Sunday River 22-23

[machski]

I skied the 3-day weekend at SR and it was the quietest weekend I'd been there all season. The blackouts (both Ikon and NEP Silver) have really transformed the holiday weekend experience the past few years. DHS's photo was no anomaly - many of the core lifts were ski-on all weekend. Jordan picked up midday lines but that was about it. We had friends visiting for the weekend and they had a terrific experience.

SR hasn't picked up the natural Vermont has since the Feb 10 thaw. However, they did do some aggressive resurfacing since the thaw (vortex, rogue angel, upper downdraft, wildfire, white heat, american express, others...). They leave the side(s) of those trails ungroomed, so the bumps were good soft fun, especially with the little 1-2" storms that keep happening. Some of the low-angle natural trails (eg Sluice, lower Bim's Whim) were also pretty fun with the little fresh on top.

They need some sort of storm to bring all the natural terrain back in play, but I had way more fun than I expected this weekend.

Well, I don't think we'll get the big storm to reopen the locked up natural. Spring weather on the other hand looks to be invading after this coming weekend, not that that will help long term.

 

[Newpylong]

Strange that they're hammering White Heat for the 200th time with Shockwave next door never being finished? They also skipped Quantum Leap, Blackhole, and Eureka.

 

[180]

Strange that they're hammering White Heat for the 200th time with Shockwave next door never being finished? They also skipped Quantum Leap, Blackhole, and Eureka.

They are having the Bust and Burn Mogul contest again

 

[machski]

Strange that they're hammering White Heat for the 200th time with Shockwave next door never being finished? They also skipped Quantum Leap, Blackhole, and Eureka.

And Lower Uppercut/Southpaw (with Agony pipe-less, this didn't surprise me) and 3-D (very surprising). Shockwave got finished, it skied great 2 Saturday's ago. Tons of snow, some awesome steep whales right on the edges of the steep pitches making some nearly cliff-like. Of course, that is the day it shot up to 50F, next day everything up top locked up tight and frozen. Thus, SW sits til next week when spring weather returns and when it thaws, should re-open.

 

[thetrailboss]

What's this I am hearing on social media about the Aurora Quad having to be evacuated this afternoon?

 

[Newpylong]

And Lower Uppercut/Southpaw (with Agony pipe-less, this didn't surprise me) and 3-D (very surprising). Shockwave got finished, it skied great 2 Saturday's ago. Tons of snow, some awesome steep whales right on the edges of the steep pitches making some nearly cliff-like. Of course, that is the day it shot up to 50F, next day everything up top locked up tight and frozen. Thus, SW sits til next week when spring weather returns and when it thaws, should re-open.

Thank you for the corrections. I also figured South Paw would be left without the runout being easily covered. 3D is weird for sure...

 

[thetrailboss]

What's this I am hearing on social media about the Aurora Quad having to be evacuated this afternoon?

Not to quote myself, but to update, I am hearing that there was a deropement incident at the loading area.

 

[Andrew B.]

And Lower Uppercut/Southpaw (with Agony pipe-less, this didn't surprise me) and 3-D (very surprising). Shockwave got finished, it skied great 2 Saturday's ago. Tons of snow, some awesome steep whales right on the edges of the steep pitches making some nearly cliff-like. Of course, that is the day it shot up to 50F, next day everything up top locked up tight and frozen. Thus, SW sits til next week when spring weather returns and when it thaws, should re-open.

I don’t expect them to make anymore snow there, so you?

 

[urungus]

Not to quote myself, but to update, I am hearing that there was a deropement incident at the loading area.

Hundreds of people evacuated by rope after ski lift malfunction at Maine ski resort

It took a couple of hours to get everyone off the lift at Sunday River Thursday

www.wmtw.com

 

[machski]

I don’t expect them to make anymore snow there, so you?

Which area, Southpaw (not until Agony gets re-plumbed) or 3D? Even if 3D isn't going to be the comp mogul trail, it would be nice to have as a reliable trail, especially weekends with the quad there. Eureka I hope to see get re-gunned and some snowmaking live next year. Really feel they need both Oz runs to take trail pressure off J8 and the 3 Jordan trails with the J8 there now.

Until they demonstrate they can cover what they have coverage lines on now, I don't want to hear about Western Reserve, that's for sure.

 

[Andrew B.]

Which area, Southpaw (not until Agony gets re-plumbed) or 3D? Even if 3D isn't going to be the comp mogul trail, it would be nice to have as a reliable trail, especially weekends with the quad there. Eureka I hope to see get re-gunned and some snowmaking live next year. Really feel they need both Oz runs to take trail pressure off J8 and the 3 Jordan trails with the J8 there now.

Until they demonstrate they can cover what they have coverage lines on now, I don't want to hear about Western Reserve, that's for sure.

Was wondering on shockwave?

 

[doublediamond]

Which area, Southpaw (not until Agony gets re-plumbed) or 3D? Even if 3D isn't going to be the comp mogul trail, it would be nice to have as a reliable trail, especially weekends with the quad there. Eureka I hope to see get re-gunned and some snowmaking live next year. Really feel they need both Oz runs to take trail pressure off J8 and the 3 Jordan trails with the J8 there now.

Until they demonstrate they can cover what they have coverage lines on now, I don't want to hear about Western Reserve, that's for sure.

I think it’s a bit disingenuous to say their snowmaking is sucking this year. There’s been lower than average natural, there was that monstrous 6” rain storm which wash a lot of base away and damaged snowmaking infrastructure. Took several days to repair that before the could start making snow later than peers. And Agony/Barker is all messed up from the construction and will be re-plumbed this summer.

 

[BodeMiller1]

They are having the Bust and Burn Mogul contest again

This is great news. Thanks for posting.

 

[Newpylong]

I think it’s a bit disingenuous to say their snowmaking is sucking this year. There’s been lower than average natural, there was that monstrous 6” rain storm which wash a lot of base away and damaged snowmaking infrastructure. Took several days to repair that before the could start making snow later than peers. And Agony/Barker is all messed up from the construction and will be re-plumbed this summer.

It was a hack job to run the Barker system this year but it did not really effect capacity. Even after the flood they came out of the gate strong but really threw out the anchor by the beginning of Feb. Considering their system it's really odd to not see everything but Agony done, the hours were definitely there.

 

[machski]

Was wondering on shockwave?

Yeah, probably not. They put a lot on it, we will just have to wait out warm weather or a lot of natural to ski it some more this year. I could see the Heat getting at least one more round before Bust n Burn.

 

[machski]

I think it’s a bit disingenuous to say their snowmaking is sucking this year. There’s been lower than average natural, there was that monstrous 6” rain storm which wash a lot of base away and damaged snowmaking infrastructure. Took several days to repair that before the could start making snow later than peers. And Agony/Barker is all messed up from the construction and will be re-plumbed this summer.

Show me where I said that. I simply said that I don't want to hear about expanding the resort further west prior to seeing them cover all of the terrain they have plumbed currently. Do you understand their capabilities currently? This system can push a ton of water and always has had the air (and with modern Low-E, their air capacity is still well north of the water they can push) yet even in peak wet bulbs the past severla weeks, we've been lucky to see snowmaking on 4 trails simultaneously. This system as is should be able to cover 8-10 simultaneously without breaking too much of a sweat. So yeah, in that regard, they have been a bit laggered. Does that have something to do with all the recovery costs from the Grinch storm? Very likely. Regardless, we have to wait til next season for a chance for them to show what this system can really do (and by that, I mean cover everything they can).

 

[BodeMiller1]

There's only one "ski area" in the world that makes snow when ever possible. And I sold it a few years back. The lift service was not good, butt when people were driving down the road and my place looked like an Ice Castle it was well worth it.

 

[machski]

Did they retire the lights on Dreammaker? They posted a picture advertising twilight skiing and the trail was dark. I saw a picture of it dark last year. That's really the only trails with lights worth skiing there...

Sorry for delayed reply, wanted to check. No, lists on Dreamaker were on all weekend for Twilight that I saw.

 

[Newpylong]

Thanks for checking and letting me know. Hope to do Twilight before the year is out. Kids really liked Dreammaker under the lights but last time we were there they were off, so I was concerned they retired them.

 

[machski]

Thanks for checking and letting me know. Hope to do Twilight before the year is out. Kids really liked Dreammaker under the lights but last time we were there they were off, so I was concerned they retired them.

When was that? Dreammaker really got delayed in the snowmaking lineup, very late for such a step up trail from South Ridge in progression. There were several twilight weekends where only Escape and South Ridge were open at night in December and even January.