Ragged Mtn 2016-17 Season Thread

[xwhaler]

I don't think Easy Winder gets snow made on it at all so relies on natural to open.
I do agree that getting that open would take some pressure off the Chutes and Main Street for early season ops.

The snowmaking pipe they installed recently is on Upper and Lower Chutes.
Realistically as long as they offer a couple routes off Ragged and get Flying Yankee open on Spear for early season ops that should spread the crowds out nicely.

 

[canobie#1]

That's true but if they want to start moving forward with Pinnacle Peak, they're gonna have to do some big work on Easy Winder.
I'm pretty sure they used to snowmake on that trail..

 

[Jully]

That's true but if they want to start moving forward with Pinnacle Peak, they're gonna have to do some big work on Easy Winder.
I'm pretty sure they used to snowmake on that trail..

Eh, I wouldn't say that it is a given that they would do something on that trail. Many places have expansions that are on the difficult side to get to. It would be fantastic if they could get more open early season though. I'm stocking up on early season deals and don't plan on going to Ragged regularly until later in December at the earliest.

As a side note, love the term "snowmake" haha.

 

[Newpylong]

Just about to post that myself, you beat me to it!

Blog also says that they have installed new snowmaking pipe on some early season beginner terrain to increase efficiency on key trails. It will be interesting to see how big of a difference this makes on operations!

The customer won't notice a difference, but the staff will like it for sure.

Also, Easy Winder has snowmaking, and a few lingering HKD Spectrums still mounted, but can't say I have ever seen them used. The top does need some blasting and runout regraded to make the trail useful for sure.

 

[MG Skier]

I seem to remember my first time at Ragged, winter 2008, that Easy Winder was full of snow and groomed. I skied there two years ago 2015 and skied it and it was natural and looked like it had quite a bit of snow on it. For what it is worth.

 

[dlague]

Easy Winder is the worst trail there! First you go down the pitch on Blueberry Patch which can be a cluster on busy days and then go on Easy Winder and that flattens out so much. It does get very wind blown. I very rarely have gone down Blue Berry Patch in the first place generally skated to the left U-turn and take those options.

 

[xwhaler]

Hopefully this massive pond means blowing snow on terrain they typically don't. Sweepstakes, Birches, Cemetary Gates come to mind

 

[canobie#1]

^ does sweepstakes even have snowmaking pipes?

Easy winders not that bad, a nice cruiser until you reach the very end. Some reproducing would do wonders.

 

[deadheadskier]

Easy winders not that bad, a nice cruiser until you reach the very end. Some reproducing would do wonders.

There's a first for everything. In this case using the words "nice cruiser" to describe Easy Winder. Maybe on nordic gear.

 

[xwhaler]

Sweepstakes does have pipe but it hasn't been used in not sure how many years.
I don't think Cemetary Gates has pipe so installing some there would be wishful thinking.
Probably best left as a natural only trail anyways I suppose.

 

[dlague]

There's a first for everything. In this case using the words "nice cruiser" to describe Easy Winder. Maybe on nordic gear.

Exactly - get a little up slope wind and you are skating a lot. At least you can get speed on the flat spot on blueberry patch by getting some speed coming down the upper part of that trail. Like I said earlier I do not ski that run very often.

 

[MG Skier]

The last two times I was there it was a weekday morning after a storm. One of them was a doozy on the year of the really good winter! Cabin Fever was great, glades were loaded. It was a top 5 day! I enjoy the mountain, hope they can get the H2O collected so they can paint the hill with more white gold!!!

 

[machski]

Sweepstakes does have pipe but it hasn't been used in not sure how many years.
I don't think Cemetary Gates has pipe so installing some there would be wishful thinking.
Probably best left as a natural only trail anyways I suppose.

Cemetery gates is so short it doesn't need pipe. They can make it from above and below dragging guns. They used to make snow years ago on it when I skied there a lot (before the HSS install).

 

[Jully]

The last two times I was there it was a weekday morning after a storm. One of them was a doozy on the year of the really good winter! Cabin Fever was great, glades were loaded. It was a top 5 day! I enjoy the mountain, hope they can get the H2O collected so they can paint the hill with more white gold!!!

Cabin Fever can ski amazingly. Problem is it is so short and then has a giant runout. A fantastic few moments though!

 

[canobie#1]

Is the Wilson's Trail still there? I try looking for it every time I go but I never have luck.

 

[Jully]

Is the Wilson's Trail still there? I try looking for it every time I go but I never have luck.

The trail off the backside?

 

[dlague]

Cemetery gates is so short it doesn't need pipe. They can make it from above and below dragging guns. They used to make snow years ago on it when I skied there a lot (before the HSS install).

Started thinking about it more and that face has a bunch of short trails. Headwall is like a two turn and slow down for the intersection type of trail. But the runs off Upper Ridge are better than Blueberry Patch IMO. Upper and lower Crew Cut can get some nice bumps going when they are open.

Cabin Fever can ski amazingly. Problem is it is so short and then has a giant runout. A fantastic few moments though!

Yup the run out on Easy Winder that kills it for me.

 

[Newpylong]

Sweepstakes does have pipe but it hasn't been used in not sure how many years.
I don't think Cemetary Gates has pipe so installing some there would be wishful thinking.
Probably best left as a natural only trail anyways I suppose.

No pipe on Sweepstakes, you're thinking of Birches. It's been a few years since they've used it.

Not a long drag to get to Sweepstakes from Birches line if they really wanted to, but doubtful.

 

[xwhaler]

Started thinking about it more and that face has a bunch of short trails. Headwall is like a two turn and slow down for the intersection type of trail. But the runs off Upper Ridge are better than Blueberry Patch IMO. Upper and lower Crew Cut can get some nice bumps going when they are open.



Yup the run out on Easy Winder that kills it for me.

Agreed that I'd much rather run Upper Ridge and Newfound ridge vs Blueberry Patch into Wild Ride/Village Green but they always do Blueberry first to offer terrain for all abilities.
Believe in the past the roll out order has been: 1) Blueberry to terrain park/village green 2) Flying Yankee 3) Upper Ridge into Newfound Ridge and Main Street 4) Cardigan

What will be interesting this yr is whether they change the sequence at all and/or if the increased water allows them to open multiple trails simultaneously.

 

[Jully]

Agreed that I'd much rather run Upper Ridge and Newfound ridge vs Blueberry Patch into Wild Ride/Village Green but they always do Blueberry first to offer terrain for all abilities.
Believe in the past the roll out order has been: 1) Blueberry to terrain park/village green 2) Flying Yankee 3) Upper Ridge into Newfound Ridge and Main Street 4) Cardigan

What will be interesting this yr is whether they change the sequence at all and/or if the increased water allows them to open multiple trails simultaneously.

I wonder what their air and pump capacity is. I know they have a decent number of fan guns too. On opening day / weekend if they had a trail on Ragged and Spear open that would be huge.

In the past I've rarely skied to the skier's right of Newfound Ridge due to the shortness of the trails over there, exactly. The stuff off of Crewcut is great and my favorite on trail stuff on Ragged proper besides TTB Sweepstakes.