Zand
Well-known member
Date(s) Skied: 1/16/05 (MLK)
Resort or Ski Area: Mount Sunapee, NH
Conditions: Packed Powder, Some Windblown late, COLD and WINDY
Trip Report:
Compared to the Mount Snow trip 3 weeks ago, today's trip was fantastic. Sunapee is nicer, cheaper, better conditions, better coverage, nicer lodge, and just an overall nicer place. You'd think with the strong winds that there would be windblown everywhere, but there was none at all until about 1:00.
Started out the day with the Express Quad. It was running much slower than normal due to the cold, but there was a maximum of a 3 minute wait the entire day. First run was down Bonanza and Chipmunk. Bonanza is a decently steep, fun blue cruiser, and Chipmunk is pretty much the lower half of it. Conditions were excellent.
Back up the express quad, I hit the black cruiser, Blast Off. It's not too steep besides the very beginning, but still very fun. The guns were going on the lower half which put down some man-made powder. The run out at the bottom is long, but speed can be maintained the entire way.
Next was a trip up the North Peak Triple to Goosebumps. Goosebumps is a very steep double-black cruiser. With the grooming done overnight, it was really a single black, but steep nontheless. The lower half, Eggbeater, is the resort's main racing trail. They had a public race to the left side, but the right side for the non-racers was very nice and fast.
Back up the Triple, a run down Lynx, a nice black cruiser, was in order. They were using the right side for race training, but the left side is a nice steep cruiser that doesn't let up the entire way.
Back up the Triple again, I hit Flying Goose. It is a steep, usually bumped up black, but it was groomed out and made for an excellent black cruiser. The last little steep on the bottom is weird. It get steeper, steeper, and then bam, it hits a very steep angle which throws you in the air. Fun. The front 3 on North Peak were the best trails on the mountain today.
One more ride up the Triple, this time down Cataract, another black cruiser, off the backside. The sun was in a perfect enough position to send the trees' shadows directly across the trail, creating a strobe light effect. It made me dizzy and I wasn't the only one who noticed. Pretty cool.
After my first trip up the slow Sunbowl Quad, I hit the Wingding trio. I was disappointed to see Porky's closed, it's my favorite trail on the mountain because of its weirdness and it's odd name. Wingding was great the whole way. I was singing "I Can See For Miles and Miles" by The Who the entire way down.
Another trip up, this time down Ridge. The wind was horrible on the trail, sometimes sending you backwards. Not too many beginners, but a few people snowplowing down.
I ate lunch in the Sunapee Lodge. It's a very nice lodge and the prices are decent. The food was very good.
Next was another trip up the North Peak Triple, and down Hansen Chase, another black cruiser. The guns were blowing on the lower 2/3 which made it tough to see. The last leg was VERY fast and a good crowd overhead on the quad.
Next was a trip down Skyway Ledges/Westside, a blue cruiser off the summit with incredible views. I finsihed the run up on the last part of Hansen Chase.
Back up the Summit lift, I went back down Skyway Ledges, but then hung a right down the blue cruiser, Skyway. It's pretty long and fun.
Up the Sunbowl Quad, I took a run down Wingding with a cutoff on Liftline. Liftline was kind of scraped, but still good to the sides. I also took Kartwheel at the bottom which was narrow and kind of icy as well.
One last trip up the Sunbowl Quad, over to Bonanza/Chipmunk. Much of Upper Bonanza was pretty much windblown except for the sides. Chipmunk was still good.
Next up was another run down Blast-Off. The very first headwall was all ice, but good right at the bottom of it. Guns were still going at the bottom.
I was headed for the parks, but ran out of gas before Spruce, so I hopped on the Duckling Double. It's old and slow, but helps take away the lug over to Spruce. At the top, I went down Jet Stream and the Halfpipe. The pipe wasn't very great IMO.
I headed up the Spruce Triple and took a run down Pipeline. There were quite a few features to have fun on. They were blowing tons of snow so it was pretty slow.
I took another ride up Spruce and went down Guster, which dumps onto Eggbeater. The races were over, so the whole trail could be used.
Next were 3 rides up North Peak and one run down each trail. All 3 were holding up nicely. Goosebumps was probably trail of the day.
I had time for 3 more runs, so I took Blast-Off once and the Skyway Ledges/Westside/Hansen Chase trio twice. They were getting pretty scraped, but still nice to the sides.
Overall, a great day at Sunapee. I'll be at Wachusett Friday and Waterville this weekend.
Resort or Ski Area: Mount Sunapee, NH
Conditions: Packed Powder, Some Windblown late, COLD and WINDY
Trip Report:
Compared to the Mount Snow trip 3 weeks ago, today's trip was fantastic. Sunapee is nicer, cheaper, better conditions, better coverage, nicer lodge, and just an overall nicer place. You'd think with the strong winds that there would be windblown everywhere, but there was none at all until about 1:00.
Started out the day with the Express Quad. It was running much slower than normal due to the cold, but there was a maximum of a 3 minute wait the entire day. First run was down Bonanza and Chipmunk. Bonanza is a decently steep, fun blue cruiser, and Chipmunk is pretty much the lower half of it. Conditions were excellent.
Back up the express quad, I hit the black cruiser, Blast Off. It's not too steep besides the very beginning, but still very fun. The guns were going on the lower half which put down some man-made powder. The run out at the bottom is long, but speed can be maintained the entire way.
Next was a trip up the North Peak Triple to Goosebumps. Goosebumps is a very steep double-black cruiser. With the grooming done overnight, it was really a single black, but steep nontheless. The lower half, Eggbeater, is the resort's main racing trail. They had a public race to the left side, but the right side for the non-racers was very nice and fast.
Back up the Triple, a run down Lynx, a nice black cruiser, was in order. They were using the right side for race training, but the left side is a nice steep cruiser that doesn't let up the entire way.
Back up the Triple again, I hit Flying Goose. It is a steep, usually bumped up black, but it was groomed out and made for an excellent black cruiser. The last little steep on the bottom is weird. It get steeper, steeper, and then bam, it hits a very steep angle which throws you in the air. Fun. The front 3 on North Peak were the best trails on the mountain today.
One more ride up the Triple, this time down Cataract, another black cruiser, off the backside. The sun was in a perfect enough position to send the trees' shadows directly across the trail, creating a strobe light effect. It made me dizzy and I wasn't the only one who noticed. Pretty cool.
After my first trip up the slow Sunbowl Quad, I hit the Wingding trio. I was disappointed to see Porky's closed, it's my favorite trail on the mountain because of its weirdness and it's odd name. Wingding was great the whole way. I was singing "I Can See For Miles and Miles" by The Who the entire way down.
Another trip up, this time down Ridge. The wind was horrible on the trail, sometimes sending you backwards. Not too many beginners, but a few people snowplowing down.
I ate lunch in the Sunapee Lodge. It's a very nice lodge and the prices are decent. The food was very good.
Next was another trip up the North Peak Triple, and down Hansen Chase, another black cruiser. The guns were blowing on the lower 2/3 which made it tough to see. The last leg was VERY fast and a good crowd overhead on the quad.
Next was a trip down Skyway Ledges/Westside, a blue cruiser off the summit with incredible views. I finsihed the run up on the last part of Hansen Chase.
Back up the Summit lift, I went back down Skyway Ledges, but then hung a right down the blue cruiser, Skyway. It's pretty long and fun.
Up the Sunbowl Quad, I took a run down Wingding with a cutoff on Liftline. Liftline was kind of scraped, but still good to the sides. I also took Kartwheel at the bottom which was narrow and kind of icy as well.
One last trip up the Sunbowl Quad, over to Bonanza/Chipmunk. Much of Upper Bonanza was pretty much windblown except for the sides. Chipmunk was still good.
Next up was another run down Blast-Off. The very first headwall was all ice, but good right at the bottom of it. Guns were still going at the bottom.
I was headed for the parks, but ran out of gas before Spruce, so I hopped on the Duckling Double. It's old and slow, but helps take away the lug over to Spruce. At the top, I went down Jet Stream and the Halfpipe. The pipe wasn't very great IMO.
I headed up the Spruce Triple and took a run down Pipeline. There were quite a few features to have fun on. They were blowing tons of snow so it was pretty slow.
I took another ride up Spruce and went down Guster, which dumps onto Eggbeater. The races were over, so the whole trail could be used.
Next were 3 rides up North Peak and one run down each trail. All 3 were holding up nicely. Goosebumps was probably trail of the day.
I had time for 3 more runs, so I took Blast-Off once and the Skyway Ledges/Westside/Hansen Chase trio twice. They were getting pretty scraped, but still nice to the sides.
Overall, a great day at Sunapee. I'll be at Wachusett Friday and Waterville this weekend.
