Ratboy

Was there from 5:30 - 7:30. There was some nice snow near the glades ... The ruts and bumps made it interesting but very tiring. I'll be back Sunday (I'm old. I need a day to recover) ...

Top of the mountain was in very good shape ... Went everywhere but the "Trauma park" ... Had a great time ... The fireworks were pretty damn nice too... Good job Sno !!!

Maybe I should bring a rope and harness so I can escape from the lift next time it gets stuck. I did see the flattened sign when I went by the park ... I also saw some blue padding and bits of trees whipping past. Returned to the lodge by way of Highball ... The wind was actually stopping some folks from moving down the hill. Reminded me of Mt Washington.

Yeah, I wonder what happened? I saw some folks jumping from the lift near the offload area. The whiteout hit when I was on long haul. Couldn't see a thing after I got off so I just hung out on the leeward side of that little shack where the toboggans are stored. Pretty interesting weather ...

You must recognize that Sno is now an actual business. Prior to that it was a black hole for taxpayers money. There are many factors that dictate when and how they do certain things (like run snow guns, hire/fire people, etc.) The new owners are dumping a lot of cash into this venture. And yes, the snow guns are a huge improvement. The quality and quantity of snow seems better than the old style guns. Go to some of the other mountains that are still using the older equipment and compare. As far as properly maintaining a pipe is concerned, I'm sure there is a significant learning curve involved (much like learning to ski, drive a car, etc). You just have to give folks time. Now the outlay of cash for the new Zaugg is probably pretty steep. I think I saw a price quote for an 18 foot 2003 model Pipe Monster at $70,000. I think you need to be patient and less harsh in your judgment. I think constructive criticism is good, but disingenuous sniping not really helpful. Let them work through another season or two ...

Fair enough ... This is the second year for Sno under private ownership. It seems like the new owners are making an earnest effort at turning this place around. They need something to set the hill apart from all the the rest (and help drive ticket sales). Perhaps the 22 foot pipe will have some draw. I'm not sure what their business plan is, but I hope they succeed ('cause it's a damn long drive to Elk). If the 22 foot pipe doesn't work out they can probably sell the Zaugg to somebody else (like Park City).

Seriously, why do you even care? Your previous postings indicate that you seem to despise Sno ... There are plenty of mountains in the area for you to go to (and bitch about).

What time did you hit Whistler? I got there around 7 and it looked like the red rope was strung across the trail. I saw a bunch of skiers skating back from the direction of Upper Fast Track so I assumed that was closed as well. I think that flat area off of Ironhorse is called "Nordic" (?)

Conditions on the upper half of the mountain were not so good ... Upper Runaway was pretty much packed ice and crud. All the other "blues" look like they were closed. I went over to Highball and made a few runs before heading home. There were a few gaping holes (they were marked) but conditions were not that bad. I hope they can get back to making snow real soon.

I was there Thursday from 11:00 - 4:00. Spent most of my time on Whistler and Upper Fast Track. Conditions at the time were good. I saw a few folks playing around in "The Glades" ... Switch was closed (getting ready for the races), and so was Upper Runaway (sp). I grossly misjudged my capabilities and went down Lower Fast Track. I managed to make to the bottom in one piece ... Very icy at the bottom. That was Thursday. I'm sure the rain on Friday has screwed up everything.

It isn't so bad once your eyes adjust to the darkness. There was a lot of nice snow there ...

Guess I'll have to bring a flashlight next time (or night vision equipment) ...

Spent most of my time on Whistler ... Not too many folks there. Pretty much had the place to myself. It was damn dark there too. They need to turn on some lights.

Some pictures from today ... The "Bunny hill" looks nice ...

I'm going ...

Took some pictures today (with my crappy phone camera).

Many of you probably are already aware of this web page. it provides a nice graphical view of snow coverage for most of the planet. Kind of a nice "time waster" for work: Daily Snow Coverage Analysis

Cocktail party? Forget it. I bolted out of there as soon as I got my pass. The whole process was ill conceived. I hope everything else goes a bit smoother ...

Probably going on Sunday ...

Got an email from Sno ... They're taking pictures this Saturday and Sunday: Saturday, November 17, from 3pm to 6pm Sunday, November 18, from 12pm-5pm

I was walking around at Sno this Saturday. Looks like a lot of the construction/destruction is taking place from the "Spike" over to "Highball"... Lot of work being done close to the lodge (water park stuff). I posted pictures on another thread ("trees being cut").

They're still tearing the place up.

Thank you ...

So much for the "warm and friendly" welcome ...

I learned to ride at Sno last season ('07) ... Decided to throw down the $359 for a Weekend/Evening pass ... I hope we have an early, and long season.