Saddleback 1-21-08

[loafer89]

Area skied: Saddleback, Maine

Date skied: January 21st, from 9:30am - 3:45pm

Surface conditions: firm machine gromed, packed powder, loose powder (glades)

Weather: mostly sunny with increasing winds in the afternoon, -6F (base) at 9:30am

We arrrived to a fairly empty Saddleback and watched the car thermometer drop from a balmy -3F in Stratton to -6F at the base of Saddleback.

Our first run was down a groomed Green Weaver which had some windblown powder over the groomed and made for sweet turns. Next up was Upper Grey Ghost to Golden Smelt, which had small, somewhat icy moguls and was not as fun as the powder of post Christmas Week.

We found out that the Kennebago T-bar would not be running due to extreme windchill with a summit temperature of -29F early this morning, so we skied from the Rangeley Chair most of the day. We skied Thrombosis Glade which still had stashes of powder and good cover. Nightmare Glade from Green Weaver was okay, but a bit thin in places and all packed snow.

My friend and I skied down Royal Coachman which had great groomed curduroy that was nice and edgeable allowing for nice linked turns, but I did get a bit of an icecream headache when I got going too fast at times.

My friend and I skied Intimidator Glade by traversing uphill and over NW Pass and we where rewarded with fresh windblown powder moguls. The wind started to pick up at 2:30pm and my friend had had enough skiing, so I continued on alone for another our and took two additional runs off of the NW Pass traverse.

Tightline was my first run and was quite hard packed with high winds screaming uphill. Next up was Dark Wizard which had tons of powder/packed powder still remaining and no wind which made me quite warm torwards the end and the junction with a groomed and curduroy Supervisor.

My last run of the day was down Jane Craig which was very thin with lots of protruding stumps, rocks and bare spots, but I made it down just fine.

All in all an excellent day, if not for the gusty winds, but the cold was bearable and my kind of weather.

 

[salsgang]

Thanks for the report. Looking forward to getting up to Saddleback again this year.

How much of a traverse is the NW Pass? I know you have to hoof it up the hill a bit from the chair to get to the trail... Is it uphill a lot once you are on the pass or...? any info would be appreciated!

 

[loafer89]

Thanks for the report. Looking forward to getting up to Saddleback again this year.

How much of a traverse is the NW Pass? I know you have to hoof it up the hill a bit from the chair to get to the trail... Is it uphill a lot once you are on the pass or...? any info would be appreciated!

The worst part is the climb uphill past the warming hut, after that NW Pass has about 50' of moderate uphill poing and then it is flat/slightly downhill to Nightmare Glade. Getting to Dark Wizard Glade and Supervisor requires crossing the Kennebago T-bar line and a bit of poling and side stepping.

Altogether it's easier than riding the Keenebago T-bar, but the T-bar is not too tough anyway, IMO.

 

[loafer89]

I was very suprised to learn from ski patrol that they are anti-removal of the Kennebago T-bar. Apparently they are not looking forward to rescuing yahoo's off the upper monutain that will be able to reach it with a quad chair.

I told them I was none to pleased either and they suggested that I leave a comment in the suggestion box to that effect, which I did.

From what I could gather, the new lift is still being shopped for, so maybe we will have another year with the Kennebago T-bar

 

[loafer89]

It was too cold for me to want to bring my camera along, but I took this picture of Saddleback on the way back to Stratton:

 

[snoseek]

I was very suprised to learn from ski patrol that they are anti-removal of the Kennebago T-bar. Apparently they are not looking forward to rescuing yahoo's off the upper monutain that will be able to reach it with a quad chair.

I told them I was none to pleased either and they suggested that I leave a comment in the suggestion box to that effect, which I did.

From what I could gather, the new lift is still being shopped for, so maybe we will have another year with the Kennebago T-bar

Saddleback will be an entirely different mountain when that t is replaced. I don't understand the logic of mountains replacing surface lifts that serve cold windy terrain. How is a detach that will rarely run because of wind a better experience.

 

[billski]

great MLK diversion. Ahh, Saddleback. I you bring back my fondest memories - great skiing and nmad cold days/nights. Thanks for the great report!

 

[salsgang]

I was very suprised to learn from ski patrol that they are anti-removal of the Kennebago T-bar. Apparently they are not looking forward to rescuing yahoo's off the upper monutain that will be able to reach it with a quad chair.

I told them I was none to pleased either and they suggested that I leave a comment in the suggestion box to that effect, which I did.

From what I could gather, the new lift is still being shopped for, so maybe we will have another year with the Kennebago T-bar

Thanks for the info on the NW Pass. I am probably in the minority on this board, but I am looking forward to the t-bar being replaced. But I do hear the concerns of ski-patrol and others about novices going left off the T. They need to steered right down Tri-color and America.

 

[loafer89]

great MLK diversion. Ahh, Saddleback. I you bring back my fondest memories - great skiing and nmad cold days/nights. Thanks for the great report!

A customer came in during our lunch and demanded his money back stating that the snow was horrible and the weather was too cold for safe mountain operations:blink::blink::blink::blink:

I sure as he double hockey sticks hope this guy was "from away"

 

[loafer89]

Saddleback will be an entirely different mountain when that t is replaced. I don't understand the logic of mountains replacing surface lifts that serve cold windy terrain. How is a detach that will rarely run because of wind a better experience.

From what I understand the new lift will not be a HSQ as the owner does not like them, the lift will be a fixed grip quad with low towers.

I was talking to a guy in the real estate office and we talked about keeping/upgrading the T-bar, which he stated would require an extensive permit process that is necessary when you do major upgrades or changes to a lift and that the Kennebago T-bar is simply too old to continue in service.

Sounds like a bit of smoke and mirrors to me.

 

[salsgang]

From what I understand the new lift will not be a HSQ as the owner does not like them, the lift will be a fixed grip quad with low towers.

I was talking to a guy in the real estate office and we talked about keeping/upgrading the T-bar, which he stated would require an extensive permit process that is necessary when you do major upgrades or changes to a lift and that the Kennebago T-bar is simply too old to continue in service.

Sounds like a bit of smoke and mirrors to me.

I am sure when trying to sell condo's... as they are in a big way right now at Saddleback... most prospective Condo owners want chairs... not T's.

 

[loafer89]

I am sure when trying to sell condo's... as they are in a big way right now at Saddleback... most prospective Condo owners want chairs... not T's.

I am not totally against a quad chair, just put it in a location where you can also keep the T-bar for windy days when a chairlift would be impossible to run.

 

[salsgang]

I am not totally against a quad chair, just put it in a location where you can also keep the T-bar for windy days when a chairlift would be impossible to run.

Good point.

 

[deadheadskier]

It was too cold for me to want to bring my camera along, but I took this picture of Saddleback on the way back to Stratton:

drool


can't wait to get there this winter. Got my voucher sitting right next to my desk and just waiting for the right conditions to pop up on a Saturday or Sunday.



I'm with snoseek on this one thugh, why they would replace and upper mountain T-Bar is beyone me. That's one of the things I look forward to most about going there.

 

[loafer89]

drool


can't wait to get there this winter. Got my voucher sitting right next to my desk and just waiting for the right conditions to pop up on a Saturday or Sunday.



I'm with snoseek on this one thugh, why they would replace and upper mountain T-Bar is beyone me. That's one of the things I look forward to most about going there.

I would wait until February or March when the natural snowfall will be deep and the trails off of the Kennebago lift will have tons of cover. They lost quite a bit of snow to the thaw and are slowly recovering.

Last season conditions on closing day where epic and it was also free.

 

[deadheadskier]

I would wait until February or March when the natural snowfall will be deep and the trails off of the Kennebago lift will have tons of cover. They lost quite a bit of snow to the thaw and are slowly recovering.

Last season conditions on closing day where epic and it was also free.

definitely my plan. March almost always has the best conditions in New England, so I'm waiting for that to do a weekend with Saddleback on a Saturday and Sugarloaf on a Sunday

 

[loafer89]

definitely my plan. March almost always has the best conditions in New England, so I'm waiting for that to do a weekend with Saddleback on a Saturday and Sugarloaf on a Sunday

We are currently on the Sunday River, Saddleback and now Sugarloaf for the next two days, tour.

 

[snoseek]

We are currently on the Sunday River, Saddleback and now Sugarloaf for the next two days, tour.

Has anyone ever told you to move to Maine? You probably should.:lol:

 

[loafer89]

Has anyone ever told you to move to Maine? You probably should.:lol:

I would love to if I could find a steady job that would support the sking as well as the household. Northern Connecticut was a baby step in the right direction though.

 

[millerm277]

I was talking to a guy in the real estate office and we talked about keeping/upgrading the T-bar, which he stated would require an extensive permit process that is necessary when you do major upgrades or changes to a lift and that the Kennebago T-bar is simply too old to continue in service.

Can't be any worse than whatever they had to do to get approval for the quad and I can't see it requiring that much in permits unless the lift has some major structural problems or the like. (Which, I don't think it does).