Gore Conditions (2017 - 2018)

snoloco wrote

The Gore lifties need some training from Brownski because they can't seem to keep any of the fixed grip lifts running full speed.  Constant slows and stops all day.

Amen, lil bro. Stuff those butts in them chairs and when they fall getting off drag their asses out of the way! Keep it running full speed!

HP chair seat height is high for the little ones.

Back to conditions. I skied Gore on Friday and for the AM it skied well. By early afternoon, the steeper stuff got messy. Hullabaloo was pretty icy. Open pit and Chatimac were a bit better but still not good. Sleeping bear and the lower mountain remained decent all day though.

Ungroomed stuff will likely be a bit rough.

Quite a few guns on Uncas and lower Uncas through the day.

tom

Any windholds today?

None, zero, all scheduled lifts open more or less on time and operating at normal speeds (except the gondola ran slow for part of the morning).

That's cool. The wind was ripping in the morning. I heard Stratton had one lift until lunch time.

For whatever reason, Whiteface didn't have any significant windholds either from what you could tell on the website report.  Meanwhile in Vermont almost everyone had them.

What was odd today at Gore is they were significantly delayed in opening Uncas, so the only way to the top at first was the High Peaks lift.  And yes it had a sizeable line.  I believe the reason for the delay is the snowmaking crew was moving ground guns off the trail.

Probably. They left whales at the top of Uncas. Not sure how old they were. Gore was sweet today. Trees off Darkside look like they need to be poached...

They definitely made snow there last night.  They set up guns on Pine Knot and Topridge throughout the day and I think they may turn them on tonight if temps allow.  Probably see both open by next weekend.  Pine Knot improves summit access, and Topridge is a really good trail.

snoloco wrote

Ethan, it's not worth it trying to change the Gore regulars' opinions.  I've tried.  It doesn't work.

Uncas used to be a perfectly good trail to lap.  Unfortunately when they stopped blowing Pine Knot, hundreds of beginners "ski" it, usually in a power wedge.  That makes it a shit show and is almost always scraped off and not fun to ski.

Not trying to change anyone's opinions, just stating mine. I personally don't like the lapping the Topridge chair, because it's a bit long, and cold most days.

I sort of like to consider myself Gore regular. I've been skiing 5 times this year (not including several Woodstream days) and 3 of them were Gore. I'll be there several more times this year. When trees are in play, that mountain is a truly magical place.

Amen. When the trees are in play Gore is a magical place. I lived in Boston a couple years back and skied some of the best tree skiing in the east (Jay) frequently. Gore measures up when everything is in play. New Years weekend Gore was at that level. Tough stretch now but give it a couple weeks. Gore will be back, and mid February is my guess for a return to prime time.

Gore is really underrated, and although they don't get the Jay cloud, the'y don't get the traffic like Jay does so they don't need as much snow to make things good. I personaly think the second half of the winter will deliver, and make it a great winter overall. Here's hoping!

snoloco wrote

They definitely made snow there last night.  They set up guns on Pine Knot and Topridge throughout the day and I think they may turn them on tonight if temps allow.  Probably see both open by next weekend.  Pine Knot improves summit access, and Topridge is a really good trail.

It's 32 right now at 2000 feet, forecast low for the summit is 24. So maybe? Hardly seems worth it.

Sno, it's cool to see your Gore stoke! You too Kleetus!

The bottom of Topridge is 2220 feet.  Not sure the humidity.  If it's low enough you can make snow at 32.  It says on the report that they are making snow there.  I won't be there tomorrow, so someone will have to update.

I wasn't sure if it was the temperature or the crowds that kept the guns off yesterday.  

When we turned up the access road and I saw folks parking in the H(ell) Lot I groaned, but in true Gore fashion, the mountain swallowed up the crowds no problem (other than the Jerry pile up at the Saddle).   The racer burden was minimized through utilization of Echo which was good.  Also, having the expanded Saddle and Straightbrook Lodges has been a huge help.  Both are being heavily utilized, it was a great move by the State to expand those services.

Overall, yesterday was a great ski day.  A bit firm on the top, but trails edge held enough granular that it was good skiing.  My best runs were on Twister, with the first one proving to be a solid Monoski experience, fast with big carving turns and a good speed.

My biggest concern is this freeze/thaw cycle that is lining up.  With rain in the forecast this week, and again the following week, the mountain could be looking at some hard times.  Not sure how many of you have seen the carnage down by Thurman Station just past the Hickory access road.  Its frightening how the snow melt and runoff has inundated the ice meadows.

I'm not sure what the point of blowing Topridge is.  It is pretty bare right now and bakes in the sun.  Better off improving the trails on the dark side.  For example, Hullabaloo was a vertical ice rink on both of the steeps. Wood lots also need improvement.

Petronio

Disagree 100%.  It's going to be a freeze thaw cycle so if you resurface it's only going to be good until the next thaw.  Then it's all the same.    Loose granular on top of ice.  You'll have a deeper base but you can do that after everything's already open.  Get maximum terrain open and worry about the rest later.  I look forward to skiing Topridge next weekend and having fewer people on Uncas since Pine Knot will be open.

Agreed Petrino, I would never now Topridge.  It has full south exposure and a complete waste.  Focus on Uncas and Pineknot.  I'm a firm believer in getting the trails open to a good base instead of spreading thin for trail numbers and closing the mountain if it rains/warm

They just resurfaced Uncas and the entire lower mountain.  It's time to open some new terrain now.  Everything has a good base.  Not a Killington Superstar glacier, but it will be fine assuming no nuclear meltdown.  If it's between having some thin coverage and having a third of the good terrain closed (like at Whiteface now), I'll take some thin cover.

Gore does need to get some more snow on Sagamore and get it full width.  Hopefully this gets done after Pine Knot/Topridge.

You were right sno.  In the am they were blowing on Topridge, the top half at least.

Runs of the day Sagamore and Wild Air.  Due to 100% feedback from a valid sample size, avoided the top.  Hearing bad things about it both weekend days.  Also I understand the crowds Sat were sizable, due to bring kid to ski week having started up.

Not bad today, very concerned about warmth and rain upcoming.  Its thin there.  Four runs on Sag, three on Wild Air and Twister (each) and one on ShowCase.  Not crowded until 1030 then it well was not super crowded just it became dangerous. Wife was missed by hit by inches.  Bailed at 12.  3.5 hours of mid December fun in mid Jan.  No fault of the mt, just nature's hand.