blow torch

[Los]

When our neighbors like Killington and the I-93 areas to the northeast were catching 6 to 8" snow a pop here in the Upper Valley of NH we were straight rain and warm routinely all winter. Besides the cold December and that snowy week, this winter is dejavu from last winter for this area. :sad:

YES EXACTLY

Northern NH fared better and had a great 7-10 days in early February. But it was not "great" overall.

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm sorry, but this has been bugging me... Northern NH's season was "great" and southern NH's season was "average" compared to what? The past 5 seasons?

I can't comment about the other side of the Whites, but aside from the past couple of weeks and MLK weekend, the skiing at Wildcat has been great this season. Most of the powder days were midweek, but the skiing on the weekends even a couple of days after the storms has been mostly packed powder conditions on the trails and soft snow to be had in the woods. December was really good, January turned out way better than the forecasts would have you believe and February was all time up there. If we coasted out the rest of the season without much more natural and at least get some a good corn cycle going, I'd still call it a very good year for Wildcat.

Southern NH I would say is below average. It's been poor except for the two week snowy period.

 

[Jully]

YES EXACTLY

Northern NH fared better and had a great 7-10 days in early February. But it was not "great" overall.

I can't comment about the other side of the Whites, but aside from the past couple of weeks and MLK weekend, the skiing at Wildcat has been great this season. Most of the powder days were midweek, but the skiing on the weekends even a couple of days after the storms has been mostly packed powder conditions on the trails and soft snow to be had in the woods. December was really good, January turned out way better than the forecasts would have you believe and February was all time up there. If we coasted out the rest of the season without much more natural and at least get some a good corn cycle going, I'd still call it a very good year for Wildcat.

Southern NH I would say is below average. It's been poor except for the two week snowy period.

I gotta agree with DHS. I think northern NE / higher elevations in general (I'm sorry to hear about Whaleback) has been pretty great. Places like Wildcat, SR, and SB were near 100% much earlier than previous years and stayed that way until this past warm up. I skied some great trees first week of January at the River.

If the warm up continues, then looking back on the year at the end of May could have a less favorable outlook, but right now its been pretty excellent. I'm optimistic that this warm up won't spell the end of the season for many places.

 

[cdskier]

Hmm...I'm tempted to say some people have set their bars for what constitutes "excellent" a bit lower than they should be. There have been far too many thaw/freeze events for me to rate the overall season as "excellent" or even "very good" (I'm looking at this from a perspective of mainly Sugarbush). December there is no doubt in my mind was "excellent". I had fantastic powder days and was able to hike to CR with outstanding cover in early December which is crazy. This latest blow torch however in late February just absolutely knocks the overall season score way down in my book (unless we have a miraculous recovery in March, which could still happen). If the season doesn't recover from this point, I'd rate the season an above average "good" (so maybe a 6-7 out of 10), but wouldn't go even into the "very good" range.

Of course some areas further north you might be able to rate higher at this point, but for me this season has been way too inconsistent with the up and down swings.

 

[JimG.]

Hmm...I'm tempted to say some people have set their bars for what constitutes "excellent" a bit lower than they should be. There have been far too many thaw/freeze events for me to rate the overall season as "excellent" or even "very good" (I'm looking at this from a perspective of mainly Sugarbush). December there is no doubt in my mind was "excellent". I had fantastic powder days and was able to hike to CR with outstanding cover in early December which is crazy. This latest blow torch however in late February just absolutely knocks the overall season score way down in my book (unless we have a miraculous recovery in March, which could still happen). If the season doesn't recover from this point, I'd rate the season an above average "good" (so maybe a 6-7 out of 10), but wouldn't go even into the "very good" range.

Of course some areas further north you might be able to rate higher at this point, but for me this season has been way too inconsistent with the up and down swings.

+1

I have had a few awesome days but overall this is the second shitty winter in a row. Frankly, this year's "spring in February" after everything was 100% open for a week or so has been worse. I give it a 5 out of 10 at best.

 

[Jully]

Hmm...I'm tempted to say some people have set their bars for what constitutes "excellent" a bit lower than they should be. There have been far too many thaw/freeze events for me to rate the overall season as "excellent" or even "very good" (I'm looking at this from a perspective of mainly Sugarbush). December there is no doubt in my mind was "excellent". I had fantastic powder days and was able to hike to CR with outstanding cover in early December which is crazy. This latest blow torch however in late February just absolutely knocks the overall season score way down in my book (unless we have a miraculous recovery in March, which could still happen). If the season doesn't recover from this point, I'd rate the season an above average "good" (so maybe a 6-7 out of 10), but wouldn't go even into the "very good" range.

Of course some areas further north you might be able to rate higher at this point, but for me this season has been way too inconsistent with the up and down swings.

I actually agree with you. I just classify great as different from excellent. I'd give this season maybe a 6 or 7/10 for my northern NE skiing. I might also be biased because I only went to northern NE when it was especially good. I'd classify good as 5/10, great as 7/10, excellent as 9/10. I was also referring to the season pre-blow torch. I don't know what the blow torch does to the season rating yet in my mind.

Prior to late Feb though, November, December, and January were all easily 7/10.

 

[Smellytele]

I have had 36 days in with one shitty day (presidents' day). half were excellent and 25% were good, 20% great. Last year was half okay half shitty. The year before. 75% excellent 25% great.

 

[wtcobb]

26 days last year, most of them bad.

43 days and counting this year, most of them very good. Not a banner season, but a very good season.

 

[Los]

+1

I have had a few awesome days but overall this is the second shitty winter in a row. Frankly, this year's "spring in February" after everything was 100% open for a week or so has been worse. I give it a 5 out of 10 at best.

Jim G - I really appreciate your honest assessment.

One of the measures that I'm using this year is the skiability of the glades at bretton woods. They were only 100% open for a very short period of time. It just seems to me that a "great" year in northern NH would mean - by the measure I'm using - skiable trees with decent snow for at least January through most of March. And that just hasn't been the case. Not for Bretton Woods, and not for Cannon. Is this a meaningless or stupid measure? I have no doubt you'll all let me know.

In any event, it seems to me we've really lowered our standards as to what constitutes average, great, excellent etc.

Having said that, I have alot of respect for DHS, so I'll defer to his judgment...

 

[dlague]

Jim G - I really appreciate your honest assessment.

One of the measures that I'm using this year is the skiability of the glades at bretton woods. They were only 100% open for a very short period of time. It just seems to me that a "great" year in northern NH would mean - by the measure I'm using - skiable trees with decent snow for at least January through most of March. And that just hasn't been the case. Not for Bretton Woods, and not for Cannon. Is this a meaningless or stupid measure? I have no doubt you'll all let me know.

In any event, it seems to me we've really lowered our standards as to what constitutes average, great, excellent etc.

Having said that, I have alot of respect for DHS, so I'll defer to his judgment...

Well last season set the bar very low while 2014-2015 set the bar high. 2014-2015 was not a banner year for natural but it was consistently cold and made made skied well and there was enough snowfall to open the trees for a longer duration. If you could combine this years snowfall with 2014-2015 temps that would make for a great season.

Time for a season grade thread?

 

[cdskier]

Well last season set the bar very low while 2014-2015 set the bar high. 2014-2015 was not a banner year for natural but it was consistently cold and made made skied well and there was enough snowfall to open the trees for a longer duration. If you could combine this years snowfall with 2014-2015 temps that would make for a great season.

Yes...exactly. If you could combine this year's snowfall with those consistently cold temps, you would have an excellent season in the northeast in my book.

Time for a season grade thread?

Way too early...let's see what happens in March.

 

[Jully]

In any event, it seems to me we've really lowered our standards as to what constitutes average, great, excellent etc.

That could very well be true. But at the same time, if I can have a season that I grade at a 7/10 and I enjoy it like it is a true 7/10, then does it matter?

Also, with respect to your grading your season based on glades, I do that as well for the most part. The majority of my northern days this year have been at SR (with just 1 and Tash and 1 at Cannon). At SR I skied some wide open glades on January 1st that were open and skiing nicely the whole time up until this warm up. Haven't been back and likely won't be back for the rest of this season (due to other, non condition related reasons though).

 

[Jully]

Yes...exactly. If you could combine this year's snowfall with those consistently cold temps, you would have an excellent season in the northeast in my book.



Way too early...let's see what happens in March.

I'll be real sad if I see a grading thread now...

Kind of like how I was sick when the 2016 closing ski area thread had already started by March 1.

 

[JimG.]

After the last 12 days it is impossible for me to call the current season anything better than below average.

Losing every scrap of natural snow (exempting a few outliers) before the end of Feb when most resorts had just gotten to 100% open is an unmitigated disaster.

There is no "recovery" from that.

 

[Jcb890]

I'll agree that this has been a decent season. 6/10 maybe, could be 7/10 depending on how we finish up. A strong finish after this melting period I'd be OK saying 7/10. If it gets right back to warmth and places close early though, I think it should be knocked down to a 5/10.

The snow has been good, but the thaws and re-freezes have sucked (per usual).

I think everyone's bar in New England is really low right now after last season.

 

[boston_e]

After the last 12 days it is impossible for me to call the current season anything better than below average.

Losing every scrap of natural snow (exempting a few outliers) before the end of Feb when most resorts had just gotten to 100% open is an unmitigated disaster.

There is no "recovery" from that.

Basing my grade on what I have seen at Killington / Pico, I have to agree with this assessment. I've had a few excellent days, but for the most part a lot of the snows have been sandwiched between thaw / refreeze events so I've had a lot of very average / sub par days.

That being said, I think I can see how someone skiing Maine / Northeastern NH would call this season excellent. For the most part the heart of the storms have hit up there. When Pico got 7" just before new years, Maine got 2 feet. In feb when we got 12", they got 30" and it seems that is how it has gone for every storm.

The snowfall totals look very good on paper but there have been so many thaws that is has not translated into a great season. Heck I think Pico was reporting 80" of snow before their opening weekend in December, yet in December once they opened, anything that did not have snowmaking was not skiable because of so many thaws.

 

[boston_e]

Is there anyone else who finds this weather totally depressing?

 

[Jcb890]

Basing my grade on what I have seen at Killington / Pico, I have to agree with this assessment. I've had a few excellent days, but for the most part a lot of the snows have been sandwiched between thaw / refreeze events so I've had a lot of very average / sub par days.

That being said, I think I can see how someone skiing Maine / Northeastern NH would call this season excellent. For the most part the heart of the storms have hit up there. When Pico got 7" just before new years, Maine got 2 feet. In feb when we got 12", they got 30" and it seems that is how it has gone for every storm.

The snowfall totals look very good on paper but there have been so many thaws that is has not translated into a great season. Heck I think Pico was reporting 80" of snow before their opening weekend in December, yet in December once they opened, anything that did not have snowmaking was not skiable because of so many thaws.

I like how Jay Peak reminds us every chance they get about the 357" they have received this year. I'll be interested to see how late they stay open compared to other seasons.

Is there anyone else who finds this weather totally depressing?

YES!
People at my work office are all excited "ooohhh almost time to take out the bike/boat/etc." while I'm like "F this weather!!"

 

[cdskier]

YES!
People at my work office are all excited "ooohhh almost time to take out the bike/boat/etc." while I'm like "F this weather!!"

Haha. Yes here too! I was just on a conference call a little while ago with a co-worker and he asked if I was "still" skiing with the warm weather. I replied something along the lines of "yes, but this weather sucks". He proceeded to call me grumpy. :x

 

[ALLSKIING]

Killington is bringing in extra compressors for the weekend!

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