Mt Snow 21-22 Season

[urungus]

Snowdance is now open both on the trail report and from a social media post of one of my friends on the hill this morning. Also he says that there are a bunch of cats pushing snow out over at Carinthia, so some ropes will likely be dropping there in the near future as well

Snowdance today had some cool ice formations near the bottom

 

[urungus]

A few more pix from today. Nice conditions under grey skies. Place was empty. Snowdance + Ridge + Chute will make a big difference.

 

[Newpylong]

The ice sculpture is from the bleed (end of the water line).

 

[drjeff]

Ropes dropped on Ridge and Chute this morning.

Snow was soft cream cheese like all over the mountain. Light was very flat with most of the mountain being in the clouds/mist during the 8-12 shift today.

ROTD was Chute. Smooth, consistent snow top to bottom and narrow enough that you could keep some depth perception through the visibility challenges via the trees on the sides

 

[bigbob]

The ice sculpture is from the bleed (end of the water line).

You mean it's not like Killington where one would assume it was from the daily water line break?

 

[ctdubl07]

Just got back in. Pretty decent, mashed potatoes mixed with some greasy areas. Looking out window, there's a cat pulling and pushing out snow on lower Fools...can't see over last hip but assume snow all the way up to top of nitro.
Carinthia lodge slated to open if not Friday, then Saturday. Assume Nitro will start spinning a fee days prior.

 

[drjeff]

Just got back in. Pretty decent, mashed potatoes mixed with some greasy areas. Looking out window, there's a cat pulling and pushing out snow on lower Fools...can't see over last hip but assume snow all the way up to top of nitro.
Carinthia lodge slated to open if not Friday, then Saturday. Assume Nitro will start spinning a fee days prior.

Per the PM snow report, Heavy Metal spins for the 1st time this season tomorrow, and Gulch opens, which looks to have a bunch of sizable features from the view from 100. Saw the lights of a cat working what looked like Nitro when I just drove back to my condo from the grocery store. Wouldn't surprise me if that rope dropped in the next few days. Although with this being the 15th anniversary season for Carinthia, they may want to build things out before opening up Nitro, as opposed to the typical, open it as a feature free trail while they're laying down enough snow on it for its initial build of the season... Time will tell...

Hopefully Carinthia Lodge open and operating as usual next weekend. Per one of my food and beverage friends I spoke with yesterday, Cuzzins opens next weekend, and the Taproom on Friday the 15th. Will be nice to have a few more options in the F&B department soon.

Got my 1st Golden Bubble of the season this morning. Snow was fun and forgiving, visibility was challenging. Made it through 15 runs on the Bluebird before the dampness level won out over the fun factor during my 8 to 11:45 shift

 

[drjeff]

Snow was soft, and generally in good quantity. (Snowmaking temps can't arrive quickly enough in a few select places though) crowds were very light, hardly any wind and temps around 50 and sunny. Just a fun day to be out skiing. And I never get tired of just stopping and taking in the views when there's a valley under cast situation going on as there was in some valleys this morning!

 

[drjeff]

Doing some gun flex right now for sure! Especially since the ambient air temp is currently 29 at my back deck now! Full on recovery effort after this past weeks uber warm and moist weather!!

 

[Atomic]

Pretty dang fun at Farmer Snow's mountain (google it...) today. Plenty of loose man made on top of what's open and crisp bluebird conditions served to the summit only by the namesake Bluebird bubble because of an issue on Grand Summit Express that apparently stranded a mt. ops crew airborne for a bit early this morning before I arrived.

Crowds and ice were scarce, maybe a 3-minute wait max for the bubble at peak. Pics are from last run of the day just before 4 as sun was dropping fast. But, dare I say it, seems to me that maybe just maybe the post-solstice afternoon light is starting to hang on a bit, no?

 

[chuckstah]

Pretty dang fun at Farmer Snow's mountain (google it...) today. Plenty of loose man made on top of what's open and crisp bluebird conditions served to the summit only by the namesake Bluebird bubble because of an issue on Grand Summit Express that apparently stranded a mt. ops crew airborne for a bit early this morning before I arrived.

Crowds and ice were scarce, maybe a 3-minute wait max for the bubble at peak. Pics are from last run of the day just before 4 as sun was dropping fast. But, dare I say it, seems to me that maybe just maybe the post-solstice afternoon light is starting to hang on a bit, no?


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View attachment 60337

Dr Jeff clone with that run on sentence? Nah, not long enough I guess

 

[Atomic]

Dr Jeff clone with that run on sentence? Nah, not long enough I guess

Great contribution to the thread. And sorry to hear about your reading challenges. Those sentences short enough for you?

 

[SLyardsale]

Been out 1/1, 1/2 and 1/3. Overall, not bad but super thin most everywhere. They have left stuff open where you can make your own decision. I'm good with that. They resurfaced Lodge overnight 1/1 and it was closed and draining on 1/2. Today 1/3, Lodge was great after being worked with the groomer. They have run Sunbrook for a while with just the one route down - walt/cloud nine - plus the connection shooting star - that seemed like a waste and was not worth it over there but tomorrow Little Dip should come on. Blue Bird has been finnicky with lots of stops / starts - feels like a software or sensor issue. Enjoying the Sundance lift again this year - lets you skip the main base quite a bit longer. Two days in row with a med flight going out. Lot's of joe college boys here - they are spread out but can be scary to watch bomb the edges of Deer Run in these variable conditions.

 

[urungus]

Summit forecast, I’m desperately trying not to get my hopes up …

 

[drjeff]

Summit forecast, I’m desperately trying not to get my hopes up …

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The thing I like the most about that forecast is that the Tuesday/Wednesday event may be snow, and not another liquid event!! Don't need a liquid event heading into MLK Weekend!!

 

[MidnightJester]

Summit forecast, I’m desperately trying not to get my hopes up …

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Pulling 1 of these 2 Storms into the Snow and Win category will be a a blessing. Pulling even half Snow amounts of each of these storms is as well into a Win Category. The Lurking 3rd Storm that will come through on the 12-13 will wrap this upcoming week off : )~

Here is to Ullr and Hope ; )~

 

[Atomic]

From Friday 1/12, just hours before the MLK deluge of slop and humans. Bit firm here and there but overall very nice considering the weather roller coaster we've been on. Believe that's Ridge on top pic - probably run of the day.

Shot with the lift is Free Fall on North Face, where most trails were pretty stiff and chunky unless it was in sun - Chute was easily the best. Ski-on all lifts all day except Bluebird, which looked like maybe a 5-ish minute wait max. I avoided it anyway except one run toward end of day when it all cleared out.

Obviously lots of traffic and some ugly jams heading north on 100 and 91 on the way back to CT about 5-ish. This morning's report said Bluebird, Grand Summit and Sunbrook lifts were on hold due to icing and wind. Here's hoping things improve for the rest of the weekend - I'll be on the mountain bike.

 

[SLyardsale]

Time to drop some ropes at this friggin place. OMT, uncles, shoot out, ledge, choke are all low angle cruds on the main face that have plenty of snow on them. Peak would have opened these then given you some oxy for your acl tear. lets go tooth jeff - get your peeps in gear and get some of this shit terrain open please.

 

[drjeff]

Time to drop some ropes at this friggin place. OMT, uncles, shoot out, ledge, choke are all low angle cruds on the main face that have plenty of snow on them. Peak would have opened these then given you some oxy for your acl tear. lets go tooth jeff - get your peeps in gear and get some of this shit terrain open please.

Hopefully soon.

Patrol friend I was talking with yesterday mentioned that when her and one of her fellow patrollers were out evaluating some of the natural snow terrain that the multiple wet events last week, followed by the freeze up Saturday night, created a bunch of unstable, breakable crust underneath the squall snow on Sunday afternoon and then the 6" or so (that's what my son who skied until closing bell estimated fell over the course of today when he texted me this evening), the kind of crust that in her opinion is the type of stuff that when people who don't have the ability they think they may have, get into situations like breakable crust, often end up needed a patrol toboggan after the crust takes them out.

Hopefully with today's snow, it will be enough to get the cats out on some natural snow terrain and pack all of the variable snow layers in and drop some more ropes.

Should be adding more snowmaking terrain soon with what's listed as under the guns currently

 

[jaytrem]

Yeah, they definitely seem more conservative this year. Would be nice to open Ledges and put up a variable conditions sign. At least there is some tree skiing that they don't officially keep closed. Though they did have a rope at the top of Carinthia trees that pretty much everybody ignored. Not sure what the deal with that is, plenty of other entrances.