Belleayre or Hunter 1/20? Help me decide

[danimals]

Something is different with the way vail makes snow vs the way peaks did. Under peaks the conditions on the north trails felt a bit firmer, but not usually icy. This year it’s been icy all the time even with the consistent cold and snowmaking.

 

[tnt1234]

Something is different with the way vail makes snow vs the way peaks did. Under peaks the conditions on the north trails felt a bit firmer, but not usually icy. This year it’s been icy all the time even with the consistent cold and snowmaking.

But on the front, the snow under the guns was fantastic. There was a giant whale near the midpoint, and from there down the black trail - forget the name - was soft turns all the way down.

 

[zyk]

We tried the trail on the other side...forget the name....frozen solid. Never went back to try overlook. The sun never seems to hit that side. Ice rink....

Twilight maybe? That trail has a bad pitch near the bottom. It turns left but pitches right towards the trees, rocks, boulders, etc.

 

[tnt1234]

Twilight maybe? That trail has a bad pitch near the bottom. It turns left but pitches right towards the trees, rocks, boulders, etc.

It was way out to rips return.

 

[da-bum]

Something is different with the way vail makes snow vs the way peaks did. Under peaks the conditions on the north trails felt a bit firmer, but not usually icy. This year it’s been icy all the time even with the consistent cold and snowmaking.

I use to love the North when Peak ran it. Hard packed, then maybe becoming a loose layer of snow later on the day. Now its just a crusty glaze that becomes slick ice as the day goes on. Plus, on Overlook, they added that humongous roller right at the bottom of the steep pitch, where I normally be bombing down the fastest. Its either the biggest speed bump or the place to take that 100 ft jump.

With the low number of people on the North, they usually skip grooming those trails on weekdays. When I went on a friday after the dump, it was just some fresh snow covering boilerplate ice. Then on a monday, it was loose snow covering glazed hardpack, obviously untouched from the day before.

Either way, the North is the place to ski when it gets warm. The lack of overhead sunlight keeps the snow firm when the rest of the mountain turns to sand (also due to the lack of skiers).

We tried the trail on the other side...forget the name....frozen solid. Never went back to try overlook. The sun never seems to hit that side. Ice rink....

I skied Rips Return for the first time this season on monday (I usually never ski it, but Twilight hasn't open yet), it was frozen granular, which I enjoyed, but there was just too many whales and dips, which are invisible in the shade.