The "Sugarbush Thread"

[WinS]

We will be turning off snowmaking sometime tonight or tomorrow as temperatures rise. Birch should be done and will let this sit for a day or two before we groom and open North Lynx. Setting up Birdland to blow on the next to last trail. Sunrise is last at LP. At ME Cliffs looks good so will likely go to Cruiser, Northridge Expressway and Brambles. There should be enough snow depth for CR and SB lifts by Tuesday but the cold next week could prevent us from running SB. 5 degrees is the minimum for safety. Looking to open Terrain Park by Christmas. A lot of features were set today.

Still hiring for lifts if you know of anyone who wants a job with great benefits.

Looks like some mixed tomorrow. Hopefully ends with snow and then some more Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

 

[WinS]

While yesterday was a fun powder day, today brought in some different weather overnight. By morning the temperature had come up and we saw an inversion -25 as the base and 33 at the Summit and light drizzle coming down. Lift maintenance came in early anticipating that we would be experiencing icing on the lifts. Fixed grip lifts fare much better with icing than do high speed detachable quads. I was actually surprised to see all scheduled lifts other than the Gatehouse open on time. Because of the inversion we had a lot more ice build up on it and as the mechanics chipped the ice more built up. For safety we ran the high speed quads slower than normal.
Unfortunately, the icing on Northridge caused some chairs to jam in the top terminal late in the morning. After working for some time to free them, we realized it would take much longer and called patrol for an evacuation. 29 people were on line at the time and all were evacuated safely. Some on the lift have already posted photos and videos of the evacuation. However, people were on the lift for quite a while and given the dampness of the day this was not a fun experience. we hoped to make all feel a bit better with some complimentary food and drink. We feel badly however, that a good day of skiing was ruined for some.

The forecast looks like we should start to see a bit more snow this evening before this system end. Then we have our hopes up for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Our Tony is calling for 3-5", and I am hoping his usual conservative forecast ends up being closer to the Weather channel's 6-10". That would be a great present.

 

[WinS]

Only got groomers on the hill after midnight. They are skiing well but the rest is crunchy. Not a thick coat so it will ski in. With full grooming tonight and predicted snowfall we should see a great Christmas Day. Might be good to come out early and celebrate and dine later. That's what we are planning.

 

[teleo]

Xmas eve snow report to twas the night before christmas for second year in a row. Sounds like a tradition in the making. Like[emoji16]


Status update for Sun, Dec 24

3:15*PM

*

‘Twas the night before Christmas and across Sugarbush,

The groomers were planning the snow they would push.

*

In the Valley were families snuggled warm in their beds,

While Christmas Day*powder*visions danced in their heads.

*

A winch cat purred merrily down Inverness run,

As powder fell steadily – we can’t wait to have fun!

*

Up first chair, 8 AM, skiers will shuttle with joy.

Under all that fresh powder is soft corduroy.

*

Cord on Jester, on Hot Shot, and on Waterfall.

From the tippy top of Ripcord down to Lower Snowball.

*

To smooth 45 trails is what the groomers are hopin’,

With fresh snow on the ground, a few more trails may open.

*

For the snowmakers’ hard work, we must clap our hands.

Building tall whales on Crackerjack, Cruiser and Birdland.

*

The Park Cat is sleepily grooming one final pass

around 40 new features on Reimergasse.

*

Super Bravo, Heaven’s Gate, and GMX spin at 8.

Instead of parking, hop on the*shuttle*so you wont be late!

*

By 9 AM all other*lifts come alive,

Upper mountain lifts spin until 3:45.

*

By 4 o’clock, we’ll be ready to hit the hay,

But hark, what’s that sound? Is it time for*apres?

*

Lift tickets and quad packs can be redeemed ahead of time,

For the lowest price buy your tickets*online.

*

Abide*uphill travel*rules and review the responsibility code,

When adventure takes you somewhere new, it’s best to start slow.

*

Santa is coming… were you naughty or nice?

If we’re nice, he’ll bring powder! Naughty Vermonters get ice.

 

[SIKSKIER]

Streaming cams working for me again.Thanks!

 

[WinS]

Xmas eve snow report to twas the night before christmas for second year in a row. Sounds like a tradition in the making. Like[emoji16]


Status update for Sun, Dec 24

3:15*PM

*

‘Twas the night before Christmas and across Sugarbush,

The groomers were planning the snow they would push.

*

In the Valley were families snuggled warm in their beds,

While Christmas Day*powder*visions danced in their heads.

*

A winch cat purred merrily down Inverness run,

As powder fell steadily – we can’t wait to have fun!

*

Up first chair, 8 AM, skiers will shuttle with joy.

Under all that fresh powder is soft corduroy.

*

Cord on Jester, on Hot Shot, and on Waterfall.

From the tippy top of Ripcord down to Lower Snowball.

*

To smooth 45 trails is what the groomers are hopin’,

With fresh snow on the ground, a few more trails may open.

*

For the snowmakers’ hard work, we must clap our hands.

Building tall whales on Crackerjack, Cruiser and Birdland.

*

The Park Cat is sleepily grooming one final pass

around 40 new features on Reimergasse.

*

Super Bravo, Heaven’s Gate, and GMX spin at 8.

Instead of parking, hop on the*shuttle*so you wont be late!

*

By 9 AM all other*lifts come alive,

Upper mountain lifts spin until 3:45.

*

By 4 o’clock, we’ll be ready to hit the hay,

But hark, what’s that sound? Is it time for*apres?

*

Lift tickets and quad packs can be redeemed ahead of time,

For the lowest price buy your tickets*online.

*

Abide*uphill travel*rules and review the responsibility code,

When adventure takes you somewhere new, it’s best to start slow.

*

Santa is coming… were you naughty or nice?

If we’re nice, he’ll bring powder! Naughty Vermonters get ice.

Emily does a great job!

 

[bdfreetuna]

we hoped to make all feel a bit better with some complimentary food and drink. .

Been stuck on a lift twice in my life. Both times offered free ticket vouchers.

 

[nhskier1969]

Coming out of Allyn's lodge today..lol

 

[Hawk]

Brrrrrr. Just came in. -4 at the base and who knows how cold up top Skied Mall, Lift Line, Domino and others. The wind basically striped the snow off the trails today. There was some good areas but dam it was cold. Actually gate house was skiing fairly well. I think is was the least wind effected. Well I got out and that was a victory in my book.

 

[Orca]

Brrrrrr. Just came in. -4 at the base and who knows how cold up top Skied Mall, Lift Line, Domino and others. The wind basically striped the snow off the trails today. There was some good areas but dam it was cold. Actually gate house was skiing fairly well. I think is was the least wind effected. Well I got out and that was a victory in my book.

The high and low temps for the next 10 days are downright frigid. Pervasive negative temps with some warming to single digits. One the plus side, it's better than a thaw.

 

[rocks860]

I’m going up the 27th of january so I’m all for no thaw


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tumbler]

Any chance of turning on Steins or something for fresh gunpowder in these cold temps?

 

[WinS]

Any chance of turning on Steins or something for fresh gunpowder in these cold temps?

No. We are finishing up at ME on Northridge Express and Brambles and will pause until after the Holiday week. We will be making more snow on spring trails like Stein’s, Coffee Run, Snowball and Spring Fling and refreshing others where needed. At this point we don’t need more depth on other than the spring trails. Tomorrow should be the best of the week.

 

[Orca]

Crikey, next weekend looks cold. Currently weather.com shows next Saturday at Sugarbush Resort with a high of -15F and a low of -25F. That is presumably the base; it's shuddering to think about the mid-mountain and summit temps.

 

[lana1]

I'll be there tomorrow!

 

[hovercraft]

Crikey, next weekend looks cold. Currently weather.com shows next Saturday at Sugarbush Resort with a high of -15F and a low of -25F. That is presumably the base; it's shuddering to think about the mid-mountain and summit temps.

Top of mountain next weekend will be minus 50 to 55 with wind chill.

 

[cdskier]

Crikey, next weekend looks cold. Currently weather.com shows next Saturday at Sugarbush Resort with a high of -15F and a low of -25F. That is presumably the base; it's shuddering to think about the mid-mountain and summit temps.

I have never in my life said "it is too cold to ski"...but I might be doing exactly that next weekend and not driving up if that forecast doesn't change. And if there's a possibility of winds...yikes...

 

[shadyjay]

These temps have definitely been chilly and lift rides are cold, but if you're prepared, there is some good skiing to be had. This was my first weekend back with lift ops and I saw most people were covered up quite well all weekend. The wind wasn't too bad, but it doesn't take much when its below zero to give you a chill.

When it does (eventually) hit the teens or 20 above, it's going to feel like a heat wave!

 

[kingslug]

Ive been in minus 50..there is simply no way to ski in that temp..downright dangerouse..instant frostbite.

 

[mikec142]

Timed it right for the first time in ages. Drove up to VT on the 23rd in the rain. By 4pm it had turned to snow in Burlington so I suspect it had turned to snow earlier in the mountains. Skied at Sugarbush LP on the 24th and 25th. The 24th was a bit scratchy, but whatever they got overnight helped. The 25th was delightful with about 5 inches falling overnight into the morning. Valley House and Super Bravo were running at a slower speed late in the day due to wind. Skied at Mount Ellen on the 26th. Definitely colder. Summit chair was slow due to wind. Got a surprise storm that started in the AM and dumped for a couple of hours. Not sure how much they received, but I would guess 4-5". All three ski days were empty on the mountain with zero lift lines. Drove into Burlington in the AM on the 27th for lunch with family and then headed back to NJ. As much as I love to ski, I woulda braved the cold. My wife and kids love it, but they wouldn't go out in this brutal stuff.