Gore Conditions (2014-2015)

Ski Day 33: Ski Bowl's Last Day

Parked at the Bowl and headed for the top. Everything was groomed and skiing really well.

I'd decided NOT to try out my new boots in the Slides the day before so I was on my new T1s for the first time.  Exhaustion from Saturday and/or and insanely stiff new bellows maybe it impossible for me to teleturn.

I went with it and dug crazy big parallel trenches with those bad boys. First time ever for me going T-2-B on Hawkeye without stopping. The headwall was so carvable that it was just another 4 turns on my way down.

Cold day, nice group of Gore regulars, sweet turns. Skied til 1:30.

I recommend: Go to Gore, go to the top, and ski.

Harvey, welcome to the big time.  Groomed perfection yesterday, but boy was it cold.

It was really cold again today, but bluebird. Anything groomed skied great (Hawkeye, Uncas, Fairview, Sagamore, Hullabaloo, the lower mountain) and anything ungroomed skied just so so (Chatiemac, Lies, etc.). We got in the woods once and it was better than expected but not very good. The ski bowl is definitely done for the year, so feel free to park there all you want Snowballs & Bosco.

How do you know it's done for the year?  Not enough snow?

snoloco wrote

How do you know it's done for the year?  Not enough snow?

The janitor told me.

snoloco wrote

How do you know it's done for the year?  Not enough snow?

Not enough customers.  

Mike Pratt told me to tell you that he's not bitter about all the negative things you said about the Ski Bowl.



I had a chance to pad my ski day total Friday night at the Yurt when we were drinking IPAs, but went sledding instead.  You could pretty much slide all the way to the chiminea to grab your beer if you didn't get airborne off that lefthand lip.

Harvey wrote

snoloco wrote

How do you know it's done for the year?  Not enough snow?

Not enough customers.  

Mike Pratt told me to tell you that he's not bitter about all the negative things you said about the Ski Bowl.



I had a chance to pad my ski day total Friday night at the Yurt when we were drinking IPAs, but went sledding instead.  You could pretty much slide all the way to the chiminea to grab your beer if you didn't get airborne off that lefthand lip.

It's funny, because the place has been jammin' on Saturday and Sunday afternoons with families and kids. I have heard that it's been really quiet at night though. The trails have plenty of snow (other than Moxom).

The Bowl has been jammin every time I skied there, which was every chance I got.  

Been weeks since I been to the Gondi base.

The ski bowl was consistently open this year, though not by the sno approved date.  It never missed a weekend since it opened MLK weekend.  They just need some more serious pumping capacity so it can open earlier as well as BR.  I was frustrated by the fact that before this year, it has been open inconsistently and has missed weekends.  There were more people over there when I skied it this year than ever before, so maybe it's improving.  I just wanted it to be like this the year it opened.

skied gore today. started on sagamore, figured i'd work from bottom up to let the sun work the snow.
sagamore was hard and fast. had my rockers and never felt comfortable setting an edge. bad choice needed a gs ski.
in the morning if it was not groomed it was skiing hard and fast. around 11 even though nothing was really softening up
we decided to go to the top. lies was surprisingly soft and skied well. chatiemac was the run of the day. nice and soft all afternoon.skied each of those about 4-5 times each. in the afternoon everything was softer and skied well except twister .it was still hard and fast.never soften up. not sure why.

sig buddy I was trying to telegraph that Monday AM.

Harvey wrote

I recommend: Go to Gore, go to the top, and ski.

Beautiful today. No wind, bluebird skies, warm enough that the snow was edgeable but not so warm that it made the snow sticky.

Best day of the spring so far. OK, it's only been spring for a few days, but still.

Funny how two reports from the same day can be so different.

snoloco wrote

The ski bowl was consistently open this year, though not by the sno approved date.  It never missed a weekend since it opened MLK weekend.  They just need some more serious pumping capacity so it can open earlier as well as BR.  I was frustrated by the fact that before this year, it has been open inconsistently and has missed weekends.  There were more people over there when I skied it this year than ever before, so maybe it's improving.  I just wanted it to be like this the year it opened.

Sno you are cray cray.  There is a ton of pumping capacity at the Ski Bowl. I think its 9000 gallons a minute or something insane.  Most of the water for the entire mountain is pumped through there.  Admit it what you want is more spending on low elevation snowmaking.  Not positive but I think they teach you not to do that on the first day of GM 101.

Nothing is really "improving."  We are getting toward the end of a fantastic season where the lack of meltouts allowed terrain expansion without setbacks.  Don't get me wrong I want that every year, but I certainly don't expect it.

I missed that harvey. But why was the top so soft compared to certain sections of the lower mnt?Twister was getting plenty of sun but never soften up

The top did less melting I think so it never got icy?

i thought i was closer to the sun........just kidding.  i noticed it was a bit breezy by twister

Wonderful conditions today ,soft not squishy ,peeling it off layer by layer.Rating it two heels up.

Harvey wrote

Funny how two reports from the same day can be so different.

snoloco wrote

The ski bowl was consistently open this year, though not by the sno approved date.  It never missed a weekend since it opened MLK weekend.  They just need some more serious pumping capacity so it can open earlier as well as BR.  I was frustrated by the fact that before this year, it has been open inconsistently and has missed weekends.  There were more people over there when I skied it this year than ever before, so maybe it's improving.  I just wanted it to be like this the year it opened.

Sno you are cray cray.  There is a ton of pumping capacity at the Ski Bowl. I think its 9000 gallons a minute or something insane.  Most of the water for the entire mountain is pumped through there.  Admit it what you want is more spending on low elevation snowmaking.  Not positive but I think they teach you not to do that on the first day of GM 101.

Nothing is really "improving."  We are getting toward the end of a fantastic season where the lack of meltouts allowed terrain expansion without setbacks.  Don't get me wrong I want that every year, but I certainly don't expect it.

Don't spend on low elevation snowmaking?  So I guess MC shouldn't even bother opening.  Their base elevation is only 400 feet.  This just gets back to my "don't cut it if you can't cover it" saying.  I said that it made no sense to cut the trails and build the lift if they just aren't going to make any snow over there and wait for nature to bail them out with a few big consecutive snowstorms.  I proudly admit that I want more spending on snowmaking no matter what the elevation.  It's what all other mountains in the east do.  If there was no reason to spend on "low elevation" snowmaking, then I would have put that lift on the Dark Side in a heartbeat and cut those trails as additional trails on already existing sections.  You want to slog through the gondola line and crowded base area, then say "I'll just ski it when nature lets me".  Don't want to?  Then say "Ski Bowl needs more snowmaking and needs to be open more".  You seem to like parking there as you haven't been to the main base in months.

Here's the reality sno. The snowmaking budget is basically set by skier visits.

So assume that the snow made this season was the allowed amount, based on visit projections done before say mid-Feb.

Now assume that YOU are boss and you can spend that same amount anyway you want.  If you would make more at the Bowl, where would you cut back?  Darkside, Straightbrook, TopRidge, Front Side, BR?

And how would you explain to your boss that you blew a bunch of snow and have to either let it melt or run a fifth lift when there are 400 people on the hill?

By the way LOW elevation is relative. 1000 feet is not low elevation at MC right?

I'd cut back in the areas where there is tons of snow after the season is over.  Just want to bowl to be consistently open in all winters.