Sugarbush: Thanksgiiving Weekend 2013

[WWF-VT]

Sugarbush : Nov 28,29, 30 and Dec 1, 2013
Conditions: Packed Powder, frozen granular, hard pack, powder, fresh from the guns snow

We left the Boston area late in the day on Wednesday with rain and temperatures in the 50’s. On our drive the temperature steadily declined and the snow started at about Exit 2 on Rt 89 in VT. Woke up Thursday to temperature in the single digits and 3-5 “ of new snow.

Thanksgiving Day – relatively quiet at the mountain and we did laps of the open terrain. New snow was a bonus and conditions held up well. There is a good early season natural snow base building on the mountain.

Friday – the highlight was opening of Spillsville which is a natural snow trail off the Heaven’s Gate chair.

Saturday – Organginder was winched/groomed for the first time this season and was fun for some fast, steep terrain. Ripcord opened from Spillsville to Paradise Extension with all natural snow and was the ROTD. Lower Organgrinder opened with new blown whales and ongoing snow making and Pushover off the Gatehouse chair opened.

Sunday – woke up to temperature in the 20’s after a few days of a deep freeze which was great for snowmaking. ROTD was Organgrinder that had the guns on so there was a new base of soft snow.

Overall it was a good weekend at Sugarbush. There is a good base building of natural snow and significant snow making happening across the mountain (including Mt Ellen). There are massive whales on Lower Organgrinder and Pushover which will be flattened and will ski great soon. I expect Ripcord to be open top to bottom next weekend and other terrain expansion.

 

[Nick]

Awesome, thanks for sharing! Nice when its quiet and you can just go go go.

 

[WWF-VT]

Awesome, thanks for sharing! Nice when its quiet and you can just go go go.

Thanksgiving day was quiet. There were a lot of people out on Friday and Saturday with skied off patches on Downspout by mid day.

 

[reefer]

Well done! Can't wait to get back up there. Planning two visits this year!

 

[quiglam1]

Sugarbush is always a blast.

 

[steamboat1]

It was relatively quiet this past Sat. at Lincoln Peak. Believe it or not there were more cars/skiers at Mt. Ellen than at Lincoln Peak & Mt. Ellen isn't even open to the public yet. They had some kind of big race on the Inverness slope at Mt. Ellen Sat.

My friends told me K was mobbed Sat.

 

[WWF-VT]

There was an early season VARA VT Cup GS race at Mt Ellen on Saturday, Dec 7th. There were significantly more cars/skiers and riders at Lincoln Peak. Best run on Saturday was Organgrinder that had been hit hard with recent snowmaking. Sunday 12/8 Ripcord opened with the guns still on but great snow once the visibility got better about 50 yards down from the top.

 

[steamboat1]

There was an early season VARA VT Cup GS race at Mt Ellen on Saturday, Dec 7th. There were significantly more cars/skiers and riders at Lincoln Peak.

I don't know. The upper lot at LP had plenty of available parking. The lower lots were empty. ME had the first four tiers of their lot pretty much full. But whatever, it's not important.