Anybody else holding back this year?

[Cannonball]

I've been out 7 days this year. But many of them have sucked and I've only done a couple runs. I have a pass, I live a few minutes from Cannon, and I got a day out west early season. If it weren't for those things I'd probably only have 1 or 2 days so far.

So to the OP... You aren't missing much. On the other hand, I like to get out some even when it sucks so that I have some semblance of ski legs when a good day finally hits.

 

[Harvey]

Fourteen days. Some have been REALLY fun. Best were probably Snow Ridge Opening Day and Plattekill last Friday.

If a week passes and I don't get out I'm bummed.

I don't agree that a bad day out west beats a good day in the east. How can you say that? Half of Tahoe was closed last January.

I don't often think a day was bad, so I guess I am drinking the coolaid.

 

[Puck it]

Our group going to the summit has decided to cancel our trip. Thursday is the last day before the 50% kicks in.

 

[abc]

I don't agree that a bad day out west beats a good day in the east. How can you say that? Half of Tahoe was closed last January.

When I say "out west", I'm usually thinking about the Rockies. Tahoe is more like the east coast in terms of snow QUALITY. Some of the mountain with lower elevation even have the same freeze-thaw problem we have. And rarely do they get the dry powder that stays soft and fluffy for several days after the storm as in the Rockies.

Of quantity, they often have boat load of them! (literally speaking since the moisture comes from the Pacific) So they only need ONE big storm to set it all up for a whole season! Granted, last couple of years, they didn't get even a single one of those storms.

 

[Kleetus]

No pass and holding off. Only been out once so far.

Once it starts dumping and/or more terrain comes online I'll start getting out. Planning to pack in my days over a shorter period and get quality days instead of quantity. Saved up vacation that I normally take around the holidays for that purpose in hopes I can get in some quality midweek days. Unfortunately people are abandoning ship like crazy where I work and I doubt they'll let me take them now but here's hoping.

Given the cold this week and Lake Effect machine churning away I plan on getting some quality days in the weekend. Then waiting for some nice dumps in VT.


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[KustyTheKlown]

I get the whole concept of buying vouchers and discount tickets and passes ahead of time to allow you to ski multiple areas, but what do all of you that do this do about lodging? Do you live close enough to be able to do these different areas as day trips? Or are you also good at finding cheap lodging every week at the different ski resorts that you go to?

Before I owned a condo in VT, I used to do only a couple long weekend trips up to big ski areas and then otherwise did mostly day trips to the Catskills (mostly Belleayre and later on Plattekill). Living in NJ means a long drive to most big ski areas so I'd have to constantly be getting lodging all the time if I wanted to do what a lot of people here do. To me I never found that to be cost effective, but I'm curious to know if others had better success with that or if they are just luckier to live closer to the New England mountains.

i try to keep the lodging costs down. unless i'm going with my girlfriend, i avoid paying for a hotel on friday by either leaving at ~3 AM and driving straight to the hill, or i go with a buddy and we stay at his mom's place up in plattsburgh on friday night. on saturday nights, if i'm alone, hostel tevere near sugarbush is decent and inexpensive. if i'm with friends or my girlfriend, priceline name your own price has decent deals; staying away from the mountain in montpelier or waterbury or white river junction or wherever else is always cheaper than staying near the resorts; airbnb has awesome deals and some really unique and fun situations if you're open to it; and sometimes my dad lets me book the sheraton in burlington with his starwood points.

i wouldn't want to commit to a share house because i need variety in the east. maybe one day i'll buy something in waterbury-ish where i can easily access mad river, sugarbush, stowe, smuggler's, jay and burke.

edited to add - i live in brooklyn. i do the big drive every weekend. killington is a day trip for me. my neck hurts after those long drive>ski>drive days.

 

[Tin]

Choosing to wait it out and play hockey than drive 5+ hours for shitty conditions on terrain with zero character. Only reason Cannon was enjoyable this past weekend was the great company.

 

[KD7000]

I've been holding back. I've also been grossly unmotivated, due to the shitty conditions / lack of decent options close to home. I think I was spoiled by last winter.

 

[dlague]

I'm at about the number of days I should be at. Yesterday was my 14th day on snow. 13 at Stowe, one for my race league.

Precisely one of those days was abysmal; I was at Stowe the day after a rain event and it was like trying to ski on marble. Except marble would have been softer.

At any rate... Maybe I have a warped idea of "ok conditions", but I've had fun all 14 days. Yes, I'd like the woods to be open, and yes, I'd like there to be a bump run somewhere, and yes, this weather is frustrating... But my legs give out before I get bored.

I'm probably more of a technique junky than most are, but our limited terrain has been great for working on things. Nothing that's open is challenging, but I try to make it challenging by skiing it as well as I can. Will 250k (and counting) of "practice vertical" pay off at some point? I guess we'll find out.

I also would be bored out of my mind doing nothing on the weekends. I don't know how I'd pass the time if I wasn't skiing.

Warped idea - no! I am in the same boat. My attitude take what the mountain gives you and have fun! Not everyday skiing will be perfect but I am always glad I went.


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[BenedictGomez]

Definitely holding back. Other things I could do than WROD'ing it, and I'm not driving to Vermont for 11 trails etc...

Might have more inventory for the BOGO thread in a month or two!

 

[prsboogie]

I did WAWA last Wednesday and the conditions were rather good considering the winter they and everyone else is having.

 

[cdskier]

edited to add - i live in brooklyn. i do the big drive every weekend. killington is a day trip for me. my neck hurts after those long drive>ski>drive days.

Ouch...I could never do K as a day trip. I do drive 5 hours up to VT just about every weekend though.

 

[dlague]

Out of all fairness we live within easy driving distances from ski areas. K is only 1 hour 40 minutes all others so far are way less that we have been to this year. Except Sugarbush where we stayed overnight at no cost.


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[jaybird]

Recognizing that eastern conditions this year have been marginal, the criteria for us is always the weather on the day in question. One can always find discounted ticket rates, and economize on food/beverage and lodging.

Last February was a brutally cold weather month, but the snow was plentiful everywhere.
Despite the awesome snow conditions, there were days last season where temperature made the No-Go decision for us. This year early opening was great. Then absolute porcelain. Then WROD but ... 60 degrees. Last week sweet ... chalk and natural. Yeah it's total fickle, but our days are pretty much in line with a 'normal' season.

As a lover of the sport it's important to keep things in perspective and make the effort to search out the potential for winter fun.
'Vertical memories' over your ski career are important. Those memories make the tough days bearable.

Think Snow !

 

[The Sneak]

I usually have five to ten days in by now. Still at zero


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[SnowRock]

Ouch...I could never do K as a day trip. I do drive 5 hours up to VT just about every weekend though.

I also live in NJ and have done southern Vermont day trips before.... Like this year when I was jonesing before Christmas and hit up okemo. It is definitely a long day and I won't do it very often but desperate times and all that stuff.

I'm behind this year versus last at this point in the season but by season's end I expect to be around the 25 days or so I've been averaging the past few years. Have have two more VT trips planned and working on locking in dates for heading west to one/two of the MC mountains.

 

[steamboat1]

aside from sugarbush this past weekend, no. but my point is that I'm surprised that the posters of this ski forum don't have more season passes or prepaid/sotc options. i plan this stuff in july so I'm ready to ski no matter what the weather throws my way. if you ski more than 10 days a year, then you should have somekind of cheap skiing arrangement. I assume everyone on this board skis >10 days.

Skied 4 days last week only 2 on my pass. The other two weren't prepaid.

 

[steamboat1]

I get the whole concept of buying vouchers and discount tickets and passes ahead of time to allow you to ski multiple areas, but what do all of you that do this do about lodging? Do you live close enough to be able to do these different areas as day trips? Or are you also good at finding cheap lodging every week at the different ski resorts that you go to?

Before I owned a condo in VT, I used to do only a couple long weekend trips up to big ski areas and then otherwise did mostly day trips to the Catskills (mostly Belleayre and later on Plattekill). Living in NJ means a long drive to most big ski areas so I'd have to constantly be getting lodging all the time if I wanted to do what a lot of people here do. To me I never found that to be cost effective, but I'm curious to know if others had better success with that or if they are just luckier to live closer to the New England mountains.

A centrally located ski club lodge in VT. helps a lot. Skied 4 days last week (Stowe, Killington, Sugarbush). Two of those days on a K pass the other two cost $75. Lodging cost $72. Didn't spend $300 for the four days. Ate pretty damn good too. I live in Brooklyn.

 

[dlague]

I get the whole concept of buying vouchers and discount tickets and passes ahead of time to allow you to ski multiple areas, but what do all of you that do this do about lodging? Do you live close enough to be able to do these different areas as day trips? Or are you also good at finding cheap lodging every week at the different ski resorts that you go to?

Before I owned a condo in VT, I used to do only a couple long weekend trips up to big ski areas and then otherwise did mostly day trips to the Catskills (mostly Belleayre and later on Plattekill). Living in NJ means a long drive to most big ski areas so I'd have to constantly be getting lodging all the time if I wanted to do what a lot of people here do. To me I never found that to be cost effective, but I'm curious to know if others had better success with that or if they are just luckier to live closer to the New England mountains.

Living in NH makes day trips easier! There are about 30-40 ski areas that are just over 2 hours or less from where I live.

 

[Whitey]

The thing about lodging is I don't stay slopeside. So, once I found a decent base lodging, all the resort within 1/2 hr are fair game. I only need a few, one in each area, to hit any of the mountains within 1/2 of my base lodging. Then, whichever one that has the best deal for the day wins.

I do the same. If you're willing to stay "off-mountain", the price of lodging goes way down. Then once or twice a year we'll "splurge" and get a nice, on mountain, ski in/ski out kind of place for a change/treat. As has been said in previous threads, we do a pretty good job organizing and getting our stuff to and from the mountain. So for us, packing up our stuff at the end of the day and getting in the car for a 10-30 minute ride to the hotel ain't bad, we're used to it. A lot of times we'll hang around at the end of the day, do the apres ski stuff, let the kids do the tubing/arcades/beat each other with their poles/etc and then head out to our off mountain hotel. You get the "on-mountain" feel without the on mountain price.

Of course you have to watch your intake of cerveza's if you do this plan, local cops LOVE to hang out on the mountain roads and bag speeders and drunks.