Best Cover Award for 2005-2006

[thetrailboss]

OK, so now that the season is drawing to a close, I think it is appropriate that we take our ski helmets and hats off to the ski area that had the best cover during this "season" that we had.

Best cover as in best consistent conditions, either due to natural or snowmaking/grooming efforts (this season it will be the latter probably).

So my nomination is Mount Sunapee. I know, I know Triple Peaks may not be popular in here, but this season they did a stellar job blowing snow (they were doing it last week ), recovering from thaws and freezes, grooming and loosening up snow, and insuring that we had something to ski on and some open variety. The conditions in November were "mid winter" according to my friend on opening day. It was great to have such good cover and snowmaking...and the grooming team made it seem that the stuff was "natural" because of its softness and edgeability. No real boiler plate, no blue ice, soft snow. It was a nice thing to have....especially this season :roll:

Close second would have to be Stratton on our one visit, but I can't speak to this season.

Most improved was Cannon...great cover. :beer:

Biggest surprise: Blackwater. Small school hill, but great snowmaking cover. :beer: (and that is the clink of non-alcoholic brews being toasted! :wink: )

Biggest Let-Down: Burke. No snowmaking done on Ledges, Little Dipper, or Middle Fox's Folly ALL SEASON despite "deep Ginn pockets." :blink: Must be those Floridians aren't used to snowmaking. I'm sure things will improve for next season (where they did make snow, it was good).

 

[dmc]

I'm voting for Hunter... Because they have mad snowmaking skillz...
And we'll be skiing this May up there...

 

[thetrailboss]

I'm voting for Hunter... Because they have mad snowmaking skillz...
And we'll be skiing this May up there...

I've seriously gotta come and ski Hunter with you, DMC. Great to have you on board here in AZ. :beer:

 

[awf170]

I'm voting for Hunter... Because they have mad snowmaking skillz...
And we'll be skiing this May up there...

Does Hunter pay you?;-)

 

[andyzee]

Does Hunter pay you?;-)

Better question is how much?


Just kidding DMC.


TB, come up with a date and put it in the Trips and Events thingee

 

[maineskier69]

Sunday River hands down. They have been and always will be #1 for making the best out of a bad situation.

 

[Greg]

I've only skied at a handful of different places, and I have to say all of them did a pretty good job, considering the warmth and lack of natural. A big props to all Northeast ski areas for blowing snow late into the season this year to top coat and do some patchwork.

Jiminy as usual put down a good base in December although I thought their snowmaking efforts were still a bit scaled back. Probably not, but it seemed that way. Hunter was impressive with a lot of snowmaking still going on after President's Week. No surprise there either. Loon delivered with all snowmaking trails fully covered when I was there in early March. Catamount was pumping it out in December. But I have to really give props to our little local hill, Ski Sundown. They stockpiled a ton of snow during the cold snap before Thanksgiving, and instead of spreading it around, they left it piled up. That got them through the warmup/rain of late November. Once the cold came in December, they were pumping out the snow. I skied during a 1' dump in early December where the still had Gunbarrel closed (they could have opened it) while they pumped snow on it. A true blizzard of snowmaking there, in addition to the real blizzard that was going on. All season they had a huge manmade stockpile at the summit, which was still 1/3 there when I visited a few weeks ago. They may have still closed with some stockpiles in places. I wouldn't be surprised if there were top-to-bottom lines up there still, despite the lifts being closed. Perhaps I'll just have to hike and find out.

All in all - snowmaking saved us this season and again props to all ski areas that were able to deliver decent skiing despite the challenges weatherwise this season! :beer:

 

[Greg]

I've seriously gotta come and ski Hunter with you, DMC. Great to have you on board here in AZ. :beer:

You should trailboss. If anything, it would be interesting for you to come south to ski :blink: At least you would have some first hand experience to help battle the Hunter bashers with Doug and Jim. Truly a kick ass little hill with some no-joke terrain. I'm bummed we missed Doug when we were up there in late Feb. Next year. I think we'll have to make a Hunter AZ gathering an annual thing,

 

[dmc]

Does Hunter pay you?;-)

HAHA... I don't mix riding with working..

just supporting my town...

 

[salida]

I would have to second Sunday River, having skied all of the Trailbosses nominations this year except burke (yes I even regularly ski are blackwater), Sunday River is litterally in a no snow zone, I swear to god, Bethel Maine gets less snow than any where else in the north country. That mountain couldn't have had more than 45 inches of snow this year. Yet, in spight of that they had 120 trails covered from side to side, with pretty good conditions the few days I spent there...

 

[dmc]

I've seriously gotta come and ski Hunter with you, DMC. Great to have you on board here in AZ. :beer:

Let just meet at Tucks and knock a couple back at Hojos with Seth..

 

[noski]

variation on a theme

Not trying to hijack, TB, but would "Best Cover with What You Got" be the same? Doing alot of reading, especially at skiMRV, and talking with guests, it seems Sugarbush performed alot of magic with what Mother Nature dealt out this season.

 

[bvibert]

But I have to really give props to our little local hill, Ski Sundown. They stockpiled a ton of snow during the cold snap before Thanksgiving, and instead of spreading it around, they left it piled up. That got them through the warmup/rain of late November. Once the cold came in December, they were pumping out the snow. I skied during a 1' dump in early December where the still had Gunbarrel closed (they could have opened it) while they pumped snow on it. A true blizzard of snowmaking there, in addition to the real blizzard that was going on. All season they had a huge manmade stockpile at the summit, which was still 1/3 there when I visited a few weeks ago. They may have still closed with some stockpiles in places. I wouldn't be surprised if there were top-to-bottom lines up there still, despite the lifts being closed. Perhaps I'll just have to hike and find out.

Agreed, they really seemed to do an excellent job this year. Once they opened 100% (early December) they stayed 100% through the season, even when other places in the area were closing during warm snaps. I bet you there's still a bunch of snow there, there better be since they're hosting a freestyle camp in April... They probably closed due to lack of visitors and staff (a lot of the staff just stops showing up and I wonder if that has something to do with their decision on when to shut down).

I was also really impressed with the amount of snow that Hunter had laid down, and was continuing to lay down when I visited. :beer: The only other place I visited was Butternut last weekend who still had good coverage where I skied.

 

[thetrailboss]

Not trying to hijack, TB, but would "Best Cover with What You Got" be the same? Doing alot of reading, especially at skiMRV, and talking with guests, it seems Sugarbush performed alot of magic with what Mother Nature dealt out this season.

Seems synonomous to me...so your nomination is SB?

 

[Sparky]

I've only skied at a handful of different places, and I have to say all of them did a pretty good job, considering the warmth and lack of natural. A big props to all Northeast ski areas for blowing snow late into the season this year to top coat and do some patchwork.

Jiminy as usual put down a good base in December although I thought their snowmaking efforts were still a bit scaled back. Probably not, but it seemed that way. Hunter was impressive with a lot of snowmaking still going on after President's Week. No surprise there either. Loon delivered with all snowmaking trails fully covered when I was there in early March. Catamount was pumping it out in December. But I have to really give props to our little local hill, Ski Sundown. They stockpiled a ton of snow during the cold snap before Thanksgiving, and instead of spreading it around, they left it piled up. That got them through the warmup/rain of late November. Once the cold came in December, they were pumping out the snow. I skied during a 1' dump in early December where the still had Gunbarrel closed (they could have opened it) while they pumped snow on it. A true blizzard of snowmaking there, in addition to the real blizzard that was going on. All season they had a huge manmade stockpile at the summit, which was still 1/3 there when I visited a few weeks ago. They may have still closed with some stockpiles in places. I wouldn't be surprised if there were top-to-bottom lines up there still, despite the lifts being closed. Perhaps I'll just have to hike and find out.

All in all - snowmaking saved us this season and again props to all ski areas that were able to deliver decent skiing despite the challenges weatherwise this season! :beer:

According to the guy that owns 51% of Jiminy, if they had not made snow they would not have been open at all this year. They set two records for snowmaking this year, most number of guns running at one time 213 (a lot for a small mountain) and the most they have ever spent on energy for snowmaking $600,000 Also a lot for a small mountain.

 

[nelsapbm]

I unfortunately didnt/havent gotten out much this season, but my vote goes for Stratton.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Even with the differences in latitude, elevation and weather patterns, I'd have to give it to the last mountain left open that still offers a quality ski experience.

Every place I went to did a great job recovering from the thaw freeze cycles they where put through, if they didn't they'd be out of business.

 

[noski]

Seems synonomous to me...so your nomination is SB?

uh....I better, uh... recuse myself. I pass my vote to Lostone by proxy.

 

[hammer]

My vote goes to Sunapee, with Crotched a pretty close second. I don't get to the bigger areas, though, so take this vote FWIW.

Biggest disappointment this season for me was Cranmore...even though the early season weather was very cooperative, during the week after Christmas they didn't have anywhere near as many trails open as I would have expected for a smaller place.

I would be more critical of Tenney's lack of open trails, but I didn't expect much from them anyway...

 

[Sky]

I'll leave "best" voting to those who did more sampling than me (Killington for New Years, Cannon in early Mar after 20" of fluff which was long gone when I got there, Okemo in mid March...and Wa all season long).

However, I think it was Greg who opted to give props to all the Northeast areas for making the best of a bad situation.

Along that line of thinking...(and as a registered lobbyist for Wachusett *smirk*)...Wa did another great job given the crappy winter. They always seem to deal with the southern New England weather extremely well. They perpetually deal with the (typical) rain at the end of the southern snow storms (not that it happened this year).

And they made snow in March, which is very unusual for them.

Congrats to all your local hills for doing well enough (or better) to be here next year (financially) and well enough (or better) experientially to bring us back for next season.