Date(s) Skied: Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Resort or Ski Area: Ragged Mountain
Conditions: Mid 20s, Packed Manmade
Trip Report:
Surprisingly quiet today for a Holiday weekend. Even with the Snowboard race going on, the longest people had to wait today for the Six Pack was maybe 5 minutes. I never waited longer than 2 in the singles line; most of the time it was ski on. Spear was ski on, but was seeing a fair bit of use. Probably 75% of the chairs had people on them. The best judge of how busy the place will be is how many buses you see in the parking lot. Last Saturday there was apparently 14 buses and by all account the lodge and six pack were slammed. This week, relatively quiet. Full upper parking lots, but no buses.
Conditions were great if you like skiing groomers non-stop. The snowboard race only took up the very bottom of Town Meeting. All of the rest of the trails skied very well with barely any scratch anywhere, even at 1:30 when I took my last run.
If you're an intermediate/groomer skier looking to go somewhere for a day trip this holiday week, experience great grooming, friendly service and no lift lines, Ragged is probably the best option available within 2 hours of Boston. If you're hoping for a bit of challenge; some bumps, trees, etc. Look elsewhere.
I popped into the Discovery Center again today to look over the Master plan. Met a nice fellow Rob and asked him about Spear Triple replacement. He said they are very confident they will be putting in High Speed Quad this summer. They've needed to show the owners skier visit growth over last season for them to consider it. So far, they are ahead of last season, which was ahead of the season prior. I inquired if replacing the lift was contingent on Real Estate sales and was told that it was not. The hope is the opposite. That the new lift will bring in many more people who would be interested in buying a ski home due to the improved facilities. Good to hear. The cost of the lift is estimated at $4 million and he commented that lift manufacturers right now are definitely playing 'let's make a deal', so they're working on a financing package.
I did comment to Rob that my only disappointment so far this season is that without natural snow to open the glades, there has been zero terrain offerings (read bumps) for advanced skiers. He understood. I know it will never be Mad River Glen, but they can't bank on having the glades available to keep an advanced skier happy. I said my piece that I think Skiers left of Showboat would make for an awesome seeded bump run. He said that it has been discussed, but without the HSQ they think the snowmaking efforts required to do wouldn't be a great investment as not enough people are tolerant of the slow lift to enjoy it. I'd lap that mofo all day even if the lift took 25 minutes (it's 15 minutes), but that's just me.
I'll certainly be getting a pass to Ragged again next season. I'm sure I'd be content if the glades were open, but with a 100 inch a year average, that's not reliable. If I don't see progress in the bump department next season, I might take a look at a Sunapee or Boyne pass in the future.
Resort or Ski Area: Ragged Mountain
Conditions: Mid 20s, Packed Manmade
Trip Report:
Surprisingly quiet today for a Holiday weekend. Even with the Snowboard race going on, the longest people had to wait today for the Six Pack was maybe 5 minutes. I never waited longer than 2 in the singles line; most of the time it was ski on. Spear was ski on, but was seeing a fair bit of use. Probably 75% of the chairs had people on them. The best judge of how busy the place will be is how many buses you see in the parking lot. Last Saturday there was apparently 14 buses and by all account the lodge and six pack were slammed. This week, relatively quiet. Full upper parking lots, but no buses.
Conditions were great if you like skiing groomers non-stop. The snowboard race only took up the very bottom of Town Meeting. All of the rest of the trails skied very well with barely any scratch anywhere, even at 1:30 when I took my last run.
If you're an intermediate/groomer skier looking to go somewhere for a day trip this holiday week, experience great grooming, friendly service and no lift lines, Ragged is probably the best option available within 2 hours of Boston. If you're hoping for a bit of challenge; some bumps, trees, etc. Look elsewhere.
I popped into the Discovery Center again today to look over the Master plan. Met a nice fellow Rob and asked him about Spear Triple replacement. He said they are very confident they will be putting in High Speed Quad this summer. They've needed to show the owners skier visit growth over last season for them to consider it. So far, they are ahead of last season, which was ahead of the season prior. I inquired if replacing the lift was contingent on Real Estate sales and was told that it was not. The hope is the opposite. That the new lift will bring in many more people who would be interested in buying a ski home due to the improved facilities. Good to hear. The cost of the lift is estimated at $4 million and he commented that lift manufacturers right now are definitely playing 'let's make a deal', so they're working on a financing package.
I did comment to Rob that my only disappointment so far this season is that without natural snow to open the glades, there has been zero terrain offerings (read bumps) for advanced skiers. He understood. I know it will never be Mad River Glen, but they can't bank on having the glades available to keep an advanced skier happy. I said my piece that I think Skiers left of Showboat would make for an awesome seeded bump run. He said that it has been discussed, but without the HSQ they think the snowmaking efforts required to do wouldn't be a great investment as not enough people are tolerant of the slow lift to enjoy it. I'd lap that mofo all day even if the lift took 25 minutes (it's 15 minutes), but that's just me.
I'll certainly be getting a pass to Ragged again next season. I'm sure I'd be content if the glades were open, but with a 100 inch a year average, that's not reliable. If I don't see progress in the bump department next season, I might take a look at a Sunapee or Boyne pass in the future.
