MT Sunapee "Mt Son of a B__ch"

[haines]

Your going to need a hockey/Football gear to ski that Mtn this weekend. The trail skyway "Collide Way has a fall line which brings skiers together.

This is a Cross-Country weekend

Trust me on this one

 

[Rushski]

Wow, I guess it is trash Sunapee day. I wouldn't go near there on weekends - let alone a holiday.

Wouldn't worry as much about Skyway as I would about the bottom section of Chipmunk as a few trails meet there by the main quad.

 

[hammer]

I've had some good experiences there on Sunday mornings...with the NH resident discount, the crowds in the afternoon can get bigger, though.

Skyway is actually a very nice trail when it's not crowded.

I would agree that this weekend will likely be crazy...I have a trip planned but I'm going to wait until later in the season.

Bottom line is places like Sunapee are popular for a reason...reliable conditions, almost everything groomed, non-intimidating terrain, and not too far from the Boston area.

 

[haines]

Scumapee, forget about it

I've had some good experiences there on Sunday mornings...with the NH resident discount, the crowds in the afternoon can get bigger, though.

Skyway is actually a very nice trail when it's not crowded.

I would agree that this weekend will likely be crazy...I have a trip planned but I'm going to wait until later in the season.

Bottom line is places like Sunapee are popular for a reason...reliable conditions, almost everything groomed, non-intimidating terrain, and not too far from the Boston area.

I'm a little bitter right now. If I go up there now. I'll be the fanatic ranting at the skiers. Most likely will end up getiing cuffed by the local police!

 

[dmc]

deep breaths... deep breaths....

 

[ctenidae]

Won't disagree that Sunapee gets crowded, but the Sun Bowl is usually pretty quiet. Skyway Ledges to Skyway is my favorite run there- Stay right on Ledges to avoid the intersection, and I've never seen more than 3-4 other people on Skyway itself. Then go left to Sundance and right on Kartwheel (if there's any snow on it). Goose Bumps, Flying Goose, and Lynx are usually less crowded, too. Avoid the main quad and all its associated trails at all costs.

 

[SnowRider]

I go there every weekend. Just stay in the west bowl. and dont bother with this years park...its terrible.

i belive the reason it is getting crowded this year is because it has the most open terrain in southern and central NH

 

[snowmonster]

Sorry to hear about your injury, haines. Hope you get better. I was at Sunapee the whole weekend. I thought Saturday was not too crowded. Between a typical Saturday at K and last Saturday at Sunapee, I'd take the Sunapee Saturday crowd anytime. There were more people Sunday but nothing too crazy. I spent most of my time in the Sunbowl and the people were thinned out there. The only complaint I have is about the Sunbowl Triple chair. It swoops up behind you so that if you're not paying 100% attention, it nails you. Lots of skiers got nailed over the weekend on that chair.

ctenidae, I agree that's a pretty neat run. Kartwheel is covered in snow now. Skyway itself was empty most of the time.

Be safe out there folks. I was nailed twice 2 weeks ago at K. We got up after the incidents (mostly younger folk getting careless on the mountain) but, had it not been for some defensive maneuvering on my part, it would have been worse.

 

[thetrailboss]

Ummm...OK. This is kind of random :blink:

 

[Puck it]

think everybody is being too harsh. I ski there a lot since it is only a hour to get there and I like to back up to the slopes inorder to switch skis easily. There are some slopes that are crowded. Such as Ridge, Chipmunk. You need to know where to go and the people that ski there a lot know how to avoid the crowds. So do not knock a resort for how crowded it is. This is how we are allowed to ski weekdays, becuase the crowds on the weekends.

 

[MadPadraic]

Since we have a thread on them. Do they leave fresh dumps to nature, or do they mess with them?

 

[jack97]

Since we have a thread on them. Do they leave fresh dumps to nature, or do they mess with them?

Looks like grooming all the way for most trails. They do have some glades, from what I heard, some trails may need a big one for them to open, too many short stumps and logs.

If the big one does come in, look for Ragged, they usually leave most trails alone. Not to sound pessimistic, but they may try save money by minimizing their use of groomers.

 

[from_the_NEK]

If the big one does come in, look for Ragged, they usually leave most trails alone. Not to sound pessimistic, but they may try save money by minimizing their use of groomers.

Or maybe their clientelle actually appreciates powder and doesn't get all pissed off when the 12 inches of powder that fell overnight isn't groomed flat. The owners of Okemo (that incidently also run Sunapee) have definitely worked hard to develop skiers that only know how to ski on groomed terrain. :evil:

 

[ctenidae]

They'll groom most of it, but will usually leave a couple of trails fresh- usually Liftline in the Sun Bowl, since it's left to bumps anyway, and Elliot Slope on the far left of the lower moutnain, since no one knows where it is.

The glades at Sunapee are a figment of your imagination. They're rarely, if ever, open, and the one time in 4 years I've seen them open they were scraped to ice and stumps almost immediately. If you want glades, Sunapee just isn't the place to go. Everyone has their weakness, I suppose.

 

[hammer]

Or maybe their clientelle actually appreciates powder and doesn't get all pissed off when the 12 inches of powder that fell overnight isn't groomed flat. The owners of Okemo (that incidently also run Sunapee) have definitely worked hard to develop skiers that only know how to ski on groomed terrain. :evil:

OK, I know that there are a lot of AZers who are bored with groomers, but can you really fault places like Sunapee and Okemo? If most recreational skiers only want to ski groomers then they are just appealing to their paying customers...

FWIW, Sunapee does have a few mogul fields to keep the bumpers happy, and the one on Flying Goose looks like it's a pretty decent size.

 

[ctenidae]

The owners of Okemo (that incidently also run Sunapee) have definitely worked hard to develop skiers that only know how to ski on groomed terrain. :evil:

I thoroughly enjoy a well grromed trail. Making long carved turns without having to concentrate so much on edge control, quick turns, and other snow emergencies is a pure form of speed rush. I enjoy bumps and trees, too, no doubt, but they can be taxing at times, and don't give the consistent "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" effect. And as for powder, it's so rare here that it's tough to get truly proficient at it. When it's there and the groove is right, yeah, it's sublime. When it's manked up and I'm just not feeling it, though, I'll take the joy of standing on edge and touching the snow.

All in all, I think Sunapee goes a little bit overboard on the grooming after a dump, but it serves their clientel, and it leaves the ungroomed to those who enjoy it.

 

[MadPadraic]

Thats a sad state of affairs. Looks like I'll be off to Cannon for Thurs and miss out on Friday.

 

[SnowRider]

Looks like grooming all the way for most trails. They do have some glades, from what I heard, some trails may need a big one for them to open, too many short stumps and logs.

If the big one does come in, look for Ragged, they usually leave most trails alone. Not to sound pessimistic, but they may try save money by minimizing their use of groomers.

I was there the last 8 inch dump and they groomed a good amount but let trails like goosebumps, flying goose and some others untouched. Sunapee has a few good woods trail. Lower ridge glades, summit glades seem to be the first to open. There are lots of fun things to do at sunapee though. The chute on porkeys that drops down. The old liftline on elliot slope or even the "secret" glade next to flying goose. You just have to look.