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Ski Sundown & Mohawk Mountain: And So It Begins
- Thread starter severine
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GrilledSteezeSandwich
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I feel like some of the southern skiers are getting screwed with Easter so early this year. Blue mountain is conveniently closing the day before Easter..
At least Blue is open midweek..
At least Blue is open midweek..
loafer89
New member
We where planning on going up to Maine for Easter Weekend, but the conditions do not look good enough to justify the drive and the expense, so we might just stay home and ski locally this weekend. I am thinking about hitting Mohawk with my son on friday for the free day, we did it last year when they had it on April 1st, which was closing day.
gmcunni
Active member
i just noticed the Ski Sundown event page no longer mentions the April camps that were scheduled. I wonder if that indicates an early April closing ??
The April camps were canceled last week due to lack of interest. The original closing date was originally scheduled to be April 6th from what I heard. Then they started saying that they'll stay open as late as possible once they canceled the camps, so who knows what that means. Judging by the amount of people using the mountain this past weekend I wouldn't be surprised if next weekend was it...
loafer89
New member
We are going to hit Mohawk on friday as skiing for free is just the right price for me and then use our Spring Fling Bonus Bucks for $15 off of our lift tickets at Okemo on saturday.
It looks like a groomer weekend which is kind of boring, but also not worth the drive to Maine.
and then use our Spring Fling Bonus Bucks for $15 off of our lift tickets at Okemo on saturday.It looks like a groomer weekend which is kind of boring, but also not worth the drive to Maine.
We are going to hit Mohawk on friday as skiing for free is just the right price for me
It looks like a groomer weekend which is kind of boring, but also not worth the drive to Maine.
Curious why from CT you typically head to Maine to ski when the Northern Vermont Mountains are so much easier to get to?
I'm not knocking the River, Saddleback and Sugarloaf, but outside of odd years like this one, the snow amounts are far less than what can be experienced in Northern VT. Guess I'm overstating the obvious, just curious about your preference for Maine.
gmcunni
Active member
Judging by the amount of people using the mountain this past weekend I wouldn't be surprised if next weekend was it...
was it empty this weekend? i was trying to get up there on sunday to see the comp but my plans fell through. :-(
o3jeff
New member
I skied Sundown last Thursday and Friday afternoons from 1-5 and there were probably 25-30 at most there, maybe even less.
gmcunni
Active member
bummer... after this weekend's trip to VT i was hoping i could catch at least one more day locally down here.
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\Judging by the amount of people using the mountain this past weekend I wouldn't be surprised if next weekend was it...
This makes me crazy. The mountain is freakin' buried right now and the bumps are primed. I wonder if they would ever consider opening if we could host some sort of AZ day there. You know, sort of like Plattekill where we could "rent" the mountain for $X....
MR. evil
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loafer89
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Well I live in Northeastern Connecticut, so I am close to I-84 ( 2 miles away) and could go either way for skiing, but we preffer less crowds, isolation, and the generally friendlier people who ski/live in Maine.
Skiing in Maine is also less expensive than the major resorts in Vermont, especially in regards to lodging, food and lift tickets. Warren and I can ski at Saddleback for $70 where as a lift ticket just for myself at Okemo for instance is $74.
I have also skied Vermont to death as that was my primary destination when I lived in NYC/Long Island, so I am a bit tired of it.
Maine also did very well with snowfall last year, especially in March and April, Sugarloaf had 107" of snow in April of 2007.
What Loafer said-friendly people, less $$$$. Also I think in Maine there might be less crowds and a good overall vibe. Just missing that 300 inch average but I think the loaf/saddleback retain snow really really good.
loafer89
New member
Sugarloaf and Saddleback probably have the highest snow retention in New England in my experience and it's rare for Sugarloaf to close for lack of snow. Skiing into May this year should easily be accomplished with such tremendous base depths.
Vortex
Member
We are going to hit Mohawk on friday as skiing for free is just the right price for me
It looks like a groomer weekend which is kind of boring, but also not worth the drive to Maine.
Sorry it is worth the drive. It was last weekend.
Fair enough. Having lived the better part of my life in Vermont and now in winter #3 in Maine, I guess I can't say with certainty that I find the people more friendly or less friendly here - found plenty of kind folk in both locales. In general, yes the skiing is cheaper, though I'd think the Loaf and the River are right on par with many Vermont areas outside of Stowe, Killington, Okemo and Stratton. I would think whatever is saved in lift tickets though, would be lost in gas to get to the mountains. Saddleback is definitely a steal, far and away the best value maybe in the Country. Though from Northeastern Conneticut, the ride has to be close to six hours I'd imagine.
I guess the reason I asked is because I live in Maine now and while I've had killer days at the River and the Loaf, I definitely miss the skiing back home. Sugarbush, Smuggs, Stowe & Jay just all seem to have better snow more consistently. Terrain I would give the nod collectively there as well, though Sugarloaf is an impressive piece of skiing real estate. Unfortunately, I've only been to Saddleback once and the conditions were pretty bad, at least for the kind of skiing I like. I could tell though that I'd LOVE it on a good day, but that doesn't make it any closer to get to. Guess that bolsters the crowds arguement in favor of Maine.
Different Strokes for Different folks I guess.
loafer89
New member
Sorry it is worth the drive. It was last weekend.
I hear you on that, but rain is forecast for thursday followed by really cold weather over the weekend, probably not making for good conditions off the groomers.
loafer89
New member
Sunday River is 4 hours and 15 minutes door to door and Saddleback and Sugarloaf are about 5 hours or so depending on traffic, which I find easier going than the slog up I-91 on a friday evening, save for the horror of the Boston piece of it.
One piece of advise that I could give you is to suggest a trip back to Saddleback in about two-three weeks when the weather will be much warmer and you can play in the corn snow that is sure to be found in the glades. Governor, Dark Wizard and Nightmare should be excellent as they where last April, although they where choked with powder until the very end. Most likely you will have 1,800' of vertical to yourself.
Sugarloaf and Saddleback really come along torwards April when most of the rest of New England is melting away, I have learned this over the nearly 20 years that I have skied at Sugarloaf.
Honestly I do not know Smugglers well as I only skied there once, and 4 times at Stowe. But I have been to Jay about a dozen times and love it. Face shots under the tram are cool and Everglade is my favorite glade in the east.
That said Sugarloaf is my favorite mountain in the east hands down. I love skiing a huge 2,600' mountain where there is minimal traversing, above treeline snowfields and some legitimate steeps. I can't wait to spend a week there next month.
