adk Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Well, there you go! Wish I hadn't driven till 11 last night for work....grrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 39 minutes ago, ono said: eating a shoe right now, it appears. good to see Bolton with 31 trails- they don't exactly have the latest, greatest snowmaking and getting natural help to open terrain is a good thing for that place- it's a really great spot for local families especially. I'm no ski guy but I have always found it amazing that Bolton always seems to be on shaky ground. With it's location in regards to transportation access and elevation you would think it would be an almost automatic success. I think that I have heard that the ownership of the facilities is so fractured that it is very hard to do anything with a unified vision. Thats too bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxeyeNH Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 1130am. Brief heavy snow squall moved through. Temp down to 15.4F. So perhaps a break and then the true arctic front later this afternoon with more perhaps heavier squalls. Only picked up 1/4" or so in this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 2 hours ago, mreaves said: I'm no ski guy but I have always found it amazing that Bolton always seems to be on shaky ground. With it's location in regards to transportation access and elevation you would think it would be an almost automatic success. I think that I have heard that the ownership of the facilities is so fractured that it is very hard to do anything with a unified vision. Thats too bad. I think it also has a tough time competing with the larger resorts. It depends on a local crowd for the most part. The access road can be a bear to get up when it snows and they often have issues with wind holds (like today). When I do ski there it is always nice because there is never a lift line and plenty of room on the trails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 17 minutes ago, eyewall said: I think it also has a tough time competing with the larger resorts. It depends on a local crowd for the most part. The access road can be a bear to get up when it snows and they often have issues with wind holds (like today). When I do ski there it is always nice because there is never a lift line and plenty of room on the trails. What they need to do is relocate the elementary school and run a gondola to the newly created gateway area, just like the Killington Skyship! People would park there and ride to the base area. What's 50-100 million$ between friends? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backedgeapproaching Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Man, that is one long nasty looking LES band of Ontario-- looks like a Superior, Huron, Ontario connection. Just need it to come another 50 miles or to pick up some scraps. HRRR and 4K nam show maybe a little bit makes it over to SVT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 34 minutes ago, mreaves said: What they need to do is relocate the elementary school and run a gondola to the newly created gateway area, just like the Killington Skyship! People would park there and ride to the base area. What's 50-100 million$ between friends? Hahaha that would be nice as well as doubling their vertical. Either way days like today and likely tomorrow kill them. If Vista goes on hold without Timberline open the day is shot. Not many people are going to go up just for Mid-Mountain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 50 minutes ago, mreaves said: What they need to do is relocate the elementary school and run a gondola to the newly created gateway area, just like the Killington Skyship! People would park there and ride to the base area. What's 50-100 million$ between friends? 14 minutes ago, eyewall said: Hahaha that would be nice as well as doubling their vertical. Well, the Bolton Valley master plan didn’t go all the way down to Route 2, but it did go pretty far down the valley. If they did go all the way down to the bottom of the Winooski Valley they’d be pushing 3,000’ of vertical, very similar to Killington’s setup down to Route 4, albeit ~1,000’ lower all around. One downside with that of course is that they’d be looking at a bottom elevation similar to Cochran’s, so ample snowmaking would be paramount. If they were able to draw from the Winooski though that could be a decent source of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 45 minutes ago, J.Spin said: Well, the Bolton Valley master plan didn’t go all the way down to Route 2, but it did go pretty far down the valley. If they did go all the way down to the bottom of the Winooski Valley they’d be pushing 3,000’ of vertical, very similar to Killington’s setup down to Route 4, albeit ~1,000’ lower all around. One downside with that of course is that they’d be looking at a bottom elevation similar to Cochran’s, so ample snowmaking would be paramount. If they were able to draw from the Winooski though that could be a decent source of water. Oooh, a golf course too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Ha! Love it! Do the BTV NWS folks know their audience or what? .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 312 PM EST Thursday...Warm frontal/isentropic ascent arrives around 06Z across the southern tier of the forecast area, and into the remainder of the BTV CWA by 12z Saturday with strong synoptic lift producing stead light-moderate snow through much of the daylight hours prior to around 21Z. Looks like a solid advisory level event with a widespread 4-6" expected and some isolated higher amounts along the spine of the southern Greens from Mount Abe to Killington and points southward. Should be a glorious powder day with mean snow ratios around 18-20:1 and temps gradually warming into the lower 20s valleys and upper teens mountains by early afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 46 minutes ago, J.Spin said: Ha! Love it! Do the BTV NWS folks know their audience or what? .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 312 PM EST Thursday...Warm frontal/isentropic ascent arrives around 06Z across the southern tier of the forecast area, and into the remainder of the BTV CWA by 12z Saturday with strong synoptic lift producing stead light-moderate snow through much of the daylight hours prior to around 21Z. Looks like a solid advisory level event with a widespread 4-6" expected and some isolated higher amounts along the spine of the southern Greens from Mount Abe to Killington and points southward. Should be a glorious powder day with mean snow ratios around 18-20:1 and temps gradually warming into the lower 20s valleys and upper teens mountains by early afternoon. I dont even have to look... that's gotta be a Taber discussion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolMike Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 1 hour ago, J.Spin said: Ha! Love it! Do the BTV NWS folks know their audience or what? .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 312 PM EST Thursday...Warm frontal/isentropic ascent arrives around 06Z across the southern tier of the forecast area, and into the remainder of the BTV CWA by 12z Saturday with strong synoptic lift producing stead light-moderate snow through much of the daylight hours prior to around 21Z. Looks like a solid advisory level event with a widespread 4-6" expected and some isolated higher amounts along the spine of the southern Greens from Mount Abe to Killington and points southward. Should be a glorious powder day with mean snow ratios around 18-20:1 and temps gradually warming into the lower 20s valleys and upper teens mountains by early afternoon. Can you link me to that AFD? I tried clicking the links on your post but came up short. I navigated to the BTV NWS site but the AFD I found (typed in Kililngton for a location then hit forecast discussion) doesn't show that paragraph. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 10 minutes ago, CoolMike said: Can you link me to that AFD? I tried clicking the links on your post but came up short. I navigated to the BTV NWS site but the AFD I found (typed in Kililngton for a location then hit forecast discussion) doesn't show that paragraph. Thanks! http://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BTV&issuedby=BTV&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1 Go to the second AFD in the previous versions. For some reason its showing an old AFD from Tuesday December 13th as the most current one. Click the link above and then click on the "2" version for today's afternoon AFD. No idea why Tuesday 12/13 6:29am is showing up as the most recent AFD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 The all-important 40" benchmark has now been hit on December 15th! That's when the woods are supposedly ready for shred though of course all snowpacks aren't created equally. This one is pretty stout and although today was 6" of probably 30:1 snow, there's some heft to it. And today was the first time I had a full clean 20" depth at 1,500ft Barnes Camp. I am more conservative but I do think the woods are safely skiable at this point from what I've seen...and with a 20" to 40" settled snowpack that's decent for some exploration. Not the high-end lines or to fully shred...but poking around and skiing some nice lines conservatively is definitely a go right now. As an aside, the Coop recorded 3" to my sheltered 6" but the snow depth increased by 5". The ratios at the COOP just aren't what they are on a sheltered snowboard though I bet the liquid is very close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 We had some pretty nasty gusts in the past couple of hours. Definitely approaching 50 mph at times with ground blizzards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 Just now, eyewall said: We had some pretty nasty gusts in the past couple of hours. Definitely approaching 50 mph at times with ground blizzards. Its ripping here too... my wife keeps asking "Is that the wind?" It keeps sounding like someone is trying to break into the place haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 This year's snow depth vs. last year at the big mountain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Just now, powderfreak said: Its ripping here too... my wife keeps asking "Is that the wind?" It keeps sounding like someone is trying to break into the place haha. LOL yeah I hit a brief whiteout near Exit 13 and 14 on I-89 (Burlington exits). When I was at a gas station a real strong gust ripped through and you could hear banging with the metal awning above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Spin Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Event totals: 0.4” Snow/0.01” L.E. The arctic frontal passage from this morning dropped 0.4” of snow, and we’ve got one going on now that’s clearly a separate event. Details from the 4:00 P.M. Waterbury observations: New Snow: 0.4 inches New Liquid: 0.01 inches Snow/Water Ratio: 40.0 Snow Density: 2.5% H2O Temperature: 13.3 F Sky: Cloudy Snow at the stake: 7.0 inches Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Just hit 0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 -2 with sideways snow. Me likey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ono Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 and it never seems to stop snowing. what's the 20 day tally for measureable on Mansfield now? 15 of 20 days or something like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ono Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 12 hours ago, mreaves said: I'm no ski guy but I have always found it amazing that Bolton always seems to be on shaky ground. With it's location in regards to transportation access and elevation you would think it would be an almost automatic success. I think that I have heard that the ownership of the facilities is so fractured that it is very hard to do anything with a unified vision. Thats too bad. Just some observations- a couple things seem to be in the mix. The local real estate developers that bought it sold off a ton of land/assets- somebody was saying they don't even own the ski shop in the baselodge? Like a local private equity buyout gone bad- just buy in distress and sell of the pieces? Some of the larger parcels around the resort may have been bought by conservation group(s). Then the resort- there's the terrain itself- it's not a particularly sustained, steep mountain, a fair bit of runout and very little vertical relative to Sugarbush/Stowe/Smuggs- realistically half the vertical maybe at the upper base area? Then western exposure of the mountain gets baked harder in the afternoon sun come March- which kills a lot of the base. That doesn't help. Makes for nice spring skiing though. Another thing that probably hurts Bolton a little bit- is the above ski-related challenges and then highway access with no direct on/off ramp- what is it, 7 miles or so either way to the interstate. You notice it- Bolton/Jonesville is kinda like that village from the movie "Cars," where Waterbury and Richmond are both relatively thriving towns/commuter areas to Burlington, and Bolton/Jonesville is just off the beaten track enough to miss some of the action- it's a quiet pocket. It would probably benefit the ski area somewhat to have that. It's definitely a hidden gem as far as snow/terrain goes if you go looking- some of the best sidecountry/backcountry natural glades in the east (opinion of course) with a pretty devout local following. For New England, if you like to ski tour, you couldn't ask for a better place under a half hour from your front door. Nevermind an affordable spot- great to take your kids and still have a place to play around as a child grown taller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Just some observations- a couple things seem to be in the mix. The local real estate developers that bought it sold off a ton of land/assets- somebody was saying they don't even own the ski shop in the baselodge? Like a local private equity buyout gone bad- just buy in distress and sell of the pieces? Some of the larger parcels around the resort may have been bought by conservation group(s). Then the resort- there's the terrain itself- it's not a particularly sustained, steep mountain, a fair bit of runout and very little vertical relative to Sugarbush/Stowe/Smuggs- realistically half the vertical maybe at the upper base area? Then western exposure of the mountain gets baked harder in the afternoon sun come March- which kills a lot of the base. That doesn't help. Makes for nice spring skiing though. Another thing that probably hurts Bolton a little bit- is the above ski-related challenges and then highway access with no direct on/off ramp- what is it, 7 miles or so either way to the interstate. You notice it- Bolton/Jonesville is kinda like that village from the movie "Cars," where Waterbury and Richmond are both relatively thriving towns/commuter areas to Burlington, and Bolton/Jonesville is just off the beaten track enough to miss some of the action- it's a quiet pocket. It would probably benefit the ski area somewhat to have that. It's definitely a hidden gem as far as snow/terrain goes if you go looking- some of the best sidecountry/backcountry natural glades in the east (opinion of course) with a pretty devout local following. For New England, if you like to ski tour, you couldn't ask for a better place under a half hour from your front door. Nevermind an affordable spot- great to take your kids and still have a place to play around as a child grown taller.It would make a world of difference if there was a Bolton I89 exit.Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klw Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 -8f this morning Surprisingly long list of schools with delayed openings. http://www.wcax.com/link/257090/school-closings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borderwx Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 -12 here on the hill. At least the windows aren't shaking anymore VAST groomers were out yesterday for the initial groom. Feels like real winter around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderfreak Posted December 16, 2016 Author Share Posted December 16, 2016 Picked up 1.25" or so since 4pm yesterday at home... saw even MVL had some moderate snow obs yesterday evening. Those strong winds were probably transporting snow off Mansfield's summit into town several miles away, lol. -20F top of the mountain and MMNV1 just hit a -60F wind chill. Brrr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApacheTrout Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 -7F this morning. Thankfully, no breeze. Coldest windchill last evening was -18F. Just dropped to -9F at 7:15. There's an apple packing house on fire in town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qg_omega Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 -20 at KSLK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mreaves Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 -8°/-15° at KMPV. Coldest windchill last night was -30° Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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