NYDB
Well-known member
Went up to the VT house hoping for good skiing 1/1-1/4. I usually try to wait and catch the tail end of the holiday crowds and a few days of emptyness after the holidays. But the shit predicted to blow in tuesday put a dent in my plans for a good tues/wed. So had to make the most of 12/31 which I figured would be a shit show. Had magic tix but decided to save them for a later weekend.
Drove up 12/30, arriving at the house to hear about Friday crowds after the snow, 30 minute waits, everything on wind hold, a maddening scene. cats and dogs living together. Had me dreading the next 2 days. 2 shots o bourbon and a good nights rest.
12/31 - Got the 2 kids to ski school early and took 2 runs on ursa lift before heading over to snowbowl. Crowds were there but all the lifts were spinning so the snowbowl lift was ski on for most of the morning. Maybe a 1 minute wait at the peak.
Took laps on upper/to lower slalom glade to world cup (2 of 4 natural trails). They snow they received thurs/night friday windblew into some nice powdery drifts. I had fun and a run under the poma line was a blast. A few Stream crossings but nice powder. was thinking about testing the woods next to the man made snow trails but never made it. Liftline was closed but looked eminently poachable, but decided not to do it on day 1 under the running lift. Picked the son up from lessons and rode sunbowl trails the rest of the day with 2-3 minute lift lines on sunrise express and shooting star. Everything on top half of mountain was skied off after about 1pm, So I didn't mind cruising the lower half blues and greens and we made it back to the south american lift by 2:30 and cruised the blues on the lower half with a few park laps.
1/1 - Passed out early the night before and made it to the mountain about 8am sunbowl base. I was parked second line of cars, 20 second walk to base. I dropped the wife with the 4 year old at main base and I took the 8 year old, hoping to get one run top to bottom before dropping him at snowboard school. Took a top to bottom run on standard since they didn't groom the upper part. The right side of the trail had some great snow and the center section had soft soft snow. buttery turns after the main bump lines. Since it was breezy today they shut down the gondola and snowbowl, so I headed back to sunbowl. The main trail over there(sunriser supertrail) wasn't open but had what looked like great snow on it. By 10:30 there had to be 200 tracks on it right under the lift. I took that as an endorsement so I took runs on kidderbrook, free fall and sunbeam after that. All powdery deliciousness, fresh tracks, with some sticks and stones and streams (minor). Free fall had knee deep snow on it. Had to head over to main base to pickup kid and took a run down liftline which had piles of snow from the winds on skiers left. Awesome run. Spent the rest of the day with son on beardown and upper standard teaching him how to handle the bumps in the natural snow. Last run poached sunbeam with him. I really wanted to get him some powder turns.
1/2- Didn't know what to expect from the crowds but they were light and It was a beautiful day. light winds and comfortable temps. Stuck on the groomer with the wife in the morning, did dip in the woods a bit dancing bear and shredwood forest, since I knew they had good coverage being next to snowmaking trails. They were decent, good coverage and found some fresh lines through dancing bear to the left. Other than that, I was bored with the groomers.
Picked up son before lunch and spent the afternoon on beardown and upperstandard. Still good snow, and softening in the warm afternoon. Left son with wife to pickup daughter from ski school. Had my snowboard stolen, which was not a nice way to end an otherwise great three days.
1/3- knew the rain was coming, woke up to freezing fog and drizzle. Daughter had half day ski school otherwise we would have left. Wife, Son and Myself made 4 runs and come in for hot chocolate. Looked like glazed donuts.
Definitely realized this trip that the boy and myself are ready for a change of scenery and hope to get to Magic a few time before year end and maybe Killington/Pico. Have some tickets, just waiting for the right weekend. I don't get Strattons trail opening policy at all.
Drove up 12/30, arriving at the house to hear about Friday crowds after the snow, 30 minute waits, everything on wind hold, a maddening scene. cats and dogs living together. Had me dreading the next 2 days. 2 shots o bourbon and a good nights rest.
12/31 - Got the 2 kids to ski school early and took 2 runs on ursa lift before heading over to snowbowl. Crowds were there but all the lifts were spinning so the snowbowl lift was ski on for most of the morning. Maybe a 1 minute wait at the peak.
Took laps on upper/to lower slalom glade to world cup (2 of 4 natural trails). They snow they received thurs/night friday windblew into some nice powdery drifts. I had fun and a run under the poma line was a blast. A few Stream crossings but nice powder. was thinking about testing the woods next to the man made snow trails but never made it. Liftline was closed but looked eminently poachable, but decided not to do it on day 1 under the running lift. Picked the son up from lessons and rode sunbowl trails the rest of the day with 2-3 minute lift lines on sunrise express and shooting star. Everything on top half of mountain was skied off after about 1pm, So I didn't mind cruising the lower half blues and greens and we made it back to the south american lift by 2:30 and cruised the blues on the lower half with a few park laps.
1/1 - Passed out early the night before and made it to the mountain about 8am sunbowl base. I was parked second line of cars, 20 second walk to base. I dropped the wife with the 4 year old at main base and I took the 8 year old, hoping to get one run top to bottom before dropping him at snowboard school. Took a top to bottom run on standard since they didn't groom the upper part. The right side of the trail had some great snow and the center section had soft soft snow. buttery turns after the main bump lines. Since it was breezy today they shut down the gondola and snowbowl, so I headed back to sunbowl. The main trail over there(sunriser supertrail) wasn't open but had what looked like great snow on it. By 10:30 there had to be 200 tracks on it right under the lift. I took that as an endorsement so I took runs on kidderbrook, free fall and sunbeam after that. All powdery deliciousness, fresh tracks, with some sticks and stones and streams (minor). Free fall had knee deep snow on it. Had to head over to main base to pickup kid and took a run down liftline which had piles of snow from the winds on skiers left. Awesome run. Spent the rest of the day with son on beardown and upper standard teaching him how to handle the bumps in the natural snow. Last run poached sunbeam with him. I really wanted to get him some powder turns.
1/2- Didn't know what to expect from the crowds but they were light and It was a beautiful day. light winds and comfortable temps. Stuck on the groomer with the wife in the morning, did dip in the woods a bit dancing bear and shredwood forest, since I knew they had good coverage being next to snowmaking trails. They were decent, good coverage and found some fresh lines through dancing bear to the left. Other than that, I was bored with the groomers.
Picked up son before lunch and spent the afternoon on beardown and upperstandard. Still good snow, and softening in the warm afternoon. Left son with wife to pickup daughter from ski school. Had my snowboard stolen, which was not a nice way to end an otherwise great three days.
1/3- knew the rain was coming, woke up to freezing fog and drizzle. Daughter had half day ski school otherwise we would have left. Wife, Son and Myself made 4 runs and come in for hot chocolate. Looked like glazed donuts.
Definitely realized this trip that the boy and myself are ready for a change of scenery and hope to get to Magic a few time before year end and maybe Killington/Pico. Have some tickets, just waiting for the right weekend. I don't get Strattons trail opening policy at all.
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