February Flakes

Thank Goodness it is February!

For me it seemed as if the first month of the New Year was never going to end. This is my favorite time of the ski season. February is when the days get noticeably longer. Enjoy the better light in the afternoon out on the slopes.

The ski areas of New England have made a full recovery from the weather spell January brought. A quick look at Snow Country shows trail counts on the rise, most areas are operating with over 80% of their terrain. We still are waiting for that BIG STORM to hit us, but things are good up North. Most areas picked up new snow last week, some got as much as 10 inches, and we also have more in the long range forecasts. Head to the snowmaking trails for the best conditions.

View from the top of Lone Peak at the neighbors – Big Sky, MT photo ~ S.G.

Just what the Doctor ordered! The long range from Jim Roemer at www.BestSkiWeather.com is talking Snow, big snows in February and March. We are in for an intense spring season folks. You are selling yourself short as a skier or rider if you hang them up now.
You should also check out the Matt Noyes Weather Blog. It is a very interesting read, but can be somewhat technical. He is also writing about long range snows. His take on the next system, “during the day on Friday with rain likely in Southern New England, and perhaps enough cold air for accumulating snow across Northern Mountains.” Give it a look.
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This picture was taken at Sugarbush last Thursday. photo from Sugarbush

So, in the month ahead we will keep our eyes on the weather and say our prayers for snow. The plate is full of awesome events at all your favorite mountains. I have picked out a few of them (detailed below) that I think will cover something for everyone’s taste. For more on what may be happening on your favorite mountain, check out these websites.
• Ski Maine
• Ski New Hampshire
• Ski Vermont
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Wildcat, NH
For Events on the weekend February 4th & 5th Wildcat will be hosting an Après Ski Party sponsored by Sam Adams on Saturday Feb. 4th. Entertainment will be provided by live DJ Brian Sparhawk, who is known for interacting with customers by playing hilarious games and having plenty of prize giveaways. Then on Sunday, Après Ski features live acoustic solo guitar player Barry Arvin Young from 1 to 4, and the Super Bowl Pre-game Show will be available by satellite television.
Jiminy Peak, MA
The Jeep® Terrain Park Challenge (www.jeeptpc.com), a national grassroots initiative to encourage amateur ski and snowboard participation, today announced that Jiminy Peak will host an open qualifier event for area amateur athletes.
The open qualifier, set for Saturday, February 4th, will allow amateur skiers and snowboarders to show off their best moves and earn the chance to take their show to an even greater stage. Athletes who advance beyond this open qualifier will earn a spot in one of six regional events throughout the U.S., with the best-of-the-best earning an exclusive trip to Squaw Valley USA in California on Feb. 25-26 to compete in the Jeep Terrain Park Challenge National Championships. All eligible competitors in the Jeep Terrain Park Challenge will have the opportunity to enter a sweepstakes to win a one-year lease on a new 2007 Jeep Compass.
Sunday River, ME
Honig Vineyard and Winery from the heart of the Napa Valley in California will be hosting a wine dinner at Sunday River Saturday, Feb. 18. The Honig Vineyard and Winery is devoted to using environmentally sustainable agricultural methods.
A 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon will be available at the dinner. The processing of this wine is time intensive. Each vineyard block was harvested and made into individual lots. The wines were then pressed off the skins anywhere from 10 to 27 days after crushing. Blending generally takes place between January and April of the year following harvest and the wine is aged for 18 months in American oak barrels.
Killington, VT
Donna Weinbrecht, the 1992 Olympic Gold Medallist in Women’s Moguls, returns home to celebrate U.S. Ski Team day at Killington Resort and to honor what is arguably the strongest U.S. Olympic Ski Team ever for U.S. Ski Team Day on Friday, Feb. 10.
Killington Resort and Pico Mountain are partnering with more than 80 resorts across the country in donating $1 from every lift ticket sold on Feb. 10 to the U.S. Ski Team. In addition Killington will open the K-1 Gondola at 8 a.m. on Friday Feb. 10 for “First Tracks with Donna Weinbrecht” to everyone with a valid lift ticket for the day or season pass. In addition to donating $1 for every ticket sold, guests for “First Tracks” will be asked to donate $1 for each trip up the K-1 Gondola between 8 and 9 a.m. to benefit the U.S. Ski Team. Everyone who makes a donation will also receive a commemorative U.S. Ski Team “Best in the World” pin. In addition, “First Tracks” participants will have an opportunity to ride the K-1 Gondola and numerous photo opportunities with Weinbrecht.
U.S. Ski Team Day coincides with the kick off of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games, set to begin Saturday, Feb. 11 in Torino, Italy and Killington’s hosting of the 2006 Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships March 23-26, which will serve as a homecoming for Olympic athletes competing in their first U.S. post-Olympic event.
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My trip to Moonlight Basin Montana was decadent.
The steeps off the Challenger lift, photo ~ S.G.

Great Conditions (POWDER SKIING) – Unbelievable Terrain (took a 4000’+ run of vertical from the summit of Lone Peak, 50° pitches) – Fantastic Clinic (Skiing with Dan Egan and crew will raise your game).
More on this trip to follow later, I am still skied out right now…
Think Snow,
S.G.