Machski

Pretty great season for me, my work schedule coincided with the best condition and storm periods to be home for. All in all, I think I hit 6 powder days starting in October (if you can count high elevation, low angle natural terrain as an actual powder day) with the big Nov 27th Powder Day at SR that skied like the calendar read Feb 27th and several more in January and February. Only hit one weak powder day on our trip to Utah, but for me that seems the norm when we head out west. Still a ton of skiing to go for me, Mammoth next week, then Killington til its gone. Wife wants to head back to CA, either Squaw or Mammoth for some July 4th turns since both say they will be open through to then at least so we can say we skied it then! Love her!

I'd take the road trip.

Couple resort updates. Sunday day River just announced Happy Hour Days with select days having select lifts running until 5pm. Saturday, Chondi, Barker and White Cap will run late. About time! Killington is adding a bonus weekend for both stages of the Skyeship. Base will be open for restrooms only. It is also going to be the last weekend ever for the North Ridge Triple. If you're feeling nostalgic for a final ride, better get that by Sunday!

Killington today was sweet corn fest. Sunday River Sat/Sun

Given the DH MTB loss at SR (though I guess they may be toying with the idea of allowing riding if you get yourself up the hill), it sounds like the long rumored DH MTB park at Mt. Abram may be starting to build. Haven't heard anything about opening plans but I do know someone who left SR for Mt. Abram last fall and this was one of his reasons to head there. Felt the topography lent itself much better to DH MTB than SR's. Something to keep your eye on anyway.

I think Boyne eastern Summer consolidation to Loon is a big driver in this. Granted Loon is in the White's which have always had a large attraction as a summer getaway that the Maine mountains do not and is much closer to large population centers. Yes Loon had DH biking before, but not like what they are planning. Previous version was off Gondola and just down the wrok roads, there were no DH single tracks or anything of the sort. The new offering will be machiine formed bike trails, starting off Seven Bros this year and next year (presumably) and on centered off the Kanc Quad. What I have read did not seem to indicate the biking would extend to the summit. Sunday River outside of its big event happenings in the summer (tough mountain challenge, a few concert series and the off road ralley car races) never drew huge crowds, but the bike park did have somewhat of a draw. And they did do quite a bit of work to build up machine tailored trails (partially messing up two glades in the process and other woods frequented but not on map). Very sad they are giving up on it. They are promising a new summer vision/identity to be revealed over next few summers. Will be interesting to see. The odd part in the summer is, the mountain never really has drawn well, but since the 08-09 downturn, the town of Bethel has increased its summer draw. When we first bought in 2011, summer's the town was almost a ghost town, you could walk in and get a table no problem friday/saturdays at any restaurant in town. Now, most weekends in the summer, you'd be wise to have a reservation. Kind of ashame the mountain hasn't been able to build off the town's summer momentum.

SR is bad with North and North West winds which will knock all upper lifts offline. West winds can be tolerated better but will still kick Western lifts (Aurora and Jordan) offline. Northeast winds usually kill the Eastern upper lifts but this is the one direction that can affect the Oz Quad. The big secret at SR on windy days from North thru West is Oz. If trails are open, it will spin while everything else is shut. It will even keep turning after Spruce goes down making it completely isolated. Can be like a private ski area at times.

Sunday if snow pans out at either Killington or SB. Decision to be based on snowfall totals at each. Skipping Saturday due to winds and potential with wet, pasting snow to delay detachables.

Yup, Powdr really catching up for lost time now at the Beast. Hopefully all this investment there Spurs other New England resorts to action.

Might be a big dump, doubt very much it will be very powdery. More like cement will be my guess. But after skiing Killington today and being shocked by the low natural base they have, a foot or more of cement like snow would be perfect actually.

This line does not give me the warm fuzzies: "There is significant support from nonprofits and the broader community to help pay for improvements to the chairlift system." If they are this big investor company, why do they need nonprofit help for the lift system?? Would love to see the area reopen and finally mature into the resort it could be. Not sure this is the company to do that. Would hate to see it get reopened, not become what it could be and close down again.

Sunday River didn't really loose any base. Saturday was strange, late groomers were buttery but early groomed were frozen cord. Natural trails on East side were frozen pretty bad but open for the most part (Agony/Hollywood/Top Gun were not) but surprisingly the glades were still soft, almost too soft (had my Chargers on and they were sinking in too deep so switched out to my Mindbenders and they floated it well). Moved over to Oz as the remainder of the west was mostly on wind hold. Lost Princess and Eureka were firm but edgeable and not aweful. Ruby was ok but upper frozen bumps had a lot of ski ruts that hung you up. Poppy fields though, ughh. Firm on some turns, break through on others into cement that would not allow you to turn. Moved back over later in the day and sun had softened Spruce/North and lower WC and Barker. Southpaw was a spring bumps dream. Sunday, well it was skiable but Jordan and now Oz down still for wind and conditions. Only groomers, they were fast but mostly edgeable. Plenty of cover remains. Thursday's storm looks like it could recharge the Northern areas with Maine again staying mostly snow.

That was how they cleaned up the mess they created, "if conditions and weather support...". FYI, all the event posters in the Lodge still have Ski Maynia day printed as April 28th.

Nope, haven't heard anything else. Though they have already started the tree clearing for the T-Bar. It is unfortunately running up skier's left and sounds like it may interfere or close permanently crossbow and tightwire. In other news, they quietly moved up the closing date this season from April 28th to April 21st. Can't wait to hear this explaination.

Killington may or may not replace the North Ridge Triple with a new LP Quad. Also sounds like the new K1 lodge will be begun but this is a multi year project. Will be built in the current drop off zone adjacent to the K1 gondola. The current lodge will remain for next season. Stratton announced theirs, nothing big. So e snowmaking upgrades, big thing was paving and mountain biking there too. Sunday River gets the racing program T-Bar on Monday Morning. May or may not be open to public when all other upper mountain lifts are on wind hold