hammer
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Date(s) Skied: February 25, 2005
Resort or Ski Area: Ragged Mountain, NH
Conditions: Packed Powder
Trip Report:
I took the day off and went with my son to Ragged. I wasn't sure what to expect since the first time we went to Ragged last March the conditions were terrible -- all ice in the morning followed by mashed potatoes and ice in the afternoon.
We showed up around 9:45 AM and there weren't many people there yet...a good sign. I was even more encouraged when I heard one of the parking lot attendants remark that he just saw the first person go down Showboat (a black trail under the Spear Mountain triple lift).
We took a quick run down Village Green (the main green slope in front of the lodge) to get our "ski legs" and we then took the Six Pack to the summit for a few runs down various blue/green trails. Conditions were nicely groomed packed powder -- an intermediate cruiser's paradise.
On our third run, we tried the "Glades" trail. The cover was OK and there was some fresh powder to be had on the side, but there were waaay too many bumps for us. I tried to seize the opportunity to get used to skiing bumps, but it did not go especially well -- I kept getting in the back seat after going over just a few bumps and then I would have to stop because I was getting out of control. Maybe next time...
After making it down Glades, we rested up a bit and then took the Spear Mountain Triple for a run down Cardigan Turnpike. The snow was great, and IMO the trail has a decent amount of challenge for a green. There was one section, however, that went a bit uphill, which was a pain if you didn't keep the speed up enough. We passed by Flying Yankee (I figured it would be a bunch of bumps so we didn't bother).
We spent most of the afternoon going up the Six Pack to the summit (most of the time it was ski on). Most of the trails were great for intermediates, and there are a few ways for the novices to go down without getting into anything too steep. Conditions on the greens and blues were groomed packed powder all afternoon with the exception of Upper Exhibition which was a little scraped up by the end of the day.
Right after lunch I gave Headwall (a short black) a try. It was steep and short, but it was nicely groomed and had great cover (unlike what I saw last year).
Later in the day, we took the Spear Triple up a few times and my son went down Cardigan Turnpike while I gave the groomed section of Showboat a try. Even though it's a black trail, there was only one section that was on the steeper side. There were a few patches of ice at the top, but the steep section had plenty of snow on it.
Because of our experience with the bumps on Glades, I figured we didn't want to try any of the other black trails or the glades so I'm not sure how they were. We did talk briefly to a father who went down Sweepstakes with his sons and he said that it was "deadly".
During one of our many rides up the Six Pack, we talked with a lady from the Ski Patrol who mentioned that there was plenty of fresh snow on Easy Winder, a green trail from the summit. We did have a quick look down the trail at the start, but we decided against it. There appeared to be an uphill section, and it looked like we would have not had enough speed to make it without doing some XC.
All in all, a great day...no lift lines, plenty of blue cruisers, and great conditions. Well worth the drive.
Some pictures are HERE.
Resort or Ski Area: Ragged Mountain, NH
Conditions: Packed Powder
Trip Report:
I took the day off and went with my son to Ragged. I wasn't sure what to expect since the first time we went to Ragged last March the conditions were terrible -- all ice in the morning followed by mashed potatoes and ice in the afternoon.
We showed up around 9:45 AM and there weren't many people there yet...a good sign. I was even more encouraged when I heard one of the parking lot attendants remark that he just saw the first person go down Showboat (a black trail under the Spear Mountain triple lift).
We took a quick run down Village Green (the main green slope in front of the lodge) to get our "ski legs" and we then took the Six Pack to the summit for a few runs down various blue/green trails. Conditions were nicely groomed packed powder -- an intermediate cruiser's paradise.
On our third run, we tried the "Glades" trail. The cover was OK and there was some fresh powder to be had on the side, but there were waaay too many bumps for us. I tried to seize the opportunity to get used to skiing bumps, but it did not go especially well -- I kept getting in the back seat after going over just a few bumps and then I would have to stop because I was getting out of control. Maybe next time...
After making it down Glades, we rested up a bit and then took the Spear Mountain Triple for a run down Cardigan Turnpike. The snow was great, and IMO the trail has a decent amount of challenge for a green. There was one section, however, that went a bit uphill, which was a pain if you didn't keep the speed up enough. We passed by Flying Yankee (I figured it would be a bunch of bumps so we didn't bother).
We spent most of the afternoon going up the Six Pack to the summit (most of the time it was ski on). Most of the trails were great for intermediates, and there are a few ways for the novices to go down without getting into anything too steep. Conditions on the greens and blues were groomed packed powder all afternoon with the exception of Upper Exhibition which was a little scraped up by the end of the day.
Right after lunch I gave Headwall (a short black) a try. It was steep and short, but it was nicely groomed and had great cover (unlike what I saw last year).
Later in the day, we took the Spear Triple up a few times and my son went down Cardigan Turnpike while I gave the groomed section of Showboat a try. Even though it's a black trail, there was only one section that was on the steeper side. There were a few patches of ice at the top, but the steep section had plenty of snow on it.
Because of our experience with the bumps on Glades, I figured we didn't want to try any of the other black trails or the glades so I'm not sure how they were. We did talk briefly to a father who went down Sweepstakes with his sons and he said that it was "deadly".
During one of our many rides up the Six Pack, we talked with a lady from the Ski Patrol who mentioned that there was plenty of fresh snow on Easy Winder, a green trail from the summit. We did have a quick look down the trail at the start, but we decided against it. There appeared to be an uphill section, and it looked like we would have not had enough speed to make it without doing some XC.
All in all, a great day...no lift lines, plenty of blue cruisers, and great conditions. Well worth the drive.
Some pictures are HERE.
