Zand
Well-known member
Date(s) Skied: Saturday 12/12/09
Resort or Ski Area: Sugarbush, VT
Conditions: Crud, PP, VC; mostly cloudy, 10s, windy up top
Trip Report:
First really good day of the year today and I'm definitely feeling it now. Hit the good stuff for 6 hours straight except a 20 minute break for lunch. Overslept by 1.5 hours, but still got there just before 9:30.
First ride up Super Bravo, I was glad yet disappointed to see people on Castlerock already. It was good to see it open, but I wanted to be among the first to get tracks which was supposed to happen around 10. Oh well... started off with Domino to Lower Organgrinder which were quite thin. I was one of the first down lower OG, so I had fun uncovering the rocks. Headed for Castlerock and was probably 4th or 5th down Rumble. Top was rocky, but was rewarded starting halfway down with amazing powder. Popped out onto Lower Liftline which was still nice.
Line was around the corner and back towards the access trail, so I headed back to the base. Took some runs off Bravo, starting with a SICK Mall... no untracked left but it was amazing snow good for short radius turns and a few bumps. Also hit Steins which was a bit thinner, but similar snow.
Headed up to HG and Paradise the next run. The top of Paradise was thin with lots of rocks, but like Rumble, got REALLY nice halfway down. Headed up Castlerock to Middle Earth after that... groomed!?!? Had some crappy spots towards the bottom, but the top was nice and soft.
Took a lunch break, then hit Twist off Bravo. Like its neighbors, excellent snow on it. I preferred that area to Castlerock... maybe because it was less traveled and therefore had better coverage.
Headed to the top and Organgrinder to Spillsville. OG was its usual scraped self... one of the few trails up there that actually has a base right now. Spills had some nice bumps and good snow. Lower Ripcord was thin with a lot of traffic, but had some good spots.
Spent most of the rest of the time on Castlerock as the line died down. Hit CR a couple times, Cotillion, and Rumble again. CR was nice at the top and most of the bottom, but the runout was full of nasty waterbars. Cotillion was sweet as usual due to having low traffic. Rumble was getting down to the rocks at the top but was still nice halfway down.
Got tired, so I headed down. Willed myself through one more run on Moonshine even though my legs hated me for it. Had some nice snow, but quite thin where the trees were thicker.
Overall, an awesome day. I've been taking lots of pics this year as I got a camera over the summer, but the gallery won't work for me. I'll probably go down to Burke for an hour tomorrow and check out the scene at the bottom. Don't have much motivation to go for long with just Sherburne open. After that, time to put up with mainly Wachusett for a month and a couple trips to Mt. Snow, Okemo, etc.
Resort or Ski Area: Sugarbush, VT
Conditions: Crud, PP, VC; mostly cloudy, 10s, windy up top
Trip Report:
First really good day of the year today and I'm definitely feeling it now. Hit the good stuff for 6 hours straight except a 20 minute break for lunch. Overslept by 1.5 hours, but still got there just before 9:30.
First ride up Super Bravo, I was glad yet disappointed to see people on Castlerock already. It was good to see it open, but I wanted to be among the first to get tracks which was supposed to happen around 10. Oh well... started off with Domino to Lower Organgrinder which were quite thin. I was one of the first down lower OG, so I had fun uncovering the rocks. Headed for Castlerock and was probably 4th or 5th down Rumble. Top was rocky, but was rewarded starting halfway down with amazing powder. Popped out onto Lower Liftline which was still nice.
Line was around the corner and back towards the access trail, so I headed back to the base. Took some runs off Bravo, starting with a SICK Mall... no untracked left but it was amazing snow good for short radius turns and a few bumps. Also hit Steins which was a bit thinner, but similar snow.
Headed up to HG and Paradise the next run. The top of Paradise was thin with lots of rocks, but like Rumble, got REALLY nice halfway down. Headed up Castlerock to Middle Earth after that... groomed!?!? Had some crappy spots towards the bottom, but the top was nice and soft.
Took a lunch break, then hit Twist off Bravo. Like its neighbors, excellent snow on it. I preferred that area to Castlerock... maybe because it was less traveled and therefore had better coverage.
Headed to the top and Organgrinder to Spillsville. OG was its usual scraped self... one of the few trails up there that actually has a base right now. Spills had some nice bumps and good snow. Lower Ripcord was thin with a lot of traffic, but had some good spots.
Spent most of the rest of the time on Castlerock as the line died down. Hit CR a couple times, Cotillion, and Rumble again. CR was nice at the top and most of the bottom, but the runout was full of nasty waterbars. Cotillion was sweet as usual due to having low traffic. Rumble was getting down to the rocks at the top but was still nice halfway down.
Got tired, so I headed down. Willed myself through one more run on Moonshine even though my legs hated me for it. Had some nice snow, but quite thin where the trees were thicker.
Overall, an awesome day. I've been taking lots of pics this year as I got a camera over the summer, but the gallery won't work for me. I'll probably go down to Burke for an hour tomorrow and check out the scene at the bottom. Don't have much motivation to go for long with just Sherburne open. After that, time to put up with mainly Wachusett for a month and a couple trips to Mt. Snow, Okemo, etc.
