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Killllington πŸŽΏπŸ‚πŸ‚πŸŽΏπŸŽΏπŸ‚πŸ‚πŸŽΏπŸ˜€

letitsnow1

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Jan 14, 2024
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The real explanation is far simpler. The middle flat section receives more sunlight than the "headwall" and Pres pitch.

An extreme example of this is next door Ovation. If you look at the most recent Google Earth imagery you can see the Headwall and Lower sections already in the shade while the middle is receiving far more direct sunlight. Superstar is nearly identical but less pronounced as it's not as steep.
That's true but it was obvious that they made less snow in the area right above the middle ovation exit. The last few times they made snow there was a gap with no guns there
 

mister moose

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Oct 11, 2007
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The real explanation is far simpler. The middle flat section receives more sunlight than the "headwall" and Pres pitch.

An extreme example of this is next door Ovation. If you look at the most recent Google Earth imagery you can see the Headwall and Lower sections already in the shade while the middle is receiving far more direct sunlight. Superstar is nearly identical but less pronounced as it's not as steep.

That's true but it was obvious that they made less snow in the area right above the middle ovation exit. The last few times they made snow there was a gap with no guns there
Agree, there was significantly less snow this year in the tower 9 area. That plus a surprise warm-up that shut down the last snowmaking push a little early. They left the hoses in for 2 weeks, but never got cold again,
 

Zand

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Joined
Dec 30, 2003
Messages
4,288
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Location
Spencer, MA
Screenshot_20240524-090747.png

Looks good at opening this morning. I imagine it will look much more brown by closing tomorrow.
 

SteezyRob

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Oct 12, 2022
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Vail Corporation Headquarters
It is ugly just about every year on June 1st. Some years you walk down the upper head wall with asssitance with a rope, then take skis off on the flat at the bottom to get to the lift and then a few years the bottom of the lower head wall had bare spots where you had to walk or ski across grass to get back to snow.
has anyone here done this? doesn't even seem fun tbh.
 

rtjcbrown

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Jan 10, 2012
Messages
168
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18
Would the use of those year round ski mats on the usual thin areas help? Something to bridge the gap, and allow continuous skiing.

sddefault.jpg
 

Zand

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Dec 30, 2003
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has anyone here done this? doesn't even seem fun tbh.
I've never actually been there on a day when you have to walk down and hang onto the ropes.

I want to say...2017 was the only time I was there when they didn't have a path to and from the lift but it wasn't too bad walking a few hundred feet to the lift. Headwall was skiable that day so not a big deal.

2019 I skied on my birthday (June 2) and they did the strip of snow over the headwall but there were so many idiots side slipping down it that it went to hell really fast. I was still just straight lining it over the rocks because it wasn't a big deal, but it got ruined by the sideslippers and a lot of people walked around.

I can't imagine they will have a product left on Monday that will entice me to go. I don't mind walking onto and off the lift and I don't mind skipping on the grass between breaks in the snow, but if hiking down the entire headwall is on the menu then that's where I draw the line on it being worth going.
 

Razor

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Nov 15, 2005
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EMass
I have an old lift ticket for June 10 that year. We got a combo ski/mountain bike ticket. Skied in the morning, biked in the afternoon.
 

SkiingInABlueDream

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Aug 2, 2006
Messages
816
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Location
the woods of greater-Waltham
Could anyone refresh my memory on a couple things:
1. The years when Killington went to or nearly to July, was that on Supe or upper Cascade?
2. Re the Juggernaut trail. IIRC it was originally the "10 mile trail" (marketed as such) and it ran down to the original Sunrise base, yes?
 

Newpylong

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Dec 20, 2005
Messages
5,190
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Location
Upper Valley, NH
1997 they went to 6/22 which was the latest by a good margin, it was on Superstar.

Juggernaut was always Juggernaut, but was marketed as a 10 mile trail. You're thinking of Juggernaut Too, which split above Sunrise and went to Sunrise base. Juggernaut itself came down into Bear and crossed the parking lot and followed Bear/East Mountain Road until it met the Route 4 trails and went down to the gondy/later Skyeship base.

Much of it is abandoned now, all of it renamed that isn't.
 

joshua segal

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Jan 31, 2014
Messages
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Location
Southern NH
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skikabbalah.com
has anyone here done this? doesn't even seem fun tbh.
I've been there last day many times. I think it's great fun, but it is certainly not great skiing and it is tiring. I typically quit after somewhere between 5 and 10 runs. The fact that hundreds of people turn out for it is pretty good evidence that a lot of people enjoy it.

Some use the ropes, some walk the headwall, some turf it. A few will even walk around Nivis to Launch Pad to get to middle SS. Some drop their skis off the lift at the bottom of the headwall so they don't have to carry them down.

And the tailgating is a lot of fun. But don't take my opinion. Try it for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
 

Smellytele

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Jan 30, 2006
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Right where I want to be
The head wall was already looking like chocolate chip ice cream by 1 today. The middle section that they patched up had huge bumps as it was soft and not the race ice like the other sections (which still had bumps by 10:00).
I will post a few pictures later
 

Zand

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Dec 30, 2003
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Location
Spencer, MA
Looks like they made it through today break free, which is impressive considering what it looks like Wednesday. They do a fine job making something out of nothing, that's for sure.
 
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