Snowmaking On Ripsaw

[Johnskiismore]

Snowmaking has begun on Loon's long awaited double diamond trail, 'Ripsaw'. While there today I could see the guns and towers poised for action. A buddy of mine who is a snowmaker told me the target is this weekend to have it open!

Really, really looking forward to skiing it!

 

[tcharron]

Every time I look at their map, and see Ripsaw, my eyes drift to the right and say..

"OMG, look at that HUUUGE glade! It's like, the whole side of the mountain! But what kind of dumb arse name is 'Out of Bounds' for a glade?" :-D

 

[WJenness]

Cool.

I'll probably be up on Sunday... if it's open I might just have to hit it...

-w

 

[Johnskiismore]

Was there again today, took some pictures:

SNOWMAKING ON RIPSAW

For the record surface conditions were primarily PP and LSGR, it was great!

 

[bigbob]

The guns have been laid out with hoses attached for at least 3 weeks! About time!!

 

[Johnskiismore]

The guns have been laid out with hoses attached for at least 3 weeks! About time!!

Yeah, no kidding!

 

[Mildcat]

Think it'll be open Friday? Thinking about heading up that day.

 

[Telemechanic]

The guns have been laid out with hoses attached for at least 3 weeks! About time!!

They were planning on starting snowmaking weeks ago but then the area was hit with some bad weather which re-focused snowmaking on resurfacing the open trails.

I can't wait till its ready. I hope we get some natural snow as frosting for the man made "cake"!

 

[AMAC2233]

Looks like tomorrow's the day...anyone going to hit it? I'll be there some week next time hopefully. Got to admit I'm a little excited

 

[Johnskiismore]

From my house I could see Ripsaw getting groomed after midnight, was hoping it would be open today. Seems like it'll be ready tomorrow! Hopefully I will make it, we'll see!

 

[Vortex]

Nice shots. That will be a fun one to try.

 

[Johnskiismore]

Nice shots. That will be a fun one to try.

I can't wait! This trail has created a serious buzz with locals and Loon regulars alike, this kind of trail is what Loon needs

 

[Telemechanic]

Ripsaw opened today (Friday) around noon. The double digit negative temperatures had risen to single digit numbers by afternoon so I ventured up to South Peak around 2pm.

Its steeper than anything at Loon with about 800 slope-feet of sustained pitch (out of about 4500 feet of trail) looking down on the Lincoln Express liftline. The pitch starts at an island of trees so one has a choice of approaches and each offers a different feel. The approach to the tree island is tame but the trail below the headwall remains on the steep side until below the lift and then takes a couple of 's' turns through some easier terrain. It has no long run-out like the other South Peak trails.

I liked it. I arrived well after the corduroy was skied off. In part because the all the snow is man-made base and also because it was very cold the headwall looked verrry firm and it gave me a "don't fall" feeling. This is something I can't ever recall feeling at Loon except maybe after an extreme thaw-freeze cycle and then the trail was closed and I was a patroller. The steepness seems plenty long enough for the trail to earn its double black diamond rating.

The snow is still a little rough on the edges. Golf ball textured snow and an overall firmness often comes immediately after the initial opening but this should improve with continued grooming. A good natural snow fall would help to, especially with filling in the edges. The groomers did a good job pushing out the snow, I found no unexpected or unnatural grading but some of the rocky edges of the trail were left uncovered.

Ripsaw is definitely a step up in difficulty for Loon. The steepness is there but the because the trail is still a man-made slope dependent on grooming and snowmaking it will feel familiar to Loon. There are still two more expert trail to be built on South Peak, to the skiers right of Ripsaw. I would love to see those trails to be built a bit narrower than Ripsaw and to follow the natural topography more too. A couple trails like that could really change the way Loon skis.

 

[Johnskiismore]

Great to hear! Last night I talked to about fifteen people who skied it, including one of the snowmakers who talked about how they blew the snow and built the base on the trail.

I'll be there on Monday, way too much stuff going on today and tomorrow

 

[Newpylong]

Trail looks a lot like Plummet at Mount Snow, or in pictures it does.

 

[riverc0il]

From my house I could see Ripsaw getting groomed after midnight, was hoping it would be open today. Seems like it'll be ready tomorrow! Hopefully I will make it, we'll see!

Groomed? Double Diamond? :lol:

 

[Johnskiismore]

Groomed? Double Diamond? :lol:

Hey now, nobody said it was like the headwall at Tuckerman! ;-)

 

[riverc0il]

Hey now, nobody said it was like the headwall at Tuckerman! ;-)

I was just joking of course. But it doesn't have to be Tuckerman steep to be interesting. I find steep groomed runs to be amongst the worst trails around. Double diamond ratings may indeed be warranted for such runs if only due to the generally horrid conditions as it does not take many sliders (emphasis on the slide) turning their skis or boards side ways to make conditions appalling at best. Reminds me of Zoomer at Cannon. The groomed part is just an absolute disaster. And that run is not even terribly steep!

 

[Johnskiismore]

I was joking too, but, I don't know if Loon is planning on grooming/packing everyday on Ripsaw. To get that trail open they did have to pack those whales down. From talking to people who poached the trail after the 12/16(?) storm that left over two feet of snow, between the water bars and the rocks at the top of the trail it does need a big base..... as they are experienced riders and skiers who basically had the crap beaten out of them and their boards. We shall see!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Groomed? Double Diamond? :lol:

all the double diamonds at Blue mountain are groomed daily.