November 23rd, 2008
Resort or Ski Area: Pat's Peak
Conditions: Man made Packed Powder
Trip Report:
Got over to Pat's Peak today, first time there in about fifteen years, but I had only been once in HS, so it seemed pretty much like a new mountain to me. Left the house at 7AM pulled into the parking lot at 8:05. I was expecting a ride closer to an hour and a half. There were a handful of cars in the parking lot, two lifts turning and significant snowmaking going on. Booted up in the parking lot, grabbed a ticket and quick breakfast sandwich in the lodge waiting for 8:30. They started letting people on at 8:20. One thing that struck my first was how nice the staff was at Pat's. I had heard they have a reputation for this and it proved to be true.
They had one trail from the top open, which was a cruiser for about 400 vert, then a long run out to the bottom. Also had another lift open in the beginner area of the mountain with a run off it and another small area set up with a mini terrain park. I stuck to the top to bottom run. The snow was as good as it gets for man made, perfect soft corduroy. I did this top to bottom run about 15 times and then split to come home to watch football. It felt great to get on the snow, but the run out at the bottom for so little vert was getting a bit annoying.
They were making quite a bit of snow and it looks like they'll have Hurricane open and few others fairly quickly. Pat's isn't a bad little hill. Hurricane looks like it would be a great little bump run. If they get a seeding program going and take it seriously like Sundown, I might possibly consider a pass there for next winter due to the night skiing option. It's an easy 1:05 ride from home and I work in Manchester at least one day a week where it would only be a half hour to get to at the end of the work day. Worth consideration at $339 for an unlimited pass.
Pictures:
'summit' from lodge
Snow making on the lower portion of Hurricane. They have fan guns for the head wall and it appears they ran them for a bit, but they weren't going during the day. Perhaps as the trail is a bit narrower they didn't want their guests to get hammered with snow on the lift.
Happy to be started with 08-09 season :grin:
Resort or Ski Area: Pat's Peak
Conditions: Man made Packed Powder
Trip Report:
Got over to Pat's Peak today, first time there in about fifteen years, but I had only been once in HS, so it seemed pretty much like a new mountain to me. Left the house at 7AM pulled into the parking lot at 8:05. I was expecting a ride closer to an hour and a half. There were a handful of cars in the parking lot, two lifts turning and significant snowmaking going on. Booted up in the parking lot, grabbed a ticket and quick breakfast sandwich in the lodge waiting for 8:30. They started letting people on at 8:20. One thing that struck my first was how nice the staff was at Pat's. I had heard they have a reputation for this and it proved to be true.
They had one trail from the top open, which was a cruiser for about 400 vert, then a long run out to the bottom. Also had another lift open in the beginner area of the mountain with a run off it and another small area set up with a mini terrain park. I stuck to the top to bottom run. The snow was as good as it gets for man made, perfect soft corduroy. I did this top to bottom run about 15 times and then split to come home to watch football. It felt great to get on the snow, but the run out at the bottom for so little vert was getting a bit annoying.
They were making quite a bit of snow and it looks like they'll have Hurricane open and few others fairly quickly. Pat's isn't a bad little hill. Hurricane looks like it would be a great little bump run. If they get a seeding program going and take it seriously like Sundown, I might possibly consider a pass there for next winter due to the night skiing option. It's an easy 1:05 ride from home and I work in Manchester at least one day a week where it would only be a half hour to get to at the end of the work day. Worth consideration at $339 for an unlimited pass.
Pictures:
'summit' from lodge
Snow making on the lower portion of Hurricane. They have fan guns for the head wall and it appears they ran them for a bit, but they weren't going during the day. Perhaps as the trail is a bit narrower they didn't want their guests to get hammered with snow on the lift.
Happy to be started with 08-09 season :grin:
