"Artificial" Open Bowl Skiing in the East

[snowmonster]

Nick, I don't mean to be harsh but, man, please try to learn about the different issues surrounding these things -- and skiing in the Northeast -- before chiming in. It's one thing if us armchair quarterbacks mouth off, it's quite another when the owner of this site spews.

 

[snowmonster]

You are too cool to hang with. Take me to stink bug gully next year. Please!

Anyway... I don't consider sugarloaf's snowfields to be bowl-like. For me, to be bowl-like, it has to be long and concave as you are facing it from the lift. In other words, it has to look like the inside of a bowl. It should start out super steep and then then mellow as you dig in hard toe-side and rip across the face.

By the way, why don't more Western resorts have trails that emulate Misery Whip?

Hahaha. I think we need to have more beers. Let's hope Stink Bug is still in when the Auto Road opens. I don't think I have the energy to hike there next year.

Misery Whip last season was the bomb! I still have snoseek's ski poles in the car.

 

[thetrailboss]

Bring snoseek's poles to Utah when you come out

 

[thetrailboss]

In this case, the upshot was bad. Very bad. I will defer to Riv or another Jay regular as to if it is reopened.

 

[wa-loaf]

:blink:

Isn't "upshot" a good thing?

I always took "upshot" to mean a positive result.

 

[snowmonster]

Bring snoseek's poles to Utah when you come out

I intend to return his poles at Sunday River opening day -- which should be in about three weeks.=)

In this case, the upshot was bad. Very bad. I will defer to Riv or another Jay regular as to if it is reopened.

I think you can ski out to Big Jay from the resort. However, you are not supposed to ski on The Scar, which is now a regeneration zone.

By the way, in case we haven't discussed the difference between the changes at the Slides and Big Jay. In the former, landslide occured in the natural order of things because that's what mountains do. In the latter, two guys with power tools. If you can't tell the difference, I guess I'll have to come over and draw a schematic.

 

[thetrailboss]

I intend to return his poles at Sunday River opening day -- which should be in about three weeks.=)

Ha! Hopefully sooner!

 

[Tin Woodsman]

An incredibly active thread despite being the stupidest thread ever created. I'll soon create the second stupidest thread ever created with the hope that people will be drawn to it as much as they were to this one. By the way, kudos to blue knob, PA for creating an artificial bowl. Seems like it's a wildly popular trail over there. Their skiers, like us, seem to really be drawn to stupid things.

I wouldn't be too eager to pat yourself on the back or put this thread on your resume.

Michelle Bachman gets a lot of press coverage and generates a lot of buzz for saying stupid things like the HPV vaccine is dangerous for young girls. I'm not sure that's the sort of model you want to emulate.

Seriously - there's 11 pages in this thread, and nowhere is there substantive discussion of your "idea". It's essentially 7 pages of people (rightly) shooting you down, 2 pages on the Big Jay cut, and 2 pages on the definition of the word "upshot". That's a pretty low bar as a definition of success.

 

[Nick]

I'd like to spend a page or two talking about putting forum threads on resumes.... :lol:

 

[Nick]

Nick, I don't mean to be harsh but, man, please try to learn about the different issues surrounding these things -- and skiing in the Northeast -- before chiming in. It's one thing if us armchair quarterbacks mouth off, it's quite another when the owner of this site spews.

That's basically what I'm doing.... :dunce:

 

[Nick]

I always took "upshot" to mean a positive result.

Yeah, ditto> guess i learned something new today.

 

[Black Phantom]

Attn: Nick

That's basically what I'm doing.... :dunce:

You need to enroll in billski's workshop.

 

[threecy]

As of this spring, one can ski to Big Jay, but the entrance of the illegal cut is posted.

 

[riverc0il]

Figured it was that simple. I read some of the comments by Harvey and Riverc0il over on the Snowway post that was linked to earlier.

Without being an ecologist in general I think it's like anything else - moderation is key right? Cutting down a few trees is not going to destroy anything. Widespread removal of vegetation though causes runoff, erosion, etc.

are there any photos of what they did?

There used to be pics on Burlington Free Press's site. Not sure if they are still there. The trail was pretty wide (for an illegal BC cut)... I mean it was definitely a trail, not thinned out woods which is what normally goes on. Thinning out underbrush and dead trees generally if done correctly has little to no environmental effect. It all grows back eventually any ways, unless there is a long term erosion problem... which would signify too much cutting.

 

[riverc0il]

Big Jay was closed by the GMC and the State for at least a while to allow the area to recover.

It was closed because they got their panties in a knot and wanted to make a point. The fact is that when a certain amount of snow has piled up on top of that area, there would have been no damage. The damage would have been cause by erosion when the snow melted or early season skiing (perhaps). But they shut it down for an entire season pretty much just to prove a point. Skiing that slide in mid-winter isn't going to hurt anything. Though on philosophical grounds, I have and will continue to avoid it.

 

[riverc0il]

Nick, I don't mean to be harsh but, man, please try to learn about the different issues surrounding these things -- and skiing in the Northeast -- before chiming in. It's one thing if us armchair quarterbacks mouth off, it's quite another when the owner of this site spews.

Wow, I am not sure what issue you are referring to here? Did I miss something or did something get deleted? :blink:

And just like Greg, I think it is great if the owner of the site let's it rip just like the rest of us.

:beer:

 

[riverc0il]

In this case, the upshot was bad. Very bad. I will defer to Riv or another Jay regular as to if it is reopened.

As I recall, it was only completely closed for one season. Now, as I recall, there is a "gate" that is opened or closed as snow conditions allow. Though I have not been out there since before the cut, so I am not currently up to date on access.

 

[snowmonster]

Wow, I am not sure what issue you are referring to here? Did I miss something or did something get deleted? :blink:

And just like Greg, I think it is great if the owner of the site let's it rip just like the rest of us.

:beer:

No deletion. Just the monster going off. I hope it's all cleared up. Otherwise, well, it's been great knowin' ya'll!

As I recall, it was only completely closed for one season. Now, as I recall, there is a "gate" that is opened or closed as snow conditions allow.

This is correct. Riv, perhaps we should round up Pat and a certain young snowboarder for an expedition in the wilder reaches of northern Vermont.

 

[riverc0il]

This is correct. Riv, perhaps we should round up Pat and a certain young snowboarder for an expedition in the wilder reaches of northern Vermont.

That works for me. The only reason I have been out that way in a few years is I normally ski by myself and never have a car transport. Unlike other local sidecountry options, you really can't do Big Jay without a car spot (or thumbing it which I prefer not to do).

 

[David Metsky]

There used to be pics on Burlington Free Press's site.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/legacy/slideshows/081007jay/index.html

Enjoy. Access to Big Jay from the ski area (via an earlier illegally cut trail, that's yet another story) is open, but I usually skin up from the road. There are many places to ski back there, not all accessible from the ridge. I haven't skied the Scar, or Jailbird Glade as it is sometimes called.