powderfreak

If they can staff it, it’ll be fine. I’ve got friends over there right now, ha. I was down helping Sunapee early season. Staffing is the biggest threat right now… and then when understaffed those that are there get burnt out. It’s an employees’ market when literally every business you drive by on your way to work is also hiring.

Yeah the background staffing is real tough nationwide. I saw it in Georgia, I see it here in Stowe. Places that were open 7 days a week now do 5 days a week. Wages are as high as they ever have been and it’s not moving the needle. And you are spot on, a couple dense feet and you groom and turn the lift on.

Yeah trying to skirt the political stuff but VR operates a lot of ski areas. Most out west are on federal land which means they follow certain federal guidelines. They have places like Whistler operating on Canada’s standards. So what they’ve tried to do for ease of communication is blanket all areas under that. Might be too much but it’s incredibly hard to have different policies at every area.

I remember some Peak Resorts employees saying Wildcat doesn’t like to be told what to do… they sort of let them live up there by themselves. If people want to work in flannel lined jeans, they work in jeans or whatever. But that’s not how VR does things. That hill probably has had the hardest integration in terms of mindset out of any of the Eastern hills bought by any major company the past few years. I can think of a variety of reasons why that specific hill has been the most challenged. Maybe not one thing by itself but a variety of things that compound on top of themselves. The COVID stuff certainly doesn’t help up there.

Yeah some mountains are just better staffed than others. Do those places have vaccine requirements for staff like Wildcat? Just thinking about how that might play in that geographic area…

The labor market is horrific over there. I really feel for them. Other VR mtns are sending them staff but that’s not sustainable. I know their former GM well, he said it was an extreme challenge last winter and as we all know the labor pool is even smaller now it seems.

Nice couple inches in squalls this morning at 1500ft. Only had 0.75” at home but there’s 2-3” blowing around on the hill. Nice sunny winter afternoon.

Dog walk in the Notch this afternoon. RT 108 closure through the Notch is certainly an awesome spot around here. You don't get to just easily wander through dramatic terrain like this in many places with just an afternoon stroll up a snowpacked road. It's actually the same road we live off of, but miles away, which is fun to think about.

Yeah! Look at that. Where else in the East will you find that big, wide open expanse with a wide variety of cliff/rock drops, some technical turns, also easily skirted around... what a fun trail.

Devils Fiddle was my single favorite run in all of New England growing up. I could ski that all day long. The rock band, the brush, wide open, bumps, powder, slush... when that thing was open it has much more character than Outer Limits. I don't know what it's like now, but it used to have high brush/bramble on skiers right but with slots and "chutes" cut into it. So you'd have these narrow ski width wide slots between larger revegetation areas. It seemed like that trail would ski differently every time.

Noticed some light snow falling driving home from the grocery store. Didn’t think we’d see snow this evening for some reason.

All joking aside, I would love to spend a summer at Misquamicut. That’d be the life but I do really enjoy the summers up here. The classic ski town saying of “came for the winter, stayed because of summer” rings true.

Holding onto his legs as he body surfs?

Now it’s about not having heat and humidity in summer .

A wintry appeal today. Cold, sunny. Firm snow. Icy on the steeper parts of the run. Skis like early season snowmaking on a pitch.

Winter vibe right there, awesome. It's November 28th. That's a quality scene for this time of year. The past 48-72 hours have been winter-like.

I know Stowe was sending staff there for pre-season work. Some areas are really in dire straights with staff, it’s likely some of the reason. I’ll try to listen and see what’s up for Wildcat.

Had a great view your way today in the blue sky. The entire Green Mtn Spine looks well frosted. No lift lines that I saw on my three runs but man we need another full top-to-bottom route. And great snowmaking weather as you mentioned!

Ha nice.

Yeah it’s amazing what a few inches to cover the grass can do. Radiators mount up real fast with snow on the ground.

10F. Cold.

10F. Feels cold outside. Mid-winter cold.

New Lebanon, NY... just over the Mass border and around Pittsfield's latitude. That's a stack. You don't get that with wind and small flakes. That's what happens when the lift is maximized and there's zero downward wind. The air is just rising and it's calm in the void.

3” was plowed here this morning because it was dense. They wouldn’t do that if it was pure fluff. I think the density and situation matters. 1-2” will be plowed in suburbia if it’s sloppy. I also think towns in many populated areas feel the need to show action, so they loop plows no matter the amount.

Flakes flying but wind still blowing here. Wintry appeal. I saw this shot on BTV’s FB comments. 10” in Montgomery VT (near Jay) at 1400ft.