billski
Active member
Date(s) Skied: 3/5/6
Resort or Ski Area: Stowe VT
Conditions: PP - Powder, powder, powder. Did I say powder?
Trip Report:
I died and went to heaven. Or so I thought. Got up, checked the wind forecast, things had died down; checked web site, everything is up an running. or so we thought.
7:15 AM - HUGE stream of suvs and trucks coming in from Mt. road. Parking lot HALF FULL. By 8:15 the Mansfield and gondi lots were FULL.
The rest of the gang wanted to sleep in, so my bud and I got the goods. lifts open at 7:30. Or do they? We arrived to find the gondi and quad on wind hold. the double was out of ops, and EVERYONE was in the triple line. It was the line from hell, maybe 200-250 people. The double showed signs of life, about 100 went over there and waited. and waited. Double started loading about 9, mob scene over there. about 8 word was the quad was going off windhold. Winds died down by about 8am. huge crowds went over and waited for at least an hour. when it finally started turning at 10 the pent up demand looked like about a 45 minute wait to get up the quad. Hell with it, off to the triple. The gondi started to run at noon, but the line was about twice as long as I've ever seen it before; trip. was empty. There we go.
A quick checkout suggests all the blacks were windblown and crusty. Blues had some pow, mostly on the sides, but they were too crowded. Off to find some woods.
Good Lord, it was the best east coast powder skiing I've every had in my life. Just heaven. While we skied 3/4 mountain and down, we had 1 to 2' of the fluffiest stuff you have ever seen. We made fresh tracks (partly thanks to windblown) EVERYWHERE we went. You could just ski and ski and ski powder, while the groomers ached with scratching noises all over. The skies had cleard, it warmed into the hi 20's, I was soaking under my helmet. God was I tired, but it was impossible to stop. Just flying through the trees, not a sound to be made. We almost never hit the bottom base there was so much pow. I looked at the photos that Scott Braaten and other took from the upper mountain. It was just like that, but we didn't have the 3 feet. Just blowing powder everywhere. What more can I say. The pics say it all.
Here are links to scott's photos, if you have not seen them.. It was really just like that. I'm not a good writer, I think photos have to suffice.
http://tinyurl.com/fcrus
http://tinyurl.com/gegbn
http://tinyurl.com/ze4rh
http://tinyurl.com/gwo53
http://tinyurl.com/l6arg
this next one is what it looked like for us all day:
http://tinyurl.com/zkhfa
http://tinyurl.com/jv9ps
http://tinyurl.com/krflt
We were not on as steep as he was, but the experience felt like these pics. Sorry I didn't think to bring a camera. We really didn't expect it to be this good. It's just like a good movie that keeps playing over and over and over. Leaving was REAL hard.
Looks like a biz trip may take me to Colorado, just in time for the NASTAR nationals in 2 weeks....
p.s., the Gondi and Quad had been on windhold for THREE DAYS. The locals were pissed. One went home to read the paper. wonder if he came back at noon?
Resort or Ski Area: Stowe VT
Conditions: PP - Powder, powder, powder. Did I say powder?
Trip Report:
I died and went to heaven. Or so I thought. Got up, checked the wind forecast, things had died down; checked web site, everything is up an running. or so we thought.
7:15 AM - HUGE stream of suvs and trucks coming in from Mt. road. Parking lot HALF FULL. By 8:15 the Mansfield and gondi lots were FULL.
The rest of the gang wanted to sleep in, so my bud and I got the goods. lifts open at 7:30. Or do they? We arrived to find the gondi and quad on wind hold. the double was out of ops, and EVERYONE was in the triple line. It was the line from hell, maybe 200-250 people. The double showed signs of life, about 100 went over there and waited. and waited. Double started loading about 9, mob scene over there. about 8 word was the quad was going off windhold. Winds died down by about 8am. huge crowds went over and waited for at least an hour. when it finally started turning at 10 the pent up demand looked like about a 45 minute wait to get up the quad. Hell with it, off to the triple. The gondi started to run at noon, but the line was about twice as long as I've ever seen it before; trip. was empty. There we go.
A quick checkout suggests all the blacks were windblown and crusty. Blues had some pow, mostly on the sides, but they were too crowded. Off to find some woods.
Good Lord, it was the best east coast powder skiing I've every had in my life. Just heaven. While we skied 3/4 mountain and down, we had 1 to 2' of the fluffiest stuff you have ever seen. We made fresh tracks (partly thanks to windblown) EVERYWHERE we went. You could just ski and ski and ski powder, while the groomers ached with scratching noises all over. The skies had cleard, it warmed into the hi 20's, I was soaking under my helmet. God was I tired, but it was impossible to stop. Just flying through the trees, not a sound to be made. We almost never hit the bottom base there was so much pow. I looked at the photos that Scott Braaten and other took from the upper mountain. It was just like that, but we didn't have the 3 feet. Just blowing powder everywhere. What more can I say. The pics say it all.
Here are links to scott's photos, if you have not seen them.. It was really just like that. I'm not a good writer, I think photos have to suffice.
http://tinyurl.com/fcrus
http://tinyurl.com/gegbn
http://tinyurl.com/ze4rh
http://tinyurl.com/gwo53
http://tinyurl.com/l6arg
this next one is what it looked like for us all day:
http://tinyurl.com/zkhfa
http://tinyurl.com/jv9ps
http://tinyurl.com/krflt
We were not on as steep as he was, but the experience felt like these pics. Sorry I didn't think to bring a camera. We really didn't expect it to be this good. It's just like a good movie that keeps playing over and over and over. Leaving was REAL hard.
Looks like a biz trip may take me to Colorado, just in time for the NASTAR nationals in 2 weeks....
p.s., the Gondi and Quad had been on windhold for THREE DAYS. The locals were pissed. One went home to read the paper. wonder if he came back at noon?
