Big Tupper

[Breakout12]

Hello again. Thanks for all the interesting thoughts on my previous post, Goggle Fog.

Has anyone been to Big Tupper, especially recently? I'm intrigued, and I might be able to base myself about two hours away, so I'm wondering if it's worth the risk. I know that they don't have snow making, but do they groom? Is it possible to ski from the top of lift 3 to the base of lift 2, or do you really need to split your time between the two areas? What was your experience like?

Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Kerovick]

They do not have snowmaking but they do groom.

 

[Breakout12]

Thanks! I'm surprised that no one has been there. It looks like I should write a trip report if I go.

 

[Puck it]

Thanks! I'm surprised that no one has been there. It looks like I should write a trip report if I go.

I have been there but not since 1980.

 

[Cornhead]

Yes, do a TR if you go. I'm curious what it's like. Hickory was a blast, love to check out some other small places in the Daks.

 

[x10003q]

Hello again. Thanks for all the interesting thoughts on my previous post, Goggle Fog.

Has anyone been to Big Tupper, especially recently? I'm intrigued, and I might be able to base myself about two hours away, so I'm wondering if it's worth the risk. I know that they don't have snow making, but do they groom? Is it possible to ski from the top of lift 3 to the base of lift 2, or do you really need to split your time between the two areas? What was your experience like?

Any and all comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

I last skied BT in the late 1990s. The front face (lookers right) is about 600 vertical of blue and green trails. They removed the other double (was about 700 vertical ft) that served the few steeper chutes to the lookers left. You actually ski down to the chair that takes you to the top. The terrain off the top is also mostly green and blue terrain. The upper chair allows access to the lookers left trails on the main face. While I am glad I skied BT, it is not really worth a 2 hour drive other than to fulfill a bucket list.

The current situation of no snowmaking and no money means BT will rarely be open. If you are 2 hours from BT there are probably other ski areas within your driving range that you will be able to count on to be open.

 

[Abominable]

Confusing trail map!

http://skibigtupper.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/TrailMap-2011-12.pdf

Can't figure out the fall lines... which way is downhill on trails # 12, 1 and 2?

This was always the spot for Suny Potsdam / St. Lawrence kids, I think.

Google image search gives a more manageable trail map:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Big...ttp%3A%2F%2Fadkhiker.net%2Fpatrol%2F;1632;776

Check out Harvey's NY Ski Blog for some more intel?

EDIT, looked again, thought it was two chairs going to the same peak; I guess the upper chair is higher than the lower chair. Cool; that's a good bit of vertical, no?

 

[Puck it]

Confusing trail map!

http://skibigtupper.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/TrailMap-2011-12.pdf

Can't figure out the fall lines... which way is downhill on trails # 12, 1 and 2?

This was always the spot for Suny Potsdam / St. Lawrence kids, I think.

Google image search gives a more manageable trail map:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Big...ttp%3A%2F%2Fadkhiker.net%2Fpatrol%2F;1632;776

Check out Harvey's NY Ski Blog for some more intel?

EDIT, looked again, thought it was two chairs going to the same peak; I guess the upper chair is higher than the lower chair. Cool; that's a good bit of vertical, no?

Clarkson too. There was a Chair 1 on the left side of the map too

 

[Abominable]

Wow, guess I've been under a rock or just generally uninformed. Environmentalists, developers, court cases, mountain closed, mountain open.... lots of action.

http://nyskiblog.com/forums/#nabble-td4050466

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showthread.php/45087-Big-Tupper

 

[x10003q]

Confusing trail map!

http://skibigtupper.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/TrailMap-2011-12.pdf

Can't figure out the fall lines... which way is downhill on trails # 12, 1 and 2?

This was always the spot for Suny Potsdam / St. Lawrence kids, I think.

Google image search gives a more manageable trail map:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Big...ttp%3A%2F%2Fadkhiker.net%2Fpatrol%2F;1632;776

Check out Harvey's NY Ski Blog for some more intel?

EDIT, looked again, thought it was two chairs going to the same peak; I guess the upper chair is higher than the lower chair. Cool; that's a good bit of vertical, no?

Chair 1 is about 600 vertical. From the top of Chair one you ski down to chair 3 (which has not yet opened this season). Chair 3 is also about 600 vertical. Big Tupper claims 1150 vertical feet. Trails 12, 1 and 2 bring you down to the base lodge and the bottom of Chair 1.

A report from nyskiblog.com says there were problems with Chair 1 last weekend.

Go to the last post - dated Feb 18 http://forum.nyskiblog.com/Big-Tupper-Conditions-td4034498i10.html#a4055320

 

[SIKSKIER]

Wouldn't one go to Whiteface instead?

 

[Newpylong]

Chair 1 is about 600 vertical. From the top of Chair one you ski down to chair 3 (which has not yet opened this season). Chair 3 is also about 600 vertical. Big Tupper claims 1150 vertical feet. Trails 12, 1 and 2 bring you down to the base lodge and the bottom of Chair 1.

A report from nyskiblog.com says there were problems with Chair 1 last weekend.

Go to the last post - dated Feb 18 http://forum.nyskiblog.com/Big-Tupper-Conditions-td4034498i10.html#a4055320

You have chair 1 and 2 mixed. 1 is non-operable and may have even been removed since last year. Can ski everything by skiing to top of chair 1 from 3.

 

[x10003q]

You have chair 1 and 2 mixed. 1 is non-operable and may have even been removed since last year. Can ski everything by skiing to top of chair 1 from 3.

The actual #1 is gone. I should have just followed the current trail map's 2 for the chair out of the base and 3 for the chair you ski down to from the 2.

 

[VR17]

The actual #1 is gone. I should have just followed the current trail map's 2 for the chair out of the base and 3 for the chair you ski down to from the 2.

Just to be clear, Chair #1 is directly in front of the lodge and it is still there but has not been used in 16 yrs and is not repairable, needs to be replaced as it serves the best skiable terrain. Total vert for the hill is aprox 1000' of skiable terrain. They have been exaggerating it at 1200'. But in order to get the 1000' you need to go up chair #2 and ski down to the base of Chair #3, then you can ski the claimed 1000 vert. But the first 300 or so vert just gets you back to the top of Chair #1 where you get about 700' of good terrain. You can ski a continuous 600 or so vert if you just ski from the top of Chair #3 to the base of chair #3, at that point you can get to the base of the hill to complete the 1000 vert but you have to push, walk, skate your way about 500' of uphill terrain before getting to an old Ranger Cabin before being able to ski down, it's quite a slog on skiis, forget it on a Board. Trail map is basically unusable.

 

[Harvey]

Reports I saw from the weekend indicated that the skiing was really really good.

Natural snow + little expert traffic = NICE.

 

[Newpylong]

Just to be clear, Chair #1 is directly in front of the lodge and it is still there but has not been used in 16 yrs and is not repairable, needs to be replaced as it serves the best skiable terrain. Total vert for the hill is aprox 1000' of skiable terrain. They have been exaggerating it at 1200'. But in order to get the 1000' you need to go up chair #2 and ski down to the base of Chair #3, then you can ski the claimed 1000 vert. But the first 300 or so vert just gets you back to the top of Chair #1 where you get about 700' of good terrain. You can ski a continuous 600 or so vert if you just ski from the top of Chair #3 to the base of chair #3, at that point you can get to the base of the hill to complete the 1000 vert but you have to push, walk, skate your way about 500' of uphill terrain before getting to an old Ranger Cabin before being able to ski down, it's quite a slog on skiis, forget it on a Board. Trail map is basically unusable.

Don't you think there are bigger priorities like functioning snowmaking rather than replacing Chair 1 when 100% of the terrain is already skiable.

 

[Harvey]

Don't hold your breath on any of it. I still can't figure out why BT is even open.

 

[VR17]

Don't you think there are bigger priorities like functioning snowmaking rather than replacing Chair 1 when 100% of the terrain is already skiable.

New, Agree w you absolutely, snowmaking should be the #1 priority. The major problem w getting it put in is that the current developers have no money and their own plans don't show any snowmaking upgrades for several years. Like Harvey says, "Don't hold your breath on any of it" Obviously referring to the ACR development.

 

[Harvey]

In the last few years most of what had value in the snowmaking system was sold. Much of it to Plattekill.

 

[Newpylong]

I would think the pipes were not sold? Were the pumps sold or just the actual guns?