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February 2012 - Obs/Disco/Banter

NorEastermass128

By NorEastermass128,
in New England

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cheetah440

cheetah440

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29/24, Overcast most of the day with occasional -sn. Did 2 quick laps at Berkshire Snow Basin just before dark. The snowpack is holding on but we could really use a good dose to freshen it up. The Snow Basin seemed like a particularly forlorn place tonight. Skinning up the old lift line I thought of all the snowy days that were enjoyed there. Now abandoned and all but forgotten. Someday I'd love to re-open the place, thin the super steep stuff for great tree skiing,build a cool alpine chalet for live band apres ski parties. Maybe some snowy day in the future.

I hate seeing old ski areas like that, so sad. Someone needs to reclaim it and bring it back to life. Do you know the owners?

The problem with the Basin is it's smack in the middle of nowhere. Good sledding around there though.

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ski MRG

ski MRG

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I hate seeing old ski areas like that, so sad. Someone needs to reclaim it and bring it back to life. Do you know the owners?

The problem with the Basin is it's smack in the middle of nowhere. Good sledding around there though.

It's in a land trust right now. The biggest problem is that the terrain is steep all around, right to the base and there is no place to really have a parking lot. That and because of the terrain there is no easy way to retain water for snowmaking though most years there is enough natural snow to work with. Even this year it's holding decent snow. Last year at this time we had a healthy snowpack. Still think we'll get a good stretch.

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cheetah440

cheetah440

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It's in a land trust right now. The biggest problem is that the terrain is steep all around, right to the base and there is no place to really have a parking lot. That and because of the terrain there is no easy way to retain water for snowmaking though most years there is enough natural snow to work with. Even this year it's holding decent snow. Last year at this time we had a healthy snowpack. Still think we'll get a good stretch.

Land trusts make me sad too. There's enough damn land in 30mi each direction from there, that's all there is is land. It should be a vibrant area of skiing. could be a cool little private area. Blandford isn't exactly in the best location and it lives on. I'm glad you keep the old hill alive and give it the pleasure of being skied on as it was meant to be skied.

As for the parking. Move rte 9 if you have to. As for water, damn up the river. I've seen plenty of state money spent on much worse projects. 600 ft of great vertical being wasted away.

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cheetah440

cheetah440

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any of you guys ever ski thunderbolt? That place looks insane

http://www.thunderbo....com/trail.html

check out some of the vids on youtube, very cool.

They almost built a major resort there back in the 60's and then again in the 70's. Lot's of money lost on that one.

http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/cancelledskiareas/Massachusetts/mtgreylock.php

Could have been almost 2,000 vertical..."1964: Tramway Authority unveils plans for $5.5 million tramway on the east side of Mount Greylock. Project includes tram, chair lifts, 11 miles of ski trails, an "international shopping center" and an amusement park. Mount Greylock Protective Association files suit."

Ah, what could have been.

http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/cancelledskiareas/Massachusetts/greylockglen.php

(another cool site btw)

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wxmanmitch

wxmanmitch

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Not much going on here today. Had a few flurries. I could see shafts of light snow reducing the visibility around the mountains but very little of it reached the valley floor. I like our chances of a minor event (1-2" above 1K, maybe 3" at 2K) on Thursday evening. Weekend event looks like a no go at the moment, but it bears watching.

A little OT, but the Maine legislature has been asked for $300K for an east-west highway study. See http://on.wlbz2.com/AyQ9m6. Having lived in NNE (including Maine) for a time during my college years, it is a topic that interests me. As a somewhat heavy footed highway driver who hates slow pokes on 2 lane roads, I have been really subscribed to the belief for quite some time that Maine (and NNE in general) is in desperate need of an east-west interstate (or interstate equivalent) highway. It would make east-west travel easier for people to make east-west drives across NNE and people from points west and east of NNE to make it to and from there.

Although I don't agree with the proposed routing as Canada has plenty of good east-west roads, using private funds is a good idea as it is a very expensive undertaking and they would never be able to come up with the tax revenue for it. Not to mention the fact that people from ME and NNE would probably never elect politicians who are in favor of raising taxes for this type of venture.

I know how much of a b**** it can be to travel from say Plymouth, NH to Portland, ME (I would actually go I-93 S, NH-101 E, I-95 N instead of back roads) or from say Burlington, VT to Berlin, NH. I don't agree with the current proposal to have the highway from Calais, ME toward Sherbrooke, QC as I feel it should include N VT and N NH. It should run basically from Calais to Burlington via either Bangor or Lewiston, Berlin, St. Johnsbury, and then Burlington.

Basically, I think the best route would be to follow ME-9 from Calais to Bangor before teaming up with I-95 from Bangor to Newport. From Newport it should basically follow the current US-2 to Littleton, NH where it would then double up with I-93 to St. Johnsbury, VT. From St. J, it should then follow the current US-2 in VT until Montpelier where it could then double with I-89 into Burlington. There many other possible variations on this route, but I think this would be the best. It would bring in a bigger population of people and more business to economically depressed far NNE. It would also make it easier for others to get up there an enjoy the great winters up there too, especially that hard to reach area around Sugarloaf!

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powderfreak

powderfreak

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29/24, Overcast most of the day with occasional -sn. Did 2 quick laps at Berkshire Snow Basin just before dark. The snowpack is holding on but we could really use a good dose to freshen it up. The Snow Basin seemed like a particularly forlorn place tonight. Skinning up the old lift line I thought of all the snowy days that were enjoyed there. Now abandoned and all but forgotten. Someday I'd love to re-open the place, thin the super steep stuff for great tree skiing,build a cool alpine chalet for live band apres ski parties. Maybe some snowy day in the future.

Jesus H... you skied that? Still picking brush out of your teeth? Nice work.

Had some nice turns today from the 3" refresh that fell yesterday.

Pretty quality day up here during a sub-par winter.

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ski MRG

ski MRG

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What a view. been up on the sled a long time ago, think it was the Cheetah too (might have been the 73 Puma though). I'll dig for the pic.

Awesome backcountry skiing minutes away FTW. There are positive aspects to living in the middle of god forsaken nowhere. In Feb '10. (Mods may want to move this stuff to the ski thread,)

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cheetah440

cheetah440

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Awesome backcountry skiing minutes away FTW. There are positive aspects to living in the middle of god forsaken nowhere. In Feb '10. (Mods may want to move this stuff to the ski thread,)

No question about it. And you're really not THAT far from 91. Plus you could ride from your back door to the Ashfield Lake House.

Decent trade off IMO.

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ski MRG

ski MRG

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Jesus H... you skied that? Still picking brush out of your teeth? Nice work.

Had some nice turns today from the 3" refresh that fell yesterday.

Pretty quality day up here during a sub-par winter.

LOL, they brush hog it every other summer. Usually it's buried though obviously this year we are snowpack challenged. The steeper parts of the basin aren't as brush covered fortunately. It's fun to pic your way through the clutter.lol From above.

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wxmanmitch

wxmanmitch

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any of you guys ever ski thunderbolt? That place looks insane

http://www.thunderbo....com/trail.html

check out some of the vids on youtube, very cool.

They almost built a major resort there back in the 60's and then again in the 70's. Lot's of money lost on that one.

http://www.newenglan.../mtgreylock.php

Could have been almost 2,000 vertical..."1964: Tramway Authority unveils plans for $5.5 million tramway on the east side of Mount Greylock. Project includes tram, chair lifts, 11 miles of ski trails, an "international shopping center" and an amusement park. Mount Greylock Protective Association files suit."

Ah, what could have been.

http://www.newenglan...reylockglen.php

(another cool site btw)

All the time. Hike it in Summer as well. 23 minutes from my door to the trail head. Some nice steep pitches. A view from the top.

Lots of work has been done on the trail in recent years. Even new signs for the various segments.

Although I've never skied the thunderbolt, I've hiked it. It's a great but somewhat strenuous hike from the base to the summit. The views are definitely worth it. I've got to do it again sometime soon. At 3,491' Mt. Greylock is the highest point in MA. The mountain is technically part of the Taconics and not the Berkshires.

I've hiked around the glen where the ski areas was supposed to be and there are remains of the development. There was supposed to be a golf course there too and there are small manmade ponds. A few rusting metal support towers for the proposed ski lift remain as well. Had it gone through, it would've been a very successful resort as the east side of Greylock holds the snow very nicely. As the economy of Adams has suffered since the closure of GE in Pittsfield and Sprague in North Adams, I think it would've been a good thing had it happened. Regardless, Adams is a nice little town that has basically been frozen in time. I have a lot of family there.

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ski MRG

ski MRG

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Not much going on here today. Had a few flurries. I could see shafts of light snow reducing the visibility around the mountains but very little of it reached the valley floor. I like our chances of a minor event (1-2" above 1K, maybe 3" at 2K) on Thursday evening. Weekend event looks like a no go at the moment, but it bears watching.

A little OT, but the Maine legislature has been asked for $300K for an east-west highway study. See http://on.wlbz2.com/AyQ9m6. Having lived in NNE (including Maine) for a time during my college years, it is a topic that interests me. As a somewhat heavy footed highway driver who hates slow pokes on 2 lane roads, I have been really subscribed to the belief for quite some time that Maine (and NNE in general) is in desperate need of an east-west interstate (or interstate equivalent) highway. It would make east-west travel easier for people to make east-west drives across NNE and people from points west and east of NNE to make it to and from there.

Although I don't agree with the proposed routing as Canada has plenty of good east-west roads, using private funds is a good idea as it is a very expensive undertaking and they would never be able to come up with the tax revenue for it. Not to mention the fact that people from ME and NNE would probably never elect politicians who are in favor of raising taxes for this type of venture.

I know how much of a b**** it can be to travel from say Plymouth, NH to Portland, ME (I would actually go I-93 S, NH-101 E, I-95 N instead of back roads) or from say Burlington, VT to Berlin, NH. I don't agree with the current proposal to have the highway from Calais, ME toward Sherbrooke, QC as I feel it should include N VT and N NH. It should run basically from Calais to Burlington via either Bangor or Lewiston, Berlin, St. Johnsbury, and then Burlington.

Basically, I think the best route would be to follow ME-9 from Calais to Bangor before teaming up with I-95 from Bangor to Newport. From Newport it should basically follow the current US-2 to Littleton, NH where it would then double up with I-93 to St. Johnsbury, VT. From St. J, it should then follow the current US-2 in VT until Montpelier where it could then double with I-89 into Burlington. There many other possible variations on this route, but I think this would be the best. It would bring in a bigger population of people and more business to economically depressed far NNE. It would also make it easier for others to get up there an enjoy the great winters up there too, especially that hard to reach area around Sugarloaf!

We had of and on snow showers through the day. Really hoping our luck turns Mitch. I think we'll score a hit over the weekend or next week. Somethings got to give. Until then a 1-3" snowfall is fine.lol

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cheetah440

cheetah440

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Although I've never skied the thunderbolt, I've hiked it. It's a great but somewhat strenuous hike from the base to the summit. The views are definitely worth it. I've got to do it again sometime soon. At 3,491' Mt. Greylock is the highest point in MA. The mountain is technically part of the Taconics and not the Berkshires.

I've hiked around the glen where the ski areas was supposed to be and there are remains of the development. There was supposed to be a golf course there too and there are small manmade ponds. A few rusting metal support towers for the proposed ski lift remain as well. Had it gone through, it would've been a very successful resort as the east side of Greylock holds the snow very nicely. As the economy of Adams has suffered since the closure of GE in Pittsfield and Sprague in North Adams, I think it would've been a good thing had it happened. Regardless, Adams is a nice little town that has basically been frozen in time. I have a lot of family there.

yep, a developed Greylock could have been a great thing for Adams. Major screw up 50 yrs ago, but not all that surprising.

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powderfreak

powderfreak

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LOL, they brush hog it every other summer. Usually it's buried though obviously this year we are snowpack challenged. The steeper parts of the basin aren't as brush covered fortunately. It's fun to pic your way through the clutter.lol From above.

Yeah dude I love that stuff... I used to skin and ski old Hickory up near Warrensburg, NY when I was in high school. Around 1,000ft of vert and steep. There's a very interesting mix of emotions on a closed ski area... you can imagine what it was like when it was bustling and in its hayday, and yet, at the same time you like that its reserved all for you right now. Still fun to ski that stuff in low snow conditions as it makes the short vertical even more interesting.

The other thing about those areas is that although there's a lot of brush that grows in quickly, there's usually not a lot of rocks (if any) as they've already removed them all a long time ago. That's what I like about places without snowmaking is they know they need a smooth surface underfoot for low snow years. Other places (like Stowe) can have some trails that are littered with tire sized rocks or have rocky slopes everywhere they are just used to burying under 8 feet of man-made snow.

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wxmanmitch

wxmanmitch

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We had of and on snow showers through the day. Really hoping our luck turns Mitch. I think we'll score a hit over the weekend or next week. Somethings got to give. Until then a 1-3" snowfall is fine.lol

I hope so too. Maybe we'll get lucky. Gotta keep the faith!

On the topic of the Thunderbolt, they've been doing ski races there in recent years again. Although this year they may have to cancel it due to the lack of snow cover. It's already been postponed once until 3/3. I hope they can get some snow!

An interesting read for those who'd like to know more.

http://www.thunderboltskirunners.org/

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Skivt2

Skivt2

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Not much going on here today. Had a few flurries. I could see shafts of light snow reducing the visibility around the mountains but very little of it reached the valley floor. I like our chances of a minor event (1-2" above 1K, maybe 3" at 2K) on Thursday evening. Weekend event looks like a no go at the moment, but it bears watching.

A little OT, but the Maine legislature has been asked for $300K for an east-west highway study. See http://on.wlbz2.com/AyQ9m6. Having lived in NNE (including Maine) for a time during my college years, it is a topic that interests me. As a somewhat heavy footed highway driver who hates slow pokes on 2 lane roads, I have been really subscribed to the belief for quite some time that Maine (and NNE in general) is in desperate need of an east-west interstate (or interstate equivalent) highway. It would make east-west travel easier for people to make east-west drives across NNE and people from points west and east of NNE to make it to and from there.

Although I don't agree with the proposed routing as Canada has plenty of good east-west roads, using private funds is a good idea as it is a very expensive undertaking and they would never be able to come up with the tax revenue for it. Not to mention the fact that people from ME and NNE would probably never elect politicians who are in favor of raising taxes for this type of venture.

I know how much of a b**** it can be to travel from say Plymouth, NH to Portland, ME (I would actually go I-93 S, NH-101 E, I-95 N instead of back roads) or from say Burlington, VT to Berlin, NH. I don't agree with the current proposal to have the highway from Calais, ME toward Sherbrooke, QC as I feel it should include N VT and N NH. It should run basically from Calais to Burlington via either Bangor or Lewiston, Berlin, St. Johnsbury, and then Burlington.

Basically, I think the best route would be to follow ME-9 from Calais to Bangor before teaming up with I-95 from Bangor to Newport. From Newport it should basically follow the current US-2 to Littleton, NH where it would then double up with I-93 to St. Johnsbury, VT. From St. J, it should then follow the current US-2 in VT until Montpelier where it could then double with I-89 into Burlington. There many other possible variations on this route, but I think this would be the best. It would bring in a bigger population of people and more business to economically depressed far NNE. It would also make it easier for others to get up there an enjoy the great winters up there too, especially that hard to reach area around Sugarloaf!

We once went on vacation in Stowe for a week back to back with a week at Sugarloaf. We Skied Burke on the way from Stowe to Sugarloaf. What an exhausting drive!!!!!

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