Presidents vacation week

[billski]

I am getting pretty concerned about conditions next week. It's the time the resorts make their big bucks which support all us slugs by keeping things going for the rest of the season. They are either gonna have to kick out a lot of manmade or start praying to Ullr.
I am very concerned about the smaller players too. We dont need no more carnage. This is not good for the northeast.

 

[frozencorn]

Add in the thaw and freeze a lot of spots have been seeing, and it certainly doesn't look good. Hopefully, there's a surprise down the line, but I'm not hopeful right now.

 

[hammer]

Looks like we're having our January thaw a few weeks later...oh well...

The conditions should be OK for the average recreational groomer skier, shouldn't they? As long as it cools back down to normal temps later this week, after a few days of grooming the slopes should be in decent shape...

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I still think it's going to be freaking crowded this weekend with icy conditions..

 

[deadheadskier]

Snow is needed, no doubt about it. For most areas, I'd imagine snowmaking is done for the year. A friend of mine has been the snowmaking control room operator at Stratton for the past five years. He said last Thursday was the end of their operations and everyone was laid off except for a small crew needed to put aware the gear for the season Most years they keep going through President's week. Not this year.

If a 'wealthy' resort like Stratton is handing the job over to Mother Nature, I'd imagine most other places are as well.

 

[Jisch]

The top of Mount Snow is ice, simple as that. They need to either make snow or get some snow, neither of which looks possible this week. There's nothing up there to groom! I was P.Oed that my company is sending me to Atlanta next week because I wanted to take the kids skiing, now I guess its not such a big deal.

Time to get the bike out...
John

 

[tequiladoug]

I was at stratton yesterday, all trails had plenty of snow, most places the snow was hard but 99.9% ice free

 

[skiadikt]

next week or so should be rather rugged. lots of peeps on a frozen base. and yeah snowmaking operations for the most part are done. at this point we need mama nature to save our butts. she's been very generous so far. hopefully she isn't done as well ...

 

[awf170]

Mountain biking time! About time this annoying southern snow pack melted. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty pumped.

 

[loafer89]

The Accuweather forecast for the next 10 days (Stowe area) shows a chance of snow for Northern Vermont around the 16-17th, other than that it looks dry and cold. This storm next week may go quite a bit south of New England.

Smugglers Notch and Burke look to be done with snowmaking. The hoses are stored away and some of the tower guns are not facing onto the trail anymore.

We are going to sit this holiday week out and maybe do 1-2 day trips if the snow recovers. At least that's the current plan.

 

[Warp Daddy]

will do NITE skiing only @ Wawa when visiting family nearby late in PREZ week - BTW what's it like there now ??

Then the following mon thru thurs will pick a place in VT or NH for 3 days on our way home depending on the weather,----ut its gotta be a good place for the Queen lotsa greens and easy blues --

 

[loafer89]

Wachusett had good cover on all of the runs when I was there last week including the natural ones. For the most part the mountain was flat and icy groomers. The moguls on 10th Mountain where bulletproof.

I think they are done with snowmaking for the season as well?

 

[Warp Daddy]

thanks loafer !

hopefully the guns come out if needed

 

[hammer]

will do NITE skiing only @ Wawa when visiting family nearby late in PREZ week - BTW what's it like there now ??

Then the following mon thru thurs will pick a place in VT or NH for 3 days on our way home depending on the weather,----ut its gotta be a good place for the Queen lotsa greens and easy blues --

I was there last night for a few runs...basically groomed loose granular over ice/hardpack. Not the best of conditions but definitely skiable. I don't ski the bumps but I heard plenty of scraping from the lift.

I doubt they will bother with any more snowmaking either...unless we have a major thaw, it looks like they have enough base to make it through the rest of the season.

 

[noski]

Geeze, you guys are so 'doom and gloom'. Many, many times the skiing is far better than people assume to be the case. Get those positive vibes back on your sleeve so Mother Nature can scan it!

 

[billski]

Looks like we're having our January thaw a few weeks later...oh well...

The conditions should be OK for the average recreational groomer skier, shouldn't they? As long as it cools back down to normal temps later this week, after a few days of grooming the slopes should be in decent shape...

Not so sure. This rain is gonna be with us, all the way until Thursday. After that, the temps are not going down very far. You have to make lemonade with the FGR you have. The problem is when you get hordes of skiers on the same trails they get scraped off fast, no matter how hard the groomers churn it up the night before. Best bests would be first tracks groomers, then quit by noon. It gets back to why WaWa grooms 2x day.
For all those that have commented that things are OK on midweek days, that all comes back down to lack of traffic.

 

[billski]

Geeze, you guys are so 'doom and gloom'. Many, many times the skiing is far better than people assume to be the case. Get those positive vibes back on your sleeve so Mother Nature can scan it!

I've not seen any of those "things were better than expected" reports yet......

 

[4aprice]

I think they are done with snowmaking for the season as well?

I'm surprised at everyone saying that snowmaking is done for the year. Down here they usually continue operations into the 1st week of March. I expect them to do that this year including blowing very big stockpiles that they can move around the mountain as spring progresses.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[billski]

I'm surprised at everyone saying that snowmaking is done for the year.

+1. In past years, they hold out a little for Pres Week. Could be the the sound of economic contraction.

 

[noski]

I've not seen any of those "things were better than expected" reports yet......

...of course, I will be able to tell you alot better during the last week of Feb....;-)