NE Skiing: Intel needed

[vertical_doug]

Back to NE intel. The suggestions above to try smaller venues are sound. Catamount had relatively ( my recent experience has been at Gore and Whiteface early last season) few people. No line was longer than a six minute wait, slopes not crowded. Even the lodge if you’re patient seats could be found in partitioned areas they put together.

I would like a partial refund from the people who suggested it. It’s been cold and icy the past 3 days but no new snow. I’m heading home to 6 inches of fresh pow in my driveway!!

Cheer up, the lifts will be on wind hold. Always are.

[j44ke]

Back to NE intel. The suggestions above to try smaller venues are sound. Catamount had relatively ( my recent experience has been at Gore and Whiteface early last season) few people. No line was longer than a six minute wait, slopes not crowded. Even the lodge if you’re patient seats could be found in partitioned areas they put together.

I would like a partial refund from the people who suggested it. It’s been cold and icy the past 3 days but no new snow. I’m heading home to 6 inches of fresh pow in my driveway!!

Snowing now! And our landscapers are building a bonfire this morning to eat up all the cleared brush and pine. You could have stopped in for an outdoors warm up!

[72gmc]

Good gravy, that picture of the snow at Alta.

I like Mt. Bachelor's policy of requiring a parking reservation to go on the hill. Seems to be a sensible way to limit the lines, maybe better than limiting ticket sales. Are NE areas implementing policies like this?

[ides1056]

Snowing now! And our landscapers are building a bonfire this morning to eat up all the cleared brush and pine. You could have stopped in for an outdoors warm up!

As a native Californian, burn season came as a revelation when I first bought our land. I have had some epic burns clearing fields, all day affairs. That said, I have many large piles surrounding the fields left as coarse woody debris for habitat. Critters love them.

[bcm119]

I learned to ski at Catamount, and have lots of fond memories. It's a nice little hill because not only are there fewer people, the types of people who do go are usually more local and chill. I'd take Catamount any day over somewhere in the Catskills with easy thruway access for city folks. Plus it's a much nicer drive up the taconic or 22, if you're coming from the south. It's the equivalent of Badger pass out here in CA, a very small hill within the bounds of Yosemite NP. Small, local folks, more fun and less irritation.

[j44ke]

As a native Californian, burn season came as a revelation when I first bought our land. I have had some epic burns clearing fields, all day affairs. That said, I have many large piles surrounding the fields left as coarse woody debris for habitat. Critters love them.

We have those too. The white-throated sparrows spend the entire winter in them I think. And the only rabbit I've seen around here came out of one. Never lived in a place where rabbits were so scarce and state conservation is encouraging people to create rabbit habitat. So we have four piles for the animals. The burning today was new stuff.

Snow looks great. Big flakes. Soften over all the bumps but now finding icy patches is a surprise.

[ides1056]

Snow looks great. Big flakes. Soften over all the bumps but now finding icy patches is a surprise.[/QUOTE]

Be careful. Nothing comes as a greater surprise than exiting the house and finding oneself on the ground. I am thinking about putting Gorilla Glue and crushed stone on my Vibram soles.

I am headed out to ski now that snow is falling, hoping that there will be more purchase on the ice.

[Bobonli]

Snowing now! And our landscapers are building a bonfire this morning to eat up all the cleared brush and pine. You could have stopped in for an outdoors warm up!

Yes, it started to snow heavily around 12:30 as my wife and son said they’d had enough. My daughter and I took a couple more runs including a run thru Upper and Lower Glade, then we went to O’s Diner for lunch before heading home to 4 inches of wet heavy snow.

The place was noticeably more crowded today with a lot of young people wearing racing team gear, perhaps practicing for a race. Racers practicing and parents with toddlers on leashes = lots of near disasters! But definitely better than being at one of the larger hills in the Catskills.

[j44ke]

Yes, it started to snow heavily around 12:30 as my wife and son said they’d had enough. My daughter and I took a couple more runs including a run thru Upper and Lower Glade, then we went to O’s Diner for lunch before heading home to 4 inches of wet heavy snow.

The place was noticeably more crowded today with a lot of young people wearing racing team gear, perhaps practicing for a race. Racers practicing and parents with toddlers on leashes = lots of near disasters! But definitely better than being at one of the larger hills in the Catskills.

Glad it worked out. Like a lot of places, the area is more fun without covid, but some things are just more crowded.

[caleb]

We spent last weekend at Lutsen in northeastern Minnesota. Tickets were two day minimum, and Saturday was a blackout for season ticket holders. It was still pretty overrun.

There was plenty of Covid signage, but compliance was pretty bad. People without masks in the lift lines, people in the lodge without masks, lifties packing the chairs full even though there was signage saying to only ride with your party, and just generally folks who had forgotten all about social distancing. The one notable exception was they weren't packing the gondola full.



It was still really nice to be out.

[Bobonli]

I feel like COVID enforcement has reached TSA levels: different standards and levels of enforcement compliance locale to locale.

[ides1056]

I've continued to skate every day. Conditions vary widely depending on temperatures, but everyone agrees this was a stellar winter.

[WFSTEKL]

I've continued to skate every day. Conditions vary widely depending on temperatures, but everyone agrees this was a stellar winter.

I am a little further east in Amherst, and despite the dearth of early season snow, February was a good skiing month. When we had a brief skirmish with Halloween snow, I was convinced that the winter would bust. Who knew that the weather does what the weather wants to do? We ski from the house onto the college golf course, and then onto the fields. Not skate skiing, but the therapeutic calm of moving the body remains. Darren articulated it well recently, when on Nordic skis, alone with one's work, cycling is dead.

I can't wait to log some early kilometres on the Zank.

[j44ke]

Yesterday was 40F. Today is (currently) 12F. Tomorrow will be 40F. Had some scary winds up around 60mph last night. Snapped a skinny pine in half. Power out at 11pm so must be another tree downed somewhere in the neighborhood. Generator popped on immediately. Have a fire going this morning. One of the best things - fire in the stove first thing in the morning. Can see the top of Catamount from the house with binoculars and there are people up there. Must be icy.

[caleb]

I am a little further east in Amherst, and despite the dearth of early season snow, February was a good skiing month. When we had a brief skirmish with Halloween snow, I was convinced that the winter would bust. Who knew that the weather does what the weather wants to do? We ski from the house onto the college golf course, and then onto the fields. Not skate skiing, but the therapeutic calm of moving the body remains. Darren articulated it well recently, when on Nordic skis, alone with one's work, cycling is dead.

I can't wait to log some early kilometres on the Zank.

We're in full meltdown mode here, with highs pushing 50 this week. That's about two weeks ahead of schedule.

We'll continue to ski the manmade trails for another couple weeks, but I'm looking forward to those first rides with green buds on the trees as well.

[WFSTEKL]

We're in full meltdown mode here, with highs pushing 50 this week. That's about two weeks ahead of schedule.

We'll continue to ski the manmade trails for another couple weeks, but I'm looking forward to those first rides with green buds on the trees as well.

It is 20 degrees here as I write this; however, I do see spring on the schedule for next week. A few mets with some chops have been discussing the potential for another stratospheric warming event that may disrupt the polar vortex once again. If it occurs, later this month would be in the cross-hairs. Skiing may have a little renaissance as a result.

[vertical_doug]

I am a little further east in Amherst, and despite the dearth of early season snow, February was a good skiing month. When we had a brief skirmish with Halloween snow, I was convinced that the winter would bust. Who knew that the weather does what the weather wants to do? We ski from the house onto the college golf course, and then onto the fields. Not skate skiing, but the therapeutic calm of moving the body remains. Darren articulated it well recently, when on Nordic skis, alone with one's work, cycling is dead.

I can't wait to log some early kilometres on the Zank.

I thought the therapeutic calm was a by product of the legalization of Mary Jane at ski slopes.... silly me
Isn't this reason enough to ski in Mass versus NY

Obviously, it is not legal in Minnesota yet since Caleb stressing about melt instead of driving to the local White Castle in Minneapolis.

Caleb, you never did the White Castle run after First Avenue back in the day?

[thomas]

Yeah, February was a good ski month in the Northeast.

Intel for today - stay home. It's cold and windy as f*ck out there, even if the sun is shining.

[caleb]

I thought the therapeutic calm was a by product of the legalization of Mary Jane at ski slopes.... silly me
Isn't this reason enough to ski in Mass versus NY

Obviously, it is not legal in Minnesota yet since Caleb stressing about melt instead of driving to the local White Castle in Minneapolis.

Caleb, you never did the White Castle run after First Avenue back in the day?

I had three different houses within walking distance of the White Castle at Lake and 36th. When Surly first made the Pugsley (2007 or 2008?) I was helping a roommate put one together in the garage until late into the night, when suddenly we had the great idea for a White Castle run. We hadn't sorted the brakes on the Puglsey at that point, and I vaguely remember riding it up 36th brakeless and just hoping to hit the light at Lake to avoid getting smoked.

Sadly, that White Castle is no more. It was remodeled into a Tim Horton's, and now there's a For Lease sign out front.

[vertical_doug]

I was more the E Hennepin Ave to Central on the way to Columbia Heights.