Zand
Well-known member
Late start and long ride in the snow meant I wasn't on skis until 1:15 but got in 9 good runs in those three hours.
Arrived to Heaven's Gate and North Lynx closed for the day due to wind but the rest of South was open. No wait at Super Bravo when I arrived, headed straight for Castlerock via Lew's Line (wanted to get a couple runs over there in case any wind issues popped up). Lew's had a crappy spot in the middle but nice and soft otherwise. Castlerock Connection was a disaster like usual.
After about a 10 minute wait I started off with Castlerock Run which was pretty ugly. Mostly hardpack plus the occasional soft pile and some very irregular bumps. Did the Hi/Lo Road loop to get away for a minute, then willed myself to Cotillion. Usually Cotillion is 50x softer and today was no exception. Nice soft bumps for the most part, much more fun to ski.
Next up was Rumble which was better. Still a lot of slick bumps but definitely a lot better to ski than CR. Been a while since I've skied it...classic. At the bottom figured I'd get more runs in and probably find better snow if I went elsewhere so said so long to Castlerock for the day.
Spent the rest of the day hitting every patch of woods that I could between Egan's Woods and Eden. Best I found was Stein's Woods with some fresh lines, the least bumps, and the best coverage. The rest were more bumpy and thin but had a blast attacking them for a couple hours.
Wish I'd gotten there earlier but glad I got in what I could. Was scared to look at the wind holds on the way up but lucked out for the most part. That whole basin is very well protected and the only place that the wind was noticable was at the top of Castlerock and maybe a little bit coming down Snowball. Very light freezing mist while I skied (not enough to make the snow crusty) then heavy sleet when I drove to Stowe after but looked like it wanted to go over to snow.
Plan is Smuggs tomorrow but I saw they were pretty much totally shut down due to wind today. If they have issues tomorrow I have Bolton on backup (never been) then Stowe on Tuesday.
Arrived to Heaven's Gate and North Lynx closed for the day due to wind but the rest of South was open. No wait at Super Bravo when I arrived, headed straight for Castlerock via Lew's Line (wanted to get a couple runs over there in case any wind issues popped up). Lew's had a crappy spot in the middle but nice and soft otherwise. Castlerock Connection was a disaster like usual.
After about a 10 minute wait I started off with Castlerock Run which was pretty ugly. Mostly hardpack plus the occasional soft pile and some very irregular bumps. Did the Hi/Lo Road loop to get away for a minute, then willed myself to Cotillion. Usually Cotillion is 50x softer and today was no exception. Nice soft bumps for the most part, much more fun to ski.
Next up was Rumble which was better. Still a lot of slick bumps but definitely a lot better to ski than CR. Been a while since I've skied it...classic. At the bottom figured I'd get more runs in and probably find better snow if I went elsewhere so said so long to Castlerock for the day.
Spent the rest of the day hitting every patch of woods that I could between Egan's Woods and Eden. Best I found was Stein's Woods with some fresh lines, the least bumps, and the best coverage. The rest were more bumpy and thin but had a blast attacking them for a couple hours.
Wish I'd gotten there earlier but glad I got in what I could. Was scared to look at the wind holds on the way up but lucked out for the most part. That whole basin is very well protected and the only place that the wind was noticable was at the top of Castlerock and maybe a little bit coming down Snowball. Very light freezing mist while I skied (not enough to make the snow crusty) then heavy sleet when I drove to Stowe after but looked like it wanted to go over to snow.
Plan is Smuggs tomorrow but I saw they were pretty much totally shut down due to wind today. If they have issues tomorrow I have Bolton on backup (never been) then Stowe on Tuesday.
