Saddleback - Cutting Casablanca Article and Video

[salsgang]

This is going to be pretty sweet.

http://www.sunjournal.com/node/436787

 

[wa-loaf]

That looks f-in sweet!

 

[riverc0il]

Wow, go Saddleback! The addition of the Yurt at the bottom of the new Quad so skiers and riders do not have to go back to the base lodge is awesome!

That was a really well written article. This part had particularly good insight:

Klefos said building a glade is a cost-effective way for ski resorts to add a new element that many guests will enjoy, but it serves another purpose for ski area operations. A glade, because it typically takes longer to navigate than a traditionally cleared ski run, can ease the pressure on a chairlift line by keeping more riders and skiers on the mountain longer.

Keep building em' for the lift lines sake!

 

[WoodCore]

That looks awesome!! Way to go Saddleback.

 

[Highway Star]

That's pretty sweet...niiice.

 

[billski]

that sealed the deal. I'm up there this year.

 

[bigbog]

Billski,
132 bags and no Extreme Raking DVD?....:roll:
Weather, often damp up here this year, has made for nice efficient raking.

Saddleback, with some tree trails, is now definitely in my sights...on a daily-snowstorm-basis.

$.01

 

[billski]

Billski,
132 bags and no Extreme Raking DVD?....:roll:
Weather, often damp up here this year, has made for nice efficient raking.

Saddleback, with some tree trails, is now definitely in my sights...on a daily-snowstorm-basis.

$.01

Working on it BB. Just got in, I'm up to 188 bags, with at least a couple more weekends ahead. Had a chlorine distraction of mold, mildew and moss growing on the house walls, roof and sidewalk. Bagging wet leaves sux -dirty, heavy. Rather go back to my teenage job pitching manure out of the milking parlor. Gonna have one strong back when I'm done. :???:

 

[snoseek]

That really makes me want to fly home some March and ski that. From the shots they definately cut it out more than some of the other glades in the hill

 

[riverc0il]

That really makes me want to fly home some March and ski that. From the shots they definately cut it out more than some of the other glades in the hill

I was thinking the same but that may have just been one spot out of many. Either in the video or the article, it was noted that they varied how much they cut. Some places are wide open and some places are really tight. Hopefully the crew had good direction. There is a place for both wide open and really tight. I am okay if nothing in there is "Dark Wizard Tight" which gives tight tree skiing a whole new meaning. But I do hope there are some tight chutes mixed in with the open gladed areas.

Looks like Saddleback did this right, regardless. Seems like they are (rightly) getting a lot of press which should translate into a lot more visits for them.

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Looks like Saddleback did this right, regardless. Seems like they are (rightly) getting a lot of press which should translate into a lot more visits for them.

Bah humbug on their press. They stiffed everyone in the industry and are doomed to fail.

Sincerely,

Steve Kircher


PS - In all seriousness, that looks like fun. Love the terrain features etc...

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

Bah humbug on their press. They stiffed everyone in the industry and are doomed to fail.

Sincerely,

Steve Kircher


PS - In all seriousness, that looks like fun. Love the terrain features etc...

Well played TW, well played.

I'm already scheming of a way to get there this winter...and I wasn't already considering a trip to the loaf...so that glade has been the ticket to entice me to make the longer drive.

 

[tipsdown]

Damn that glade is gonna be fun...Can't wait to check it out.

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm wondering how much snow it will require to open in the first year. From the looks of it very little debris was removed in some of the areas. I'd imagine it will be easier to open after a year or two when some of the debris starts to decompose.

 

[Highway Star]

I'm curious what it was like before the clearing. Was it actually fully un-skiable, or were there some lines?

 

[snoseek]

I'm curious what it was like before the clearing. Was it actually fully un-skiable, or were there some lines?

It was thick as hell for the most part-classic Maine evergreen forest really. Probably loaded full of rabbits and other little critters. Any lines in there would have swallowed you I'm pretty sure

 

[deadheadskier]

If there were lines, they were cut. Full on tight evergreen forest in that area. The kind that's nearly impossible to walk through, never mind ski through. Mandatory GS turns certainly would not be possible

 

[salsgang]

The verdict is in. They did an A+ job on this glade. The bowl this glade is in captures the snow very well. We probably skied on a 3-4 foot base on January 3rd 2010.

This glade is seriously wide. There are four marked access points to drop into the glade. #1 and #2 are tighter while #3 and #4 drop into a more wide open section. The glade basically follows the fall line of Muleskinner. You can spend years in there and find new lines each time. There are narrow chutes interspersed with tight and open glades.

It is certainly a workout to get over via the traverse... Probably a 5-10 minute hike depending on how fast you are. But it really is worth it on a powder day.

These are some pics from a Saddleback trip report but thought they would be helpful in this thread too.

We first dropped into #1. Very similar to Dark Wizard.

This glade is WIDE. This is a good shot to see how wide this glade is. Far as the eye can see.

This is the drop into the glade at the third entry point. After a tight little entry it opens right up.

This is the wider section of the glade. Kind of like another world.

Some very nice natural terrain features at the bottom.

I mostly stick to Maine Mountains, but I have to think this must be a pretty unique, special place in New England.

 

[xwhaler]

Well Said and Captured here.....w/o going too overboard, this really is a very special area for New England skiing.

 

[tipsdown]

Salsang summed it up pretty well. It truly is special. I knew it was going to be good, how could a 44 acre glad not be good? But it blew my mind. It's hard to imagine they could have done a better job with it (of what's finished). When you ski it/ride it, it's obvious that this thing was cut by a bunch of die-hard tele's that love that mountain (and not a bunch of lumberjacks). I thought the talk about the glade catching and holding more snow than anywhere else on the mountain may have been a little marketing fluff but it's not...Easily the deepest stuff I skiied and it was DEEP everywhere.

This is the most unique glade experience I've had, and an absolute MUST for any east coast glade skier.