Plattekill Conditions (2016 - 2017)

Nice Ethan. We had a great day too. Do you and your brother wear the same helmet? I yelled to somebody I thought was you from the lift.

Northface today.

Ethan Snow wrote

He even went out to warm up my car.

Woah!

Great setup for a killer season!

Nice!

Today was just rockin' I got out on the hill at 10:10...given last night's mild debauchery, I was pretty psyched. Apparently, the mountain was reporting 1.5" but it skied like 5-6".(I didn't check the report since it didn't matter, I was going there either way and I did have to brush off some fresh from my car). Anyway, the new snow, combined with some windblown, created fresh tracks for the few that were out and venturing into some of the fun, fall-line terrain. Plunge and Freefall were just heavenly. My buddy came over for the day and we hooked up with a few regulars and we were all amazed at how deep, soft snd just great the skiing was today not to mention reveling in the blue, sunny skies for the first time in a week.  It was an awesome, amazing way to start the new year.


On a side note, can there be anything more soulful than the tele turn??  I can't believe I've become one of those weird dudes that hang out and ski together with other freeheelers.  But, at least IMHO, the feeling of hitting the sweet spot in a tele turn is, by far and away, unmatchable.

Ethan Snow wrote

I had the opportunity to ski a few runs with Marcski, and MattChuck at the beginning of my day. They took me for a run through the woods off of Ridge Run.

Good skiing with you Ethan. We'll go for another round when the lines fill in a bit more.

Marcski wrote

On a side note, can there be anything more soulful than the tele turn??

No. It's why we do it. Well, that and the advantages in getting around the mountain, the comfy boots, the walk mode, the ease of touring, the natural range of motion, and the general badassery of being a Tele Skier.

Here's a picture from last January 1st (2016):



And here's now:



And it's just going to get better.

Turned out to be a really fun day. Dust on crust is how I would describe it. Snowed lightly all morning and then some much heavier stuff rolled through in the afternoon. Skied with junior all morning and introduced him to a bunch of stuff off the double he never skied before. Caught up with Harv in the bar and did a run with him and some other NYSB'ers later on.

Sorry, I missed you guys today, I was skiing with my oldest daughter all day. I saw Harv from the lift once and we ended up taking off at 3.

The whales on Block were so impressive. That was the ROTD for sure.

You know I saw a guy in a green parka and almost called out but I wasn't sure

Looks like you got some nice conditions today.  I skied at Belleayre today and it was brutally cold, similar to how the weather was the only time I've been to Plattekill.

Low teens most of the day I think- car said 11 in the morning and dropped down to 6 by the time we got back in to leave. Skiing was so much fun we didn't really notice though

As the crow poops, Plattekill is very close to Belleayre. You can see belleayres from the top of the tripple, so the weather is usually almost exactly the same.

I mean I guess I could see how you could technically call it dust on crust... but it was a lot of dust on a pretty understanding crust.

What a fantastic day. The morning was chilly, I often go an entire season without stopping to warm up, but I did that today.

The groomers and cord were stupendous to start the day. I got the first two sets of track on Northface, and laid some deep trenches.  Eventually we started banging the bumps, and then around 2pm it started nuking snow.  I had my boots undone was doing my thing in the bar, when Scott mentions booting back up.

The best runs were at the end of the day, off the double, those squalls must have laid down a couple inches in a hour.


Scottski


Get Amped and The Northwest Passage

Harvey wrote

I mean I guess I could see how you could technically call it dust on crust... but it was a lot of dust on a pretty understanding crust.

Agreed- didn't mean it as a knock. Also agree the last runs of the day were the best

Plunge is getting the treatment...

Anybody got an update? I'm still deciding what to do tomorrow

I was there today. It was good. Snowmaking on Face and Upper Face, as well as Shredded. Those trails were in the best shape. North Side was a bit firm, but still skied well. Blockbuster groomed and steep (could be accessed from both sides, but the access from the Triple was better), slightly granular, but it'll be good after another groomer run tonight.

There were actual lift lines, which was amazing. I waited as 2, sometimes 3 groups in front of me boarded the triple. The nerve of this place, having 30 second lifelines on a Saturday of a Holiday weekend!  Obviously, the double was walk right on.

Only other thing to report is that I saw a guy with a baby in a backpack skiing Powder Puff, and he took a fall right on his back, directly on the baby, who wasn't wearing a helmet and whose head snapped back and hit the snow, right before this guy's entire weight crushed the baby's body. I was teaching a lesson, so I couldn't stop to make sure everything was okay, but the baby was crying and the mother rushed over to help. Crazy scene for sure. Be smart, people. If you have any doubts about your ability to deal with the hazards of a trail and the conditions of the day, don't ski with a baby in a backpack.