The "Sugarbush Thread"

[KustyTheKlown]

Imagine! A fireplace in a ski lodge! Lost art, creating space for people to chat, gather round, and smell that wood. ( I know, we're all on phones now, who needs actual people to chat with) Even Mellen replaced it with a wood stove. Old enough to recall my 1st year of skiing a huge center fireplace at Killington summit lodge. Quintessential VT.

Hope these smaller events will build on each other: https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-72.92593982638928&lat=44.16121777062571

the gfs looks promising. these little guys may be accretive for a good post new years weekend. but its gonna be COLD.

 

[elfnif1016]

Why is Walt's Trail a Green Circle. I love the trail and it skied great yesterday, but it had rollers and varied terrain (rocks etc) due to it being natural. There were some beginners with rental gear stuck on it that probably would not have made that choice given a different designation. It has the pitch of a green, but the terrain and conditions of a blue. Walt's and Brambles are 2 hidden gems.

They have generally stopped grooming Walt's in recent years. I can remember a time (probably 10 yrs ago) taking a friend who was somewhere between beginner and intermediate on a groomed Walt's. He loved it, and it was really easy to ski. No longer the case. It is also one of the longest trails at Mt Ellen, which probably tires out beginners who venture on to it with its small moguls that go on and on.

 

[vtboarder]

The past few seasons Walt's has usually had an "expert only/thin cover" marker - always amusing considering the green circle on the name sign. As to grooming, I don't think it was ever a daily groomer, more of an as needed to knock down bumps to size less experienced can handle or to break up ice/frozen boiler plate.

 

[mikec142]

Castlerock was better yesterday without the lift

All right...that's it. Pistols at dawn!

 

[mikec142]

They have generally stopped grooming Walt's in recent years. I can remember a time (probably 10 yrs ago) taking a friend who was somewhere between beginner and intermediate on a groomed Walt's. He loved it, and it was really easy to ski. No longer the case. It is also one of the longest trails at Mt Ellen, which probably tires out beginners who venture on to it with its small moguls that go on and on.

Around 11-12 years ago, I unwittingly took my young kids and wife down Walts. Kids loved it and ripped it up. But they're really solid skiers. My wife (now retired from skiing) was much more timid and a low intermediate who was fine with groomers but not moguls and natural trails. Might have been as close to divorce as I've ever been.

 

[mikec142]

Ok, so my instructions are for the masses

IMO a breakfast sandwich is one of life's perfect meals...

The only thing better than a breakfast sandwich is two breakfast sandwiches..

 

[cdskier]

They have generally stopped grooming Walt's in recent years. I can remember a time (probably 10 yrs ago) taking a friend who was somewhere between beginner and intermediate on a groomed Walt's. He loved it, and it was really easy to ski. No longer the case. It is also one of the longest trails at Mt Ellen, which probably tires out beginners who venture on to it with its small moguls that go on and on.

I don't see any particular change in how Walts has been handled over the past 15+ years that I've been skiing SB as a pass-holder. Walts has typically only been groomed a handful of times per season, but one key is that it needs sufficient snow-pack to do so. Some years it gets groomed less than others as a result.