Very Brief TR 1/14/08

[snoskier]

I was up last at the mountain and the skiing was great. At least 2

[Ski]

Thanks for the TR

[Melissa]

Great news! I'm heading up tonight after work... hope they blew snow! It was 27 degrees when I got in my car this morning (around 8am), so I am thinking it was probably cold enough, but their website doesn't say anything about making snow...

[Ski]

Great news! I'm heading up tonight after work... hope they blew snow! It was 27 degrees when I got in my car this morning (around 8am), so I am thinking it was probably cold enough, but their website doesn't say anything about making snow...

I wouldn't count on snowmaking last night. The majority of the new guns require a lower wet bulb temp and it was marginal last night. They could have fired the HKD style one's that look like dragons, but they aren't set up for the majority of coverage. The upside is that when it is cold enough, the guns produce almost twice the snow at a much higher quality. It may suck when temps are marginal and it can leave a bad impression of missed snowmaking days, but it's the reason the NF was nearly perfect despite the 60 degree days.

[Melissa]

I wouldn't count on snowmaking last night. The majority of the new guns require a lower wet bulb temp and it was marginal last night. They could have fired the HKD style one's that look like dragons, but they aren't set up for the majority of coverage. The upside is that when it is cold enough, the guns produce almost twice the snow at a much higher quality. It may suck when temps are marginal and it can leave a bad impression of missed snowmaking days, but it's the reason the NF was nearly perfect despite the 60 degree days.

 

Humidity is such a pain. I decided to look up wet bulb temperatures, and I found this, in case anyone is curious:

 

http://www.snowathome.com/pdf/wet_bulb_chart_fahrenheit.pdf

[xNick11]

I was up last night also. I have midterms all this week, but I didn't have school today because all the teachers in the Scranton area had an inservice, so I rode from 2-10 last night. The conditions in the park were so much better when me and only a few other people were riding it. You would land in fresh pow on the landings. It was nice, but as the night went on all the powder got packed in but the landings were still nice.

 

Were suppose to get snow on Thursday. Hopefully we can get the same type of snow then as we did last night.

 

 

Humidity is such a pain. I decided to look up wet bulb temperatures, and I found this, in case anyone is curious:

 

http://www.snowathome.com/pdf/wet_bulb_chart_fahrenheit.pdf

The snow makers said they were going to try to blow last night. I don't know much about snowmaking, but that looks like a legit chat. In the snowmaking building the snowmakers have a computer that tells the temps of the 3 areas of the mountain, along with the humidity of those parts. Im sure they take the temp and humidity and use a chart like the one you posted to decide wether they can make snow or not.

[Melissa]

To play Devils advocate, why would a PA ski area buy snowguns that require a lower wetbulb temperature??? Blue made snow all night and into the morning on several trails and I assume they're warmer than Sno...

 

They need to get moving for the Thursday night race league..

 

Edit: even Bear Creek blew snow last night..

 

Although I love that Sno has all new super awesome snow guns, I do agree with this. I'm new to Scranton, but it doesn't get THAT cold here... I mean, I guess it's like what Ski said... they require colder temperatures but their output is better.

[Ski]

To play Devils advocate, why would a PA ski area buy snowguns that require a lower wetbulb temperature??? Blue made snow all night and into the morning on several trails and I assume they're warmer than Sno...

 

They need to get moving for the Thursday night race league..

 

Edit: even Bear Creek blew snow last night..

 

Well, they do have both types. The HKD style are scattered around the mountain. They line the bottom of Smoke and there are some at the top of the Iron Horse. The big Polecats worked perfectly for the NF---you just couldn't have asked for better conditions on the NF following the heat. They pumped out an immense amount of snow on the NF headwalls. They also piled huge amounts for the big terrain park. So do you sprinkle the entire mountain with a little snow when it's 30 degrees, or do you bury the important trails when it's 25 degrees?

 

The guns on the race course have been ready to turn on...they can hit it in one night.

 

A real problem, though, is that nobody around here is showing up to buy enough tickets to justify worrying about the slopes on the east side. If there are 200 people on Challenge, there are just 5 people on Boomer. Blue needs to spread people out, but that's sure not an issue at Sno. All day on Saturday and Sunday, the small group of race parents I ski with had White Lightning all to ourselves. Every once in a while we'd have to wait for a couple of people to clear the bottom steep part, but we just waited a minute and took in the view.

 

I don't know why people aren't here in droves, but it's not my deal to worry about. I'm relishing the amazing conditions and the empty slopes. This has been the best ski season I've ever had in the Poconos. Could you just imagine what would happen to a group of 6, 7, and 8 yr old kids doing laps down Marjie's or Rocket on holiday weekends at CB in a snake formation? They'd be bowled over one by one by a guy named Vinny from Staten Island.

 

IDK, but I hear people like Rob mocking---if not gloating---about a perceived problem at Sno. But fuck it. I'm a skier, not an owner. I'll let the bookeeper and Rob worry about paying for the new deck chairs. What a stupid waste of time for the rest of us to waste time trying to apologize for having the best conditions in the Poconos. Corduroy on a black diamond at 1pm on a sunny Saturday...who cares why it's still there?

[Papasteeze]

I hear people like Rob mocking---if not gloating---about a perceived problem at Sno. But fuck it. I'm a skier, not an owner. I'll let the bookeeper and Rob worry about paying for the new deck chairs.

 

They only need to buy one deck chair cause there is only one ass at Sno to sit it in it.

[method9455]

To play Devils advocate, why would a PA ski area buy snowguns that require a lower wetbulb temperature??? Blue made snow all night and into the morning on several trails and I assume they're warmer than Sno...

 

They need to get moving for the Thursday night race league..

 

Edit: even Bear Creek blew snow last night..

 

They made the right decision, even if they lose a few hours here and there, it makes up for it overall compared to the old style guns. When you are running them you are putting out so much more snow that it ends up being a lot more total. It is fewer dollars per cubic yard of snow, so you end up with more snow on the hill for the budget. And when you get the temperatures and you want to open a trail, you can quick. The snow quality is undoubtedly better too. We're talking 2-3 degrees difference, what kind of snow would the other mountains be putting out during that time? Not much since you are using so much air compared to water in conditions where mix guns can run and fan guns can't.

[trackbiker]

A real problem, though, is that nobody around here is showing up to buy enough tickets to justify worrying about the slopes on the east side.

 

I don't know why people aren't here in droves, but it's not my deal to worry about. IDK,

 

I think they might have more people if they had the east side open. When people who haven't been there look at a conditions report and see those trails not open, they think that there is more to ski at other places.

Most of them wouldn't be taking too many of those 11 minute rides on Long Haul more than once anyway, but they don't know that because they've never been there. Sno is really like 2 ski areas. The Upper Mountain and the North Face.

 

Every other area has a higher percentage of terrain open. I know they blew those huge piles for the park, but like GSS said a while back, maybe they need to refocus their snowmaking.

Maybe they're plan is to sandbag on the east side this year, and wait until they have a new lift, some new top-to-bottom trails, and better lighting next year, and then put out a big marketing campaign?

[Ski]

O.K. but last weekend I skied Sno on Saturday and Blue on Sunday and Blue had way way way way more base and alot more trails open..

With hundreds of people on every fucking trail at Blue, I bet. No thanks.

[Ski]

I like Sno and I want them to do well but they need to get their shit together. Oh yeah and Nastar should be on a slope with some pitch

 

It's NASTAR, Doug. It's for people to have fun with their entire families. I've heard people complain that the ramp and headwall on Blue's course is too steep, which defeats the purpose of NASTAR.

 

The USSA course is on Smoke.

[toast21602]

That's an exaggeration...I know you're not an early bird but the 7:30AM opening is mad steezy and I get more vert in 2 hours at Blue as 5 hours at Sno...If Sno had a high speed lift for the Northface and one replacing the Long Haul..it would make Sno so much better..creaky old lifts are so 1987

 

its the truth. as long as you are there early on the weekends, or before 3 during the week its going to be good skiing.

[Ski]

That's an exaggeration...I know you're not an early bird but the 7:30AM opening is mad steezy and I get more vert in 2 hours at Blue as 5 hours at Sno...If Sno had a high speed lift for the Northface and one replacing the Long Haul..it would make Sno so much better..creaky old lifts are so 1987

It's still a shorter time to get up the hill at Sno than at Blue when you consider the lift lines, now isn't it?

 

its the truth. as long as you are there early on the weekends, or before 3 during the week its going to be good skiing.

So Blue's not crowded at 1pm on Saturdays? IDK, if Blue is anywhere close to CB's weekend crowds, I'll pass.

 

Enjoy the uncrowded slopes..

We do.

[toast21602]

So Blue's not crowded at 1pm on Saturdays? IDK, if Blue is anywhere close to CB's weekend crowds, I'll pass.

 

didnt i say EARLY on the weekends? 1pm is not early.

[Ski]

didnt i say EARLY on the weekends? 1pm is not early.

Toast, I don't wanna rag on Blue. Blue's a great mountain. I've always said it has awesome fall lines and I've had great times there. I just hate the crowds and I happen to love my home hill. I loved Montage with all its idiotic quirks and now we have so much more with the new owners. Is it perfect? Pffffttt...but it fits our needs perfectly.

[toast21602]

i know. i'm just saying that if you actually get to the mountain at a reasonable time you will see that it has more to offer than when people show up along with the rest of the weekend warriors or highschoolers and slice the shit out of it because they dont know what the hell they are doing. all mountains have different issues, but in Blue's situation, a lot of the problems they have that people complain about (crowds, grooming, park) can be alleviated by getting there at a reasonable hour.

[Ski]

i know. i'm just saying that if you actually get to the mountain at a reasonable time you will see that it has more to offer than when people show up along with the rest of the weekend warriors or highschoolers and slice the shit out of it because they dont know what the hell they are doing. all mountains have different issues, but in Blue's situation, a lot of the problems they have that people complain about (crowds, grooming, park) can be alleviated by getting there at a reasonable hour.

But when you are a parent of kids on a team, you don't have the luxury of skiing around the crowds. That's what made CB such hell for me---if it weren't for Sib, I'd have gone nuts having to be there every weekend from 7:30am until 3pm.

 

Not to sound too much like a whiney bitch, but I also probably migrated toward Montage/Sno because I had to work weekends at Mount Snow and Hunter, which are two of the most crowded resorts in America...

[toast21602]

in your situation, as a parent of a child on a team, no, you dont have the luxury of skiing around the crowds. i'm just putting that out there, that in general, most problems and complaints can be completely forgotten about if people get there at a reasonable time.

 

You should have migrated to Blue, not Montage, because then i would be able to race you and take your skis.

 

[method9455]

1pm is not early but as a kid a "half day" for us was first chair to 1 oclock. For those of us with long drives, if you can only enjoy skiing for 2 hours what the hell is the point? Sure you can crank out a bunch of laps but if I'm going to go 2 days a week I'm going to do more than 2 hours a day. So I'd rather go somewhere that is going to hold up even if the drive is further (belleayre, sno) or the lifts are slower (jfbb, sno, belleayre), because you enjoy it for more time. I spend enough time fighting crowds of people all week I don't want to on the weekends. When you look back its "Man wasn't that a great day of skiing?" not "man wasn't that a great 20,000 vertical feet of skiing?". I don't really find vertical passed to be a measure of fun or of amount of skiing. Do you multiply the vert by 2 if it is a powder day? Or if it was, why would I ever want to do glades or bumps when I could be ripping corduroy? I prefer enjoying 6-8 hours slowly on the hill instead of just getting a teenage quickie in before the crowds show up.

 

That being said - I can't imagine Blue can come anywhere near as bad as Camelback, which itself is not even an inconvience compared to Mountain Creek. Until you have seen a 25 minute line to get on the gondola at mountain creek mid day on the weekends, don't complain about lines. I've never waited more than 4 or 5 minutes for a lift at camelback.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Method9455

[Ski]

Method: Belleayre is my second fav mountain. PASR day this spring, right?

 

 

 

in your situation, as a parent of a child on a team, no, you dont have the luxury of skiing around the crowds. i'm just putting that out there, that in general, most problems and complaints can be completely forgotten about if people get there at a reasonable time.

 

You should have migrated to Blue, not Montage, because then i would be able to race you and take your skis.

 

 

Hmmm...Doug sure does make the Big A sound like a great place to live

[toast21602]

hahahaa. you could come live by me, 8 minutes from Blue, out in the country. not in the mighty mighty A.

[Ski]

Ha, you're screwing with my hyperbole. We actually did look at houses around Blue before we bought up here. Too much $...

[toast21602]

Blue sucks anyway... if you buy me a house up near Sno i'll ski there with ya.