The "Sugarbush Thread"

[HowieT2]

Tuna the thing is that you actually go out and find this shit on your own like it did. I can appreciate that. it seems to be a lost art. It's call adventure. I'm just being an old crusty fart. I too will take whatever I can get. I just don't understand the point of posting it on line. I never will. Maybe we will cross paths some day. I always have an extra Lawsons in my pack.

Just back from BC. The lead cat guide was in Pakistan scouting out lines with the help of a military heli for a bunch of super rich guys to ski in a few weeks. Now that's an adventure. and he got 100k for the month of work.

here's my bearclaw video from 2012. My daughter was 11 then. https://youtu.be/tnHSlyrKQ98

 

[HowieT2]

This is whats the biggest bummer in all this to me...powder days are more like powder hours these days and it takes legitimate plan of attack down to the turn to maximize your returns. I'd estimate I'm keyed into about half of the unmapped terrain at SB so on the rare powder day that overlaps with me being on mtn it's always a major internal debate.

Hasnt it always been this way?
two words for you, cat skiing.

 

[bdfreetuna]

This is whats the biggest bummer in all this to me...powder days are more like powder hours these days and it takes legitimate plan of attack down to the turn to maximize your returns.

I go into basically every ski day with that mentality. I only even expect half good conditions if I'm in time for first chair and I typically have the whole day planned with room for variation.

 

[shadyjay]

What the hell is going on?? Lower FIS is being groomed? Last time I skied it with natural snow it was great. What’s the point in grooming it?

Sometimes it's done prior to a big dump. Other times its done to just reset the bumps if they have become misshapen. I've seen Lower FIS groomed a few times, so it does happen. Same goes for Semi-Tough. At South, the oddest grooming I experienced was The Mall, which was done just before the old double was removed, to make tower removal easier. Talk about a fast run that was!

 

[Smellytele]

Hawk = old man screaming “get off my lawn!” [emoji36][emoji1]


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[Slidebrook87]

Sometimes it's done prior to a big dump. Other times its done to just reset the bumps if they have become misshapen. I've seen Lower FIS groomed a few times, so it does happen. Same goes for Semi-Tough. At South, the oddest grooming I experienced was The Mall, which was done just before the old double was removed, to make tower removal easier. Talk about a fast run that was!

Thanks for the info. Think it’s in preparation for the possible snow/ra*n next week?


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[bdfreetuna]

Possible base builder which is still needed to give us a moderately lengthy spring.

 

[cdskier]

Sometimes it's done prior to a big dump. Other times its done to just reset the bumps if they have become misshapen. I've seen Lower FIS groomed a few times, so it does happen. Same goes for Semi-Tough. At South, the oddest grooming I experienced was The Mall, which was done just before the old double was removed, to make tower removal easier. Talk about a fast run that was!

Hah! I was just telling someone pretty recently about The Mall being groomed that one time. Was quite a different trail for sure!

As for Lower FIS, yup, I've seen it groomed a bunch of times over the years as well. Without having skied it in a couple weeks, can't say why they thought it should be done this time. Plenty of reasons to do so though as you noted.

 

[rocks860]

It was getting a little thin between some of the bumps when I skied it last week but I’ve definitely seen it much worse


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[Griswold]

There’s nothing I like to read more on here than people complaining that “their” “secret” stashes are no longer secret because of an online post or YouTube video that gets a couple hundred views. Do you really think the people actively looking online for info aren’t just as willing to following some obvious tracks into the woods? Or have you secret stash owners figured out a way to float over snow and not create tracks into them?



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[Slidebrook87]

There’s nothing I like to read more on here than people complaining that “their” “secret” stashes are no longer secret because of an online post or YouTube video that gets a couple hundred views. Do you really think the people actively looking online for info aren’t just as willing to following some obvious tracks into the woods? Or have you secret stash owners figured out a way to float over snow and not create tracks into them?



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Agreed.


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[Whitey]

There’s nothing I like to read more on here than people complaining that “their” “secret” stashes are no longer secret because of an online post or YouTube video that gets a couple hundred views. Do you really think the people actively looking online for info aren’t just as willing to following some obvious tracks into the woods? Or have you secret stash owners figured out a way to float over snow and not create tracks into them?

This.

I was going to say something along the lines of this. A couple of years ago I did a TR where I talked about some "secret" stuff we went into. I thought about not including it as I might "give it away". And then I realized that on this northeast skiers forum a well trafficked post might get a 600-700 views, sometimes a lot less than that. Of those, how many of those people would go to that ski area and ski that "secret" area because of what they read in that post? Maybe 10-20? If that. And how many of those people would have found that secret area anyway as they are hardcore enough to be reading a skiers forum? So, what are we "hiding"?

I think the increase of people "finding" these secret areas is due to an increase in the enthusiasm for tree skiing in the northeast. Many, many more skiers and the fearless younger set are searching for these opportunities when they go skiing in the northeast than there were 20 years ago. Almost all ski areas have changed their policies about tree skiing and have actively opened up more of that type of terrain.

It's about the increase in the % of the ski population that is looking for that type of experience, not because tuna (or anyone else) posted a pic of themselves on facebook dropping into a "secret" chute at a ski area.

 

[Orca]

Or have you secret stash owners figured out a way to float over snow and not create tracks into them?

Yes, I float. And it's my secret and I'm not telling anyone!

 

[Orca]

I scout, recon, hike and visit my potential back country lines in the summer and then Ski them in the winter. I never post them or tell anybody were I have been or where I am considering going. Only my ski partner wife. You know what? When I get there and ski these lines, there are absolutely no tracks.....ever. This used to be the case for side country also. No more. Today this is totally lost with a young culture that wants everything handed to them. I will just keep my secrets to myself and never give them up. Posting them on any form of electronic tracking system is just giving it away for free. I will have no part of that.

Hawk makes a salient point: effort matters, both in investigation and getting your arse out there early

 

[dustyroads]

Just back from BC. The lead cat guide was in Pakistan scouting out lines with the help of a military heli for a bunch of super rich guys to ski in a few weeks. Now that's an adventure. and he got 100k for the month of work.

What Cat Operation were you at?

 

[Smellytele]

So it’s okay to pay someone to show you were the secret stashes are but not to get the info for free on the interwebs? Only rich people can ski those stashes.


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[Whitey]

Yes, I float. And it's my secret and I'm not telling anyone!

I think after reading Tuna's post about his "eye drops", it is pretty certain that he's "floating" over the snow most days. . .

 

[56fish]

This.

I was going to say something along the lines of this. A couple of years ago I did a TR where I talked about some "secret" stuff we went into. I thought about not including it as I might "give it away". And then I realized that on this northeast skiers forum a well trafficked post might get a 600-700 views, sometimes a lot less than that. Of those, how many of those people would go to that ski area and ski that "secret" area because of what they read in that post? May 10-20? If that. And how many of those people would have found that secret area anyway as they are hardcore enough to be reading a skiers forum? So, what are we "hiding"?

I think the increase of people "finding" these secret areas is due to an increase in the enthusiasm for tree skiing in the northeast. Many, many more skiers and the fearless younger set are searching for these opportunities when they go skiing in the northeast than there were 20 years ago. Almost all ski areas have changed their policies about tree skiing and have actively opened up more of that type of terrain.

It's about the increase in the % of the ski population that is looking for that type of experience, not because tuna (or anyone else) posted a pic of themselves on facebook dropping into a "secret" chute at a ski area.

Chicken or egg ... images on screens drive sales :beer:

 

[bdfreetuna]

I think after reading Tuna's post about his "eye drops", it is pretty certain that he's "floating" over the snow most days. . .

those get saved for apres ski... I'm a coffee man while I'm skiing. I'm always a little nervous about serious injuries, so alertness/awakeness=good. The last thing I want is a helicopter ride to the hospital while I'm impaired, or God forbid cause injury to someone else.


Re secret stashes about 1/3rd of them I've found by poking around or following random people into rabbit holes, 1/3rd I've been clued into on this forum, and the other 1/3rd I found on YouTube

Like at Smuggs last week I skied Weed Bag, Mustache and Back Bowls all 1st time because it's not a mountain I get to very often. I did a little research on NewSchoolers and YouTube, basically finding names of the stashes and then YouTubing to confirm how to find them etc. And a couple posters here answered a couple questions on the back bowl situation.

modern life

 

[HowieT2]

Just back from BC. The lead cat guide was in Pakistan scouting out lines with the help of a military heli for a bunch of super rich guys to ski in a few weeks. Now that's an adventure. and he got 100k for the month of work.

What Cat Operation were you at?

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