from_the_NEK
Active member
Made it to Burke for what will probably be my last day on skis this year (barring something crazy happening in early April). Things heated up fast in the afternoon. On the last lift ride at 4:00, the summit thermometer was reading 70!
Just insane. I have only skied one other day this warm and that was at the end of April at Jay 9 or 10 years ago.
Trails with man-made snow were best as the heat was baking the snow into mid-shin deep mashed potatoes and corn. Problem was, there wasn't enough skier traffic to get any bump lines to form. I had a good time anyway and got one last run down East Bowl before patrol closed it for the year. There were some really good turns in there but there were a lot of holes and the last pitch required a little moss skiing.
Upper Powerline to Wilderness (which were both closed) sucked. Wilderness required some grass/moss/rock traversing to link up the lines.
Upper/Big Dipper was very good but the sticks are starting to poke through the head wall just below the first Deer Run crossing.
Upper/Lower Willoughby was very good but again the sticks are starting to poke through under the Darling Point headwall.
The ice whales on Ledges finaly thawed out :roll: and that was fun to ski for the first time this year.
Warren's Way was very good but the sticks/rocks are starting to poke through at the band of rocks halfway down Upper Warren's. There are a couple of water bar spots that have seriously undermined the snow. When these blow out, the mountain may be forced to close if they can't get a groomer up there to bridge them.
The area of most concern is right around the Mid-Burke lift loading area. It is getting extremely thin where the waterbars cross under the snow.
Some creative grooming may keep them open through Thursday but another few of days near 70 with no freezes are going to probably kill it before next weekend.
Burke's website still has Pond Skimming on for the 31st but I don't know how they are going to build a pond. :sad: :sad: :sad:
P.S. The lower mountain is closed until next weekend.
Just insane. I have only skied one other day this warm and that was at the end of April at Jay 9 or 10 years ago.
Trails with man-made snow were best as the heat was baking the snow into mid-shin deep mashed potatoes and corn. Problem was, there wasn't enough skier traffic to get any bump lines to form. I had a good time anyway and got one last run down East Bowl before patrol closed it for the year. There were some really good turns in there but there were a lot of holes and the last pitch required a little moss skiing.
Upper Powerline to Wilderness (which were both closed) sucked. Wilderness required some grass/moss/rock traversing to link up the lines.
Upper/Big Dipper was very good but the sticks are starting to poke through the head wall just below the first Deer Run crossing.
Upper/Lower Willoughby was very good but again the sticks are starting to poke through under the Darling Point headwall.
The ice whales on Ledges finaly thawed out :roll: and that was fun to ski for the first time this year.
Warren's Way was very good but the sticks/rocks are starting to poke through at the band of rocks halfway down Upper Warren's. There are a couple of water bar spots that have seriously undermined the snow. When these blow out, the mountain may be forced to close if they can't get a groomer up there to bridge them.
The area of most concern is right around the Mid-Burke lift loading area. It is getting extremely thin where the waterbars cross under the snow.
Some creative grooming may keep them open through Thursday but another few of days near 70 with no freezes are going to probably kill it before next weekend.
Burke's website still has Pond Skimming on for the 31st but I don't know how they are going to build a pond. :sad: :sad: :sad:
P.S. The lower mountain is closed until next weekend.
