Wet Weather Sux

Damn this weather sux....

So far I have wet dog in house and just got soaked taking the garbage out. Only positive I can think of is my cars are getting  cleaned, well sort of.

Other positive is I actually managed to remember to cover my wood pile before the monsoon set in.

The Kinks song comes to mind, Better Things...."Here's wishing you the bluest sky, And hoping something better comes tomorrow"

Would be nice if it dumped up north tomorrow, but ain't happening. On a wish and a prayer for the remainder of the season on the east coast, as it's hard to comprehend how bad the weather has been, and I suspect it will continue to be shitty. Heading west may be the only option if this bad weather keeps up. The good news there is there are now non-stop flights from Newark to Telluride and they're cheap in the weeks coming. This assumes  one doesn't fly in the "spring break" window. I just about have the trip to Telluride sold to my family, all good so far. Never been there, but all I ever heard is it's an awesome place to ski.

To anyone who has ever flamed me for wanting greater snowmaking capacity and 100% coverage, I graciously accept all of your apologies.  You would have no days this season if you went out west if it weren't for snowmaking.  I hope this year will lead to more snowmaking upgrades all across the ec.  Yes, ski areas will lose money this year, but they won't lose as much if they can provide a better experience.  Contrary to what some people on here have said, snowmaking capacity DOES make a difference, in fact it makes a huge difference.  Hunter has so much more snowmaking capacity than anyone else relative to its size and thus has more snow and better snow than almost anyone.  Killington has bare spots on many of their trails now, while Hunter is full width on just about every trail with little to no thin/bare spots.  Just ski there once this year and you'll see what I mean.

snoloco wrote

To anyone who has ever flamed me for wanting greater snowmaking capacity and 100% coverage, I graciously accept all of your apologies.

Jon - thanks for the Kinks reference. Love that band.

Sno - No one (at least not me) is wishing that my favorite trails were being destroyed to install snowmaking that couldn't be used anyway. Have you ever skied Castlerock, for instance? Would you want to see those gems straightened and molested for the sake of 100% coverage? Honestly, at this point I don't even think you skiing; you prefer Infrastructure and Amusement Parks.

I thought you would grow up but you keep spitting nonsense. Take a lap.

ml242 wrote

I thought you would grow up but you keep spitting nonsense. Take a lap.

Take a lap, no kidding. Thanks BF, I mean, ML. Very apropos.

Then I hope you enjoy NOT skiing your favorite trails except in a good year.  In case you didn't know, Gore hasn't opened the Ski Bowl terrain at all this year and probably isn't going to.  Some of those trails have plumbing, so if there was more air/water capacity, you'd be able to ski them.

Am I in favor of homogenizing all trails to ski exactly the same?  No.  Am I in favor of adding snowmaking to everything possible while preserving the character of a run?  Yes.

snoloco wrote

Then I hope you enjoy NOT skiing your favorite trails except in a good year.  In case you didn't know, Gore hasn't opened the Ski Bowl terrain at all this year and probably isn't going to.  Some of those trails have plumbing, so if there was more air/water capacity, you'd be able to ski them.

Am I in favor of homogenizing all trails to ski exactly the same?  No.  Am I in favor of adding snowmaking to everything possible while preserving the character of a run?  Yes.

No. It also depends on budgets. But when you add pipes to a trail, they get widened and homogenized 100% of the time. And fake snow that get inevitably encrusted on trees will kill them, further widening the trails.

This is like a sex ed teacher trying to explain intercourse to an elementary school student.

Have you been to Mad River Glen?

snoloco wrote

To anyone who has ever flamed me for wanting greater snowmaking capacity and 100% coverage, I graciously accept all of your apologies.  You would have no days this season if you went out west if it weren't for snowmaking.

Huh? Sounds like you haven't skied Jay Peak during the past month. Jay has been skiing on natural snow for the entire month of January. While I don't have a personal reference, I am sure other NoVT areas like Stowe and Smuggs have also had natural snow skiing and MRG was open before they just closed for the wet weather. That isn't even counting north of the border as reported right here on HR. Almost half of my days this season were natural snow days so you are, quite frankly just wrong, that this season wouldn't exist on the east coast without snowmaking.

That factual correction done, I'd rather sit out an entire season than see snowmaking put onto my favorite trails just to open  them. No F'ing thanks.

Well I skied Hunter last weekend and they aren't even up to a foot for the season.  I had a great ski day, despite zero natural snow and had nice spring conditions on every trail that was open.  By far my best non-Steamboat day this season.  You can have plenty of great days in a bad season instead of constantly whining about not getting any natural snow.

riverc0il wrote

That factual correction done, I'd rather sit out an entire season than see snowmaking put onto my favorite trails just to open  them. No F'ing thanks.

Yes. Sno, you have to understand that lots of people enjoy skiing natural snow and non-homogenized trails with character, as many people on here have emphasized. The fact of the matter is, skiing is an activity predicated upon the whims of mother nature, and every couple years there is going to be a clunker.

I think you'd get a lot less flak on here if you just agree to disagree rather than constantly try to convert everyone to your mindset. I feel like this exact same argument is going on on multiple threads right now.

Try skiing either Plattekill or Mad River Glen, I think it would be good for you.

Character and snowmaking are not mutually exclusive.  In a good snow year natural snow covers the manmade snow unless you resurface which nature does for you in a good year.  I have always preferred to ski something over nothing.

To install snowmaking pipes you have to widen the trail in most cases. I've generally found in the east that the wider the trail, the less well it holds natural snow due to the wind. Much of it depends on the aspect though.

snoloco wrote

constantly whining

Some evils, like snomaking, are apparently necessary

snoloco wrote

Then I hope you enjoy NOT skiing your favorite trails except in a good year.

Sno, you really need to take a few giant leaps back and stop letting your naive rhetoric and factually incorrect bs opinions open your mouth and make stoopid shit come out.  Last week Sugarbush was 100% open (at least according to their website, and MC2 skied Castlerock). That was all 111 trails....in what has been a shitty snow year.  So please, STFU.

Heading to Jay tomorrow, will report back on the state of natural snow trails. Am anticipating fun to be had, even if there is mud.

Sick Bird Rider wrote

Am anticipating fun to be had, even if there is mud.

Heading to WF tomorrow...fun will surely be had, unless the power fails and/or prohibition sets back in.

 Ice, snow, mud, whatever...UBU, Titos, food, no worky, wife back home worky, and my two older sons with me,fueling my craziness....recipe for mucho fun, no matter what condition the mountain is in this weekend.

I was up at Jay Peak last week for fresh snow , it was great / Woods were in great shape - not sure about now

Spongeworthy wrote

snoloco wrote

To anyone who has ever flamed me for wanting greater snowmaking capacity and 100% coverage, I graciously accept all of your apologies.

THAT ^^^^ is hilarious  

snoloco wrote

Well I skied Hunter last weekend and they aren't even up to a foot for the season.  I had a great ski day, despite zero natural snow and had nice spring conditions on every trail that was open.  By far my best non-Steamboat day this season.  You can have plenty of great days in a bad season instead of constantly whining about not getting any natural snow.

You can also have plenty of great days in a bad season instead of constantly whining about not having 100% snowmaking coverage and having every trail open by Christmas. Ski what you got. I couldn't care less that they haven't turned snowmaking on at the Bowl. I'd rather they spend the money and effort on keeping the main mountain going.

Please....make it stop!  

I certainly would like to see my home mountain install more pumping capacity. Lots more.  It would be nice when the temps are down the entire mountain blown.  I also think there was not enough corporal punishment dished out at sno house.