sankaty
Member
Date(s) Skied: Feb 14, 15, 16
Resort or Ski Area: Sugarbush (Lincoln Peak)
Conditions: PP, wet snow on the 14th, FG with some powder on the 15-16th
Trip Report:
First trip to Sugarbush in about 17 years. What a great mountain.
Due to family obligations, only had about two hours each day to explore. Limited time combined with uncooperative weather resulted in me only skiing a fraction of the terrain that I wanted to, but it was still lots of fun.
On Monday the 14th, conditions were great, but high winds prevented the upper mountain lifts from opening at all. Conditions were PP in the morning, transitioning to soft, wet snow during the afternoon. All in all, a lovely day to ski, but the warmth (mid 40s) made me fear (with good reason) the refreeze the following day. Highlights were bumps on Birdland and Stein's Run. Also discovered Eden, which is a great glade for folks just getting into tree skiing. One of my skiing companions is a very strong skier, but not too comfortable with tree skiing yet. Eden is a fantastic gateway to glades. Later in the day, the winds shut down even Super Bravo, so the Gate House Quad was the only remaining lift. Lapped the trees in Deeper Sleeper several times, which was fun.
Overnight temperatures plummeted to below zero, accompanied by snow squalls and high winds. The weather on Tuesday the 15th was pretty brutal with high winds, high temps in the single digits at the base and around zero at the summits. The lower 2/3rds of the mountain froze solid, yielding very firm FG conditions on most trails. In most places, the skiing was just not very good, if, like me, you're not into fast turns on very firm snow. Ungroomed trails on the lower mountain (Deeper Sleeper, for example) were a total nightmare. Fortunately, a couple of inches of new snow overnight had windloaded some trails that allowed for some good, if limited, skiing. Lower Organgrinder was one of the beneficiaries of the powder, and there were some really nice turns there. The upper mountain lifts opened slowly throughout the day beginning with North Lynx. The edges of Sunrise offered some true powder, especially early in the day. Late in the day, I skied Middle Earth off of Castle Rock. The upper part was in great shape having been mostly spared the thaw. The lower half was very firm under several inches of new snow, but still quite fun.
On Wednesday, temps warmed a bit and winds died down, but only I skied the morning. Discovered Morning Star under the North Lynx trail. I don't know how I missed this trail on Tuesday, but it was in fantastic shape. Really nice, soft bumps top to bottom. No evidence of the crust on most other trails (how is this possible?). Stuck to this trail for the couple of hours I had to ski, and enjoyed every run thoroughly. I'm sure there were other gems like this on the upper mountain, but I had so little time to explore. Wished I had a chance to try Castlerock Run, among others.
On a side note, despite the conditions, we were very impressed with the mountain. The ski school facilities and lodging arrangements were great, and my daughter had a fantastic time, which was by far the most important criteria for success. We'll definitely be back.
Resort or Ski Area: Sugarbush (Lincoln Peak)
Conditions: PP, wet snow on the 14th, FG with some powder on the 15-16th
Trip Report:
First trip to Sugarbush in about 17 years. What a great mountain.
Due to family obligations, only had about two hours each day to explore. Limited time combined with uncooperative weather resulted in me only skiing a fraction of the terrain that I wanted to, but it was still lots of fun.
On Monday the 14th, conditions were great, but high winds prevented the upper mountain lifts from opening at all. Conditions were PP in the morning, transitioning to soft, wet snow during the afternoon. All in all, a lovely day to ski, but the warmth (mid 40s) made me fear (with good reason) the refreeze the following day. Highlights were bumps on Birdland and Stein's Run. Also discovered Eden, which is a great glade for folks just getting into tree skiing. One of my skiing companions is a very strong skier, but not too comfortable with tree skiing yet. Eden is a fantastic gateway to glades. Later in the day, the winds shut down even Super Bravo, so the Gate House Quad was the only remaining lift. Lapped the trees in Deeper Sleeper several times, which was fun.
Overnight temperatures plummeted to below zero, accompanied by snow squalls and high winds. The weather on Tuesday the 15th was pretty brutal with high winds, high temps in the single digits at the base and around zero at the summits. The lower 2/3rds of the mountain froze solid, yielding very firm FG conditions on most trails. In most places, the skiing was just not very good, if, like me, you're not into fast turns on very firm snow. Ungroomed trails on the lower mountain (Deeper Sleeper, for example) were a total nightmare. Fortunately, a couple of inches of new snow overnight had windloaded some trails that allowed for some good, if limited, skiing. Lower Organgrinder was one of the beneficiaries of the powder, and there were some really nice turns there. The upper mountain lifts opened slowly throughout the day beginning with North Lynx. The edges of Sunrise offered some true powder, especially early in the day. Late in the day, I skied Middle Earth off of Castle Rock. The upper part was in great shape having been mostly spared the thaw. The lower half was very firm under several inches of new snow, but still quite fun.
On Wednesday, temps warmed a bit and winds died down, but only I skied the morning. Discovered Morning Star under the North Lynx trail. I don't know how I missed this trail on Tuesday, but it was in fantastic shape. Really nice, soft bumps top to bottom. No evidence of the crust on most other trails (how is this possible?). Stuck to this trail for the couple of hours I had to ski, and enjoyed every run thoroughly. I'm sure there were other gems like this on the upper mountain, but I had so little time to explore. Wished I had a chance to try Castlerock Run, among others.
On a side note, despite the conditions, we were very impressed with the mountain. The ski school facilities and lodging arrangements were great, and my daughter had a fantastic time, which was by far the most important criteria for success. We'll definitely be back.
Lately, Birch Run up there has also been good; the right side has been kept un-groomed and some very nice bumps have formed there....looking forward to getting there this weekend. Good place to escape the crowds (which is definitely a relative term at Sugarbush).
