MRVexpat

5 minutes ago, Ginx snewx said:

Ain't raining in Maine. More likely they get smoked.

If he can't snow, nobody can. 

Got out into the Bolton BC on Saturday for my first tour ever in that area. Lots of terrain to be had! We skinned up to Stowe View and then dropped into the Cotton Brook area via Paradise Descent. More of a cut trail than a glade run for the first several hundred vertical feet before it opened up more as the terrain first steepened, then mellowed out. The real fun was had on the south facing aspect of the ridge that separates the Cotton Brook basin from Nebraska Valley. Lots of great ski terrain there that wasn't too steep and the 2-3" that J Spin mentioned skied well on top of a light crust. We were tempted to drop the other side of the ridge into Nebraska Valley for a nice long descent but were running out of time. After skiing the southern aspect back down to the Cotton Brook basin we skinned up to the Catamount trail and made our way back to the Bolton base area via some glades off of Gardiner's Lane. All in all a great day! 

3 hours ago, Sugarloaf1989 said:

I skied at Ski Sundown last night for my adaptive skiing lesson.  At first I tried a mono ski.  But I couldn't balance myself with my arms and kept falling over. So we switched over to there brand new Rossignol Snow Cart.

This cart let's me lye down and control the ski's with poles.  I can snowplow,  turn and brake to control my speed.  Unfortunately I can't use it solo as the base is spring loaded for boarding a chairlift.  The chairlift has to be stopped for loading. 

We took 3 Runs down from the summit.  Tom's Treat, Canyon and Nor'Easter. It felt good to ski these trails again. I got some speed on these trails. There a nice group of people.  Very friendly and Patient.  My next lesson is on February 7th. 

 

So awesome, that's what its all about. I miss Sundown, some really fun trails there for a small hill. 

On 1/29/2024 at 1:22 PM, MRVexpat said:

I'll be up this weekend and have a cool tour planned in the Bolton/Nebraska area. The base certainly seems to be substantial enough for good skiing, so here's to hoping we get the LE to at least make most pitches enjoyable. 

Welp, that didn't progress as planned...

29 minutes ago, J.Spin said:

Yeah, I’d noticed that for a few runs. About 48 hours back, the modeling suggested the possibility of the low pressure hanging up in Northern Maine and the Canadian Maritimes for a bit, and we of course know what potential that holds for the Northern Greens, but that isn’t prominent in the more recent runs. You’ll see that right now that the BTV NWS forecast discussion mentions the shortwave that pivots through the region Thursday into Friday. Even if it just pivots through though, the current GFS modeling suggests a half inch or so of liquid equivalent, which is a decent resurfacing for the low and moderate angle slopes, although it’s not going to cut it for the steeper pitches. It could be double digit snowfall depending on the ratios, but it’s really the liquid that matters for the resurfacing. None of the other models are as robust with the moisture as the GFS, so it can’t be taken more seriously until other models start to bump up the QPF. The BTV NWS will be all over it in their discussion if the QPF starts to increase in the next couple of days.

I do find that the GFS is excellent in general when it comes to typical northern stream systems interacting with the Northern Greens in the medium range, actually the best overall from years of casual observation.  When it comes to our bread and butter type systems, all I find I typically have to do is quickly run through what the GFS shows for roughly the next week out, and you’ll pretty much have an idea of what’s going to happen up here. Phasing systems and all that are an entirely different beast, but whatever coding and algorithms they have in the GFS, it seems primed to show what’s going to happen in the Northern Greens for our bread and butter systems better than any of the other medium range models.

I'll be up this weekend and have a cool tour planned in the Bolton/Nebraska area. The base certainly seems to be substantial enough for good skiing, so here's to hoping we get the LE to at least make most pitches enjoyable. 

Looks to be coming down hard on the Sugarbush webcams but radar imagine is inconspicuous. Is there a correlation between the type of radar tilt utilized and what can be displayed from a particular pulse of moisture?

44 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Had 7” on the ground at the base of the mountain.  Grooming said 8-9” at midnight but 7” was the morning observation.  Seemed pretty similar in town but more like 6.5” at 4:30am.  Peaked at like 7.5”.

These storms aren't exactly an ideal scenario for immediate skiing enjoyment but do wonders for the base/tree skiing as we head into the meat of the season. Looking forward to a carbon copy this weekend. Throw some orographic snow on top and we're in business. 

Mt Watatic ended up with close to a settled foot by the time I got there yesterday AM. Just about the bare minimum there. Thankfully it isn't too steep and 108 underfoot helped. Not sure there will be anything left after these next two...

11 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

Looks like it’s through davis Sq down through Watertown eastern Newton and than bends back a little southwest toward Needham

Just came thru Cambridgeport. Ground white in minutes. Dumping. 

0.0" in Cambridgeport. Starting to rip fatties at times and coating up mulch beds etc. We'll see what today brings. 

What does timing look like for this? Have tentative dinner plans in New Haven at 5 and then driving back to Boston right afterwards. Have snow tires and AWD but just wondering when peak intensity may hit along 91/84/pike?

1 hour ago, STILL N OF PIKE said:

That or go 10 miles North to Temple NH and Miller state park . Base 1450’ Top 2200’ (they had over 40” up top in last march storm ) I think it’s Temple / Peterborough border right on rte 101 (which is always plowed ) . Miller state park parking lot will probably get at least a once Over During the sort of am lull 

Thanks. Yeah I've heard of Temple before when browsing NELSAP and have always been curious. Just not sure of how skiable that place is after 8-12" of what I assume would be medium density pow. The beauty of Watatic is that the local crews keep it very well manicured. Really only need 6" and some fat planks to have a good time there. 

Mt. Watatic in Ashby looking like a decent bet for a jack out of all of this. Ratios should be real solid there with 1200-1800' elevation. Thinking about going for a ski tour Sunday afternoon or Monday AM. Only question is plowing/road conditions. @ineedsnow, this is your hood? Any insight into plowing frequency? I have winter tires and 4WD which helps, but would want to ensure at least a pass or two of that area by Sunday PM. 

11 minutes ago, bwt3650 said:

Some more pics from today..as has been mentioned, the scenery right now is incredible. Almost as good as the early season skiing. I wish I had the talent to photograph like pf and jspin, because there’s some great shots to be had…









.

Agreed

39 minutes ago, Lava Rock said:

Arlberg in Austria

Bummer about those powerlines though. 

Can't ask much more from late November. Was able to perfectly time the opening of Heavens Gate at Sugarbush yesterday. 

bush rocked. 1'

2 hours ago, mreaves said:

Last night's episode of Maine Cabin Masters had them doin a ski cabin near Black Mt. in Rumford, ME.  Looked like a nice ski area.  I know a couple of people here have mentioned it before but it doesn't seem to get a lot of press. 

Its Maine's MRG (they do allow snowboarding though). Lots of glading efforts going on there so when it snows the trees are a go. Great vibe and very impressive terrain for a smaller hill and there is an adjacent GBA glade for uphill enthusiasts. 

1 hour ago, Lava Rock said:

good stuff thanks. After reading some online reviews my impression was the rustler was more like the brahma and the enforcer and mantra were mostly hard chargers that were similar to one another. My interpretation must be wrong or the reviews are to be taken with a grain of salt. What I'd like is to be able to bomb down groomers with wide GS turns on edge, with good stability, little chatter and high confidence. At the same time, i want a ski that will turn quick on the steep stuff. The 188 brahmas are definitely too long for that but I got good deal on them several years ago and have managed. I was renting a 166 brahama before the 188 and that obviously turned much quicker. If the rustler is what I am after, what size would you suggest?

Tough to accomplish both without some compromise one way or another but based on my experience the Rustler is a better all arounder than either the Brahma, Enforcer or Mantra. As far as length, 180cm would probably be ideal here. 

These guys are out of Stowe and put out really solid reviews. Wonder if PF knows them?

3 hours ago, CT Rain said:

I have Enforcer 104s that I got last year and love them. I ski out west a decent bit but also do a couple weekends in new England... was worried about the 104s but I thought they handled very well on groomers. I'm really happy with them. 

104 Free? Amazingly versatile ski. Shouldn't be as quick and maneuverable as it is for all of that power and stability. 

8 hours ago, Lava Rock said:

Looking to buy a 2nd set of skis. Been skiing brahma's (188/88) last few seasons and I've always liked them, but wanted to try a wider ski, ~90s. I'm mostly an on-piste intermediate/advanced skier that'll ski mostly blue/black groomers, non-groomers. Can ski pretty much anything at SR except for the super tight glade stuff. Been considering the blizzard Rustler 9, Nordica Enforcer 94, Volkl Mantra M6. I'm 6'1", 155lbs and from what I've read, the Rustler would probably be best for me, but some reports of it being not as stable at higher speeds (2024 has full length metal edge so maybe better?) has me considering the other two.  I'd like to rip high speed GS groomers and the Nordica seems to fit the bill well. The Mantra, based on reviews appears to be a high charging heavy ski that at my weight may be more difficult to maneuver. Overall, I'd like a stable ski at speed, but still being able to execute quick turns on the steeper stuff. Any suggestions on these or other skis to consider?

I suppose this all depends on your goals. Do you want something to compliment what you already have in the Brahma (a stable and energetic carving/all mtn ski for sure) to unlock another side of your ski game OR do you want something similar to the Brahma that excels at many of the same things but in slightly different ways? Many people who opt to start to build a quiver go for the former. Another thing to consider is that a stiff ski 188cm long does preclude you from excelling at off piste or bump skiing to a degree, or at least makes it much more difficult to up your game if you're not already an expert. 

Having skied all three skis on your list, the Enforcers 94 and Mantra M6 will do well to accomplish the things your Brahmas are already good at with perhaps even more power and stability, just in a slightly wider package. Going for the Rustler 9 or even the 10 will allow you to experience a completely different side of the sport with their increased maneuverability and performance in slightly softer snow while still maintaining plenty of power and edge grip as long as things aren't too firm. Again, this is if your goal is to truly try a different type of ski and build a quiver that will allow you to enjoy a wider range of conditions. I would also strongly consider sizing down if going the Rustler route. While their increased tip and tail rocker mean you will have less effective edge, a shorter and wider ski with more rocker could be a game changer in trees/bumps/tighter terrain. 

This is the worst weather imaginable for outdoor activities. Happy for everyone who counts having a sweaty sack as one of their hobbies. 

The benefit of having your dad retire is you now have a private amateur ski photographer at your service. Got up to the Loaf this weekend! Still a bunch of snow up there. Sunday had decent conditions despite the mixed weather event/re-freeze. Just got to zoom around the mountain. Place is unlike anywhere in the east. 

1 hour ago, Lava Rock said:

How's that compare to their avg? Seems like they did alright despite the crappy start

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk
 

Quite a bit under. I think Bolton is around 300" and Stowe/Smuggs average a bit more. Very poor start but last 4-6 weeks have been great. 

8 minutes ago, Boston Bulldog said:

30" reported at Magic, and it certainly skied like it!

Note the pole for depth (with some slantsticking). The mountain sold out so most runs got quickly tracked up, but the trees were incredibly deep and untouched all morning. Unfortunately, around noon high winds took down a tree which cut the power source to the mountain so they had to shut down. They are giving out a free day voucher to everyone who bought a ticket, shout out Magic for the great customer service and working so quickly to amend an unfortunate situation!

Hey I was also there! Wish I knew the mountain a bit better (2nd time there, first in about ten years and actually the day Nemo was touching down, and with full coverage) but I was about the 10th skier down red line and then had a great run in the wardrobe trees. I thought the snow was on the heavy side of medium density and a touch wind affected but that made it all the more surfy! Overall four great runs before the power cut out.