Gore Conditions (2015 - 2016)

freeheeln wrote

Cold start. Only way to summit Uncas - ungroomed mess for most of the public. Summit had groom on Hawkeye , very nice, Pit and Headwaters. Chati had patches that looked like a bottle, saw several folks SLAM. Fixedheeln wanted a challenge, got it on Lies egdeable and sweaty. Lower mt groomed and fast, bit scratchy underneath in spots.

Only on planet ORDA would that not have been groomed. 95% of people couldn't ski it safely which upped the challenge as people were just standing all over there trail in the erratic chalk/ice bumps. It's busy. It's a weekend. It's the only trail to the summit. Why not groom that out? Total "design' fail and a safety issue.

I thought Topridge was fun since they were blowing snow on that all day. Rumor was not nearly as good after getting wind buffed yesterday.

YUKON CORNELIUS wrote

Only on planet ORDA would that not have been groomed. 95% of people couldn't ski it safely which upped the challenge as people were just standing all over there trail in the erratic chalk/ice bumps. It's busy. It's a weekend. It's the only trail to the summit. Why not groom that out? Total "design' fail and a safety issue.

I don't think I hacked your account.

snoloco wrote

YUKON CORNELIUS wrote

Only on planet ORDA would that not have been groomed. 95% of people couldn't ski it safely which upped the challenge as people were just standing all over there trail in the erratic chalk/ice bumps. It's busy. It's a weekend. It's the only trail to the summit. Why not groom that out? Total "design' fail and a safety issue.

I don't think I hacked your account.

FTW

Yep total mess on Uncas yesterday morning. Skied it in the afternoon without the crowds and it was ok. Although I'm not a Pine Knot fan you need another way to get to the summit, not sure why they have not made any snow on that one yet. It seems a lot more important than getting every run off Straight Brook open.  Another issue was Chatiemac on which had whales mostly nice snow and some impressive boilerplate. They only started making a snow on Chatiemac about a week or so ago and there has been no rain or thaws since then so if there is boilerplate it most be coming from the snowmaking.  Seems to me that Gore has more issues in this area than other mountains. I noted a spot on Topridge under the guns that had that tell-tail yellow wet snow no doubt solid by today-)

xWeatherMan wrote

 Seems to me that Gore has more issues in this area than other mountains. I noted a spot on Topridge under the guns that had that tell-tail yellow wet snow no doubt solid by today-

This is true and disappointing. Seems they blow more snot than other mtns. It's like they don't adjust the system as conditions change or whatever.

That said, peeps on here sometimes get all up tight when this is pointed out and start flinging their own boogers.  

I thought Uncas was really fun both Saturday and Sunday. It didn't click in my mind that it should have been groomed until I saw the mess of humanity on Sunday trying to navigate down. It was also a bummer for my wife because she wanted to ski cloud/headwaters (and even hawkeye possibly) but she is not comfortable in the bumps yet and decided not to risk it.

Topridge was absolutely fantastic both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday they had just started the guns so the snow was nice soft edgeable gun pow. By sunday morning it was fun big whales/rollers and soft bumps. Chatty and Hawkeye were both really nice in the AM on Sunday. Hawkeye was edgeable groomed chalk and Chatty had surprisingly soft snow with big bumps. We were going to head back up after lunch but just couldn't help doing lap after lap on Topridge - so much fun. Wild Air was my pick down below both days. Overall I thought the mountain skied great both days over the weekend.

I got a few runs in this afternoon and Topridge was a different animal altogether. Guns were off and the bumps set up over night so they were still edgable but not soft. Uncas was nicely groomed. Hawkeye was a little scratchy. Lies was the pick of the day. They groomed it overnight and there was soft sugar down both sides. Showcase was my pick down below. They had guns roaring on Foxlair and on Echo.

I don't care for Pine Knot either, but they really ought to get that trail open so intermediates can enjoy more of the mountain.

Apparently they don't want anyone but experts up top...from the website:
"Experts- the Straight Brook Valley is fully open with your favorite black diamonds- enjoy them all today"

Apart from Cloud, there is zero reason that any non-expert skier should be up there.  Yes that run has nice views, but it otherwise sucks.  Definitely has "character", but that is taken away by the fact that it is way too narrow for the crowds it gets being the only blue from the top.  I've seen that thing be a sheet of ice while there were still good conditions lower down.  This doesn't even take into account that you have to skate for a quarter mile before you can actually ski.  In this case, they should have put up a sign at the top of Uncas saying "Caution, Ungroomed Terrain, Summit is for Expert Skiers and Snowboarders Only".

snoloco wrote

Apart from Cloud, there is zero reason that any non-expert skier should be up there.  Yes that run has nice views, but it otherwise sucks.  Definitely has "character", but that is taken away by the fact that it is way too narrow for the crowds it gets being the only blue from the top.  I've seen that thing be a sheet of ice while there were still good conditions lower down.  This doesn't even take into account that you have to skate for a quarter mile before you can actually ski.  In this case, they should have put up a sign at the top of Uncas saying "Caution, Ungroomed Terrain, Summit is for Expert Skiers and Snowboarders Only".

More sweeping generalizations from the sno. Kid--how many days you even been up at Gore this season? Kindly take your negativity back over to your self-started rant thread. We're talking about current conditions here.

This past weekend was definitely a nice surprise. I had expected them to groom most everything out. In a crummy snow year, I'm thankful that they're letting the mountain ski different than usual by letting several trails stay rowdy. Topridge was about the best I've ever seen it---soft snow, huge whales, well spaced---you could just launch off those things without worrying about scrubbing a ton of speed in a hurry or landing in a nasty rut. Uncas was definitely gnarly getting down and was a minefield of bodies. Better signage at entrance would have been a good idea---you just can't see what it looks like early enough to make a different choice. Chatty bumping up firm, rumor bumping up, and Lies bumping up. Fun weekend on the summit.

Heard lots of comments about "ice", but not from any regulars. Carvable hard pack and ice are not the same thing.

SIAWOL wrote

Heard lots of comments about "ice", but not from any regulars. Carvable hard pack and ice are not the same thing.

My wife gets mad at me when I use descriptors like "firm, carveable, chalky" and she calls it "ice."  Then when I point out how there was some really nice soft snow skiing the left edge, it's an all-out fight.  

Getting back to snowmaking, I think there's more to it than the let-it-drain thing.  I think a lot of Gore's difficulties with firm (icy) manmade surfaces has to do with the terrain and its effect on skier traffic.  For one thing, a lot of the trails are bulged or crowned.  The headwall pitch on Hawkeye is a good example.  Uncas, Topridge, Lies headwall too.  Pine Knot, with its double fall line is an extreme example.  This does two things. First, gravity takes all the soft, loose snow off to the sides.  Second, it pushes the skier traffic into relatively narrow paths that just don't hold up.  Add a bunch of lower intermediates and boarders scraping their way down, and you're left with very firm hardpack or full-on ice.  The other thing about Gore's trails is that many are relatively narrow, further concentrating skier traffic.  That chokepoint on Cloud just below the Open Pit junction is a prime example.  It's a tough situation and I don't think there's much that can realistically be done about it.  I like the character of Gore's trails as-is and wouldn't want to see widening, flattening and smoothing, but I think the terrain is inherently challenged for holding up to crowds.  Solution:  head for the woods.

I doubt there is a GM in existence who doesn't understand the concept of letting manmade snow drain. It's generally colder at Whiteface and it makes a difference, especially when it's 28 at Gore and 23 at Whiteface.

Headwaters is one of my favorite trails at Gore. IMO it often has the best snow. It's a schelp to lap it but we do it because my wife and I like to ski together, on Headwaters.

I also dispute the idea that we are all experts here.

Harvey wrote

I doubt there is a GM in existence who doesn't understand the concept of letting manmade snow drain. It's generally colder at Whiteface and it makes a difference, especially when it's 28 at Gore and 23 at Whiteface.

Headwaters is one of my favorite trails at Gore. IMO it often has the best snow. It's a schelp to lap it but we do it because my wife and I like to ski together, on Headwaters.

I also dispute the idea that we are all experts here.

I think Snolocal is an expert. NOT!!!!

new thread...

Upper mountain was mostly horrible today. Hawkeye was OK, but Upper Chatiemac was a bowling alley -- I was the only pin standing amongst my friends. Lower Chatiemac was worse. Another skier I talked to halfway down it agreed with me that it was f*ing awful. Nothing but dust on crust. Lower mountain much better until about 2:00 when the wind was turning everything to ice.

Spongeworthy wrote

Upper mountain was mostly horrible today. Hawkeye was OK, but Upper Chatiemac was a bowling alley -- I was the only pin standing amongst my friends. Lower Chatiemac was worse. Another skier I talked to halfway down it agreed with me that it was f*ing awful. Nothing but dust on crust. Lower mountain much better until about 2:00 when the wind was turning everything to ice.

Lies was fantabulous ,rateing 2 heels up top to bottom! Uncas also skied very well especially lower. Twister was racer surface, rest of lower was good. Other stuff is still not ready. Darkside airlines were charged.

I was playing sweeper for a group of friends of lesser skill. I would have had a better day skiing by myself

Spongeworthy wrote

I was playing sweeper for a group of friends of lesser skill. I would have had a better day skiing by myself

Or with us. 😎

freeheeln wrote

Spongeworthy wrote

Upper mountain was mostly horrible today. Hawkeye was OK, but Upper Chatiemac was a bowling alley -- I was the only pin standing amongst my friends. Lower Chatiemac was worse. Another skier I talked to halfway down it agreed with me that it was f*ing awful. Nothing but dust on crust. Lower mountain much better until about 2:00 when the wind was turning everything to ice.

Lies was fantabulous ,rateing 2 heels up top to bottom! Uncas also skied very well especially lower. Twister was racer surface, rest of lower was good. Other stuff is still not ready. Darkside airlines were charged.

Agreed on Lies.  Lapped that until they turned the guns on headwaters so much so that I was icing up.  Uncas was also a ton of fun.  Quicksilver was actually great as well.  Snowing when I showed today and snowing a bit when I left.  Hawkeye had its moments but Lies was where it was at.  Tons of nice stuff after the usual headwall.  Ropes never dropped on Rumor.  

Still trying to figure out what is up with the lack of pine knot.  Asked a few lifties and just got shrugs.  I assume its a broken main like what happened to topridge a few years back.  It doesn't even feel like they are trying to get hardware on that gun.  Saw a few cats head to burnt ridge and they are blowing snow on the beginning the the traverse over there.  I assume that is next.  

They're reporting Burnt Ridge and North Side open for this weekend.  Still no word on the Dark Side so maybe the lift is broken.  After a year like this, there's probably zero chance of them replacing it this summer.  They need to get the Dark Side open ASAP so that you can get to the summit from the AE2 instead of the gondola.

High Peaks lift isn't broken.  Spun it a couple weeks ago to test. it will happen.