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Your Season in Review (2015-2016)

thetrailboss

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Killington closed this weekend, so another season is in the books for NE skiers and riders (except for earning turns in the Presidentials and other places). Snowbird also closed today too, so my season is now over. Sure I could hike next weekend but I have WAY too much to do around the house considering that this weekend was skiing and working on our porch furniture.

So how was it for you? Highlights? I know it was a tough season for a lot. I visited Burke in February and it was abysmal. I know that MRG only had a 40 day season. I know that for a lot this was a season that never was. That said, what are you proud of?

For me, a Vermonter by birth and now out here in the Wasatch for five years, this was promised to be a "good" season after four seasons below average and last season being WAY below normal. At 460" this season was a bit lower than average (500" average), but it was way better than last year...100" more actually. And this was more snow than the last few seasons. Though we were a bit low, it skied oh so nicely. I am thrilled that I got in 45 days lift served. That is 5 better than last season and by far the most days I have skied after graduating into the "real world." What is amazing is that if I had been around for Thanksgiving AND Christmas this would have been 50 easily.

Other than quantity, I am so happy that I got to ski a lot of new terrain for me at Alta now that we had snow. I got into Catherine's and got to get after some other lines on the High Traverse. The trees I hit were nice. I love the vibe of Alta and the great terrain.

Snowbird has been pretty much my home, but again I got to ski some new lines for me in the Cirque and off the High Baldy Traverse. It was great to explore and find lines that I thought were "too tough" and now are favorites of mine. The new lodge is amazing and the vibe this season was great.

I also got to hit a NEW ski area this season and that was Cherry Peak. Yes, they have some work to do and yes they are not a huge place, but I give them credit.

I'm thrilled that my wife had a solid season and returned to Snowbird for the first time since her ACL tear in 2012. I'm also happy that she understands how special it is for me to ski there and lets me go as much as I do.

After five years out here I can honestly say that being a Vermont skier allows me to appreciate the terrain out here and smile every day I am on the slopes. As the years go by fewer folks on here remember me as the guy who skied Sugarbush and/or Burke every weekend, got into the annual debates of who was King of Fall--"Killington vs. Sunday River", posted from Tux, or skied the thinly covered "technical" trails of MRG or the Lyndon Outing Club. I've gotten used to the "Steeper than Hell" terrain out here, avalanche danger, open bowls, wild weather above treeline, and deep snow. But I still go for the tight trees, technical lines, and steep fall-lines when I can.

I look forward to, God willing, many more seasons to come for me on both coasts. :beer:
 

steamboat1

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I had a good season. Of course we could have used more natural snow but with today's snowmaking capabilities you don't feel the dearth of natural snow as much. At least at the areas that pump it out. I'm not saying I didn't get to ski natural snow only terrain this year, I did & savored every moment of it. Some of it was actually quite good if you timed it right. That's the case any season. I came up a couple of days short of my normal total skiing days but not by much. I always wish I had skied more days. Enjoyed myself on the slopes both by myself or skiing with friends & that's what counts. Had a lot of laughs with old friends & new in the lodge & tailgating. Wish I had picked up a few more days towards the end of the season but that's partially my fault. I really have no complaints.
 

cdskier

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I believe I made the best of a weak season. My days, miles, and vertical were all down about 20-25%, however my vertical per day was actually up almost 10% over last year. Granted part of the reason the vertical per day is up has to do with skiing more groomers and less bumps and trees (didn't make it in the woods once this year).

On the plus side there were some "firsts" for me this season. I hiked over to Castlerock which I had never done before. Really rewarding and great experience. I also competed in my first ever race (the Stein's Challenge) and had a blast. I also made it a point to get out at 8am more on the weekends instead of waiting until closer to 9am even though only a few lifts are open at 8. That extra hour makes a huge difference especially in a year like this where conditions sometimes deteriorated rapidly throughout the day.

And here's a video "Season in review" that I put together last weekend...
https://youtu.be/wNpmdTmTxLw
 

deadheadskier

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That's every season.

Well yes however, most seasons have numerous other highlights to discuss. I was mainly being facetious.

I'll expand to say I had a good time despite the worst conditions overall for a season since I first got on snow in the early 80s. Only a few days were conditions so poor that I wished I hadn't bothered skiing, but I was always glad to go hang in the mountains.

Hopefully next season is better.
 

prsboogie

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I let the "it's a terrible season" mantra get the best of me and will never do that again. The dozen days i did get out were great, any time I can ski with my kids is a great time. I also got my wife out for 4-5 days (half days) which is 3-4 more than she has ever done in one season and she actually really enjoyed herself. She is looking forward to lessons and getting more comfortable next season. I look forward to next season and to finally make it up to the Summit, especially if Nick is able to push it to the end of February like he mentioned.
 

SkiFanE

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My optimistic outlook carried me through the winter. Still skied every weekend and vacation. No trees. No bumps. I dealt with it all. Until the spring. At least at SR there were no spring bumps whatsoever. So with lots to do in flatlands I couldn't waste my time on another icy groomer day. I usually go a day or two in spring to K once SR closes, but didn't seem worth it with few bumps on SS. Even though my FB and IG feeds showed bumps - seems like they were always mowed down for weekend. I can't even remember my last day - early April I think. I've moved on - glad I didn't hurt myself another season. Although my 15yo tore her ACL her last day on icy beginner trail - surgery in a couple weeks and most likely out for next season :(. And she has been in SR ski programs since she was 5yo and was hoping to coach next winter - worked so hard learning this winter and building relationships with instructors - which is huge bummer. Still paying for her pass in the hopes she may be somewhat capable, even though doctor says no way. So I guess given all this - yeah the season sucked!
 

SkiFanE

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I had a good season. Of course we could have used more natural snow but with today's snowmaking capabilities you don't feel the dearth of natural snow as much. At least at the areas that pump it out. I'm not saying I didn't get to ski natural snow only terrain this year, I did & savored every moment of it. Some of it was actually quite good if you timed it right. That's the case any season. I came up a couple of days short of my normal total skiing days but not by much. I always wish I had skied more days. Enjoyed myself on the slopes both by myself or skiing with friends & that's what counts. Had a lot of laughs with old friends & new in the lodge & tailgating. Wish I had picked up a few more days towards the end of the season but that's partially my fault. I really have no complaints.
Timing was everything this winter. I was able to get one storm between the snow and rain (about 12 hr gap it seemed every storm) then freeze. That was a great day. Then the next day sucked lol.
 

Bostonian

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This year was okay... The winter did suck, but I did have a few good days out on the snow. Happy to have gotten out when I did and the only setback was when I ended up taking that nasty fall in march. Healed up now, was able to get one last run at Wildcat, which really made up for it.

Going to get myself into better shape for next season, and cannot wait to get my 5 year old out on the snow again too!
 

steamboat1

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Timing was everything this winter. I was able to get one storm between the snow and rain (about 12 hr gap it seemed every storm) then freeze. That was a great day. Then the next day sucked lol.
Like I said that's normally the case in New England, even in the best of years. You can have a big dump & skiing is great for a few days. Then it rains on top of it & freezes up afterwards. You then have to wait for the next dump & the cycle starts all over. That's New England skiing.
 

gmcunni

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as others have said, i let the poor snow season affect me more than i wish it had.

what i didn't like:
possibly my worst season in 10 years, in terms of day count.
didn't get further north than Mount Snow
Christmas week was a bust

what i did like:
got to try a new mountain, Eldora in CO
got two trips to CO (albeit not much each trip)
2nd day @ Breck my daughter declared it her best day of skiing ever

planning for a better year in 16/17 - purchased a non-blacked out Peak Pass and will make every effort to get the most out of it.

My Season:
2015/16
MT Snow - 12.29 1.24 3.12 3.26
Sundown - 1.17 2.27
Eldora - 1.30
Berkshire East - 2.12
Catamount - 2.21
Butternut - 3.6
Breckenridge - 4.9 4.10
 

deadheadskier

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I usually go a day or two in spring to K once SR closes, but didn't seem worth it with few bumps on SS. Even though my FB and IG feeds showed bumps - seems like they were always mowed down for weekend.!

This is where Killington is different than most other mountains in New England. When the snow is soft in the spring they have so much traffic from great ability bump skiers that by midday you wouldn't know the trail was groomed the night before.

Hope your daughter's surgery goes well and her recovery is swift.
 

drjeff

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I guess that I can say with how much I love the sport of skiing that I've never had a "bad" season in the almost 40 years I've been a skier.

This one will be memorable for a few reasons.

- I'll remember the powder turns that I got because they weren't so many of them that they all blended together

- I'll remember days where I logged over 20k vertical on a beginner trail since it was the only real option on multiple weekends - that's a memory I hope I won't ever have to repeat!

- I'll remember my last lift served day of the season in late April at Killington because it was everything that "late season" spring skiing at Killington can be

- Lastly the memory from this season that I will keep for years is one that happened in Late February at a small mountain in Eastern NY, where I got to watch all the effort that my daughter has put into her ski racing career come together and then the look on her face when I got to tell her that she had finally reached the podium and at the same time qualified for the Northeast Regional championships - that day by far offset all the frustration that mother nature provided this past ski season
 

machski

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I had a great season, weather aside. The Max Pass add on paid huge dividends with a great MLK weekend in the woods at Tremblant. Got a bit of woods in at home base SR, very thin and technical but hey, it's what makes the east the east. April and May were a great end cap, after such a crummy season, to have great snow as late as we did was awesome (lack of bumps at SR in April aside).
 

JimG.

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Learned about skiing in Canada.

That was the high point. Other than that a rarely earned grade of "F" regarding conditions but still fun as usual.
 

thetrailboss

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Learned about skiing in Canada.

That was the high point. Other than that a rarely earned grade of "F" regarding conditions but still fun as usual.

I need to get to Canada. I need to get to Montana. Looks like next season I will have the opportunity to go to Switzerland for a week or so. Giddy up.
 

JimG.

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I have been researching and there are tons of ski areas in Canada.

I could spend the remainder of my ski life exploring them all. Got off to a good start, plan to return and then explore more next season.
 

Domeskier

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Had a nice winter skiing seeded bumps in the Poconos and an awesome spring on Superstar. Hoping to get a day or two in a dome over the summer.
 
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