Who do you think has the best grooming and why?

[mountainman]

Long time groomer and skier here. How many think east coast skiing and riding is hard pack after mid day? Is nice craveable all day surface possible if now new snow or snowmaking?

 

[JohnGD33]

For me less is more!!! I wish somtimes that they would break down:flag:

 

[kcyanks1]

Mad River Glen Expert stuff left ungroomed. Enough intermediate and beginner stuff groomed so that you don't have to ski moguls all day. Upper Antelope and Catamount are nice groomers. Seriously, though, aside from commenting on amount of grooming, I don't know. Do some areas grooming smoother than others and leave fewer ice chunks? If so, is it a function of grooming or man-made (or natural) snow quality? I don't really judge mountains based on grooming, so I can't really answer those questions.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I think my two favorite mountains..Stowe and Jackson Hole both have excellent grooming...although the groomed terrain doesn't bring me to these mountains...it's hard to resist a run or two down immachulately groomed wide opened boulevards...making huge Super G turns and laying trenches to stare at on the liftride..Okemo also has really good grooming and so do Stratton and Killington. The larger resorts have the largest fleets of groomers and don't mess around. At Blue mountain, they have a small fleet and sometimes do a half-ass'd job grooming leaving death cookies and crazy trenches..but the more constant freeze/thaws makes it tougher for them. A well groomed Paradise, Razors, Challenge, Sidewinder park, Lazy Mile, Switchback, and Main Street..along with Raceway, Midway, and Chute are all great at speed arcing...getting low...

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Long time groomer and skier here. How many think east coast skiing and riding is hard pack after mid day? Is nice craveable all day surface possible if now new snow or snowmaking?

People with good edges don't mind the hardpack..and in the east..it usually starts out close to hardpack..it's never going to be soft packed powder like out west unless it snows alot and freeze/thaws are non-existent...I've sunken in 4 inches in the groomed at Jay Peak when I was booting up...that to me is too soft..I like to feel a little bite..and having something solid to push off of..

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Long time groomer and skier here.

Welcome mountainman. I look forward to hearing your take on grooming. You read a lot of people say how they hate groomed runs and wish trails where left alone. It’s my opinion that most ski resorts in the East couldn’t get from Saturday to Sunday with good conditions on most weekends without some grooming.

 

[campgottagopee]

Hey Mountainman---one question for you---I've watched groomers for many years now, and how the heck do you guys not shat your pants going over some of those headwalls. I truley love skiing the steeps and often think how the heck do they groom these things. Just wondering is all

 

[mountainman]

It used to be fun.

Hey Mountainman---one question for you---I've watched groomers for many years now, and how the heck do you guys not shat your pants going over some of those headwalls. I truley love skiing the steeps and often think how the heck do they groom these things. Just wondering is all

We used to free groom them. Yes some were very fun. Sliding down on a cushion of snow. Like surfing but with a tractor. Today it is done with winch tractors. You hook a cable to a anchor point. Then it's up and down untill done. Been grooming since the early the late 70"s. The tractors have become really nice with technology. Feel free to ask any questions. May get together for a ride some day.

 

[millerm277]

I truley love skiing the steeps and often think how the heck do they groom these things. Just wondering is all

Winch-cats.....

Anyway, I personally don't like to see anything above intermediate trails groomed, other than in the instances where the trail would be unskiable or close to it without having it done.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Feel free to ask any questions. May get together for a ride some day.

What mountains have you worked at? Where do you work now?

 

[mountainman]

Winch-cats.....

Anyway, I personally don't like to see anything above intermediate trails groomed, other than in the instances where the trail would be unskiable or close to it without having it done.

I totaly agree with you expert trails are just that. Never like doing them myself. Some boulevards need to be done. Again i totaly agree with you.

 

[maplevalleymaster]

I agree with Ski Magazine, Okemo has amazing grooming. Stratton and Sugarbush both have good grooming also.

 

[mountainman]

What mountains have you worked at? Where do you work now?

Would like to tell you. There is some imformation that i'm going to pass on that make skiing a riding 100% craveable surface lasting all day. Even if there is a thaw freeze cycle or no new snow for awhile. It eliminates the frozen hard pack surface that is commonly know here in the east. If snowmaking is not widely availible or limited new snow. Of course first you need a good base to start with.

 

[snowman]

He works at Mt. Snow, I think. He has some nice pics from groomer hours posted there. Absolute best grooming? I'm going with Nakiska, Alberta. Former Olympic mountain. Everyone in snowmaking and grooming there has been trained by the best. I've groomed some and been taught by some of the best. It's easily to spot a trail goomed by someone who doesn't know what they're doing in this day and age. Trails groomed by the hopelessly inept end up looking like mini half pipes....and that has been further amplified with the advent of flex tillers.

 

[deadheadskier]

Okemo is the best I've ever seen at grooming. It seems (at least in the east), that the mountains that are the most committed to snowmaking also tend to have the best grooming. I'm sure there are plenty of different techniques that result in a better surface, but mountains like Okemo, Sunday River etc that continously try to resurface a couple of trails every night with new snow, tend to put forth the best product.

 

[wa-loaf]

Well, Wachusett grooms twice a day, even when it's dumping (grrr). I think they placed 6th in Ski for grooming.

 

[Marc]

Well, Wachusett grooms twice a day, even when it's dumping (grrr). I think they placed 6th in Ski for grooming.

I've seen them forgo the afternoon/evening grooming whilst mid Nor'Easter. It doesn't happen very often, but I have seen it happen more than once.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Blue mountain regrooms several runs around 4-5PM...It's cool to follow the groomers from run to run for fresh cord..During a snowstorm or early and late season, they skip the late PM regrooming...On warmish days,,the regroomed spring snow is like skiing in firm butter...mad steezy yo...much better than regroomed sugar snow which is mad sweet and low..what what

 

[koreshot]

Okemo has the best groomer of the places I have been to. Its amazing how efficiently and beautifully they are able to remove every last ounce of natural feature, undulation and character from their already overly flat trails. I'll be getting a pass there - spending next year focusing on carving technique.

While we are on the topic, Jay Peak takes the award for the worst grooming I have ever seen. I have been to a number of resorts with less groomed trails, but for a place that supposedly grooms a lot of their market trails, its horrible.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

I can't speak much to this, since I don't spend a lot of time on the groomers. But I've always been impressed by the quality of grooming on the intermediate/beginner terrain at Mt. Ellen -- tiller depth is usually spot on for a lasting quality product.

However, IMHO, there are two places for snowcats. In the garage, and on beginner terrain.

That said, I love snowcats, and am absolutely stoked to start my grooming ops class and lab. But my view of the matter stands.