Your Season in Review (2015-2016)

[deadheadskier]

I have been researching and there are tons of ski areas in Canada.

I could spend the remainder of my ski life exploring them all. Got off to a good start, plan to return and then explore more next season.

I just applied to renew my passport. I've been wanting to ski in PQ for years, but haven't made the effort.

Seeing the trip reports from you and others at least inspired me to be prepared. I may not get there next season, but it sure was frustrating seeing all that snow up there within driving range and not being able to go.

 

[steamboat1]

Learned about skiing in Canada.

That was the high point.

As I've said before we first skied up there over 20 years ago (QC). The reason we first went was the same reason most went this year, no snow in NE & abundant snow up there. Been back about a 1/2 dozen times. It was never on any ones radar until just recently. Skied Mount Tremblant & Grey Rocks (now defunct) 30 years ago but for different reasons. Grey Rocks was a self contained area with it's own hotel & a swinging singles scene. They were also noted for their ski school. I don't know why it failed because it always seemed to be pretty popular. It was just down the road from Mount Tremblant.

 

[snoseek]

After 4 challenging years we got back to average and average was never so good. December, january and march were off the hook. February was sunny with one 3 footer in the middle. Ill be thrilled with another average year if it comes next season.

Sent from my LG-H345 using Tapatalk

 

[Scruffy]

Challenging year, but I still had a great time skiing with new and old ski buds.

Highlights:

My first time to Taos. Loved all the expert terrain and nonstop bumps. We only had one new snow day, but the conditions were great, regardless. Katchina bowl was awesome, but the bowl aside, the mountain has so many other bumped glade runs, you can spend a lot of time there and not get bored.

Spring bumps at Stowe with some new ski buds.

Ditto at Killington with some not new ski friends, but some that I had the pleasure of skiing more with this past season, than seasons past.

Our annual VT Sugarbush house trips with our gang of 8.

Skiing with the crew at Hunter.

Low points:

I can't remember a day I actually skied in the woods this past season in the NE.

Didn't make it to MRG once.

 

[dlague]

My season was a mixed bag. While the mountains struggled to get fully open we skied what we could get and had lots of fun while we are out there. Cannon had days where skiing seemed more like ice skating. It was a season where "some" ski areas actually never got to 100% open in the east. This all led to us considering and eventually having a vacation out in Colorado. That week was an eye opener as was Banff the year before. I wanted ski bigger mountains. This in turn led to seeking work and eventually moving to Colorado. Overall, we had many days in the Northeast that were actually a lot of fun skiing places like Sugarbush on a 6-8 inch powder day or skiing Killington in March and not having he whole place 100% open but conditions were good where things were open or Okemo where skiing started very firm then softened enough to lay down some nice arcs. Cannon as usual has it good days and it's bad, but even the bad days fun could be found by avoiding certain trails. We skied some local hills like Pats Peak and Ragged where the trails count was limited but conditions were good on what was open.

Everyday in Colorado whether on vacation or this spring have been great and made up for the lack of trails/snow back east. We have not skied much out here yet but Cooper as a really cool place - small for Colorado standards but the backside trails is where it is at there. Loveland and A Basin have been our favorites so far since they are not so developed and just have wide open terrain yet you can ski make runs that are reminiscent of New England skiing. Keystone was big and they have big trails like New England mountains on steroids. There is hike to open terrain but we did not go there. Many diss Keystone but it too is a lot of fun and some of the bump runs there took the friggin wind out of me (altitude + work).

Overall, we had a great season - oh wait! We are still having a great season!

 

[ironhippy]

This season inspired me to get into winter biking. I biked more in March than I skied.

Next season I'll be skiing when the snow is good and biking when the snow is bad. Can't wait.

Best skiing of my season was closing down Mont Saint Anne at the end of April, that was also my only trip away.

 

[jaytrem]

Learned about skiing in Canada.

That was the high point. Other than that a rarely earned grade of "F" regarding conditions but still fun as usual.

Where did you go in CA?

My season worked out quite well. Most days I was with my 2 4-year old daughters, so the warmer weather was actually helpful. Surprisingly they like to ski all day, lots of work and lots of fun. Did probably around 15-20 days with them and maybe 4 in the East without them. I'm not much of a counter. Also managed to get a trip in to Northern BC. Been dreaming of that one for a while, and with the dollar being so good I figured it was time to head back to Canada. Flew into Prince George and hit areas to the North, South, East and West of there. We lucked out and half of them were powder days and a couple with left over powder. They didn't have a great season up there, so we were very lucky indeed. If anybody is into surface lifts, Northern BC is the place to be. There's a couple 2000 footers with nothing but t-bars. Only negative on the trip was the little area right in Price George was closed due to lack of snow (Hart Highlands). Not sure I'll ever get back there, it's a bit of a trek, but you never know.

 

[Cornhead]

It sucked, but the beginning and end were pretty good. I got four days in at Snow Ridge early that were 18-22". I'd hoped the lake snow would continue and I could run up there to get my powder fixes, but the LES machine stopped and never started back up. Had a great couple days at Jay in March. The trees skied great, only tree skiing I got in all year. I think Jay did alot better this year than anywhere else South of the border.

The Spring season at K was pretty good. A cool Spring and K's snowmaking prowess allowed me to ski until 5/29. I don't keep track of days, but I figure I got about 30 less than last year. This has been my longest season however, October to the end of May. It was my first time skiing in October.

 

[4aprice]

The bad was self evident. Warmest, least snowiest (for most in the northeast) wasn't able to even start before the 24th of January and the eastern portion of the season ended for me mid March and only featured 14 days. Ate (yum,yum) 5 ski VT passes and other deals I got at ski shows and Warren Miller in the pre season. Not normal for us.

There was good though too. Camelback made the most of what is a powerful snowmaking system and got the entire mountain open quickly and spent a lot of time resurfacing before the weekends making the home front skiing pretty decent. CBK was also on the northern edge of the 1 decent snowstorm that came through down here so we actually had a good covering for about 2 weeks at one point of the season.

I also pay quite a bit of attention to the weather (not as much as the guys who read the models) but I realized pretty early that this particular El Nino was not going to be kind to the east coast and rearranged my plans. While feasting on Vt Passes is not so fun I redirected the resources to expanding my western trip. Was always going but added some extras by holding off on my trips up north. It was the highlight of the year.

Like I said that's normally the case in New England, even in the best of years. You can have a big dump & skiing is great for a few days. Then it rains on top of it & freezes up afterwards. You then have to wait for the next dump & the cycle starts all over. That's New England skiing.

While I admire the go-get-em attitude of the eastern skier as I get older the less I want to ski the hard surfaces. I get spoiled with my western trips and hope someday to get out there for good. It was so good out there this year.

Had a nice winter skiing seeded bumps in the Poconos and an awesome spring on Superstar. Hoping to get a day or two in a dome over the summer.

Hey the Pocono's take a lot of ribbing but they held there own this past season. Here's a shot of my favorite day in early March.

Their efforts this past winter sold me on another pass and along with a max pass I should have a very full season ahead with skiing in PA, VT, NH, ME, Colorado and Utah, already payed for BTW.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[JimG.]

Where did you go in CA?

Mont St. Anne and Le Massif.

Loved both mountains.

 

[jaytrem]

Mont St. Anne and Le Massif.

Loved both mountains.

Nice, that's my very early plan for next year. Have never been anywhere in Eastern Canada except the Townships.

 

[JimG.]

Nice, that's my very early plan for next year. Have never been anywhere in Eastern Canada except the Townships.

Going to spend one week doing the same this coming season and spend at least 3 days at Le Massif.

Also want to do another week up in QC a few days at Le Valinouet (100% natural snow) in the Lac St Jean/Sanguenay region then back to Tremblant to check that out. Mont Comi instead of Valinouet also a possibility.

 

[steamboat1]

Nice, that's my very early plan for next year. Have never been anywhere in Eastern Canada except the Townships.

I hope you realize it's not always good up there. Average snowfall is only about 150". They do tend to hold the snow they get though because of less rain events. Snowmaking helps too. Base elevations are close to zero especially at Le Massif & Sainte Anne. Being close to the St. Lawrence also has an effect with humidity & frozen conditions at lower elevations sometimes. Just sayin. St. Anne, Le Rolais & Stoneham do a great job grooming, Le Massif not so much. Also Le Rolais & Stoneham are not near the St Lawrence & have less effect from the seaway.

 

[JimG.]

It's not always good anywhere.

Conditions were typical spring hard pack when I went. Good on aspects that faced the sun.

I was happy with the amount of snow and plentiful tree skiing. And there were plenty of steep long bump trails that were wall to wall bumps top to bottom 2000' vert.

 

[jaytrem]

Going to spend one week doing the same this coming season and spend at least 3 days at Le Massif.

Also want to do another week up in QC a few days at Le Valinouet (100% natural snow) in the Lac St Jean/Sanguenay region then back to Tremblant to check that out. Mont Comi instead of Valinouet also a possibility.

Good stuff, Sanguenay is also part of my plan. We usually do 1 place per day, 2 if there is night skiing available at a smaller place. I post the proposed plan tomorrow. Tons of places in PQ that I don't know much about. Figure I could knock out about 15 new places on the trip (my annual goal is 10 new places per year).

As for the conditions that steamboat mentions, thanks for the heads up, but I'm not really concerned. I just love checking out new places regardless of conditions or size.

 

[Brad J]

The season was very uninspiring, late start , to many warm rain freeze cycles, no bumps, tree's, natural snow trails=BORING !!!!! I did have one week at snowbird that was great, kept me somewhat sane.. Trying to plan for a comeback tour for next year, at 62 not going to be able to waste years like last year

 

[Not Sure]

Best 2 days were at the Summit! Moguled myself out , drought here for me at home although I hear Camelback had a decent amount just didn't make it up there . I need to scout some local hills for the possibility of an unexpected 30'' dump all my other BC places 20 miles away were barren this year.
From the sounds of things the Poconos had better coverage and conditions than New England . They simply have less acreage to cover would be my reasoning. Local Bear Creek invested in a water chilling system to cool the feed water to the guns sounds like it paid off for them .
I try to pick my days for best conditions vs weekends . My schedule is flexible so sometimes I bail but good conditioned groomers are boring so I head to work after a few hours. my trips were shorter than usual but still good to clear my lungs out.
Skied faster than usual so I think I skied the same vertical average as last year but definite fun level was less. more binding releases too

 

[Zand]

Definitely an eyeopener for me. Uninspiring is the first word that comes to mind. Didn't start the season until the end of January. Never wanted to go to VT just to ski groomers because I knew I'd have to probably go all the way to Jay to find woods that were open. Had 2 decent spring days in March, but by the time I started having fun it was over. Told myself I would make up for it with a couple spring days at Killington, but of course I came up with excuses every weekend until this past Saturday when I set the alarm to get up there for closing day. Ended up being like the rest of the days, talked myself out of it.

By far the least days I've skied in a season since 2002 when I was still a beginner. I still haven't gotten over being spoiled by living in the NEK for 4 years and having Jay as close as Wachusett is now, but the past couple years I still made the drive up to VT a few times anyway. Not once this year.

I guess I at least picked a good year to basically take a year off. It certainly fueled the fire inside of me and I'm already jonesing to get next year started. Peak pass will do me well as I'll have an incentive to go up there whenever I feel like it and not feel like I'm wasting money.

 

[jimk]

I am trying to be sympathetic with all you NE guys over your very sub-par season. It's just that I've lived through so many similar winters down here in the mid-A over the last 50 years. Most of you have a great attitude and next season will be a whole new ballgame. Sorry to hear about young skiers getting serious injuries.

I had a good season because I am at a stage of life when I can get out west quite a bit now to ski. That's a big positive, but the negative is that I am old and great mtns like Snowbird, Alta, and Aspen Highlands can kick my butt. But that's the kind of a$$ whipping I'll live with

I spent parts of 32 days in Utah or Colorado this winter including flying and rest days. I made three different trips via air travel and they were from approximately one to two weeks in duration. I skied 30 days total, 23 out west and 7 in the mid-Atlantic. I caught a lot of excellent snow conditions including fresh snow as deep as two feet in both WV (Winter Storm Jonas) and UT. I learned that I'm not such a great skier in two feet of new snow, especially if it is slightly heavy or a day or two old or served on unforgiving terrain. Coming from VA I really don't have much prior experience in such conditions. But it is a learnable skill and I think I skied the deep stuff a little better later in the season by the fourth or fifth time in it. The people in UT ski two feet of new snow like we ski six inches of new snow. They just blast through double diamond pitches at full tilt with little turning, part of the confidence for that comes with home field advantage and repeated exposure.

I spent even more time skiing out west two seasons ago (2015) and I am gradually gaining the confidence to dress LIGHT enough to be comfortable. It's hard to overstate the difference in that regard between the East and the West. A 40 degree partly sunny day in UT or CO feels like a 55 degree day in the East, even in the mid-Atlantic. I guess it is the lower humidity and the more intense sunshine at higher altitude. The microclimate around SLC and the Wasatch is truly remarkable. There were many winter mornings at my son's apt in SLC that were mild with high temps heading for 60+, yet skiing generally remained excellent at the ski areas 30 mins away. I guess a 5000' elevation rise will do that

I did ten days at Snowbird with at least one day there in the months of Jan, Feb, Mar and April. That mtn wore me out at times. Gradually, I learned to ski it a little more within my comfort zone. It helped that the last few days there Mineral Basin was more often open. It holds the most mellow terrain compared to the generally steeper frontside. Speaking of Snowbird frontside, I skied Great Scott a bunch of times and had never gotten to ski it before. My son took me to a lot of fun advanced stuff at the Bird including Gad Valley side country. I skied Gunsight trail at Alta for first time, a fun and not too difficult hike-to adventure. I skied five days at Park City and enjoyed the heck out of the new combined layout. I guess I spent one day skiing only PC side, one day skiing only Canyons side, but three days roaming back and forth between both. It is a huge, huge playground now. I don't subscribe with those snow and terrain snobs who bad mouth it. There are plenty of black diamonds there, perhaps not quite as gnarly or sustained, but still a challenge for all but the gods. The elevations are lower than LCC and BCC, but in good mid-winter conditions the snow is still excellent. I skied two days at Deer Valley, first time ever there. I was amazed how well patronized it is. It does not suffer in the shadow of its bigger neighbor. There is definitely a market for upscale skiing. The food there is great and a good value for what you get. There is a ton of staff on the mtn and they do a particularly great job monitoring/managing lift lines. The grooming is impeccable. My wife and I went into the Stein Eriksen Lodge for a looksee and it's like a shrine/museum. Very special ambiance, too bad I went too late for a chance for a live Stein sighting:-(

I'm glad I got seven days at my local mid-Atlantic ski areas as I feel great loyalty towards them. Pretty amazing, but possibly my deepest pow day of the year was a two+ footer in WV in Jan during Winter Storm Jonas. It's all good. No New England skiing for me this winter. I suppose I picked a good year to skip that, but I've enjoyed many great trips up there in the past, often as an escape from wimpy mid-A winters.

Here are some pics from winter 2016.

I met the Trailboss on Apr 3 at Snowbird: I'm in VA hoodie, he's second from right.

With a patroler friend at Canaan Valley, WV in Jan:

With a treeskier buddy at Timberline, WV:

One of my son's friends on something steep just over from Great Scott at Snowbird:

Red Lens Line, a side country run at Snowbird. The skier is one of my geezer buddies, age mid-60s.

 

[jimk]

My son dropping into Daly Chutes area at Deer Valley, UT, March:

Gunsight trail at Alta, early April. Gotta hike up a short distance from behind, then you drop into notch in center of this photo. Alta is an especially beautiful spot:

My wife has retired from downhill skiing, but she still likes to accompany me on some of my trips. Here snowshoeing in LCC near Alta.

My son in Olympic Bowl at Aspen Highlands, February; another gorgeous ski area with fabulous terrain.

Empty glades on Canyons side of Park City: