mikestaple
Member
Left the Cape at 5am for a day of skiing with my son and godson. My godson had been at Loon the prior weekend and said the snow was mostly skiied off and crusty. But expectations were high with the new 5 to 6 inches they got in the last two days.
Our goal was first chair at 8am but a surprise snow storm across central NH had turned 93 into, literally, a skating rink. I saw one guy spin out in front of me and another 8 spin outs off the road (including a flipped over small school bus - thankfully empty). This added about an hour to the trip - stay safe out there.
We waited about 2 minutes in the gondola line and quickly got to the top where we clicked in at 9am. Nice, soft powder all over - and not too tracked off. This would be the theme of the day. Good snow all over. Even as the day progressed and the crowd grew (especially after 12:30), the snow held up. Decent cover in the small glade Missing Link - which the boys loved. I believe the other glades were roped off - but still saw tracks in those. Weather was nippy, but not windy. So not an issue at all. Afternoon flurries added to the fun.
Went over to the South Peak and loved Boom Run (ROTD) and Cruiser. Sorry - no Rip Saw for us. Great snow on Boom Run and definitely will not make the Loon rookie mistake of parking anywhere but the South Peak parking lot in the future. Definitely the way to go. Easy in, easy out and not crowded. Boom Run and Cruiser were nice, long, runs with varying steeps.
After a slice and a hot chocolate at the lodge at South Peak, we took the Tote Road Quad back to the main mountain for another run down Bear Claw and Missing Link and then up the high speed Quad to do Upper and Lower Walking Boss. Good snow still on these edge of mountain black and blue trails. Nice ungroomed terrain made it a good challenge. Dad's thighs need a break and the boys hit the small terrain park off the little sister double. Then it was back up 7 Bros lift to the Quad to Flume. Great steep. I bailed out on lower Flume but the boys went straight for the moguls and had a good run. Bumps looked soft. They loved them. Snow wasn't skiied off on the bump bail out on skiiers right.
Finished up with a run down their big terrain park - the usual, jumps, rails, etc and another trip through Missing Link. Didn't get over to the blues near the Kankamangus (sp) Quad. A mob scene over there. Also, the crowd seemed to thin just before 3 as the day trip buses loaded up. But a new round of folks showed up around 3:15. Must have been coming for the night terrain park promo they have going this weekend.
All in all, a great day of skiing and nice first impression of Loon. Yes, it got crazy crowded after 12 and must be that way on the weekend. As stated elsewhere on this site - you really have to plan your day if you go up to Loon on a holiday or weekend. Get there EARLY!! Avoid Grand Junction, use the North Peak Quad and East Basin Double. Go over to South Peak to avoid the crowd's too. Hit lunch early and the hot chocolate break late.
Loon should look to put in a dedicated surface lift for their big terrain park - that might remove some of the line on the gondola. Also, wasn't in love with the trail layout near the Kancmagus (sp) Quad - if you got on them, you're pretty much stuck funneling to the bottom. Really, my only gripe with the place and one I'm sure they are aware of (priority seems to be adding to the promising South Peak).
Kudos to the NH highway dept. for totally clearing up 93 for the ride back too. Sorry no pics. The lithium batteries in the Sony are old and hated the cold.
Our goal was first chair at 8am but a surprise snow storm across central NH had turned 93 into, literally, a skating rink. I saw one guy spin out in front of me and another 8 spin outs off the road (including a flipped over small school bus - thankfully empty). This added about an hour to the trip - stay safe out there.
We waited about 2 minutes in the gondola line and quickly got to the top where we clicked in at 9am. Nice, soft powder all over - and not too tracked off. This would be the theme of the day. Good snow all over. Even as the day progressed and the crowd grew (especially after 12:30), the snow held up. Decent cover in the small glade Missing Link - which the boys loved. I believe the other glades were roped off - but still saw tracks in those. Weather was nippy, but not windy. So not an issue at all. Afternoon flurries added to the fun.
Went over to the South Peak and loved Boom Run (ROTD) and Cruiser. Sorry - no Rip Saw for us. Great snow on Boom Run and definitely will not make the Loon rookie mistake of parking anywhere but the South Peak parking lot in the future. Definitely the way to go. Easy in, easy out and not crowded. Boom Run and Cruiser were nice, long, runs with varying steeps.
After a slice and a hot chocolate at the lodge at South Peak, we took the Tote Road Quad back to the main mountain for another run down Bear Claw and Missing Link and then up the high speed Quad to do Upper and Lower Walking Boss. Good snow still on these edge of mountain black and blue trails. Nice ungroomed terrain made it a good challenge. Dad's thighs need a break and the boys hit the small terrain park off the little sister double. Then it was back up 7 Bros lift to the Quad to Flume. Great steep. I bailed out on lower Flume but the boys went straight for the moguls and had a good run. Bumps looked soft. They loved them. Snow wasn't skiied off on the bump bail out on skiiers right.
Finished up with a run down their big terrain park - the usual, jumps, rails, etc and another trip through Missing Link. Didn't get over to the blues near the Kankamangus (sp) Quad. A mob scene over there. Also, the crowd seemed to thin just before 3 as the day trip buses loaded up. But a new round of folks showed up around 3:15. Must have been coming for the night terrain park promo they have going this weekend.
All in all, a great day of skiing and nice first impression of Loon. Yes, it got crazy crowded after 12 and must be that way on the weekend. As stated elsewhere on this site - you really have to plan your day if you go up to Loon on a holiday or weekend. Get there EARLY!! Avoid Grand Junction, use the North Peak Quad and East Basin Double. Go over to South Peak to avoid the crowd's too. Hit lunch early and the hot chocolate break late.
Loon should look to put in a dedicated surface lift for their big terrain park - that might remove some of the line on the gondola. Also, wasn't in love with the trail layout near the Kancmagus (sp) Quad - if you got on them, you're pretty much stuck funneling to the bottom. Really, my only gripe with the place and one I'm sure they are aware of (priority seems to be adding to the promising South Peak).
Kudos to the NH highway dept. for totally clearing up 93 for the ride back too. Sorry no pics. The lithium batteries in the Sony are old and hated the cold.
