Reflections on 2011-2012 (SOP - Self Obsessed Post)

If i didn't have a Vail trip to look forward to I'd probably keep going but with a sore knee this heavy wet stuff is painful and I don't want to mess up my vacation.  I only have a few more ski vacations with my son before he decides it not cool to ski with dad anymore.

ml242 wrote

You can pry these poles out of my warm hands in late May!

Them poles are going be pretty muddy if you keep going to May this year

  I am pretty satisfied with my ski season this year. I think my biggest disappointment is this blow torch weather of late. I've gotten about forty days in this year, about half of the norm for me. I've had four powder days locally, two at Greek, two at Elk. Not big powder days, five to six inches, but they seemed like a foot. I got lucky with my vacation to Vermont three weeks ago, they got two feet just before I got there, with two four inch refreshers. I finally skied Mad River Glen after driving past it four times. I was afraid it was an omen, that maybe I shouldn't ski it, not true at all.

  Well I haven't thrown in the towel yet, Plattekill tomorrow, Elk Sunday, week's vacation at the end of the month. I'm sure after two weeks of no turns, I'll be scheming up something...Maine?...Tux?...New Mexico? I have free transportation (while there), and lodging if I go. Maybe they'll get dumped on between now and then. I've skied 18" of powder there in March before. Something tells me I won't be skiing Memorial Day Weekend, like I did last year, Mt. Washington. What a truly epic Spring it was! Backside of the Loaf in late April, amazing! Hopefully next year will be more like 2010-2011.

ml242 wrote

You can pry these poles out of my warm hands in late May!

Charlton in the house?

:)

Face4Me wrote

I'll be heading up for the last time this season on Thursday night. Planning to ski on Friday, though we'll have to see about the rain, and probably a couple of hours on Saturday morning, but then it'll be time to pack up the house, and close it all up for this year.

Well, as it turned out, I didn't head out to ski today ... the rain was just way too much this morning. The house is all packed up and I'll be headed over to the mountain to take a few runs in the morning, and then it'll be back downstate to celebrate St. Patrick's Day with some Guinness and corned beef and cabbage!!! Woo Hoo!!!!

On the bright side, I did have a great night tonight ... just got back from the Olympic Center where I watched SUNY Oswego defeat Amherst College in the NCAA Division III hockey championship semi-final match. What an AWESOME game it was!!!

I'm already looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend!!!

  Were you at WF this past Thanksgiving Weekend? I was, I should have known this season was going to be a weird one. Fifty degrees, sunny, corn snow, it was like the season picked up right where it left off, it was just like April. I had planned on spending the night and skiing the next day. I did not, I went straight home, I was sore for two days. Nothing like two thousand feet of corn when you haven't skied for six months. I'm almost ready to start thinking of next season, not quite.

My family and I had a very good season at WF.  It was our first season committed to one mountain, no southern VT.  I think  the staff did a tremendous job making snow and they created a ski season when there would not have been one.  We brought four first time families to WF-LP, one returned again this weekend, and all of the groups were impressed with the mountain and the conditions especially considering the lack of natural snow and high temps.  

The 2011-12 season was not epic, but was definitely memorable for me, my wife & my girls.  

sudsnbumps wrote

I want to thank ORDA for keeping their mountains open this week.  In a normal year you would be hiking to get what we have been lift skiing ... we skied some great conditions in a very horrible year.  Suck it up, pull out your bikes, kayaks and climbing gear and make due with what we get for the next 7 months.  Or if we get some snow Sunday night earn your turns. I had maybe the best last day of the year today!

Nice suds.  I'd hoped you could stay with your winter "paradise" signoff for a few more days, but it is what it is.  

I remember doing research for a piece on the North Creek Snow Train, and some years there was just no skiing.

One story I remember from the North Creek Depot Museum was that while Gore has a claim to having the first ski Patrol in North America, Stowe disputes that claim.  Both Patrols were formed in the same year (1934) and Gore's patrol was actually organized a few weeks earlier.  But because there wasn't enough snow in North Creek to ski until March 7, the Stowe Patrol was actually on the slopes earlier.

In Rockaway NJ in the 1940s and 1950s there was the Odin Ski Club, they were mainly jumpers.  There was a small jump in the woods behind where the Lutheran church is in Lake Telemark.  Back in the day those guys would go up to LP to fly off a more substantial ski jump, and sometimes even up there they'd be shoveling snow onto the inrun.

I am jonesing right now trying to find a place to ski this weekend.  Turned down an opportunity to ski Mt Snow and am now kicking myself.    Thought for sure Elk's bump run would be open this Saturday as that was the rumor.    If that was not open, I was heading to Gore.   GORE--You did a great job this season staying open.     Seven Springs Pa is having their pond skimming contest, the little run in front of the bar will be the only run with snow.    Hate to drive 4 hours for one run.  

If my season is ended, it ended well.   My son (6) can ski anywhere I go.   My daughter (4) is skiing light blues with confidence.   She skied White Face from the top of the double chair to the bottom 5 times.   Only minor stops here and there to have fun.    This will be the last year of free skiing for my son   who will be 7 next year.    He had to pay for his first lift ticket at Elk (5 and under). He also got his first shorts and t-shirt runs in over the past few days at Elk and WF--in the 76degree sun.    My daugher skied topless for the last time too....(note to self, keep beliveing this, even if she takes spring break at Loveland in 14 years)    

The height of my season was 5 days with National Team Member Eric Lipton in December.    Worked on my inside half, lost some bump skills that I will focus on next year and greatly improved my teaching.   I have enormous sucess with both my Saturday and Sunday development groups.    I am planning a Tux trip this spring...will be posting.    Wont head West due to financial reasons.    Vowing to get into better shape for the start of the season next year.      Got around 55 days in this year, wanted at least 12+ more from late March and into in April at Gore with pond skimming week where I was planning a 9 day trip.  

I:)skiing wrote

I am jonesing right now trying to find a place to ski this weekend.  Turned down an opportunity to ski Mt Snow and am now kicking myself.    Thought for sure Elk's bump run would be open this Saturday as that was the rumor.    If that was not open, I was heading to Gore.   GORE--You did a great job this season staying open.     Seven Springs Pa is having their pond skimming contest, the little run in front of the bar will be the only run with snow.    Hate to drive 4 hours for one run.  

If my season is ended, it ended well.   My son (6) can ski anywhere I go.   My daughter (4) is skiing light blues with confidence.   She skied White Face from the top of the double chair to the bottom 5 times.   Only minor stops here and there to have fun.    This will be the last year of free skiing for my son   who will be 7 next year.    He had to pay for his first lift ticket at Elk (5 and under). He also got his first shorts and t-shirt runs in over the past few days at Elk and WF--in the 76degree sun.    My daugher skied topless for the last time too....(note to self, keep beliveing this, even if she takes spring break at Loveland in 14 years)    

The height of my season was 5 days with National Team Member Eric Lipton in December.    Worked on my inside half, lost some bump skills that I will focus on next year and greatly improved my teaching.   I have enormous sucess with both my Saturday and Sunday development groups.    I am planning a Tux trip this spring...will be posting.    Wont head West due to financial reasons.    Vowing to get into better shape for the start of the season next year.      Got around 55 days in this year, wanted at least 12+ more from late March and into in April at Gore with pond skimming week where I was planning a 9 day trip.

Nice ... though, I'm a little concerned about the "topless" skiing!