren't kids anymore (28-43). Gen Z are.

 

[cdskier]

Sugarbush has a millenial kid in his 20's that they hired. New this year i think. He is tasked with putting up an entertaining report that has positive spin. None of it is check thoroughly or updated based on observations as far as I can tell. That is it in a nutshell.

I believe the reporter is a she, not a he. But otherwise, yup...the report is terrible this year. Last time it was really good (and I've said this before) was back when Mark (pinnoke on this board iirc) was the reporter a number of years ago.

 

[slatham]

Stowe has Scott Braaten on staff who is probably one of the best at forecasting Stowes mountain micro-climate. There are also several other meteorologists that call Stowe their home. They are all friends and talk. Stowe has a couple of different full scale monitoring stations on the mountain including the famous "Snow stake". Even NOAH uses thier data. The mountain also takes pride in having accurate weather forecasts so they can plan accordinly with mountain operations.
Sugarbush has a millenial kid in his 20's that they hired. New this year i think. He is tasked with putting up an entertaining report that has positive spin. None of it is check thoroughly or updated based on observations as far as I can tell. That is it in a nutshell.

The summit area of Mt Mansfield, including the snow stake, is owned by UVM. Snow stake data is public domain, and is not part of Stowe Resort, though they obviously use the data.

 

[chrisw]

I bet sb was glorious today. Checked out the cams around 2 saw the beautiful blue sky and wished I was there.

Sugarbush sure was glorious Wednesday!! (the day before your observation)

Packed powder corduroy and fresh, never-frozen bumps in the morning; Spring soft by afternoon. Excellent coverage in Castlerock and Paradise. Look at that sky from the Castlerock lift!

I am lucky to be between jobs right now to sneak up weekdays during the great weather after all that snow Sat thru Mon.

 

[kingslug]

2 years ago at SB...nit much predicted..it snowed every day...feet of accumulation.
I rarely believe forcasts and just go and see...
With good results mostly.
PC forcasts when I was there in jan and last week...missed the mark entirely...for the better!

 

[shadyjay]

Sugarbush sure was glorious Wednesday!! (the day before your observation)

Packed powder corduroy and fresh, never-frozen bumps in the morning; Spring soft by afternoon. Excellent coverage in Castlerock and Paradise. Look at that sky from the Castlerock lift!

I am lucky to be between jobs right now to sneak up weekdays during the great weather after all that snow Sat thru Mon.

Haha... I'm between jobs right now too, and I was able to ride LP on Wednesday and ME on Thursday. I have to say, LP was excellent. Almost rode the entire day (930-330 is pretty close). Warmed up on Gate House, then hit the Bravo side. I was the only one on Domino, and I don't knwo why.. perfect coverage, snow so soft, and not a drop of ice. Then it was off to the Rock for a few. Cotillion was excellent... still pretty dry snow. LCR was much heavier. A couple rocks showing in the usual places, especially on Upper CR, the same rock just below the Gables that I seem to hit every...single...time. The hillside by the bottom of the lift was getting brown already and thin. Honorable mention great runs today went to Moonshine, Birdland, and the rest. It was all good.
Mt Ellen Thursday was a little firmer and some "funky" grooming. I'll bet it is tough this year when the snow is that soft. Lower RR much much better than upper, then after noon it softened supurbly. By that point, you wanted to find the shadow for the speed.

Two great days, bluebird, and the softest snow I've seen. It was great! Hope to make it up for 1 more day, post April 1, to use the rest of my TBD ticket.

 

[crippity]

Sugarbush sure was glorious Wednesday!! (the day before your observation)

Packed powder corduroy and fresh, never-frozen bumps in the morning; Spring soft by afternoon. Excellent coverage in Castlerock and Paradise. Look at that sky from the Castlerock lift!

I am lucky to be between jobs right now to sneak up weekdays during the great weather after all that snow Sat thru Mon.

nice work!! looks great, jealous!

 

[kingslug]

Home slices!!!

 

[crippity]

love it! Home slices, old school

 

[Lotso]

I don't even bother with the report anymore. Cameras and NOAA or Wunderground tell me what's what; the report is just nonsense. Similar to the radio dude that you hear from time to time. Just blather

 

[Rob Katz]

yeah well I'm going skiing no matter what, so I'm not going to do extensive research on various governmental platforms and blogging websites, it's easy to read the snow report because it's right next to the trail report. it would be nice if it actually told you something is all I'm saying, but I agree it is fun to decipher what they mean sometimes.

 

[kingslug]

Homeslices!!!!!

 

[Getskied]

The Sugarbush snow report is useless at best and offensive to intelligent life forms on average. Compare the level of useful information to that from Scott’s Stowe report today:

“Regarding our winching operations, due to the cold air mass in place this week our grooming team will take the opportunity to fix and rebuild several key intermediate trails. Throughout the winter, snow gets pushed downhill by skier traffic, which leads to deep base depths at the bottom of various rollovers/pitches but we see thin cover on and above the actual pitch.

The winch snowcats will be busy over the next couple of nights moving snow back uphill to the top of pitches and rollovers on trails like North Slope, T-Line, Lord, Upper Perry Merrill, etc. We need to do this while it is cold (which has been a rare commodity lately) and this will set those trails up for success over the final month of the season.

We are hopeful that tonight’s snowfall will reopen all of the steeps, then we will get back into our normal winching program on the steep favorites later this week.”

 

[kingslug]

 

[hovercraft]

The Sugarbush snow report is useless at best and offensive to intelligent life forms on average. Compare the level of useful information to that from Scott’s Stowe report today:

“Regarding our winching operations, due to the cold air mass in place this week our grooming team will take the opportunity to fix and rebuild several key intermediate trails. Throughout the winter, snow gets pushed downhill by skier traffic, which leads to deep base depths at the bottom of various rollovers/pitches but we see thin cover on and above the actual pitch.

The winch snowcats will be busy over the next couple of nights moving snow back uphill to the top of pitches and rollovers on trails like North Slope, T-Line, Lord, Upper Perry Merrill, etc. We need to do this while it is cold (which has been a rare commodity lately) and this will set those trails up for success over the final month of the season.

We are hopeful that tonight’s snowfall will reopen all of the steeps, then we will get back into our normal winching program on the steep favorites later this week.”

Been that way for a while

 

[Hawk]

Stowe is Stowe. Sugarbush is Sugarbush. You ski where you ski. Pluses and minuses. From where I stand, I have no regrets with my choice. Snow report be dammed. ;-)

 

[Boxtop Willie]

Hey Home Slices. I may be in the minority but I kinda like the SB snow report. It may be a little "young" in the vernacular but I like the enthusiasm and personality. It's not an easy job trying to keep a snow report fresh and entertaining day after day... especially when you have to get up at 0 dark 30 to do it. I give her credit.