Sugarloaf - AZ Summit 2.0 Weekend

[deadheadskier]

Despite the wind hold challenges, it was a great weekend. Conditions were 100 times better than a year ago. As rivercoil pointed out, the name of the game was following the wind. Definitely scored some very nice turns all weekend in the wind loaded areas. Absolutely love that mountain more and more each time I go. It was great meeting and skiing with so many different folks throughout the weekend.

Kudos to Greg and Sugarloafs Ethan and Brad for setting this up. Can't wait for next year.

Oh and Ethan or Brad, if you're reading this, tell Steven Kircher I think a higher priority should be placed on reinstalling surface lifts up Whiffle Tree area and Misery Whip than replacing the Spillway chair. Shared a couple rides on the Bateau with locals who agreed.

 

[WJenness]

Just got home... had a great weekend...

Thanks again to the folks at the 'Loaf and Greg for getting this set up...

Had so much fun in the trees this weekend. I feel like I need to get back to the Loaf before the end of the season when I can get to the top... That was my only gripe about the weekend (no one's fault... but it would have been nice to get up there).

Nice seeing some familiar faces again and meeting some new ones.

I wish I could have been more social at the events Friday and Saturday night, but I was pretty sore from my fall at Saddleback on Friday.

Can't wait for the next one!

-w

 

[gmcunni]

my quick review of the weekend -

• Wind Holds Suck
• Wind Sucks
• no wi-fi in condo sucks

everything else - pretty sweet!

now i just have to figure out how to get back there before the season ends.

 

[o3jeff]

At least I don't feel so bad missing this now.

 

[deadheadskier]

oh, you definitely should feel bad. the skiing was killer. you just had to be patient for it.

 

[gmcunni]

a testament to the fun had this weekend, i hardly stopped to take pictures.

here are a couple i got-

Greg and Brian's first ride on a TBAR

crew getting ready to hit BB

woods with some sweet wind blown pow

Sugarloaf

 

[wa-loaf]

Had a great weekend. Bummer some of the lifts were down due to the wind, but that just kept traffic out of all the good stuff. Only the hardy willing to brave the T-bar (and there was a fair amount of carnage there) and the traverse enjoyed almost half the mountain to them selves.

The cold and wind kept me from pulling out the camera much, but here's a few of the good ones:

Hanging out at the top of the SQ waiting for Greg ...

Entrance to Brackett:

WJenness in Brackett:

View from the condo this morning:

Looking up really tight line in Bracket:

Looking down same line:

Wjenness and roark:

Looking up to snowfields from Bracket:

 

[wa-loaf]

At least I don't feel so bad missing this now.

oh, you definitely should feel bad. the skiing was killer. you just had to be patient for it.

Yeah, you didn't miss anything. Don't worry about it ...:roll:

 

[gmcunni]

A few random thoughts on Sugarloaf from a first time visitor -

• The drive was crap but in the end it was well worth it.
  
• I’m no aficionado of skiing the woods but after this weekend at the loaf I’m planning to try it a lot more.
  
• I can see why they are King of Spring. Not sure what was going on in the rest of the NE this weekend but it was Winter at Sugarloaf. So much snow!
  
• The First Tracks pass was great, I’m not usually an early morning guy but having the mountain to yourself for an hour is a cool experience.
  
• Love the boundary to boundary philosophy
  
• Greatly appreciate glades marked on the map, gives first timers a hint where to look (while probably also misdirecting us from the local’s favorites)
  
• Nice vibe everywhere I went, condo check-in, shops & restaurants, shuttle drivers and just about every random stranger I came across on the mountain.
  
• Very well run lift lines

 

[rocojerry]

Checked in Friday, after a killer day over at SaddleBack -- driving up the access road, wham, the mountain is in your face.. and you love it. The excitement at this point is pretty much as high as it gets.

We got a nice 2BR condo in Snowbrook, and the living room and one BR had fantastic views of the loaf! After checking in, we headed over to the Rack for dinner, and several, several drinks.... With some friends all arriving at different times during the night, we used it as a meeting place before heading to the condo--

Called it a night, tomorrow was a big day. I was really looking forward to getting an early start.

The morning drive in, kinda sucked:

I think with a coffee in hand, I could suffer this commute daily:

Started off at the superquad, hit the usual warmups -- Kings Landing, Hayburner, Sluice. Found our way into Skidder's glades, still had some nice snow --

Couldn't resist Sheer Boom's bumps, and windblown powder stashed sides

ventured over to check on the whip

and finding some pow stashes off whiffletree glades

And that was just Saturday..... the evening ended with a blurry early apres, but that got me on Sundays chair at 7:34AM.....

 

[Greg]

Greg on Bubblecuffer

Captain Tailgunner reporting for duty! :lol:

Great ripping with you Saturday Steve! :beer:

 

[Greg]

Awesome weekend. I'll start with pics and add words later. Thursday and Friday were spectacular, with Saturday and today being a bit more challenging to get to the good stuff. Still, I hit pretty much all the areas I was interested in despite the windholds.

 

[Greg]

Friday Pics

Early morning shots of Brian on Winter's Way:

Low angle powder harvest in Brackett Basin:

Artsy shot, hiking to the backside:

Backside snowfields:

 

[Greg]

Brackett Basin on Friday

Me in Brackett Basin on Friday:

 

[Greg]

More woods on Friday

Brian and I did a ton of pow hunting and exploring on Friday.

Some off map (or above/below the on map stuff) stuff:

 

[Greg]

A sunnier backside

Hit the backside again with better visibility this time:

And Bubblecuffer pow bumps to end the day on Friday:

Friday was my best day of the season, without question, despite getting lost for a while.

 

[Greg]

Saturday, AZ Crew Day!

Jake in Brackett:

DHS waiting on the crew:

Nick:

One of my favorite pics of the weekend. deadheadskier slaying Brackett Basin:

Saturday view:

 

[Greg]

Saturday afternoon with riverc0il

Slaying Bubblecuffer with riverc0il:

 

[Greg]

Sunday!

First tracks, 7:37 am

The T-Bar. The lift that saved the weekend!

 

[Greg]

Misery Whip!

Father and son ripping:

Great to get on the Whip. It was a typical ass-kicker: