Mt Snow Thread

[SLyardsale]

What exact section of Lower Ex is this course on? The trail is pretty much useless above Lodge cutover since they stopped making snow on old Upper Ex and with Ego not running.

its directly adjacent to charlies chase and begins on ex right at the race shack. The problem is, it is the confluence of people coming off lodge onto lower ex, ego alley and drop - and this year middle ex between the ego barn and charlies chase was kept up pretty nice. it was a problem area due to the course for weeks.

edit to add - charlies chase is most often closed for paid trail access too - so you cant escape by going down that. it is a true bottle neck now

 

[drjeff]

What exact section of Lower Ex is this course on? The trail is pretty much useless above Lodge cutover since they stopped making snow on old Upper Ex and with Ego not running.

Starts roughly even with the top of Yardsale (but on the Charlie's Chase - old Countdown side of Lower Ex) and runs down to roughly 100 yards above where the main cut over from lower Ex to Canyon and vice versa is.

Whatever the technical by the rules maximum length for a B Mogul course is, it's right at that length. Takes a little over 15 rolls of b-net to keep the vast majority of the course length with the exception of the last few bumps below the 2nd jump sectioned off.

It's actually a nice venue to run a bump comp on as it's VERY spectator friendly (both for parents as well as the general public riding the Grand Summit Express), the coaches and athletes can lap it via Canyon Express, and if athletes/parents/coaches/judges/the crew putting the Event on need either something to eat or drink and/or need a bathroom break, the main base lodge is right there. The last 2 seasons, totaling 3 events now, that we have used Lower Ex, it has been very well received by athletes, coaches and parents. Much more so than when it was on Beartrap

 

[SLyardsale]

DR, I would say we have a clear difference on what is enjoyable ski access for all. My kids spent close to 10 years in groups at Sugarloaf in bubblecuffers, sCVA, and Jr-pros. It made all 3 of them exceptional skiers and they met life long friends there. Despite the cost of the groups - they never got to cut the line at sugarloaf. The only groups that cut at sugarloaf where the day lesson groups - which I am totally for. Giving cutting privileges to private school kids is a bad look. If they get extra for snow making on a course - so be it.

 

[drjeff]

great - so next year, does the course get built at stratton so we can siphon off all the cutters and have a lower exhibition trail that isn't cut in half and have gravel coming thru the bottle neck directly next to the course (that area clearly did NOT have 6-10ft blown on it - would you agree ?? ) is this a reciprocal deal ? mean while, no bumps on bear trap, no snow making on ripcord and no rope drops on the natural trails.

If Mount Snow is hosting states again next year, and there is a strong desire to bid on that event again next year, wouldn't surprise me if a similar scenario on Lower Ex with an arrangement with SMS to get their athletes extra training time on the exact state competition site, happens again.

Agree though that skiers right of that section of Lower Ex outside of the course needed more snow made for it this year.

As for the Beartrap and Ripcord and rope drops thing, guessing that has ZERO to do with the bump course on Lower Ex.

A 4th hand rumor from a friend of a friend of a friend of a snowmaker they heard one night a DBAG's (so definitely take this with a BIG grain of salt!) is that no snowmaking on Ripcord was because the longtime snowmakers who had a passion of making snow on Ripcord, either retired or are approaching the physical point where gun runs on Ripcord has become too dangerous (I can't imagine how sketchy a night gun run, on foot, up or down Ripcord would be), so unless it's felt it's safe for others to do, or they switch those HKD towers to the fully automated KLIK's, it may be a natural snow only situation, unfortunately, for a while....

 

[drjeff]

DR, I would say we have a clear difference on what is enjoyable ski access for all. My kids spent close to 10 years in groups at Sugarloaf in bubblecuffers, sCVA, and Jr-pros. It made all 3 of them exceptional skiers and they met life long friends there. Despite the cost of the groups - they never got to cut the line at sugarloaf. The only groups that cut at sugarloaf where the day lesson groups - which I am totally for. Giving cutting privileges to private school kids is a bad look. If they get extra for snow making on a course - so be it.

Mount Snow has had a policy with their athletes out of the training center as well as ski school patrons, and when hosting competitions with athletes from other mountains to be able to use the service entrance, most days (sometimes it may not be for all lifts, such as the Bluebird on BUSY days) for many years now. Athletes are STRONGLY encouraged to NOT show up all at once at the service entrance, but only in groups of 1 or 2 chairs. That policy went in place as I recall 7 or 8 yrs ago, when the mtn was under Peak ownership, and has stayed the same since.

I used to question if it was a good thing or not, as when my own 2 kids started in the competition program they couldn't use the service entrance. That policy changed while they were U12's if I remember the timefrane correctly, and suddenly they were getting atleast twice as many, sometimes 3 times as many training runs in a day than they were before. I now see how it is a good thing for the athletes, especially given what the competition program costs now (closing in on 3k a year per athlete when you factor in the cost of their Epic Pass above and beyond the competition team fee)

As a BIG advocate for youth skiing and riding competition programs in particular, to the point of where I actively took the steps to become a USSSA certified Alpine Timing and Calculations official, and will likely pursue my certification as an Alpine Official next year, getting those young athletes as much hill time as possible, even if it may mean at times the general public may need to wait a couple of extra chairs for their next lap, is something I feel very strongly about as a good thing. If not I wouldn't of pursued how I could stay active with youth ski racing even after my own 2 kids aged out of the youth programs, and even now with my own realization that on a race day, I may spend the entire day on the hill from before the general public's 1st chair often until around last chair, and sometimes even later, and only get 2 to maybe 4 runs of my own in, and very much enjoy every minute of it.

And with the SMS athletes, pretty sure when they were training, they only showed up with 1 van for the coaches and athletes, so it's not like it was a 40 passenger bus all skiing together.

I fully respect your perspective on this as well

 

[Atomic]

Sun drenched and a bit windy today (more on the lifts than heading down) with mix of soft dense corn and more chunky/firm depending on when and where - overall ski-on solid day. Carinthia parking lot was as uncrowded as I've seen all year.

 

[icecoast1]

A 4th hand rumor from a friend of a friend of a friend of a snowmaker they heard one night a DBAG's (so definitely take this with a BIG grain of salt!) is that no snowmaking on Ripcord was because the longtime snowmakers who had a passion of making snow on Ripcord, either retired or are approaching the physical point where gun runs on Ripcord has become too dangerous (I can't imagine how sketchy a night gun run, on foot, up or down Ripcord would be), so unless it's felt it's safe for others to do, or they switch those HKD towers to the fully automated KLIK's, it may be a natural snow only situation, unfortunately, for a while....

I can't see them investing the kind of money hkd kliks would cost on a trail that even when it has snow, hardly opens. If they don't have the manpower to run hkds on ripcord, vail really has done a good job of gutting that snowmaking department and hiring a bunch of people that don't know what they're doing

It's a low priority trail in a year when the budget was blown because of the lousy weather...

 

[Newpylong]

Yeah that's pretty bad if true. If the shift supervisors don't have the experience then that speaks volumes of that snowmaking department under Vail. Ripcord is super steep, but it's short. Ice spikes and walk the treeline if you have to. Also if they are that concerned about safety you find a window without fluctuating temps and limit the amount of gun runs required. Set those towers on slop for a while to bind to the ground and then tone them down to put some chaulk on top and the last gun run you're shutting down.

 

[reefer]

The bump course can be seen from the base area webcam. Thanks for the tip doc. Hopefully they are there tomorrow. Should be soft as hell!

 

[drjeff]

The bump course can be seen from the base area webcam. Thanks for the tip doc. Hopefully they are there tomorrow. Should be soft as hell!

Looks like you're in luck. The bump course is till there on the webcam this morning! Should be soft and fun today and the lines were really dialed in after the State meet last weekend!

 

[jaytrem]

Looks like you're in luck. The bump course is till there on the webcam this morning! Should be soft and fun today and the lines were really dialed in after the State meet last weekend!

Too bad one of my kids has stitches in her knee, they would have enjoyed that. Can't mess around with our Alaska trip coming up in 2 weeks. Would have really sucked if she got cut right before that. I still might head up by myself, I need to get their skis. Also, tempted to hit Sundown on Sat, they have a mogul fest type thing going on.

 

[reefer]

One and done on the course. Had just come off of a few runs on Plummet which is bumped top to bottom. Tailgating. getting the water skis out this afternoon for some cruisin'. Legs are pretty shot already. Been skiing too many groomers.......

 

[SLyardsale]

03/20 a couple of inches yesterday - a couple of inches today. fan guns being redeployed - hoses connected and fan compressors plugged in. any other intel from the periodontist ?

 

[drjeff]

03/20 a couple of inches yesterday - a couple of inches today. fan guns being redeployed - hoses connected and fan compressors plugged in. any other intel from the periodontist ?

Just a lowly general dentist here. Don't have the knowledge that a specialist does...

All I know is it's reggaefest weekend on deck and if the weather doesn't cause a postponement, it's pond skimming on Saturday and Duct Tape derby on Sunday...

It appears likely the the old adage "how to make it snow in late March? Hold a pond skim!" seems to be true again this year!

 

[SLyardsale]

I couldn't get out today 3/21 until 2:30pm. once out, I noticed all the hoses that had been connected to the fans yesterday were gone. if they did make snow, it must have all blown to wilmington. there wasn't evidence of fan product anywhere I could tell

 

[SLyardsale]

Just a lowly general dentist here. Don't have the knowledge that a specialist does...

All I know is it's reggaefest weekend on deck and if the weather doesn't cause a postponement, it's pond skimming on Saturday and Duct Tape derby on Sunday...

It appears likely the the old adage "how to make it snow in late March? Hold a pond skim!" seems to be true again this year!

DR - if you used me as source on the pass holders my face group, you've learned i am not a reliable source. sorry. i saw a bunch o dudes hooking hoses onto fans yesterday on lower ridge around 11.30 am and asked them - they just smiled. today, all the hoses are gone and i see no evidence of fan product. i would love to know if they made that team hook those hoses and then made them retrieve them 24 hrs later with nothing made. that is your homework assignment..

 

[drjeff]

DR - if you used me as source on the pass holders my face group, you've learned i am not a reliable source. sorry. i saw a bunch o dudes hooking hoses onto fans yesterday on lower ridge around 11.30 am and asked them - they just smiled. today, all the hoses are gone and i see no evidence of fan product. i would love to know if they made that team hook those hoses and then made them retrieve them 24 hrs later with nothing made. that is your homework assignment..

View attachment 62005

Heck, I saw snowmakers (plural) on Snowdance, on Monday probably a dozen fan guns apart, on their snowmobiles, working on the compressors for the fan guns, with hoses still coiled up on the towers, and not attached to their snowmobiles to bring down for Summer storage!

No harm, no foul in our dreams for more Mount Snow snowmaking "porn" this year!

And that fact that my now retired, "reliable source" (his choice of a name ), didn't chime in within an hour or so of my post in that FB group, had me a bit skeptical!

And I won't throw you under the bus for your observation in the FB group!

If you happen to be on the hill this weekend, I am 99% the starter for pond skim (weather permitting) on Saturday, likely the starter/announcer for duct tape derby on Sunday, likely then course Maintenance for the Alpine Comp team Brad Haicht Memorial Race on Charlie's Chase after the duct tape derby ends, and then 100% up in the Station Taproom later on Sunday with a bunch of folks wearing dark brown "Events Crew" t-shirts. I am the tallest guy who doesn't have a beard!

Say hi if you get a chance! We don't "bite" even if we resemble rapid animals at times!

 

[SLyardsale]

sorry Dr, - didn't stop by the pond skim - not a pond skim day. 8am - 12;30 was super nice then the sleet came. medium dense but dry snow til then - it ended fast. lifts closed for ice but legs were shot. eerily uncrowded saturday pow day - thank you youth lacrosse.

jaws

challenger

boulder pile

olympic
olympic woods

big dip

moon beam

 

[gladerider]

looks great.
was thinking about heading up on Friday but i see this damn rain in forecast today and tomorrow.

 

[drjeff]

looks great.
was thinking about heading up on Friday but i see this damn rain in forecast today and tomorrow.

Light and fluffy on Friday. Nope. Should be transitioning into some nice Spring snow/corn by then, with most of the heavier amounts of rainfall the next couple of days looking to be off to the East and should be cleared out by Friday AM. Just hope the likely winds as this next system pulls away don't create lift ops issues on Friday and Saturday