julz m Posted March 10, 2009 Report Posted March 10, 2009 i might take my FIRST trip to JF. my dad and i might get season tickets to a mountain next year and it is pretty much in between Camelback and JFBB. we were thinking of heading up. what has the snow been like and what are predictions for the snow on saturday? Quote
Robert2 Posted March 10, 2009 Report Posted March 10, 2009 i might take my FIRST trip to JF. my dad and i might get season tickets to a mountain next year and it is pretty much in between Camelback and JFBB. we were thinking of heading up. what has the snow been like and what are predictions for the snow on saturday? THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE WORST TIME of the year to ask the question of WHAT IS THE SNOW LIKE. Don't base your decision about what mountain to buy a season pass...based on conditions this week or this weekend. In the last 7 days we have seen huge weather changes. Last Monday we had blizzard whiteout conditions with 6 inches of fresh powder. The very next day...ALL that powder was groomed flat into really nice riding corduroy. We had temps on the 20s most of last week and this week is 50 degrees in the daytime and 20s at night. This makes for some really bad news for grooming but you may be surprised. Tomorrow morning at 6AM the temperature in BLAKESLEE PA will be 27 degrees. That means the snowpack will firm up real nice and be groomable. We are in a warm spell that is cooling by the weekend so winter isn't quite over yet. Friday is going to be high 30s and low 20s which means riding conditions should be excellent all weekend. Today the surface was soft and rode like last Monday's 6 inches of fresh snow. Totally mindblowing considering it just rained here for 3 days straight. I expected nothing but blue ice everywhere today. Quote
jordan Posted March 10, 2009 Report Posted March 10, 2009 The very next day...ALL that powder was groomed flat into really nice riding corduroy. lawlz every time I start to think that PA ski areas may be starting to "get it", i read posts like this and once again lose all faith in PA ski areas... Quote
Robert2 Posted March 10, 2009 Report Posted March 10, 2009 lawlzevery time I start to think that PA ski areas may be starting to "get it", i read posts like this and once again lose all faith in PA ski areas... Whats to get? We do not get great snow all that much so we have to groom everyday everywhere and today's snowfall is usually total crap to ride on the next day so YES grooming after a storm is GOOD. Last year we had 6 inches of snow fall in two hours and everyone was stoked big time. Within 2 hours we had ripples , ruts, bumps, pounded in all the hills and then all riding sucked for the rest of the night because it was like driving a car with no shocks on a country road. The next morning...all that snow was groomed flat into cord and rode great all day. Good grooming is THE reason to ride in PA. Quote
jordan Posted March 10, 2009 Report Posted March 10, 2009 Whats to get?We do not get great snow all that much so we have to groom everyday everywhere and today's snowfall is usually total crap to ride on the next day so YES grooming after a storm is GOOD. Last year we had 6 inches of snow fall in two hours and everyone was stoked big time. Within 2 hours we had ripples , ruts, bumps, pounded in all the hills and then all riding sucked for the rest of the night because it was like driving a car with no shocks on a country road. The next morning...all that snow was groomed flat into cord and rode great all day. Good grooming is THE reason to ride in PA. I would rather have ripples, bumps, and ruts than a groomer, especially right after a storm, soft bumps and crud are still much better than a boring groomer. I understand that some people like groomers, but they don't need to groom the entire mountain. I actually enjoy groomers once in a while, but after about two runs, they get boring as hell. Quote
Robert2 Posted March 10, 2009 Report Posted March 10, 2009 I would rather have ripples, bumps, and ruts than a groomer, especially right after a storm, soft bumps and crud are still much better than a boring groomer. I understand that some people like groomers, but they don't need to groom the entire mountain. I actually enjoy groomers once in a while, but after about two runs, they get boring as hell. [/quote hahahahahahahahahahahaha The problem is that the day after a snowfall may be a freezing temp night and then all those footy craters and and ripples turn into sharp gopher holes which trap skiers and hurt people. So too bad for you you'd rather have ripples. The rest of of appreciate the grooming. Quote
julz m Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Posted March 10, 2009 Don't base your decision about what mountain to buy a season pass...based on conditions this weekor this weekend. do you honestly think i am going to base my decision on what the conditions will be like THIS WEEK!!?!?? obviously not. i dont know what the terrain is like, how the lifts are, and the general jive of the mountain. i just want to get out late in the season. i rode at BB multiple times this season, along with other places such as camelback, Sno, and blue. i know what ski conditions in pa are like. i am not going to get there and be like "wow this snow must always be this shitty because i am sure that the temperature up in the poconos is ALWAYS in the high fifties and it is so OBVIOUS that this snow is never groomed, fresh, or fast." :P Quote
Robert2 Posted March 10, 2009 Report Posted March 10, 2009 do you honestly think i am going to base my decision on what the conditions will be like THIS WEEK!!?!??obviously not. That's cool. You didn't say much about what you are looking for in a season pass ski resort when you started this thread. You just said you may get out this weekend. The bottom line when choosing where to get your season pass is will you get to use it or will it be a waste of your money. JFBB opens first, closes last, and makes sure you have something to ride on when you get here. I go 5 days a week from open till close of the season and choose JFBB over Blue while the boys at Blue cry and whine about Blue's conditions and SP staff. Camelback is a net for New Yorkers and you can have that mess. Its just not for me. Quote
snomakerglenn Posted March 10, 2009 Report Posted March 10, 2009 (edited) Just got in, it was nice spring conditions. It's supposed to freeze every night this week, so you could expect frozen cord in the AM that will soften as day goes by. Should be super nice. Edited March 10, 2009 by snomakerglenn Quote
julz m Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Posted March 10, 2009 sounds fast and fun! i think for me a season pass will pay off in like 8 or 9 times. you also get 4 free tickets if you buy it soon--you could make close to 200 dollars selling those in the parking lot! Quote
jordan Posted March 10, 2009 Report Posted March 10, 2009 hahahahahahahahahahahahaThe problem is that the day after a snowfall may be a freezing temp night and then all those footy craters and and ripples turn into sharp gopher holes which trap skiers and hurt people. So too bad for you you'd rather have ripples. The rest of of appreciate the grooming. freezing temps don't turn snow into ice, they only turn water into ice. snow stays snow unless it really warms up then refreezes. Quote
phillycore Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 Julz.... If you really want to compare JFBB to Camelback than you need to answer these questions... Do you mainly ride weekdays or weekends... Weekend crowds at Camelback are HORRIBLE, and anything close to a holiday CB is basically unbearable... CB is bigger and the lifts are a lot quicker, but if you are skiing weekends mainly than JFBB is going to win hands down as the amount of extra time spent on a lift is still shorter than the amount of time waiting to get on one at CB. If you are going to ski mainly weekdays, than CB is a serious option... the runs are longer, and overall it's a nice mountain. Now you can ski CB on weekends if you are there for first tracks and don't mind bolting out around 10am when the crowds come rolling on in. JFBB is going to open first and close last so you may potentially get 2 extra weekends out of your pass... CB has been doing one hell of a job keeping their mountain open long as well so it's almost equal... If you enjoy anything off piste than JFBB is going to beat anywhere in the area based on the fact that they are the only ones around with an open terrain policy. If you don't mind running trails all day then that is not going to be a plus... If vertical feet and long runs are more important than CB is going to win hands down... Snow quality.... JFBB wins....the snow they blow is just different than the others for some reason... I can't explain it, but if you've skied the others and then come ski JFBB on a comparitive day than you'll notice the difference... Terrain parks... well CB and Boulder are both park oriented and I'll let the park rats handle those comparisions... At the early season rates you can't go wrong at either.....honestly... I will say that my personal preferences are this... Snow Quality - JFBB Variety of terrain - Camelback Value for your dollar - JFBB Ability to ski anything with snow on it - JFBB Ski Lifts - Camelback Parking - Camelback Services - Equal Customer service - JFBB Difficulty of terrain - Camelback (on piste only) Grooming - JFBB Quote
Robert2 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 freezing temps don't turn snow into ice, they only turn water into ice. snow stays snow unless it really warms up then refreezes. Big Boulder is a great example of quick set concrete boiler plate ice. The temperature can hover just above freezing all day or during a snowstorm and then the sun sets about 5PM and the temperature drops and fast. All the little footy craters and ripples in the snow then freeze solid by 7PM. I taught snowboarding lessons to school bus loads of kids on that stuff. You had to watch every step or else you'd trip bad. The bottom line here is that surface is terrible and needs to be reshaped the next day and the JFBB groomers have done a great job with making great rideable snow EVERY day. Quote
bigdaddyk Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 ...Snow quality.... JFBB wins....the snow they blow is just different than the others for some reason... I can't explain it, but if you've skied the others and then come ski JFBB on a comparitive day than you'll notice the difference... I've skied other places, then JF on the same day. The snow is drier and doesn't have as much water content at JF, as other places. The snow seems to be heavier, at other places than JF (except for Elk). I'm sure the colder temps and fan guns have something to do with it (along with the cold water from the Lehigh). Quote
RajeevGuptaSucheeta Posted March 11, 2009 Report Posted March 11, 2009 yes yes I make good goat you can now make good goat with my recipe Quote
julz m Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Posted March 11, 2009 i think i made my decision! my dad and i would take less crowds over bigger runs anyday. the lifts may be slower but i would rather have no wait and a 10 minute lift ride then a 9 minute wait and a 1 minute ride haha (that was an exageration but you get the point). i think i will be up at JF this saturday depending on if my dad is willing to shovel out some dough :/ Quote
bigdaddyk Posted March 12, 2009 Report Posted March 12, 2009 have fun..it's springtime so I wouldn't expect liftlines anywhere.. x 2 Quote
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