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The "Sugarbush Thread"

Slidebrook87

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Your just too young and totally missed out. I rode it when it was installed and it was going light speed.

I wish I could’ve seen that. The issue with that speed is that it’s hard on the combo and depression sheave assemblies. 1,000 would be nice to see more often. I don’t know where the claim of it being the fastest detachable quad in the world at the time of installation came from. Heck, at the same ski area, there was one installed 5 years earlier that could run the same speed.


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machski

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I wish I could’ve seen that. The issue with that speed is that it’s hard on the combo and depression sheave assemblies. 1,000 would be nice to see more often. I don’t know where the claim of it being the fastest detachable quad in the world at the time of installation came from. Heck, at the same ski area, there was one installed 5 years earlier that could run the same speed.


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It was probably a Les-ism. You know, like White Heat being the steepest/widest/longest? SlideBrook was probably the fastest/longest HSQ when installed :}

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KustyTheKlown

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Sorry if this was answered already - is gmx @ellen back to normal this weekend. gf is irrationally scared of gate house greens, so will put her on gmx and Ellen park lift
 

Slidebrook87

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Sorry if this was answered already - is gmx @ellen back to normal this weekend. gf is irrationally scared of gate house greens, so will put her on gmx and Ellen park lift

It’s running all of this week if that’s what you’re asking. It is still on diesel power though.


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Orca

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Oct 12, 2017
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At this point it is not about keeping a secret. It is about keeping the numbers down. You just have to look at Bear Claw and Gangstas to see what has happened. Those runs get skied to the dirt, rocks and stumps and never recover anymore. I mean if you are aware enough to find these things then enjoy. But what is the point of saying "Hey World look at this". You are only ruining it for yourself.

Game is changing. Apps and GPS have made info on sidecountry easier attain and that trend will inevitably continue. I am sympathetic to keeping sidecountry lines quiet, but ultimately it is a zero sum mentality -- I get mine by keeping someone else out. Given that sidecountry is in increasing demand (look at all the little kids in the woods, they grow up you know), a place like Sugarbush could optimize its competitive position in the market by cutting and opening more sidecountry. Sugarbush has the advantage of copious terrain over which to do this. A pod served by a modest fixed grip double and dedicated to "no trail" skiing would be unique in the east. Don't believe such tree thinning can be done: look no further than MRG with its boatloads of tree skiing.
 

AbominableSnowman

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Game is changing. Apps and GPS have made info on sidecountry easier attain and that trend will inevitably continue. I am sympathetic to keeping sidecountry lines quiet, but ultimately it is a zero sum mentality -- I get mine by keeping someone else out. Given that sidecountry is in increasing demand (look at all the little kids in the woods, they grow up you know), a place like Sugarbush could optimize its competitive position in the market by cutting and opening more sidecountry. Sugarbush has the advantage of copious terrain over which to do this. A pod served by a modest fixed grip double and dedicated to "no trail" skiing would be unique in the east. Don't believe such tree thinning can be done: look no further than MRG with its boatloads of tree skiing.

Surely you meant Mt. Snow or Okemo; there is no tree skiing at MRG....nothing to see there...;)
 

Newpylong

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Only once have I seen Slide Brook run 1,000 for the public which was the Friday before MLK weekend of 2019. Inverness actually runs at a good speed for a fixed grip. I calculated it to be around 450. Summit I timed closer to 400. I rarely ever ride Summit purely based off of how slow it is. I’d much rather just lap North Ridge which runs around 950 according to your lift mechanics.


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The moral of the story if you're not there every day and rough "timing" does not portray an accurate overall picture. As Win said, there are many reasons why a lift is running slower or faster one day. With modern lifts and "dial a speed" it's a lot different than analog controls ie stop, slow, fast.
 

cdskier

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Given that sidecountry is in increasing demand (look at all the little kids in the woods, they grow up you know).

And in some cases they're also the ones showing their parents some of these spots. I recall a few years ago being on Super Bravo with a bunch of very young kids that were talking about skiing Bear Claw. No doubt demand for this type of terrain is increasingly quite a bit... Even the ski school programs regularly go in the woods.
 

ktrerotola

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Much better, thanks. Do you use it with a subscription? Seems to work in basic sat map without.

I don’t have the paid subscription. Put my paid subscription funds towards OpenSnow.

Funny enough, I haven’t tracked resort skiing in a few years (back when Snocru was “big”), but have considered tracking in FATMAP. I will, however, track backcountry turns in TrailForks.



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Hawk

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I scout, recon, hike and visit my potential back country lines in the summer and then Ski them in the winter. I never post them or tell anybody were I have been or where I am considering going. Only my ski partner wife. You know what? When I get there and ski these lines, there are absolutely no tracks.....ever. This used to be the case for side country also. No more. Today this is totally lost with a young culture that wants everything handed to them. I will just keep my secrets to myself and never give them up. Posting them on any form of electronic tracking system is just giving it away for free. I will have no part of that.
 

bdfreetuna

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a bunch of very young kids that were talking about skiing Bear Claw

kids go on YouTube... hell if I can be resourceful enough to figure out sidecountry and stashes with easy YouTube searches the kids are twice as good at it.

Apparently John Egan didn't consider it much of a secret in 2012

Agree with Orca's sentiment. Sidecountry is fair game, and locals have basically already lost these mountains to high prices. And if I'm traveling to pay high prices, I'm going there to ski the goods and not putz around.

High traffic mountains like Sugarbush can only benefit from adding more off map terrain to the map, knowing that it will serve to help preserve the *real* off map terrain just a little more.

 

bdfreetuna

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and look at this beautiful little bastard mapping out 4 different chutes past Paradise...


You want freshies on that stuff, be first on a powder day. Same rules apply to everyone

People who act like sidecountry at lift serviced resorts is sacred terrain make me laugh. Go skin up a mountain and have it all to yourself.
 

Hawk

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Ya bear Claw and all the paradise Chutes are all part of the mix now. That is fine. They are obvious. There are other places that are now on the radar that were never even considered until people posted them online. It's ok. I am going to get there first anyway. I just hate that I have to race to ski them. And then there are the gems that most people will never find. There are always those.
 

bdfreetuna

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And then there are the gems that most people will never find. There are always those.

Well I know asking you won't get me there any quicker than ducking around in the woods on my own ;)

But do you really give up on skiing chutes and sidecountry if it's tracked out? I'll take it any way I can get it. You're pretty lucky if you ski up there regularly... you're getting a lot more fresh runs in than the tourists by a long shot.

And you know I'm sure at least 4x as much hidden stashes at SB. If you ski a place like that often enough you can create your own "go to" lines. I can think of several areas that get low overall traffic and have nice fall lines through the woods that I just haven't had time to fully explore.
 

Hawk

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Tuna the thing is that you actually go out and find this shit on your own like it did. I can appreciate that. it seems to be a lost art. It's call adventure. I'm just being an old crusty fart. I too will take whatever I can get. I just don't understand the point of posting it on line. I never will. Maybe we will cross paths some day. I always have an extra Lawsons in my pack.
 

Slidebrook87

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What the hell is going on?? Lower FIS is being groomed? Last time I skied it with natural snow it was great. What’s the point in grooming it?


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bdfreetuna

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Maybe we will cross paths some day. I always have an extra Lawsons in my pack.

I keep thinking I have eye drops in my ski jacked but each time I check it turns out to be a dropper bottle of THC tincture with grand daddy purple terps. Fair trade -- then you show me the goods :D
 

CastlerockMRV

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Nov 17, 2019
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I think it has a huge impact. So much so that on Powder days I don't ever bother with skiing trails any more first. I go directly to my favorite tree run and hit that first.

This is whats the biggest bummer in all this to me...powder days are more like powder hours these days and it takes legitimate plan of attack down to the turn to maximize your returns. I'd estimate I'm keyed into about half of the unmapped terrain at SB so on the rare powder day that overlaps with me being on mtn it's always a major internal debate.
 
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