Best place on a midweek powder day...

[AHM]

hiker........................

tell me: when was the last time they opened the slides for a midweek powder day. The point was, that the terrain, while good, is rarely open, especially after a powder day. The point of the guy's opening post was where would you want to be on a mid week powder day.

For most, that would be either resort terrain that is open or safe backcountry terrain. I doubt most on the board, with any experience, punch first into the backcountry on a powder day. Backcountry here is defined as areas that can have avalanche issues. If the NE BC is simply woods skiing a remote off area shot, then that is most likely pretty safe. Backcountry with avalanche potential is typically not skied the day of the powder day by most. It is skied by some, who have either a whole lot of avie experience or none at all. Usually those without any are the ones who's days end up as part of S&R.

So, we get back to what terrain would actually be available on the powder day as that is the terrain you would most likely wish to hit. From the post by HPD that stated the slides were open 11 days last year, suggests that they are open less than 10 % of the time (I'll hazard the guess that WF was open over 100 days last year). Consequently, I doubt that they would be open on a powder day and hence would be off limits (unless your idea of fun on a pow day is standing by the rope all day hoping something will open or simply ducking it) or you are gonna skin the access road and I am gonna guess you'd hit some lift served first before going after the slides and I will guess that the first thing that you do on a powder is not put skins to skis. So chances are, you actually aren't skiing the slides on a pow day.

All that said, the single runs quite consistently on pow days. More consistently than many many other lifts in VT. When you combine the fact that they actually get the lift going, with the great terrain that is at MRG. It is my choice for pow days.

Now, comparing the slides to the alps. That is to clearly discern that the slides are not really big full path slides that are heavily active. When was the last full path slide there. Any last season ?? Major Canadian, European and some US areas have a knack for understanding their terrain and getting things rolling in a reasonable time period after a big dump. They manage the terrain and the skiers to open it up and provide access. At 11 days for last season, and I doubt not more than a 20 day mean since they began regulation of the slides, it suggests that the area does not manage the terrain all that well in terms of providing access. Many local WF skiers complain that the area is very conservative with the terrain. That being said, I think the area might wish to engage the local skiers and better understand how to manage the terrain so it can be enjoyed. So enjoy the slides on a pow day if you get em, meanwhile I'll be at MRG, SB, Jay, or the Bolton backcountry..........................unless of course I am some where else.AHM

 

[takeahike46er]

tell me: when was the last time they opened the slides for a midweek powder day.

February 24th, 2006. There had been a series of lake effect bands all week, and the snow was piling up. I know because I was unable to ski that day (I was pissed). You can read my post here: http://forums.skiadk.com/about219.html There are probably more recent times when the slides opened after a snowfall.


Sure the chances of hitting them are low, but that doesn't discount the fact that WF rocks on a midweek powder day, especially if you get to ski the slides.

Now, comparing the slides to the alps. That is to clearly discern that the slides are not really big full path slides that are heavily active. When was the last full path slide there. Any last season ?? Major Canadian, European and some US areas have a knack for understanding their terrain and getting things rolling in a reasonable time period after a big dump. They manage the terrain and the skiers to open it up and provide access. At 11 days for last season, and I doubt not more than a 20 day mean since they began regulation of the slides, it suggests that the area does not manage the terrain all that well in terms of providing access. Many local WF skiers complain that the area is very conservative with the terrain.

You seem to imply that management keeps them closed largely due to the fear of avalanche. In reality, most days the slides are kept closed due to a combinaton of ice build-up at various ledges on the slides combined with an insufficient base. Only with a substantial snowfall or a large base (end-of-season) the slides become viable. Otherwise, the bands of snow are broken with patches of exposed rock and ice-falls. The avalance potential is real at times, but that isn't the major limiting factor.