Good Weekend – 2/6-2/7/2010

Roxy the Raccoon takes a ride up Gate House… Sunday 2/7

After about 11” or so of summit snow accumulation during the week, we were treated to very nice bluebird skies on Saturday and on Sunday, it stayed mostly cloudy with snow showers, though the sun did make a few attempts at an appearance.  Attendance was pretty steady throughout the weekend, Saturday being the busier of the two days as usual.  I got out for a few runs on Sunday on Gate House side and found some nice snow on favorites such as Hot Shot and Sleeper.  Riding during the weekends is a different world than during the week, as you have to be mindful of a lot more people on the slopes who may not always be as predictable as yourself.  Still, it was a lot of fun as always. 

My friend Scott came up from Connecticut on Friday and we were treated to powder conditions as we assaulted the mountain, from Lower Snowball all the way over to Birch Run… covering most major areas except Castlerock (which I did the day before).  I even did a couple of runs Friday for the first time this season, including the isolated Cat’s Meow and the somewhat-technical Domino (due to its icy beginning and in between the bumps).  Of course, our pick run of Friday was Upper Jester, which we hit several times in a row, enjoying some great turns.  Sleeper was just as good! 

Looking at my trail stats, I still have 3 trails to ride this year that I did last year (Out to Lunch, Morning Star, and Lower Birdland, plus a few others I haven’t done since the 07/08 season, including The Mall (LP), plus about a half dozen or so at Mt Ellen.  I hope to get a good portion of the Mount Ellen runs that I desire in on either 2/11 or 2/12… then we have President’s Week starting 2/13 and continuing until 2/21.  Busy times are ahead… now we just need some of that 40” of snow that the Washington DC suburb got this weekend.

2/4/2010: Return to Castlerock!!!

My first visit to Castlerock was in March of 2008… nearly 2 years ago.  On that eventful day, my friends and I did Middle Earth.  Several weeks later, I returned to the ‘Rock and hit up Castlerock Run, Cotillion, and others.  During the 08/09 season, I thought for sure I would have a chance to experience Castlerock, but I was never assigned on that side, and the days I had off didn’t have the best conditions for experiencing the au’natural of that side of Lincoln Peak.

Flash forward to the 09/10 season… Thursday 2/4 to be exact, where I returned to the ‘Rock for about 5 excellent runs, covering Castlerock Run, Hi & Lo Road, Cotillion, Troll Road, Middle Earth, and even Lower Lift Line.  Conditions were great, thanks to some 6” or so of fresh powder.  I got a couple runs in with Cloe, one of the regular Castlerock lift operators.  There she showed me the shack that they call home, all hooked up with satellite radio, quite the speaker system inside and out, and other amenities that I could only dream about at the other lift shacks. 

Yes, there were some scratchy and exposed surfaces, but what do you expect from a mountain peak where there is no snowmaking.  Considering the lack of snowfall we’ve had this season so far, the trails actually rode very nice, and the 6” of new snow helped immensely.  On Middle Earth and Castlerock Run and Troll Road, which had been groomed “secretly” a couple of weeks ago, the bumps were almost non-existent, but Lower Castlerock Run and Cotillion really worked the legs. 

While I didn’t spend my whole day at the ‘Rock, I had a great time spending the time there that I did… a couple of hours I’d guess.  And best part about it was that even at noon, there was still some untracked runs to be had.  I hope to get back to Castlerock soon, but that all depends on Mother Nature… LET IT SNOW!!!

Easier updating with Windows Live Writer

I have just discovered a new way to update this blog with a free program that you can download with Windows 7…. Windows Live Writer.  Previously, I had to log in to my Google Blogger account, then use an interface that wasn’t exactly user friendly, especially when adding pictures.  With Live Writer, I am able to type my blog entry in a format very similar to Microsoft Word and use Windows buttons to add pictures.  I can even wrap the text around the picture and use other cool picture frame effects.  When I’m done, I click PUBLISH and the program automatically uploads my content directly to my blog… VERY SIMPLE! And now to view the full size picture, you can simply click the image.. for all posts after 1/31/2010

 

With the easier ability to add pictures within posts, expect more updates in the future.  Keep checking back with shadyjay.com to find out about the conditions on the slopes, and we’ll see you at the mountain!

COLD weekend!

Well, it wasn’t much of a shock, but we had quite a bit of rain last Monday, January 25.  While it did melt away some of our snow, the base on the snowmaking trails remained strong and we were back up to 111 trails the day after the event, though some of them had “firm” surfaces (and some do).  Snowmaking was fired up again by Wednesday at both Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen, and the guns are hard at work on Stein’s Run, the only trail at LP which didn’t get the gun’s attention yet, and needs the love of the guns, since that is the run that goes into early May. 

By Friday, the memories of the 50 degree record high temps and “funk” from Monday were gone, as the mercury stayed in the teens below zero, and combined with a wind gusting in the 40-50 mph range meant wind chills were in the dangerous category.  Saturday 1/30 was much calmer, but still cold, and Sunday was a little warmer still, with temps reaching in the 10-15 degree range.

We continue to wait for a substantial snow event that would put us in really good shape.  However, while January may be done, we are starting a new month and  are hoping that Mother Nature will provide us with snow to be measured in feet… AND SOON!   Until then, the groomers are still riding pretty good, but use caution when venturing onto “au natural” terrain.  

Bluebird Stretch Ends With A Warmup

Conditions for the past 3 days at Sugarbush have been nothing short of perfect, if you like blue skies and comfortable temperatures. In fact, the bluebird conditions started last Thursday (1/21) and continued until the morning of Sunday 1/24. While the weekend was nothing like MLK weekend in terms of crowds, we were busier than many of us thought on Saturday, especially at Heaven's Gate.

The main draw at Heaven's Gate on Saturday was the unbelievable views from the summit. All the peaks in the Adirondacks could clearly be seen, along with a blue Lake Champlain, and off to the east, Mount Washington was visible. With fresh snow still on the trees, the ridgeline to the north glistened in the sunshine. From the top of Heaven's Gate, many people were hiking up the last hill to get to the former gondola terminal and the observation deck, with cameras in hand. And with temps in the upper 20s, it was really comfortable. Oh yeah - and there was some good snow out there, too!

On Sunday, we had a little bit of blue sky in the morning (plus several moose sightings), then the clouds rolled in and by closing time, a little mist had begun to fall as the summit became soaked in the clouds and fog. We have some r@!# moving in for Monday, but a quick return to winter. Start doing those snow dances and hopefully we can recover quickly from this January thaw.

Mt Ellen Blows Lincoln Peak Away on 1/19

Conditions were snowing lightly when I arrived at the base of Lincoln Peak on Tuesday January 19. We had our busiest day of the season thus far on the 17th, with the 16th a close second. Would there be any decent snow left after the weekend?

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, my friend Donnie called me up.... he was on his way to meet me at the 'Bush! He showed up a little after 10 and we started hitting up some runs on the Gate House side. Pushover and Hot Shot runs were really good, with a couple inches of new fluff on top. Sleeper and Birch Run, however, were a lot more crunchy, with soft snow on top but a layer of thick but crunchy snow underneath. So then it was off to Super Bravo to see if conditions were any different up there. We scrapped our plans for going up Heaven's Gate for a Jester run and instead traversed over to Snowball into Racer's Edge... same crunchy snow. So I made the call that we should go to Mount Ellen. When we reached the base, I checked in with dispatch to make sure all lifts were spinning there, and off we went.

We spent most of our time at Mount Ellen on the upper half, lapping the Summit Quad and doing quick runs down Rim Run, Elbow, and Lookin' Good. What we found was tons of untracked terrain with about 4" of powder on top, and no crunchy snow! Conditions couldn't have been any better and we just had a blast hitting up those runs. We also headed down to North Ridge a few times, taking advantage of Cruiser, Which Way, and Northstar. After a few hours of hitting the upper mountain, we sampled the terrain off of Sunny D, including the terrain parks on Riemergasse and Graduation, and a nice quick cruise down Sugar Run.

The new snow coupled with only about 30 or so people on the mountain made for a truly excellent afternoon. We left around 3pm, as I had to hit up a couple places in Waitsfield and then return to Lincoln Peak to drop my gear off. It was an excellent day of midweek riding at Sugarbush, and Mount Ellen did not disappoint on my second visit there of the season.

Midweek Fun at Lincoln Peak

Today, Wednesday 1/13, I spent the day riding my new gear... my new snowboard, bindings, and boots. And it was a great day on the hill!

I started at around 9:30 and did several runs on the Gate House side, to get the feel of my new board and boots. First run down Pushover gave me a chance to see what the new gear could do, and how it would react against what I threw at it. Second run down Pushover to Lower Hot Shot was FAST! Wow... new gear rocks! I continued with Hot Shot->Waterfall, then the next run was down a freshly groomed (for the first time this season) Sleeper Chutes and Sleeper. The snow was beautiful and I was able to carve my way even down the chutes. North Lynx was next, though the snow was a lot more firm up top.

By this time, I took a break in the cafe for a hot chocolate and got a call from my fellow lifty Nathan who would be riding my old board. After he got his gear together, we headed back up Gate House for some runs, including Pushover, Hot Shot/Waterfall, and Sleeper. We then headed over to Bravo and cruised down Downspout to Heaven's Gate, then down Jester to Murphy's. We decided to take lunch around noon, then headed back out back to Gate House for some runs with Jess, the Gate House lift op. Also by this time, Nathan's friend joined us, and we did a couple more runs on Gate House, then up North Lynx for a t2b run.

It was around 1:30 by this point and we decided to take a break in the lodge, after which I decided I'd call it a day. My new equipment performed great, making me very happy and pleased with the day's runs. I had plans to hit up Mt Ellen today as well, but figured I'd stay close to home base just in case my board gave me issues. Luckily, it didn't, and we were even treated to a little bit of snow falling. Had it been a little warmer and the sun out, I definitely would have hit up Mt Ellen, but that can wait for next week.

Back to work on Thursday, through next Wednesday the 20th. I'll see what the 21st or 22nd brings, but right now I'm planning a Mt Ellen visit.