Ragged Mtn 2016-17 Season Thread

[Jully]

Out of curiosity, why?

As long as there is enough snow to cover most of the rocks I'd rather see more terrain open early.

I agree with Newpylong. I'd rather have 3 runs that I know is going to be in good / excellent condition than five that might be skied off, real thin, and not great by the end of the day. I'd like to save my rock dodging time for the spring

For me this really hit home this past season when many places did a dust and run approach and then closed completely and had to rebuild.

Absolutely to each their own though. Additionally, if it is a place with more grass than rocks on runs (like Bretton Woods), I don't mind their faster expansion approach as much.

 

[deadheadskier]

Last year Wildcat was extremely smart in not expanding terrain fast and burying Lynx instead. As much as I got bored out of my mind skiing it over and over and over, at least they were able to keep open and weather the heat

 

[steamboat1]

Killington was guilty of the dust & run approach last season. I recall them losing several trails during the mid season warmups which they then had to go back & blow snow on again almost from scratch. They even lost upper Rime which is one of their early season offerings.

 

[yeggous]

Last year Wildcat was extremely smart in not expanding terrain fast and burying Lynx instead. As much as I got bored out of my mind skiing it over and over and over, at least they were able to keep open and weather the heat

Yes, this is true. They blew a craaaazy amount of snow on Lynx last year. It seriously paid dividends when a lot of places lost terrain and developed bare patches in the middle of winter. Meanwhile the only bare patch I ever saw on Lynx was the last weekend of April.

 

[bdfreetuna]

At the same time Killington held onto a lot of trails like East Fall which skied great all season even when a lot of terrain was burning. Nobody could predict such a bad winter and Killington has a ton of terrain to cover. I think they did a pretty good job keeping terrain open and pods connected considering.

I guess what I'm saying is I like to see some core trails buried but once it gets to a certain point it's better to expand terrain quickly knowing there will still be some good trails if the weather turns.

Strike a balance.

 

[Jully]

At the same time Killington held onto a lot of trails like East Fall which skied great all season even when a lot of terrain was burning. Nobody could predict such a bad winter and Killington has a ton of terrain to cover. I think they did a pretty good job keeping terrain open and pods connected considering.

I guess what I'm saying is I like to see some core trails buried but once it gets to a certain point it's better to expand terrain quickly knowing there will still be some good trails if the weather turns.

Strike a balance.

Oh that's definitely a good approach. I feel that it does not necessarily apply to places with less snowmaking territory to cover than Killington, SR, SL, etc. At Ragged and Wildcat, a larger percentage of their snowmaking routes are "core" trails. With limited firepower, Ragged or Wildcat could try and open a bunch of those trails quickly, or move slower and spend awhile on individual routes. I prefer the latter approach.

 

[steamboat1]

At the same time Killington held onto a lot of trails like East Fall which skied great all season even when a lot of terrain was burning. Nobody could predict such a bad winter and Killington has a ton of terrain to cover. I think they did a pretty good job keeping terrain open and pods connected considering.

I guess what I'm saying is I like to see some core trails buried but once it gets to a certain point it's better to expand terrain quickly knowing there will still be some good trails if the weather turns.

Strike a balance.

I'm not saying they did a bad job. They had to deal with the cards they were dealt. Just about every trail they had to go back & resurface at some point. Yes even trails such as East Fall, Cascade, Skye Lark & many others. Some trails such as lower Ovation, Devils Fiddle, Conclusion never saw a snow gun last season. Others like Vertigo they started but then had to give up on before they were fully covered because of the need to resurface other trails.

 

[Jully]

In terms of Ragged, the only time this has drawbacks is when they try and open Showboat. That trail, especially the way they 'construct' it requires a huge amount of snow. I like how its constructed, for a groomer, but might prefer it if they did it differently. I think it is their only FIS homolgated slalom trail though, so until that expires, I don't think they'll think about changing it.

 

[Jully]

I'm not saying they did a bad job. They had to deal with the cards they were dealt. Just about every trail they had to go back & resurface at some point. Yes even trails such as East Fall, Cascade, Skye Lark & many others. Some trails such as lower Ovation, Devils Fiddle, Conclusion never saw a snow gun last season. Others like Vertigo they started but then had to give up on before they were fully covered because of the need to resurface other trails.

Exactly, it is a strategy. It works phenomenally when the weather cooperates, but it is killer in a warm up.

 

[steamboat1]

Exactly, it is a strategy. It works phenomenally when the weather cooperates, but it is killer in a warm up.

I don't know how many times they had to go back & blow the upper part of Downdraft outside the Peak Lodge to keep it open. At least a 1/2 dozen I would say. It kept either melting out or turning to unskiabe ice.

 

[dlague]

Flying Yankee was absolutely buried during my last day there on 3/19. Where Ragged makes snow they do an outstanding job.
I'd love to see them skip blowing on Showboat and instead on Birches/Sweepstakes this yr.

Did they even open Showboat last year? I never saw it open on my trips there.

 

[Newpylong]

no snow made on it last year. smart move

 

[dlague]

Exactly, it is a strategy. It works phenomenally when the weather cooperates, but it is killer in a warm up.

When the weather cooperates they look like geniuses! When it does not cooperate then we have this debate!

Then again when the weather cooperates everyone looks good!

 

[Abubob]

In terms of Ragged, the only time this has drawbacks is when they try and open Showboat. That trail, especially the way they 'construct' it requires a huge amount of snow. I like how its constructed, for a groomer, but might prefer it if they did it differently. I think it is their only FIS homologated slalom trail though, so until that expires, I don't think they'll think about changing it.

That's interesting to hear it's an FIS slalom trail. I've never seen a gate on it.

I agree the way the groomed section is constructed leaves a lot to be desired. The best part of the fall line is "paved"over so that it lacks all character. Either that or there's this obnoxious berm of semi frozen snow boulders that makes the middle portion unskiable. Kinda ticks me off.

I'm wondering how crowded the hill will be this year. Nobody else is even close to following suit. Except in word - even Magic season prices are higher. Possible exception is Whaleback plus they offer a ton of associated deals.

 

[Jully]

That's interesting to hear it's an FIS slalom trail. I've never seen a gate on it.

I agree the way the groomed section is constructed leaves a lot to be desired. The best part of the fall line is "paved"over so that it lacks all character. Either that or there's this obnoxious berm of semi frozen snow boulders that makes the middle portion unskiable. Kinda ticks me off.

I'm wondering how crowded the hill will be this year. Nobody else is even close to following suit. Except in word - even Magic season prices are higher. Possible exception is Whaleback plus they offer a ton of associated deals.

I've been wondering that as well. I think the Peaks Pass with blackouts is a fairly equivalent competitor as well. Obviously more expensive, but there are many more options.

I personally would predict that most weeks won't be substantially more crowded, but holiday weekends and maybe a few others in February after a storm might be jammed beyond belief. I'm willing to bet they picked up a number of skiers who do 3-6 days a year via lift tickets at a combination of Sunapee, Ragged, Gunstock, Pats, Loon, and Waterville. Those skiers will mostly ski the same number of days, and likely only on MLK Weekend, the weekend after Xmas, and maybe the ends of February school vacation week.

 

[xwhaler]

When they get both Spear and Ragged open with multiple routes off each peak it should spread the crowds out nicely.

The problem area that I see on the hill is at the load of the 6 pack.....gets really congested as you have people loading the lift, coming into/out of the lodge, transferring between spear and Ragged and also the learning area is there as well.

Poor design. I wish the 6 pack started a bit higher up to give more space.

 

[Smellytele]

When they get both Spear and Ragged open with multiple routes off each peak it should spread the crowds out nicely.

The problem area that I see on the hill is at the load of the 6 pack.....gets really congested as you have people loading the lift, coming into/out of the lodge, transferring between spear and Ragged and also the learning area is there as well.

Poor design. I wish the 6 pack started a bit higher up to give more space.

I agree on the 6 pack. Now that the other chair was replaced does it take any of the congestion away?

 

[xwhaler]

I find most people still ski the 6 pack. Especially last yr as it was just Yankee and Cardigan open on Spear. Id much rather lap Spear if everything is open including glades but if not Ragged proper offers more variety.

 

[dlague]

Well for those groomer only skiers the offering off Spear is very limited especially if race training is taking place on Flying Yankee. As a result many average to beginner skiers stick to the 6 pack. I doubt many advanced to expert skiers would go over on the Spear lift when only Cardigan is open and no other natural snow.

 

[becca m]

yup - last year no line EVER on Spear - not much open there (especially with race training on Flying Yankee). Hopefully this year they will fill up all 6 spaces on the 6-pack - seems they have trouble putting together the groups of 6 - ?