GCWarrior

Finally the deep cold starts to come in. Looks like round the clock snowmaking at the local hill.

I'd like to see this stay right where the Euro has it. Not likely but one can only dream!

Raining here. No surprise.

Oh looks like I’m back in the game!

Ugh! Euro goes from epic here to a few inches! Seems to be the theme over the last several years. Maybe the GFS will hold.

Whiteface crusher.

Sunday storm gone on the Euro and 6z GFS. Looks decent for northern Maine on Euro. Storm exits stage right.

I don't know if a January will ever top that one for SVT and WMASS. Savoy reported 48 inches from the 1/12/11 storm. I'll have to post the pictures if I can find them. Crazy the amount of huge storms we had in that 18 month stretch. "Snowicane" storm of late Jan 2010 dropped 2-3 feet of cement above 1800K feet in most of the hills around here, Boxing day was a couple feet of wind swept snow in Savoy, 1/12/11 48" at Savoy, OCTObomb was 30" at low elevation berkshire east. We haven't really had a biggie since.

Berkshire East opened on New Years day 2012! That was a nice winter for golf!

This may have been mentioned before but didn't the epic late December to early Feb run in 2010-11 not show up on the long range models until Mid December? I know technology in general has advanced in 9 years but I'd like to wait until we get in December before getting to concerned about this winter sucking.

I have been skiing at Berkshire East since I was a young child. Since Jim and Jon took over the operation from their father the mountain has seen so many changes for the better. Not only have they turned Berkshire East into a great 4 season resort but they do a ton for the local community. Very good rates for school groups continues to be one of their big points of emphasis. They even went out and responded to local criticism and lowered their season pass prices a couple years ago. It is very much appreciated that they are going to provide added shelter for their skiers. They honestly don't have to go through these measures but it shows how much they care about providing a great guest experience.

Jay on the Indy pass would be great. Jay is going to really struggle this season without the Canadians. I’m not complaining the slightest bit personally. I’d hope a down season can maybe drop the asking price a bit to allow for Jay to be purchased next summer. I don’t know how long they can be in limbo.

I find it is I much more fun than tuckerman’s proper. The crowds are more manageable and the hiking is a lot easier. Plus it’s the easiest access above treeline skiing in the east.

https://mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org/east-side-closure-lifts-monday-june-8/?fbclid=IwAR04XMKaY7amlMF4XVSLBB8FHBiwhQjmskdz1sy3dxfPnNSjJ_Ilzs0DfB8 Well this changes my weekend plans a little. I wont boot it up into Tucks, been there done that. I definitely would hit East snowfields though. Very relaxing and fun place to ski.

If you are looking for something for both alpine and touring the shift is great. But if you are looking for super light touring only tech bindings are good. Tech bindings aren't the greatest on groomers and can struggle with downhill if pushed hard.

We walked. People ahead(super slow) and behind had carts. We ended up waiting a fair amount. It seems every dude in their 20's and 30's has taken up playing golf because the bars are closed. Some of these guys should not be playing golf.

I would recommend the salomon/armada/atomic shift binding. They are pricey, around $350 but they are a great touring option. They switch from pin bindings to traditional alpine binding for the descent. They are a bit heavier than tech bindings and a bit lighter than a Marker F12(no need for tech inserts). I have dynafit beasts so I have gone full tech binding. I went this route for two reasons. 1. Cost, the beasts were the best price at the time 2. I have several pairs of straight alpine skis in my quiver so a dedicated touring rig is good for me. This will be new for me as I have been touring on a pair of marker dukes I won way back in 2010. They have been heavily abused over the years but are still alive and well. The weight difference will be the biggest for me, I'm looking forward to the relief.

I'm going to declare my season officially over. I thought I would be able to make a run at the presidentials but it never really panned out with this quarantine going on. I haven't skied since march 28th but I did manage to get more days in than the ugly 2015-16 season, so I'd say that alone is a small win. Overall though i'm going to forget this ski season and move onto the next one. Put my stimulus check partly to good use with the purchase of a new touring setup.

Played Maplegate(Bellingham) and Poquay Brook(Lakeville) the last couple weekends. Both were pretty good, Maplegate greens were lightning fast. Anyone here played Heritage country club in Carlton, MA? I've been doing some big drives to play with college friends it's a bit closer than the other two we played.

Overall the winter was a big fat F for me. I feel like 2015-16 was a lot worse. I look at all winters from a skiers perspective. I really don't care for snow if I can't ski. We were actually around average for snowfall here, I'm not sure the exact numbers as I generally don't keep track. Aided by a huge dump in early December the winter was off to a hot start but just like the previous winter it really never took off here. March was not what it was the winter before and then Covid happened. I did get a few nice powder days but my last ski day was in late March. Lets see what happens with the minimal sun spot activity and reduction of pollution due to Covid this upcoming winter. Repeat 2018-19 I go north, repeat 2010-2011 I stay here, anything in between I embrace and roll.

Not my picture but Berkshire East had this picture posted in their lodge for a long time. Powder magazine came out and spent half the day trying to get this one shot. Skiing was almost impossible that day, mountain was not steep enough.

Spent some time today flexing all my skis and wishing I could use them. Mount Washington buried in late season snow and no one can ski it! Open the autoroad June 1 and make my day!

Mother’s Day 2017. East of Keene, Nelson, NH got 9”. 4” in Hawley which is about 8 miles from here. 18” on top of Mount Washington.

I know it’s not SNE but wasn’t it mid may 2017 when SW NH got a foot?

That area of Vermont is awesome. I'm not a southern vermont guy but I live about 10 mins from the border. I can tell you as far as snowfall goes we get about 60ish inches here in the valley and some place up in Vermont get 175" Stratton and Mount Snow are not places I would ski on the weekend but they are great midweek. Magic is where I would go on the weekend. From Wardsboro area it's not far. They don't get the same snow as Stratton, probably around 120" but they have some serious terrain and a great bar vibe if you are into that sort of thing. Some winters southern vermont gets pounded, these are usually years when SNE gets pounded. 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 come to mind over the last 10 or so years. If you are into ski touring than southern vermont is a fantastic place to be. Dutch hill, Prospect mountain, Hogback all provide some great skiing on old NELSAP trails, often creating perfect glades. If the snow is good there are plenty of other bc spots with decent access. I have skied the wind farm in searsburg off route 8 in 2011. There are a couple nice power lines you can ski on or near the MA/VT border.