The "Sugarbush Thread"

[cdskier]

And now the damn bravo is broken..

It was down yesterday morning to start the day as well. Honestly probably made my personal experience better yesterday morning as there's still a good deal of people that either don't want to put in the effort to take reverse traverse or don't even know you can use it to get to HG and/or CR.

 

[Kingslug20]

Went right over to Ellen after skiing up off lynx...Northstar was the bomb
Ellen was covered..hit everything we could..
I'm kerploopt...

 

[dustyroads]

Anyone know why the whales on Steins have not been knocked down? It seems like it's been a few weeks since they turned off the guns.

 

[doublediamond]

PSIA bump clinics in 2 weeks … maybe to guarantee good snow for them?

 

[Lotso]

Anyone know why the whales on Steins have not been knocked down? It seems like it's been a few weeks since they turned off the guns.

Saves diesel to leave in place Maybe winch cat is down? Dunno

 

[bill-now]

Three workers with chainsaws were at skiers right on Murphy's cutting the replacement of Reverse Traverse.

 

[Hawk]

Anyone know why the whales on Steins have not been knocked down? It seems like it's been a few weeks since they turned off the guns.

Personally I like it beter that way. Once they mow it, the flat trail turns into a skating rink until spring. The whales also give it some character.

 

[Lotso]

Personally I like it beter that way. Once they mow it, the flat trail turns into a skating rink until spring. The whales also give it some character.

With temps today they should get come more 'character' as people ski them. Probably slows people down, too

 

[Hawk]

Three workers with chainsaws were at skiers right on Murphy's cutting the replacement of Reverse Traverse.

Interesting. That is a bit unusual. You would think it would be easier to have equipment up there when the snow is gone to remove the debris. Maybe there is less environmental impact cutting in the winter with snow? No idea.

 

[Lotso]

Interesting. That is a bit unusual. You would think it would be easier to have equipment up there when the snow is gone to remove the debris. Maybe there is less environmental impact cutting in the winter with snow? No idea.

Sugarloaf is doing their new trail clearing now as well. Curious what the process is, but up there they are clearly putting trees in piles and either carting them off or burning them. Stumps will get chewed up/moved/buried with the regrading in summer.

 

[jimmywilson69]

cutting trees now is often an environmental commitment. In PA we have tree cutting restrictions due to bat habitat. depending on your area you can only cut trees November to March at least if there are permits involved for total clearing.

 

[cdskier]

Saves diesel to leave in place Maybe winch cat is down? Dunno

If the winch cat was down, they wouldn't be grooming Ripcord virtually every night. Also don't we have 2 winch cats at LP? Or did we get rid of the older one? (We used to have one that said 4.5 on the winch arm and a newer one that said 4.6).

My guess is it is either a snow preservation strategy or maybe they just haven't had time to use the winch there and skip winching other trails (IIRC, grooming out the whales on Steins is often a 2-shift job).

 

[cdskier]

Three workers with chainsaws were at skiers right on Murphy's cutting the replacement of Reverse Traverse.

Interesting...now that you mention it, I remember seeing 2 or 3 people with chainsaws in hand near the base of LP on Monday. I didn't pay any attention to where they went though.

 

[hardscrabble]

cutting trees now is often an environmental commitment. In PA we have tree cutting restrictions due to bat habitat. depending on your area you can only cut trees November to March at least if there are permits involved for total clearing.

Glading above 2,500 feet or so has been impeded by Bicknell's Thrush regulations at certain areas throughout New England.

 

[Kingslug20]

Probably preserving it...not many willing to risk skiing those frozen monsters..

 

[cdskier]

Per the snow report, the tree cutting will take place over the next month but only midweek:
"Beginning today, we've started a month-long chainsaw project in the Egan and Stein's Woods vicinities. Work will take place midweek and markers will note where the work is happening, but it is best to stay clear of those areas."

 

[Granite1]

Interesting. That is a bit unusual. You would think it would be easier to have equipment up there when the snow is gone to remove the debris. Maybe there is less environmental impact cutting in the winter with snow? No idea.

It's much better to cut in winter and loggers love doing it in winter. The ground is frozen, it's easier to move equipment around and pull the timber out than when it's muddy. There's not much tree sap flowing making cutting easier and it's easier to work in the woods with no foliage in the way. The snow softens the blow when a tree falls which is important when the timber is going to be cut for lumber. There aren't any pesky insects. Historically, a lot of farmers that didn't have much to do in winter would work as loggers.

 

[Granite1]

A Case for Winter Weather: Timber Harvest — Department of Ecosystem Science and Management PennState
When the ground is frozen, and especially frozen and covered in snowpack, harvest can occur with minimum damage and/or contact to the soil. In these conditions, soil is not deeply saturated and muddy. Therefore, the movement of equipment is less likely to result in large ruts and intense soil compaction, which can cause damage to tree roots and alter soil structure, changing the productivity, water and nutrient holding capacity, and overall condition of the site. The absence of rutting, compaction, and other soil disturbance decreases the likelihood and/or load of sediments displaced and deposited in waterways. Winter harvesting is also beneficial for the next trees to come. In the winter months, trees typically remain in dormancy, storing their water and nutrients in their roots rather than moving them throughout their stem. Even after a tree is removed, this root system and that vital energy within it remains. In the spring, the seedlings that might sprout from that root system will be better prepared to grow because of those remaining nutrients. For foresters and loggers, the freeze and snow of winter is a welcomed safeguard against damage accrued in a harvest and a mechanism for supporting the health and productivity of the next forest.

 

[jaybird]

And now the damn bravo is broken..

Report says 'bravo back tomoro'.
Lighting a candle..

Middle Earth

Probably preserving it...not many willing to risk skiing those frozen monsters..

Downhill of each of those whales were marvelous troughs of tato today. Skied better than it has in a long time

The Middle Earth was marginal

 

[Hawk]

Yes Middle Earth was exciting last weekend. Especially the waterfall of ice at the middle corner. I don't think I have seen it like that before. There was a solid Ice stretch for about 40 feet.