A Season on the Brink.

Since December 23rd New England ski resorts have been getting absolutely beat up by Old Man Winter and Mother Nature. None of us can be sure what has gotten into those two, but the results they are yielding have had the same effect as Chinese water torture, literally.

Conditions were fantastic before the twenty third. Things were set up for a phenomenal season—as long as the weather held in a favorable pattern. Of course it did not, this is New England.

Cold and windy this Sunday @ the top of Super Bravo

To veteran skiers in the North East this is hardly shocking news. When the snow is good is when you have to make your move. What is new to us is the elongated period that the weather has not been good and that it seems to keep deteriorating.
Ski Areas have been working round the clock to put out a good product and have been able to do so, to the best of their individual abilities. Trust me; the people that work there want it to snow and conditions to improve more than we do. For us skiing is an escape. Maybe it plays out in different ways for different folks; a hobby, a sport, a lifestyle, a competition, a freedom and a release from the day to day grind of reality. For ski areas it is a job and the impact of the weather can make that job ecstasy or hell.
The tendency for matured ski resorts is to preserve the best skiing they can for their guests in times of dire nature. This is when the decision making process is paramount. Where are you going to groom, blow snow or just let it go…
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I went skiing this weekend, on Sunday to be exact. I went with a mixture of morbid curiosity, to see what damage had been done, and to gauge how long it would take for repairs to be made. The day outside in sub zero temperatures and wind gusts upwards of 40 mph also served as a fantastic distraction from life’s problems.
I will be honest. There were some trails in good shape at Sugarbush. The upper mountain lifts were all on wind hold making Super Bravo the flavor of the day. The mountain had the snow guns on full throttle, and conditions where the snow was being made were improving. Some of the runs—cruisers—were in excellent shape. The snow was consistent and fun.
Guns blazing below the Gate House Quad

I will also state that some of the trails were downright treacherous. This was exemplified by Stein’s Run. The trail is a huge stretch of double fall line vertical. On Sunday it was serving up the most challenging offering at Sugarbush and pretty much any other resort in New England.
Serious stuff, we are talking about skiing a trail laden with icy moguls and some (not enough) wind-blown powder in the troughs. Variable conditions ruled the day and Stein’s was leading the charge. It was as difficult a run as I can ever remember. Temperatures were cold, actually down right artic, below Zero degrees without windchills. The surface was ice. Ice is one story on a moderate intermediate trial, but another all together on a serious expert run.
What we found on Stein’s was VW sized bumps as hard as concrete, in some places edging was impossible. It was bulletproof. There was fresh snow in certain spots and there were opportunities to link together a few turns in a half foot or so of windblown powder. But the run was as technically difficult as anything (closed or open) I have been on in a long time. Stein’s skied like a bear, but at the bottom it felt like you had actually accomplished something (maybe only proving my own insanity).
Tips from the Guru:
• If you find yourself in the unfortunate predicament of having the weather frown upon your ski day do not give up. Check the trail report with an eye on snowmaking and grooming notes. Those trails will be your best bets in situations like we are experiencing now.
• Talk to others skiers and riders. Find out where they have been and what they found. I would not recommend taking their word as gospel though…but it is a better alternative than finding out the hard way on your own.
• Use your senses. Look around and listen. What is happening on the mountain? Do you see the crew taking down snowmaking guns to move to another location? If yes, you should try that trail they are leaving. What do you hear? Just because it looks good does not mean it necessarily is, if you hear people grinding on ice and you do not like ice, stay away.
• Off the mountain activities can be a huge plus and save your weekend. Cross country skiing and snow tubing are always popular alternatives. This weekend all the ladies in the Guru’s posse went to the Stoweflake for the ‘treatment’ at one of the best Spas you will find in the mountains. They were much happier for having done so.
News on the Bush:
Even though the warm weather has not been idealistic for skiing, it has allowed the resort to push forward with the huge base expansion. Construction is currently underway and when you drive into South Basin and see it for the first time you will be shocked. The new village and residences they are building, dubbed Clay Brook, will no doubt improve the entire resort and make it a player of much larger caliber in the ski scene.
The new base village is going up…

Conditions everywhere in New England were, let’s just say…not epic this weekend. I am sure that many disgruntled skiers and riders made the trip home early on Monday (myself included) back to the Hub. Pray for cold air, it does not look like we have much snow in the forecast, but as long as snowmaking temperatures are present the ski areas conditions will improve.
Take Heart, There is still a lot of ski season left this winter.
Think Snow,
photos – S.G.