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The "Sugarbush Thread"

Hawk

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With Bravo open how are they getting to the bottom once you ski Murphy's or Bidland? Lower Jester? Lower Downspout? I didn't see that snowmaking was complete down low.
 

cdskier

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With Bravo open how are they getting to the bottom once you ski Murphy's or Bidland? Lower Jester? Lower Downspout? I didn't see that snowmaking was complete down low.

Don't know if it was completed...but they were making snow on the Lower Jester/Lower DS/Coffee Run route the past few days. They groomed that out quickly this morning, so I'm assuming that's the route down at the moment... I don't exactly think opening those yet was part of the plan, but looks like this is a "plan b" due to the power outage with GH.
 

Newpylong

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Have always wondered the thought process with Coffee Run before Gondolier. To leave the work road to CR open longer? To get folks to the Valley House easier?
 

Hawk

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I think it is the first one. There are is a ton of work trucks, cats and ski mobiles up and down that road early season. Also that trail is a lot wider and needs more snow to open.
 

cdskier

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No idea if the snow report is accurate...but according to the report the only route open is the VHT/HGT/Lower DS/Lower Jester/Coffee Run route...I hope they actually at least have Murphy's to the HGT open for these people.
 

cdskier

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talking to my daughter this morning much of the area lost power for a while
Snow day for Morertown Schools

Based on the e-mails I received from GMP, my condo up there lost power for about an hour in the middle of the night and then again for about an hour and a half this morning.
 

WinS

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Kudos to the Mountain team for their work this morning. An area power outage shut down the Gatehouse side. Today was supposed to be a preparation day for opening Bravo tomorrow. However, they rallied to get it opened today. After 12” of heavy wet snow it took a lot of groomer and manual work to get the ramps cleared as well as snow removed from the chairs. Mgmt jumped in two groomers and groomed the traverses and the path down from HG. And Patrol hustled to get ropes up where needed and clear the trails. Bravo opened somewhere around 10:45am and GH later in the day. This really was a great effort on the part of many.

For those of you who wondered where the snowmaking was, I found it this morning. Valley Traverse is about as deep as I can remember it being and should be set for the season. There are huge piles on Upper Birdland and Murphy’s. The heavy snow is getting skied in well today and will groom out nicely. I was very pleased with the new HG traverse. It too is well covered in snow, has a great pitch and is wider than I thought it would be. It handled a good sized crowd down it this morning. The Harwood Union schools were closed today, so the mountain was busy for a November weekday. Lower Downspout, Lower Jester and Coffee Run also had ample snowmaking under the new snow. But they probably will need more at some point to last the season. But certainly good for now. HG did not open today so I can not report on Jester, but from a distance it too looks deeply covered and should ski well tomorrow after grooming tonight.

With all these trails in good shape the snowmaking team can now move to touch up GH and expand terrain. Looking at the forecast, I would assume we will see more opened by the weekend.

Someone asked why Coffee Run instead of Gondolier. The answer it can get opened faster and then Gondolier can have snowmaking without having to ski under the guns and towers as it is being readied.

Again, thanks to the mountain team for a fun morning that could have been a real disappointment with the power outages.
 
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Xcreamus

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What a difference in feeling the snow on Murphy's! One long stretch of untracked and then it was pick you way thru the bodies and other obstacles.
 

machski

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That’s a good question, but it seems that this approach is not unique to sb. My son is out in Colorado and they’re doing the same thing at winter park and copper. I wonder if the strategy is to get beginner terrain open first, or they’re trying to avoid not having beginner terrain for the holidays should the weather turn unfavorable if they wait till after the more advanced terrain is done.
Not just all of the above but because beginner terrain typical takes less snow to open on than steeper, advanced/expert runs do. Therefore its quicker to expand terrain by starting on these as you can shift off them faster.
 

cdskier

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Looks like they opened HG and quite a few trails on just natural snow today. Most open terrain in the east! (Or at least they supposedly were as of the point when they made that claim earlier today).
 

Hawk

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They just opened Paradise. Knowing from many early season visits, rock skis are definetly required. Personally, I think they should wait on that trail until the snow level is deaper or we get another wet event to solidify the base. There are too many rocks and ledges. The snow get wiped out and then nothing sticks later unless we get wet snow and it freezes.
 

HowieT2

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They just opened Paradise. Knowing from many early season visits, rock skis are definetly required. Personally, I think they should wait on that trail until the snow level is deaper or we get another wet event to solidify the base. There are too many rocks and ledges. The snow get wiped out and then nothing sticks later unless we get wet snow and it freezes.
huh? what rocks? ( I kid) there must be close to, if not over, 2 feet up there and I assume its fairly dense. thanks ullr for running the great snow guns in the sky. forecast is promising for friday-saturday too. I'm giddy even though im grounded for the next few weekends.
 
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