Zand
Well-known member
Date(s) Skied: 3/2/05
Resort or Ski Area: Wachusett Mountain, MA
Conditions: Packed Powder, Scratchy Windblown
Trip Report:
As I look outside at the North Pole, I mean my back yard, I see 30 MPH winds, blowing snow, and about 20 degrees. I think January is finally here. Whatever the month is, this year is setting up to be an epic spiring skiing season. Yesterday, I took my 17th trip to Wa this season and it was just like the old days at Wawa during January. Patches of ice all over the place, mildly crowded, and a crowded base lodge. Those days have changed and Januarys' at Wa are better now, but for March to be like this, we should definitely be seeing April at Wa.
Conifer: My first run of the day right when they opened it from grooming. Usually, they send people down 8 by 8 or something like that, but they let the bulls break loose this time. Once you got around everyone who hit the floor in the middle of the trail and the snowplowers, it was some great cruising. It was continually the best trail on the mountain all night, and probably the least crowded. One run at 7, the trail was deserted and I literally did not see 1 person the entire run. By 8, the headwalls and other spots were getting scratchy from the wind, but certainly edgeable and very fast in between wind gusts.
10th: It was in great shape all night besides a little ice on the "steep". After the 2nd road, you clould fly carefree as the trail was almost perfect and all you had to watch out for were people.
Smith: Days like this don't treat ol' Smith too well and this was no exeption. It was very icy on the steep and people were taking nasty spills all night. After the 2nd road, it was a little better, but not nearly as good as 10th and Conifer.
Hitchcock Terrain Park: Oh boy, Wachusett really destroyed this one. It was a perfect beginner park when they set it up and remained that way for a few weeks. Not anymore. The first 2 jumps had their lips removed so all you could do is jump over on your own power. After the 2nd jump, there were a bunch of morons sitting right below the landing. In between them and the landing was a huge patch of ice. I should have just hit the idiots. You can't see them until you're in mid air and the ice was nearly impossible to turn or stop on. To make things even better, there were 2 rangers further up the trail just standing there talking and not moving the group. A huge disappointment.
Look Mom Terrain Park: Pretty nice. Most of the jumps have good lips and landings and the rails have good approches. The area before the pipe was bulletproof and if you were going fast you had to get your act together to not go right into the fence. The pipe is better now than earlier when the walls were all screwed up.
I'll be at Wachusett tomorrow night, Okemo sometime this month, and Jiminy at the end of the month. Hopefully I can make it to Killington in late april or early May.
Resort or Ski Area: Wachusett Mountain, MA
Conditions: Packed Powder, Scratchy Windblown
Trip Report:
As I look outside at the North Pole, I mean my back yard, I see 30 MPH winds, blowing snow, and about 20 degrees. I think January is finally here. Whatever the month is, this year is setting up to be an epic spiring skiing season. Yesterday, I took my 17th trip to Wa this season and it was just like the old days at Wawa during January. Patches of ice all over the place, mildly crowded, and a crowded base lodge. Those days have changed and Januarys' at Wa are better now, but for March to be like this, we should definitely be seeing April at Wa.
Conifer: My first run of the day right when they opened it from grooming. Usually, they send people down 8 by 8 or something like that, but they let the bulls break loose this time. Once you got around everyone who hit the floor in the middle of the trail and the snowplowers, it was some great cruising. It was continually the best trail on the mountain all night, and probably the least crowded. One run at 7, the trail was deserted and I literally did not see 1 person the entire run. By 8, the headwalls and other spots were getting scratchy from the wind, but certainly edgeable and very fast in between wind gusts.
10th: It was in great shape all night besides a little ice on the "steep". After the 2nd road, you clould fly carefree as the trail was almost perfect and all you had to watch out for were people.
Smith: Days like this don't treat ol' Smith too well and this was no exeption. It was very icy on the steep and people were taking nasty spills all night. After the 2nd road, it was a little better, but not nearly as good as 10th and Conifer.
Hitchcock Terrain Park: Oh boy, Wachusett really destroyed this one. It was a perfect beginner park when they set it up and remained that way for a few weeks. Not anymore. The first 2 jumps had their lips removed so all you could do is jump over on your own power. After the 2nd jump, there were a bunch of morons sitting right below the landing. In between them and the landing was a huge patch of ice. I should have just hit the idiots. You can't see them until you're in mid air and the ice was nearly impossible to turn or stop on. To make things even better, there were 2 rangers further up the trail just standing there talking and not moving the group. A huge disappointment.
Look Mom Terrain Park: Pretty nice. Most of the jumps have good lips and landings and the rails have good approches. The area before the pipe was bulletproof and if you were going fast you had to get your act together to not go right into the fence. The pipe is better now than earlier when the walls were all screwed up.
I'll be at Wachusett tomorrow night, Okemo sometime this month, and Jiminy at the end of the month. Hopefully I can make it to Killington in late april or early May.
