Gore Mountain 3/12-3/16 2014

There was lots of speculation about the storm last week and the end result didn't disappoint. We rent out our place in North Creek quite a bit, but had penciled ourselves in for the weekend well in advance. When I saw the storm forecast start to firm up early in the week I decided to turn a 3 day weekend into 4 and head up on Thursday AM. My partner in crime was my 5 year old daughter who told her teacher she was going to play hooky to ski some POW with her dad. She is in her second year of the season long program at gore and can get down just about anything. She also loves the trees. We figured out on her first run that she doesn't quite have the mass or the fat skis to make first tracks in the pow. Next year a weight belt and some JR bacons may be in order.

Thursday 3/13

Twin Fawns - first run, tumble #4:)


Chatterbox was a much better venture


Cave Glade had great snow and just enough tracks for her to follow


We worked through the lower mountain glades - chatterbox, otter slide, twister glade, then went for cave, darkside, straightbrook and a few others not named. Then over to burnt ridge via twister glade to hit boreas and barkeater. Tawahus glade to twister glade one last time and a finish with chatterbox. The number one rule was no whining on a powder day. Number two rule was no groomers on a powder day. She kept bugging me to do Wild Air but I wouldn't budge. It was a fantastic day to ski in the trees and to share it with her was special. Kudos to the mountain adventure program for producing a ripping little pow hound. We skied with several adults throughout the day and she kept up the whole time.


Friday 3/14

With the consistent cold temps and the ski bowl not open during the week I knew where the goods would be on Friday. I let the rest of the family sleep in and snuck out to get first dibs. It was SO worth it. I got lucky last year and had 3 days like this at the bowl. This one was by far the best. Hopefully we'll get a few more this year. It was a race when we got to the top to see who could get the goods first. Too funny to see 8 wide huffing to get to the ski bowl glade. A good Samaritan dropped the rope on 46er just before I made the left to go into ski bowl glade. I opted for 46er. About 30 of us bombed everything we could get into the whole morning. It wasn't easy skiing all that POW but he somebody has to do it. Around noon I knew I had to meet up with the family at the main lodge so I worked my way over via burnt ridge. Barkeater and Boreas were still in prime shape. At the end of the day I went back to the bowl only to find ski bowl glade, Hudson glade, 46er and ridge runner all roped a little after 3pm. That was kind of a bummer. I got one last run down 46er before they roped it and then a final run down moxham in the ungroomed cutup. Another great day.

Waiting for first chair


A certain forum member getting first tracks on 46er


46er headwall


First tracks on Hudson Glade


A happy customer ripping 46er


Somewhere in the trees at the bowl



Saturday 3/15

I had planned to take it easy on Saturday after pounding the hill for two days in a row, but I got a text from a buddy around 8pm on Friday night "leaving NJ now will be there around 11:30". I was pinging a few buddies with pictures from the hill and one of them decided he couldn't take it anymore. The guy had never skied a glade at the beginning of the day and had never been to Gore. We started off slow with chatterbox, then kill kare, a few things on the darkside, straight brook and then over to burnt ridge for cirque, bark eater and tawahus. He took a few tumbles but kept up till the end. His legs were jello but he never stopped smiling. It is always cool showing someone new around the mountain. It makes you realize just how massive the place is when its 100% open.

Chatterbox


Somewhere on the darkside


Somewhere on the darkside


Cirque drop in from Sagamore


Cirque


Sunday 3/16

Woke up to bitter cold and wind. After 3 days of skiing I was really sore, but I also had the POW bug. I knew after the warm temps down below on Saturday that the only good POW would be at elevation. Everything from Bear Mtn on up was still sweet. Cave, Straightbrook glade, chatty glade, darkside, and others all still had nice pow. The regular trails were starting to see the effects of wind and travel though and by the afternoon the saddle was blown clean and things were scratchy. I decided to cash it in around 2:30 and hit the bar. Probably the best east coast stretch of 4 days of skiing I've ever had. It would have been awesome to catch Wednesday too, but I don't think my body could have handled much more. I am still sore and still smiling. I really hope we can catch another storm or two this season. Skiing Gore at its best is really amazing.

Headed off for the last day of Mountain Adventure:(


Chatty


Sleeping Bear

Danzilla wrote

BEST PIC IN THE TR.  

Nice report D.

Harvey wrote

http://forum.nyskiblog.com/Posting-iPhone-iPad-Photos-td4036094.html

Haha. Saw that right away and figured as much. Updated appropriately:)

'Zilla....my brother and I were over there lapping the Ski Bowl until about 10:30 Friday am.  The 'head wall' on 46er was a blast, but you had to carry speed after that!

Can your 5 year old teach my 43 year old younger brother that rule about no whining and no groomers on a powder day, please!  Actually, the couple of velvety corduroy runs he forced me to rip were quite nice, but we never got to all the woods I wanted to.....Still was a great day.

Skidds wrote

Can your 5 year old teach my 43 year old younger brother that rule about no whining and no groomers on a powder day, please!  Actually, the couple of velvety corduroy runs he forced me to rip were quite nice, but we never got to all the woods I wanted to.....Still was a great day.

Just promise him lots of hot chocolate/juice boxes and feed him m&m's and/or skittles on every chairlift:) Glad you got to get the goods at the bowl. I've never seen grown men so giddy. Everyday except Sunday was a day that I wished wouldn't end. Even with tired legs that didn't want to work anymore.

RE: the skibowl glades, what was the deal with them, were they closed most of the time after the storm and if so why?  Wandered in there Saturday morning around 11am and was shocked to see VERY few lines.  Couldnt figure that one out.

BenedictGomez wrote

RE: the skibowl glades, what was the deal with them, were they closed most of the time after the storm and if so why?  Wandered in there Saturday morning around 11am and was shocked to see VERY few lines.  Couldnt figure that one out.

They were open from first bell on Friday till around 3pm. They weren't open before that because the bowl wasn't open till Friday. There just wasn't a ton of traffic on Friday and the people who were there were doing lots of "exploring". Props to whoever cut Mr. Pink. Nice spacing and nice lines. Mr. Yellow was a bit more of a bushwack but it was still fun.

Good on you for finding fresh lines in the SKI BOWL on Saturday. I would have assumed that with the anticipation of more untracked on Friday they would have been pounded.  Maybe the locals I talked to are picky but they were recommending Hickory over the Ski Bowl on Saturday, saying the Ski Bowl had been thrashed.

It wasn't hard.  It didn't seem to me like many people at all had been in there, so few that I assumed they must have been closed most of the time from Thursday through Saturday AM.  Only problem was the snow was a little sticky as it had rained at low elevation.