Sky
Active member
Date Skied: Thursday 16 Mar 06
Resort or Ski Area: Okemo, VT
Weather: 31F, a bit of wind out of the North...mostly sunny though the clouds and snow squalls came in late in the day (no accumulation)
Conditions: Soft and corny at the base, packed and scratchy at the top.
Trip Report: It was a mid week event for me and #1 son. The other two boys could not get the day. :<
Photos: http://forums.alpinezone.com/gallery/data/511/Okemo2003.JPG
So we were on snow by 11AM. It was about 31F with a decent breeze out of the North. The base area was tan snow and a bit corny. We took the South Ridge quad up so we could access the North Star Quad. That run down Fairway was soft and corny...and WHAT THE HANG...did everybody get my memo and take the day or what?! I was surprised at the number of people around the base for mid week.
We could see from the NorthStar quad that World Cup was set up for the race school. The gates were up and cameras staged. We eliminated the South Face based on anticipated snow conditions and headed over to Jackson Gore. We had to work our way diagonally because the trails leading directly to the Gore were closed/roped off. So it was Saphire to Mountain Rd to Village Run. So why, you may ask, did we not take The Plunge trail? HEH! Moguls, steep and long. Thanks no.
Tough running with the soft corny snow and the dirt. But we made it to the Solitude Quad. We took Escape over to Blue Moon and Lower Limelight, which was an enjoyable run. We made yo yo runs on Quantum Leap for a long time. The initial drop in right under the quad was looking pretty cranky. Icey moglus and pretty steep. So we opted for Vortex which loops around and puts you back on QL. All good and edgeable. The sides of the trails had plenty of coverage, and the middles of the steeper portions of QL were a bit scratchy but edgeable if you had a decent tune. The bottom half of QL was absolutley sweet. Great for showboating under the lift.
We took a break and tried Tuckered Out just for the diversity of it all. The top was really sweet, but the bottom half was mounded up soft corn and mud. Would have been depressing for someone expecting a Green run. We went back to QL for one more run and then headed over to Solitude via Sunset Strip and Sidewinder. Come to think of it...I wish we had re-hit Sidewinder...it was pretty cool. But I failed to scope out the trail map and see that Coleman Brook (Green) leads to Sidewinder. Ah well.
We did yo yo runs on Exhibition and Heaven's Gate/Screamin Demon for most of the afternoon. Excellent surface conditions. A bit scratchy (if you want to be picky), but the sides were sweet. More runs under the lift! :> the bottom of Solitude lift started to get more tan and corny as the day wore on.
At about 3, we opted to try the summit for a run before calling it quits. MISTAKE! The Green Ridge Triple was now closed. :< So we had to go all the way to the base to access the North Star Quad. Upper Arrow was in decent shape, but a tad crowded. Lower Arrow was mashed potatoes. GAH! The base area was more tan and quite corny with a heavy does of mashed.
At the base of North Star...we debated the benefits of "One Last Run"...famous last words. We shrugged it off and got on the lift @ 3:30. World Cup was cleared off as we had hoped...so that was our last run. It was a let down compared to the rest of the day. Upper WC which is normally a fabulous run, was scraped off and with all the twists and turns...headwalls etc, you never felt confident enough to build up speed. And every blind turn rewarded that caution with an exposed rock or a sheet of ice. Lower WC was soft and corny, scraped to the bone in narrow streaks with piles of mashed on either side.
I thought I'd be all done when I got to the bottom of that trail but NO! You still had to traverse the mashed potatoes all the way to the lodge.
The UP SIDE? Long Trail Ale!! A beer, a snack, a glass of water and we were gone. I'll load the photos once I get them out of the camera. Great views across the valley!
A great day out of the office and with #1 son. As much fun as I've had @ Okemo for the few times I've gone...I think I'm ready to move on to greener pastures (whiter slopes?). My son and I talked about it on the way home...and we're thinking it's time to give Sunday River..or Sugarbush a shot.
Resort or Ski Area: Okemo, VT
Weather: 31F, a bit of wind out of the North...mostly sunny though the clouds and snow squalls came in late in the day (no accumulation)
Conditions: Soft and corny at the base, packed and scratchy at the top.
Trip Report: It was a mid week event for me and #1 son. The other two boys could not get the day. :<
Photos: http://forums.alpinezone.com/gallery/data/511/Okemo2003.JPG
So we were on snow by 11AM. It was about 31F with a decent breeze out of the North. The base area was tan snow and a bit corny. We took the South Ridge quad up so we could access the North Star Quad. That run down Fairway was soft and corny...and WHAT THE HANG...did everybody get my memo and take the day or what?! I was surprised at the number of people around the base for mid week.
We could see from the NorthStar quad that World Cup was set up for the race school. The gates were up and cameras staged. We eliminated the South Face based on anticipated snow conditions and headed over to Jackson Gore. We had to work our way diagonally because the trails leading directly to the Gore were closed/roped off. So it was Saphire to Mountain Rd to Village Run. So why, you may ask, did we not take The Plunge trail? HEH! Moguls, steep and long. Thanks no.
Tough running with the soft corny snow and the dirt. But we made it to the Solitude Quad. We took Escape over to Blue Moon and Lower Limelight, which was an enjoyable run. We made yo yo runs on Quantum Leap for a long time. The initial drop in right under the quad was looking pretty cranky. Icey moglus and pretty steep. So we opted for Vortex which loops around and puts you back on QL. All good and edgeable. The sides of the trails had plenty of coverage, and the middles of the steeper portions of QL were a bit scratchy but edgeable if you had a decent tune. The bottom half of QL was absolutley sweet. Great for showboating under the lift.
We took a break and tried Tuckered Out just for the diversity of it all. The top was really sweet, but the bottom half was mounded up soft corn and mud. Would have been depressing for someone expecting a Green run. We went back to QL for one more run and then headed over to Solitude via Sunset Strip and Sidewinder. Come to think of it...I wish we had re-hit Sidewinder...it was pretty cool. But I failed to scope out the trail map and see that Coleman Brook (Green) leads to Sidewinder. Ah well.
We did yo yo runs on Exhibition and Heaven's Gate/Screamin Demon for most of the afternoon. Excellent surface conditions. A bit scratchy (if you want to be picky), but the sides were sweet. More runs under the lift! :> the bottom of Solitude lift started to get more tan and corny as the day wore on.
At about 3, we opted to try the summit for a run before calling it quits. MISTAKE! The Green Ridge Triple was now closed. :< So we had to go all the way to the base to access the North Star Quad. Upper Arrow was in decent shape, but a tad crowded. Lower Arrow was mashed potatoes. GAH! The base area was more tan and quite corny with a heavy does of mashed.
At the base of North Star...we debated the benefits of "One Last Run"...famous last words. We shrugged it off and got on the lift @ 3:30. World Cup was cleared off as we had hoped...so that was our last run. It was a let down compared to the rest of the day. Upper WC which is normally a fabulous run, was scraped off and with all the twists and turns...headwalls etc, you never felt confident enough to build up speed. And every blind turn rewarded that caution with an exposed rock or a sheet of ice. Lower WC was soft and corny, scraped to the bone in narrow streaks with piles of mashed on either side.
I thought I'd be all done when I got to the bottom of that trail but NO! You still had to traverse the mashed potatoes all the way to the lodge.
The UP SIDE? Long Trail Ale!! A beer, a snack, a glass of water and we were gone. I'll load the photos once I get them out of the camera. Great views across the valley!
A great day out of the office and with #1 son. As much fun as I've had @ Okemo for the few times I've gone...I think I'm ready to move on to greener pastures (whiter slopes?). My son and I talked about it on the way home...and we're thinking it's time to give Sunday River..or Sugarbush a shot.
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