trackbiker

Can't say I didn't see this coming..... Getting your power shut off is usually the final death knell. Hopefully someone with experience running a ski area like Snow Time, Inc or Peak Resorts will pick it up. I think Peak is maxxed out right now so it could be a good opportunity for someone like Snow Time. But with the liens and debt the price will likely be too high or make it too difficult to make a quick sale. I still think an experienced operator could make a go of Sno. To all the Elk naysayers who think Elk should put in a high speed lift etc., Seems like Elk's management is doing a pretty good job.

I'd like to see Sno make it but getting the power cut off is not a good sign. I think the delays in getting the water park open really hurt them. I think another operator experienced at running a ski area will eventually buy the place because it has a great snowmaking system and some potential regardless of the location. I'm not a huge fan of the trail layout but I like the good conditions and lack of crowds.

Didn't they sell off their lifts? How will you get up the hill?

Of course this is terrible news. Condolences to family and friends. Not to take away from the the tragedyy, but once again, a so called "reporter" makes a report that makes no sense. If the cab remained upright how was the operator thrown from the cab???? Did she think maybe that the cab did roll and then landed upright? No matter what happened, that reporter is clueless about what did happen and misinformed the public. "It's not about being right. It's about being first." No wonder the U.S. public is so misinformed about everything. Do they even teach critical thinking anymore? I would have thought they would in jounalism school at least. Question everything.

So you would you rather ski at Jack Frost than Okemo or do you just not like you parents?

I've been going to Okemo the second weekend in December for the last five years with a group of friends for a 4 day weekend. We pick Okemo for this trip because they have great snowmaking and the rates are really good as well. We stay at a slopeside condo off the Sachem trail and only one year have we not had ski in/ski out. The conditions have been really good every year with some years having natural snow trails open. Okemo is mostly a blue square mountain which is great for the first trip of the year. They also have some nice steeps and glades if you know where to look. Jackson Gore was a nice addition but usually doesn't have the steeps open early season. When they do have the black diamonds open it is really nice because they're empty. Skied there in January and March last season as well and like it more every time because I've learned where the good stuff is. A good early season choice. I think their snowmaking is more extensive than K-Mart and it's a shorter drive. Their grooming is better than K-Mart for early season as well.

Plattekill rocks when there is snow. They are adding some more snowmaking this year. No flat runout. Lazlo the owner is a great guy trying to compete against NY State run Bellayre who gives away tickets. They still have a lot of discount days and deals with local lodging like kids ski free. I usually stay in Margaretville but that whole area got wacked pretty bad by Irene. Plattekill came through pretty well unscathed. Lazlo offered all and any of his equipment to help anyone in the area who needs it. Support the local independant guy! Since this is the Elk thead I'll add; Elk does have the best grooming in PA and you'll ski on good conditions all day while most of the Blue regulars blow out by 10:00am on the weekends because it gets skied down to "Pocono Powder" (read ice)and the lines are long by that time. People who love high speed lifts will stand in line 20 minutes for a 5 minute ride to the top when you can be at the top at Elk in less than 15 minutes and that's only if there is a line. Elk also has a better variety of trails than any area in PA with no flat runout like Blue and Camelback. It's worth the extra drive.

Any word on how the water park is doing in their first full season?

I skied Tanglewood with my daughter who is a low intermediate two seasons ago. Nothing for experts but a great little family place. It was very uncrowded for Christmas week, and grooming and conditions were very good. No lift lines. I recommend places like Tanglewood, Alpine Mountain, Eagle Rock, and Ski Big Bear to people who are taking their kids skiing for the first time or who are low level skiers. Those skiers aren't skiing black diamonds anyway and would avoid the crowds of the Camelback's and Blue's. They just have to figure out how to market themselves to those type of skiers. Tanglewood is essentially on Lake Wallenpaupack. There are a lot of vacation homes there. They need to market to those people in the summer to get them to come and ski in the winter. I hope they make it as a ski area.

I don't have any figures but I think they must have seen a rise in attendance with the good snow years they had the last two years. Plus the word is getting out about Plattekill's terrain and vibe. Glad to see they're adding snowmaking capacity for the lean years and to get a base down on more trails for when they do get the natural. Plattekill rocks!

Belleayre has maybe 100 more vertical feet off the Super Chief. No one on here is going to ski the beginners area below that. Plattekill has zero flat runout. Belleayre has better snowmaking but when it snows Plattekill is the place to go. If you count the time standing in line, you'll get to the top faster at Plattekill than on Belle's HSQ. And the trails will be less crowded and less skied off on the way down at Plattekill. Plattekill has to compete against state owned Belleayre who gives away tickets and offers big discounts. Plattekill has a lot of special deal days and discounts. The little more you may pay at Plattekill is worth it for the terrain, the vibe, and to support a guy who loves running his ski area and is working like crazy to make it even better. Depending in the way you go, it may be 20 minutes farther to Plattekill but you'll get more runs in on better terrain at Plattekill. Never mind. Go to Belleayre. I enjoy looking at it from the top of Plattekill and thinking that I'm glad I'm not there standing in line while I'm skiing a better mountain with better conditions and less crowds. Plattekill rocks.

Nice to see you posting on here Harv. From the hint I'm guessing Big Tupper? They look to be in good shape and not that old. Go Lazlo! I never understand why people will go to Belleayre when they could go right down the road to Plattekill for better terrain, less crowds, and a great vibe. Love the lodge. It is hard to get there from PA. There is no real direct route. But once you get there it's worth it.

They used to use old brochures for trailmaps. They cut off the top and the bottom is the map. That's the map I have that calls it the North Face Express. Maybe they still use some of these for trail maps. Despite the lifts there are no lines and great terrain.

I have an older trail map that shows the T-bar and the Northface Double Chair. On the older map the Northface Double was called the Northface Express but it is not a high speed lift. Installing that(second hand)lift was one of the first big things that the current owner did. It took a few a years as they had the money. I agree with GSS, I'm sure a high speed lift is not on the top of their priority list. They added snowmaking last year and in spite of good snow the last two years I would think that adding more snowmaking would be a priority before adding a high speed lift. They're only open Friday thru Sunday except during holiday periods. The owner and his family took a trip to Jay Peak after Plattekill closed this year. He said he has tram envy after that trip. A great guy competing against state run ski areas that give tickets away. Support him and make a trip to Plattekill next season. Great terrain and great vibe. Here's a link to his Jay Peak blog: Lazlo's Jay Peak Report

Ended mine Sunday, May 22nd at Arapahoe Basin with 6" of fresh powder. Warmed up in the afternoon but the conditions were great. They plan to stay open until June 19th. Lenawee Lift Line Top of the Front Side Montezuma Bowl with Keystone and Breckenridge in the background Nice soft bumps The Beach Loveland Pass on the way home

Because what GSS said made a lot of sense. Anyone who thinks we are paying only $4.00/gal. is an idiot. How many BILLIONS did the wars in the Middle East cost us? That all of us pay for and our kids will be paying for; not the oil companies, but they sure profited from it while getting tax cuts at the same time. Seen their profit statements lately? The same people that want to keep us on fossil fuels, pay for propaganda and junk science to discredit global warming, and give tax breaks to billionaires while the middle class suffers. Think your vote counts? The next Presidential election is going to cost a $1 billion. How much are you donating? And if you don't think the wars were about oil....how many poor African countries are we "fighting for freedom" in? Get off the oil and they'd go back to throwing sticks and stones at each other. If you're a teacher and all you can think about is cheap gas for you and not a bit about how the world works, the bigger picture, and how we'll deal with things once the ruling class has rung every last cent out of their obsolete industries, well there isn't much hope for the future.

You meant to hit your forehead with the back of your hand when you said that, right? Because if you didn't you'd be the first "idiot" teacher that I would vote to lose their collective bargaining rights and to get fired for being an "idiot". Follow the money trail.......Idiot.

Gad 2 was already closed for the season and Gadzoom closed Sunday. Don't know why they close Peruvian then reopen it on May 13th. Maybe they close the tram on the 13th and use Peruvian and the tunnel instead?

You would really like Snowbird. You can do a long weekend in Utah easy. The Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon areas are only 45 minutes from the airport and there are great ski and stay deals down in the Valley. Takes 30 minutes tops to get to any of the resorts. You can't stay closer unless you stay at the resorts and there are regular restaraunts with regular prices close by. It's nice to have a car but you don't need one. The hotels will pick you up at the airport and the ski bus is usually included with the ski & stay packages. I got a great deal this weekend. No ski packages this late but found a great hotel that includes a hot breakfast and a "light" dinner as well. Also has an indoor pool. PM me if someone is planning a budget trip next year and I can give some recommendations. Oh yeah; Love Southwest. Skis fly free. Might not be any powder but you never know. There will be plenty of snow left. The base is really deep. Post some pics when you get back. There is some really good stuff off of the Gad 2 chair as well. I was there on a powder day last year and everyone headed to Mineral Basin. Gad 2 area was empty and there is a lot of really good stuff over there. I could have stayed over there all day with fresh tracks but it was my first time there and I wanted to check out the rest of the place.

Great Western Lift was closed. Looks like lots of great stuff up there. The glades were crunchy in the morning but the new snow made them really nice. But Brighton still doesn't compare to Alta or Snowbird.

Woke up this morning and the sun was out. Forecast had called for rain in the valley and a few inches of snow in the mountains. Got to Snowbird a little before 9:00 with blue skies and no wind. Loaded up on the sunscreen, bought my spring special $64.00 ticket including the tram, and took the tram to the top. 28 degrees at the top and felt like 50. Looked into Mineral Basin and knew where I was heading. There was an inch of fresh powder on top. Spent most of the morning there just rotating around the basin. They groom a couple ways down but otherwise you just pick a path and ski. Just avoid the cliffs! Headed to the lodge and had lunch outside on the deck. Got in the tram in sun and got out in clouds. It started snowing a little while later. Spent most of the afternoon skiing off the Gadzoom Lift because it was cloudy up top and the light was really flat. Snow had gotten wetter with the warmth towards the bottom and was really nice carving snow. But check out the photo with the thermometer. No wonder they get so much snow out here. 58 degrees and snowing. And it wasn't a wet snow either. No big flakes. Same old small powder flakes. Yes those white spots in the photo are snow flakes. Snowed for about and hour and never turned to rain. Limited lifts but almost everything was accessable except for trails and glades off the Gad 2 Lift. Peruvian Lift and the tunnel were closed but are listed as reopening May 13th. Everything else closes tomorrow except for the tram, Mineral Basin Express, and the beginners Chickadee lift and they have tons of snow everywhere. Got to give them credit though. Last open in UT. Planning on closing Memorial Day and reopening for the 4th of July if weather permits. Snowbird is my favorite of any place I've skied so far. They have everthing from open bowls, to glades, to chutes, to wide trails, to narrow trails. The easiest way down from the top is one blue trail and sections of it are not an easy blue. Realized I need to add captions to the photos. Blue sky morning view of Salt Lake City from the top Heading to Mineral Basin Looking up from halfway down Mineral Basin Looking down from halfway down Mineral Basin View of Little Cottonwood Canyon Lunch on the Deck. GSS, It was a grilled cheeseburger, Lays Sourcream & Onion Baked chips, and a Gatorade Natural Halfpipe Little Cloud Lift View of the Main Base from the Gad Valley area 58 degrees and snowing!

Skied Brighton Saturday because I hadn't been to either of the Big Cottonwood Canyon areas and Solitude closed last weekend. Started snowing as I passed Solitude. Arrived at the lodge at 8:50 and parked in the first row near the lodge. All the areas here open at 9:00 even on weekends which is Ok with me since I got in from Moab late Friday night. First lift was Majestic because it was closest to the lodge, a fixed grip quad. One of the ssslllooowwwwest quads I ever rode. Thought it was going to be closing time before I got to the top. Conditions were fresh soft cord with a dusting of powder on top. Temp was 26 at the base and it felt a lot colder up top. No wind. The morning was mostly clouds with some sun but snowing lightly the whole time. I put sunscreen on because I didn't want to get fried like I did at Mt. Rose. The woods and off piste were crusty powder but everything else was great. The Scree Slope was cut up powder but skied well. After lunch the snow picked up and after 2:00 it really started dumping. So much so you had to brush yourself off when you got off the lift. So much for expecting spring conditions. The conditions just got better as the day went on. It was amazing how much easier it was to ski the off piste stuff with 2 to 3 inches of fresh powder. Saw a lot of people heading into the glades when no one was in them in the morning. All in all one of the best days of the season. In spite of that I wasn't impressed with Brighton. A lot of flat areas in the middle of the mountain and no sustained steeps. The Great Western Express lift was closed and that is where the steep stuff is. I bet they open it tomorrow with the new snow. But even the blues on the other peaks would be greens at Okemo or Stratton. The snow base is really deep and only three areas in the SLC area are still open. Alta and Brighton close tomorrow. Snowbird will be the only one left.

Toast, Please remember to send some reports and photos from the trip. Most people in the States have no idea how most of the rest of the world lives. There'd be a lot less complaining if they did and they wouldn't give a $h!t what Snooky or Lindsay Lohan were doing.

Thanks for the info. I'm flying Southwest so I think I'll take my skis with me and check the weather as it gets closer. Nothing on the calender for Sunday so I'd be heading up to the mountains anyway. I have a party to go to Saturday night so I don't know how early I'll get there.