billski
Active member
Ah, a refreshing Maine day to get started. I was pretty psyched when I discovered it was fifteen below. That meant only one things - trails to call my own!!! God gave us a perfect morning - the winds were still, the sky was blue and the sun shone down all day.
A really nice staffer, replete with snow boots and a radio (I think he was a big shot), came over to me as I pondered the map. He was really helpful and gave me some very plain advice about how the adverse weather had affected the trails, exactly what the Loaf was able to do about it, where to find it warm and where to find the classic, retro trails. We talked about the difference between blacks and double blacks relative to other areas. He indicated that as much as possible, everything had been groomed down.
The groomers have earned their beer and the snowmakers earned their shots. For the most part, it was "firm and fast". It was edge-able, there was plenty of loose stuff to work, all around. With a lot of people, it would have scraped down quickly, so the cold was a blessing. I have never, repeat, never gotten so many runs in at Sugarloaf. The fast, firm and edge-able made it quite easy to carve top to bottom. I decided to go in for a break after a couple hours not because I was tired, but because my toes were hurting from too much cold. It roared up to +12 by the afternoon, again, with no wind. However, by about 2:30 I was toast. The fatigue hit me like a brick.
The way the grooming setup the night before was something I'd never seen before. My first runs, over on Competition, Narrow gauge were composed of the firmest corduroy I'd ever encountered. I didn't enjoy first tracks there, I believe I chipped my teeth from all the rattling. I didn't appreciate busting up these glacier grooves for others.
Based on early intel, I went over to Widowmaker and Haulback, which skied like a dream, and I was making first tracks. A long-timer said that area was groomed last, which he asserts is why those trails were so plyable.
Best trails for me were Widow Maker, Haulback and Binder. Hayburner and Winter's way (most, not all of it) were fun too. The ungroomed natural trails dekcus. Just a barrel of solid scratch all bumped up.
It was too cold to take the digits down for photos. Here's a couple from the base. That's it.
A really nice staffer, replete with snow boots and a radio (I think he was a big shot), came over to me as I pondered the map. He was really helpful and gave me some very plain advice about how the adverse weather had affected the trails, exactly what the Loaf was able to do about it, where to find it warm and where to find the classic, retro trails. We talked about the difference between blacks and double blacks relative to other areas. He indicated that as much as possible, everything had been groomed down.
The groomers have earned their beer and the snowmakers earned their shots. For the most part, it was "firm and fast". It was edge-able, there was plenty of loose stuff to work, all around. With a lot of people, it would have scraped down quickly, so the cold was a blessing. I have never, repeat, never gotten so many runs in at Sugarloaf. The fast, firm and edge-able made it quite easy to carve top to bottom. I decided to go in for a break after a couple hours not because I was tired, but because my toes were hurting from too much cold. It roared up to +12 by the afternoon, again, with no wind. However, by about 2:30 I was toast. The fatigue hit me like a brick.
The way the grooming setup the night before was something I'd never seen before. My first runs, over on Competition, Narrow gauge were composed of the firmest corduroy I'd ever encountered. I didn't enjoy first tracks there, I believe I chipped my teeth from all the rattling. I didn't appreciate busting up these glacier grooves for others.
Based on early intel, I went over to Widowmaker and Haulback, which skied like a dream, and I was making first tracks. A long-timer said that area was groomed last, which he asserts is why those trails were so plyable.
Best trails for me were Widow Maker, Haulback and Binder. Hayburner and Winter's way (most, not all of it) were fun too. The ungroomed natural trails dekcus. Just a barrel of solid scratch all bumped up.
It was too cold to take the digits down for photos. Here's a couple from the base. That's it.
