Opening Day 2017/2018 Season - New England

[Jcb890]

I know this thread is very early, but I'm already ready for summer to be over and for the flakes to start flying again.

This information can probably be found online by looking at past seasons and historical data, but where's the fun in that when we can chit-chat about it? :lol:

When can we expect mountains in New England to begin operations next season? Killington always seems to be the first one to open, sometime in late October or early November. What about the Southern VT mountains like Mount Snow or how about NH mountains like Wildcat or Sunday River in ME?

Think snowy thoughts...

 

[cdskier]

Sugarbush's information is a bit contradictory...here's the quote from a "Season Recap" type blog post on the Sugarbush website from Win:

"Our winter plan is to begin snowmaking as soon after November 1st as Mother Nature allows, and to begin the 2017/2018 season the weekend before Thanksgiving (November 25-26)."

Thanksgiving is November 23rd this year. So either that statement should say "after" Thanksgiving or the dates are wrong and should be November 18-19...

Of course this is all weather dependent anyway

 

[deadheadskier]

Killington usually wins due to elevation advantage, but some years the forecast is more favorable in Maine and Sunday River wins first to open. Both anywhere from around October 20th to November 5th or so on average. Earliest I've skied Sunday River is October 17th. Earliest I've skied Killington is October 1st.

Wildcat in recent years has opened in the Novermber 10th - 20th range. They have 2000 feet of vertical to cover. They'll start stockpiling up high as early as November 1st, but won't blow the bottom of 2/3rds of Lynx until they get a good looking 7 day forecast.

Loon and Bretton Woods are typically open by Veterans day, though I have seen both go earlier.

Mount Snow I would assume the weekend prior to Thanksgiving or the holiday weekend itself depending on when the date it falls on. Same goes for Okemo, Stratton etc.

 

[dlague]

Killington usually wins due to elevation advantage, but some years the forecast is more favorable in Maine and Sunday River wins first to open. Both anywhere from around October 20th to November 5th or so on average. Earliest I've skied Sunday River is October 17th. Earliest I've skied Killington is October 1st.

Wildcat in recent years has opened in the Novermber 10th - 20th range. They have 2000 feet of vertical to cover. They'll start stockpiling up high as early as November 1st, but won't blow the bottom of 2/3rds of Lynx until they get a good looking 7 day forecast.

Loon and Bretton Woods are typically open by Veterans day, though I have seen both go earlier.

Mount Snow I would assume the weekend prior to Thanksgiving or the holiday weekend itself depending on when the date it falls on. Same goes for Okemo, Stratton etc.

Spot on and well put - pretty much summed it up in a single post! October 1st - that is friggin awesome.

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[Jcb890]

Great info so far guys. Hoping to start the season as early as possible... might have to burn a MAX Pass ticket up at Sunday River early on. Early November for Wildcat would be great also for our Peak Pass!

 

[Jully]

Great info so far guys. Hoping to start the season as early as possible... might have to burn a MAX Pass ticket up at Sunday River early on. Early November for Wildcat would be great also for our Peak Pass!

K and SR, with the exception of last year, usually have opened within a few days of one another and both usually have October turns. I prefer SR's early season a little better (though they are weekends only until mid-nov). SR typically opens mid-station - summit on Locke with uploading from the base. In many years they open TTB on Locke or are TTB by their second weekend of operations. Read as no walking required at SR while K has the staircase.

Wildcat's been screwed the past few years trying to open early, I hope those loses don't deter them next year!

 

[deadheadskier]

Great info so far guys. Hoping to start the season as early as possible... might have to burn a MAX Pass ticket up at Sunday River early on. Early November for Wildcat would be great also for our Peak Pass!

From your location Bretton Woods should be on your radar as well. Past few years it's been free on the first day with a donation of 3 cans of food. They can open Rangeview fairly quickly as it's flat and mostly all grass. They also sell $20 early season tickets in the fall. I usually start my season there as it's easier on the legs the first couple of days out. Lynx at Wildcat kicks my ass as a first day of the season run.

 

[Jully]

From your location Bretton Woods should be on your radar as well. Past few years it's been free on the first day with a donation of 3 cans of food. They can open Rangeview fairly quickly as it's flat and mostly all grass. They also sell $20 early season tickets in the fall. I usually start my season there as it's easier on the legs the first couple of days out. Lynx at Wildcat kicks my ass as a first day of the season run.

BW is a nice scene. They expand pretty quickly too. They've had a few runs open before K has even gotten TTB sometimes. More grass (flatter) = more terrain!

 

[Jcb890]

From your location Bretton Woods should be on your radar as well. Past few years it's been free on the first day with a donation of 3 cans of food. They can open Rangeview fairly quickly as it's flat and mostly all grass. They also sell $20 early season tickets in the fall. I usually start my season there as it's easier on the legs the first couple of days out. Lynx at Wildcat kicks my ass as a first day of the season run.

Thanks for the BW idea. That might be a good option, especially if its free or only a couple cans of food for a lift ticket.

One drawback to the MAX Pass is I'm hesitant to burn 1/5 when there's limited options for trails, etc.

 

[Smellytele]

I have done the BW thing a few times. Great for early season lift service turns. Usually legs are tired before I get really bored. Flatter stuff kills me on the tele's.

 

[Jully]

I have done the BW thing a few times. Great for early season lift service turns. Usually legs are tired before I get really bored. Flatter stuff kills me on the tele's.

My tolerance for repetitive laps of relatively interesting terrain is massive early season too. I do ridiculous laps of stuff early season without getting bored, BW being no exception.

 

[xwhaler]

Hopefully start my season 2nd wknd of November at Cat or BW after my anniversary trip to the Bahamas

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[4aprice]

Man, I think some of you guys are in for a long summer. I enjoy summer so skiing doesn't enter into the thought process till October, then October - November, waiting is agonizing enough. I do gear my exercise regiment toward skiing though. It's Memorial Day Weekend, summer's just ramping up, enjoy the warm long days and the unfrozen water. August, the dog days of summer, we start to ramp up the planning and conversation.(usually on the boat). Ski season will be there on the other side.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[VTKilarney]

Agreed. Summer is great. Enjoy both seasons.

 

[cdskier]

Yea, I am looking forward to getting a bit of hiking in on the mountains this summer. Last summer it seems like every time I was in VT and went hiking the summits were in the clouds unfortunately.


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[ss20]

Anyone know why Sunday River had such a hard time opening last season? They didn't open til the 23rd of November...a month later than Killington. They usually open within 24 hours of each other. I know they didn't run the Locke chair to the midstation and tried the Aurora pod. Was it a complete failure?

 

[Jully]

Anyone know why Sunday River had such a hard time opening last season? They didn't open til the 23rd of November...a month later than Killington. They usually open within 24 hours of each other. I know they didn't run the Locke chair to the midstation and tried the Aurora pod. Was it a complete failure?

Complete failure. Didn't have the snow guns close enough together and it was a fairly warm fall in Maine. They made snow whenever K made snow, but never enough to open.

Back to Locke next year thank goodness.

 

[abc]

Man, I think some of you guys are in for a long summer. I enjoy summer so skiing doesn't enter into the thought process till October, then October - November, waiting is agonizing enough. I do gear my exercise regiment toward skiing though. It's Memorial Day Weekend, summer's just ramping up, enjoy the warm long days and the unfrozen water. August, the dog days of summer, we start to ramp up the planning and conversation.(usually on the boat). Ski season will be there on the other side.

Quite! I'm very much a summer person. So skiing is of secondary important to me at the moment.

(But you wouldn't know that looking at how I moan about my lack of vacation in the winter season, or my ski sabbatical, would you? That's because I do all my summer activities nearby, which can be done on weekends. But majority of my skiing days are out of the region)

I do use skiing as the excuse to travel, which I don't like to do in the summer (crowds and inflated prices for flights/lodging).

Anyway, my life doesn't evolve around skiing. But rather, skiing fills in the void between summers. My summer time favorite activities ranges from cycling, kayaking and a bit of hiking & backpacking. I don't miss winter and am NOT looking forward to winter. Not yet. Not until it gets too cold to bike and camp comfortably.

In general, I'm not the kind who's waiting impatiently for the next thing, whatever that "next thing" is, be it winter that's 6 months away, or retirement 10 years away. I'm typically too busy enjoying whatever I'm doing, RIGHT NOW.

That said, I do PLAN for the future, be that my next trip or the next winter. Any suggestion on where I can find a good boot fitter that also do a lot of AT boots?

 

[drjeff]

In So VT, Mount Snow typically pencils in the weekend before Thanksgiving as the targeted opening date.

Might be a bit different (possibly earlier) this year if both their West Lake snowmaking project is done and the weather cooperates, kind of like 10yrs ago when Peak did their major fan gun installation and they went for it early.

My hunch is though that Mount Snow will still be targeting the weekend before Thanksgiving but showing off the prowess of the West Lake project by opening up with about double the usual terrain they have on opening day, as the ability to basically make snow on twice as much terrain simultaneously is one of the many benefits of the West Lake project they've touted!!

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[deadheadskier]

Ok folks. Your comments have been heard and reviewed. Following Killingtons final day of the season we will be shutting down the ski forums until October 1st. Please focus your attention to our vibrant biking and hiking forums as well as the fishing and boating threads. I don't think there's been a golf thread started. Someone should get on that. I'm thinking a debate over 2 iron vs fairway wood would be a good one.

Happy Summer!

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