Day 22 - Stratton

Just fuck me. It's only my arm so I'm hoping I can at least salvage AK, BC, and MT.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 21 - Stratton

Perhaps the best ski day in the rain I've ever had. Out 9:15 to 1:30 with a ½ hour coffee break; rain with temps in the mid-thirties; surprised how calm it was down low given the howling, south wind over the top of the mountain; skied the SkiLogik Customs; 19 runs; 26,750 vertical; perfectly groomed, rain soaked corduroy anytime I wanted it all day long; never skied Polar Bear so smooth for so long; today Stratton was my private mountain - talked to the lift attendant on Ursa at 12:30 and asked how many people were still out... his answer: 5; loved being able to scope out my tracks from previous runs; starting to really like the SkiLogik's.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 20 - Killington

Post World Cup skiing with the Radvanyis. Out 9:00 to 2:30 with a no coffee, coffee break at the peak lodge; sunny with temps around 30°; 21 runs; 19,000 vertical; skied the Blizzard Brahma #1's; lots of snow snowmaking, so conditions were pretty good, but no Superstar though; had a real nice day with Chris, Trev, and Christine; very exciting weekend watching the Women's World Cup Races - those girls can definitely ski.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 19 - Stratton

Opening Day at Stratton. Out 9:00 to 11:00 no break; temps right at or just above freezing with and on and off light rain or snow depending on elevation; broke out my new Fischer RC4 GS Cheater 18's - man are they rocket ships; 11 runs; 12,750 vertical; soft snow with 4 top to bottom options - I stuck to Polar Bear and North American; plenty of people out this morning with more streaming in as I left; off till Monday in order to watch the World Cup at K !!!



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 18 - Okemo

Thankful that my back feels much better today! Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a ½ hour coffee break; cloudy with temps around freezing and no real wind to speak of; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; 16 runs; 23,000 vertical; with yesterday's traffic and an overnight grooming conditions improved from yesterday; very few people on the hill today; lapping Noreaster and World Cup in sync with fellow MAX Passers Ross and his daughter Melania.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 17 - Okemo

Finally, something other than Rime! Out 9:00 to 1:45 with an hour for lunch in the bar; very windy with temps in the twenties and a stubborn cloud hanging over the top of the mountain; skied the SkiLogic Customs; 15 runs; 21,000 vertical; opening day at Okemo, mostly firm with all sorts of variable snow and terrain; fair number of people for opening bell, but with the amount of open terrain people spread out quickly then disappeared; Noreaster and World Cup were both open; still love the 6-pack bubble lift with the heated seats; the firm snow made my back hurt a little by the end of the day.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 16 - Killington

Repeat of yesterday. Caught 'first chair', but immediately retreated to the Peak Lodge to wait out the crowd over a few leisurely cups of coffee; cloudy, windy, and cold; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's - the guys at Peak did an excellent job fixing these skis after last week's digger; 10 runs; big crowd - lift line finally died around noon; conditions are OK - still quite a few rocks though; still using the stairs :( ; Okemo tomorrow.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 15 - Killington

Arrived in plenty of time for first chair, but waited till 11:30 to hit the hill to allow the hordes to dissipate a little; 20° snowing and windy with 3"+ overnight and 10" since Saturday; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; 11 runs; the snow was thoroughly polished by the time I got out; KMS on holiday, but just about every other ski academy on the east coast was out this morning; lift line was very manageable by the time I was out; spent the morning in KBL talking over coffee with Karen, Doug, and Tom; destroyed today's skis skiing T2B on a closed trail - dumb; skiing OK; feeling OK.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 14 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 11:45; temps quickly rising well past 50° with bright sunshine and no wind; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; 16 runs; morning chunks got hacked and scraped and pushed into some piles by the time I left; lots of people on the hill, but never much of a lift line; the variability in conditions today never made for a good feel; hopefully last time I'll need to use my Killington Express Pass this year.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 13 - Killington

On the hill 9:00 to 12:00; temps rising past 40° with an in and out K Cloud and at time a pretty strong breeze; skied the 2015 Volkl Race Tiger SL World Cups; 20 runs; overnight grooming quickly gave way to a deep heavy layer of mush; things look ugly - lots of rocks and bare spots; not much of a lift line, but lots of people on the hill; sick of Rime; over the past couple of weeks Karen's given me a couple of things to focus on for engaging cleanly and effectively at the top of the turn: 1) patience, wait and build max pressure in the apex zone 2) make sure to move the hips across the direction of travel toward the inside of the next turn during crossover, this will position the hips further inside as you build max pressure in the apex zone... I see this one as a precursor to 'low to go'.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 12 - Killington

Twenty is plenty. Out 9:00 to 12:00; rain overnight stopped just in time for first chair - temps in the low forties with the hill totally enveloped in the cloud layer - last night's strong wind subsided as well - rain restarted just as I was leaving; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; 20 runs; no grooming overnight; snow surface today held up well - not exactly firm, but I was expecting total mush; some thin spots poking through on Rime; skiing OK; feeling OK.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 11 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 12:00; 45° with crystal clear skies to start, but clouds moved in quickly and my day ended in a light drizzle; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's again despite yesterday's damage; 19 runs; big crowd as everybody came out early to beat the incoming rain; a little more moisture in the granular snow made conditions a little better today; this date last year was my day 1; 10 days ahead of last year's pace.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 10 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 12:30 without a break; brilliant sunshine with temps rising into the forties and a little wind; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; 22 runs; last night grooming never really froze, so it quickly became thick granular - skiable, but heavy none the less; good sized crowd, however never more than a few people in line; destroyed today's skis :(



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 9 - Killington

OK, yesterday wasn't really crowded after all. Out 9:00 to 12:00; rain overnight ended as a few snow flurries up high this morning; windy with dropping temps and decreasing cloud cover; skied the Blizzard Brahma #1's with 2 day old wax; 12 runs; Upper Rime got scrapped down pretty quickly and left a good bit of deep granular on the ice base - yesterday's snowmaking on Lower Rime made for some great skiing today; tons of people and I mean tons - 5 minute plus lift lines all morning.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 8 - Killington

Busy day on the hill. Out 9:00 to 12:15; mostly sunny with temps in the mid-thirties and a little windy; skied the Blizzard Brahma #1's; 21 runs; plenty of guns on Upper Great Northern and Lower Rime although a few toward the bottom of Rime were turned off around 11:00; with KMS and the good weather there were plenty of people out all morning; with the cold weather overnight and the on-going snowmaking the variable conditions this morning got scrapped down pretty quickly; with the KSC building basically unavailable until after the World Cup I'm trying to stretch preped skis, so I used day old skis today.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 7 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 12:00; 45° with heavy fog, no wind and an on and off drizzle; skied the Blizzard Brahma #1's; 20 runs; despite the warm temps, conditions were fairly firm to start but softened up nicely; pretty good coverage remains on the open terrain; here's a picture of Upper East Fall from the chair - trust me it really is.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 6 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 11:15, no break; 47° in the parking lot; steady rain all morning; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; 13 runs; a little walking required on Upper Great Northern; coverage remains pretty good on Rime - everything else looks pretty ugly; just KMS and a few diehards out this morning; after skiing today and then driving all the way home, my right knee feels a little funky.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 5 - Killington

On the hill 9:00 to 12:00 without a break; temps in the mid-forties with an ever lowering K-Cloud and a light wind out of the SW; skied the Blizzard Brahma #1's; 20 runs; super soft conditions today; late arriving crowd, building to a small lift line by the time I left; lots of good skiers out today - Bob, Dave, Chelsea, Tucker, Karen, ...



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 4 - Killington

Bluebird! Out 9:00 to 12:00, no break; clear and cold overnight, with temps rising into the upper thirties by noon; this morning's corduroy was really just a thick layer of frozen granular rolled out flat; it took a little while till we finally got a couple of lines scraped down to a firm base; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; 20 runs; we got to ski Upper Great Northern down to Northridge this morning; skiing OK; feeling OK.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 3 - Killington

I just love surprise October snowstorms - 10"+ up top overnight! It wasn't exactly powder, but skiing 10" of cement is still damn fun. On the hill from 10:15 to 12:30 after a delayed opening on K-1 and an extra trip around in the box to retrieve my goggles from the car; 32° with a heavy, wet snow falling all day; skied the Blizzard Brahma #1's; 13 runs; a little more terrain open today - Upper Double Dipper and Upper Great Northern; unfortunately UGN didn't open until after I'd walked down the stairs; a lot tougher skiing all the new snow today than the groomed out snowmaking of the past couple of days; completely soaked by the time I quit.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 2 - Killington

Felt like winter today - some real nice skiing if you could handle all the guns. Out 9:00 to 11:30 without a break; started out with a high overcast, temps in the mid-twenties and a stiff breeze out of the SE - 32° snowing and windy when I left; 16 runs; skied the Rossignol Avenger 76 Ti's; snowmaking assault continues on Rime and Lower East Fall; conditions were stellar for early season - relatively flat with a nice grippy firmness to the surface; absolutely no thin spots - I could have skied the new Fischer RC4 The Curves; rain/snow forecast overnight - I'm expecting 3" of soup tomorrow morning.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 1 - Killington

Nice start to the ski season. On the Gondi right at 9:00, back in the car for the ride home by noon; carried my ski boots both ways on the stairs; decreasing overcast with temps rising toward 30° and a light wind - a little sun even peaked out as I was leaving; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; 11 runs; full on snowmaking on Rime continues; conditions were very good for early season - they rolled everything out overnight so it was relatively flat with a soft surface over a pretty firm base; coverage was excellent - by the time I left some small bumps were starting to form, but I didn't find a single thin spot; lots of people on the hill, but never a lift line of more than a couple of minutes; skied OK; skied the last 4 with GIS.


#justgivemeagroomer    

This Year's Master Plan

10/25/2016
10/26/2016 Killington, VT
10/27/2016 Killington, VT
10/28/2016 Killington, VT
10/29/2016
10/30/2016
10/31/2016
11/1/2016 Killington, VT
11/2/2016 Killington, VT
11/3/2016 Killington, VT
11/4/2016
11/5/2016
11/6/2016
11/7/2016
11/8/2016 Killington, VT
11/9/2016 Killington, VT
11/10/2016 Killington, VT
11/11/2016 Killington, VT
11/12/2016
11/13/2016
11/14/2016 Killington, VT
11/15/2016 Killington, VT
11/16/2016 Killington, VT
11/17/2016 Killington, VT
11/18/2016 Killington, VT
11/19/2016
11/20/2016
11/21/2016 Stratton, VT
11/22/2016 Stratton, VT
11/23/2016 Stratton, VT
11/24/2016 Stratton, VT
11/25/2016 Stratton, VT
11/26/2016
11/27/2016
11/28/2016 Okemo, VT
11/29/2016 Okemo, VT
11/30/2016 Okemo, VT
12/1/2016 Okemo, VT
12/2/2016 Okemo, VT
12/3/2016
12/4/2016
12/5/2016 Killington, VT
12/6/2016 Killington, VT
12/7/2016 Killington, VT
12/8/2016 Killington, VT
12/9/2016 Killington, VT
12/10/2016
12/11/2016
12/12/2016 Killington, VT
12/13/2016 Killington, VT
12/14/2016 Killington, VT
12/15/2016 Killington, VT
12/16/2016 Killington, VT
12/17/2016 Killington, VT
12/18/2016 Killington, VT
12/19/2016
12/20/2016 Sunapee, NH
12/21/2016 Wachusett Mtn, MA
12/22/2016 Pico, VT
12/23/2016 Pico, VT
12/24/2016 Sunapee, NH
12/25/2016 Pico, VT
12/26/2016 Sunapee, NH
12/27/2016 Pico, VT
12/28/2016 Pico, VT
12/29/2016
12/30/2016 Mountain Creek, NJ
12/31/2016
1/1/2017 Greek Peak, NY
1/2/2017
1/3/2017 Montage, PA
1/4/2017
1/5/2017 Montage, PA
1/6/2017
1/7/2017
1/8/2017
1/9/2017 Copper Mtn, CO
1/10/2017 Copper Mtn, CO
1/11/2017 Vail, CO
1/12/2017 Copper Mtn, CO
1/13/2017 Copper Mtn, CO
1/14/2017 Copper Mtn, CO
1/15/2017
1/16/2017 Winter Park, CO
1/17/2017 Winter Park, CO
1/18/2017 Winter Park, CO
1/19/2017 Winter Park, CO
1/20/2017 Eldora, CO
1/21/2017 Winter Park, CO
1/22/2017
1/23/2017 Steamboat, CO
1/24/2017 Steamboat, CO
1/25/2017 Steamboat, CO
1/26/2017 Steamboat, CO
1/27/2017 Steamboat, CO
1/28/2017
1/29/2017
1/30/2017 Solitude, UT
1/31/2017 Solitude, UT
2/1/2017 Solitude, UT
2/2/2017 Solitude, UT
2/3/2017 Solitude, UT
2/4/2017 Alta, UT
2/5/2017 Brighton, UT
2/6/2017
2/7/2017 Brighton, UT
2/8/2017 Brighton, UT
2/9/2017 Brighton, UT
2/10/2017 Brighton, UT
2/11/2017
2/12/2017
2/13/2017 Mt. Bachelor, OR
2/14/2017 Mt. Bachelor, OR
2/15/2017 Mt. Bachelor, OR
2/16/2017 Mt. Bachelor, OR
2/17/2017 Mt. Bachelor, OR
2/18/2017
2/19/2017
2/20/2017 Crystal Mtn, WA
2/21/2017 Crystal Mtn, WA
2/22/2017 Crystal Mtn, WA
2/23/2017 Crystal Mtn, WA
2/24/2017
2/25/2017 Alyeska, AK
2/26/2017 Alyeska, AK
2/27/2017 Alyeska, AK
2/28/2017 Alyeska, AK
3/1/2017 Alyeska, AK
3/2/2017 Alyeska, AK
3/3/2017
3/4/2017
3/5/2017 Fernie, BC
3/6/2017 Kicking Horse, BC
3/7/2017 Kicking Horse, BC
3/8/2017 Kicking Horse, BC
3/9/2017 Kicking Horse, BC
3/10/2017 Kicking Horse, BC
3/11/2017 Kimberly, BC
3/12/2017
3/13/2017 Big Sky, MT
3/14/2017 Big Sky, MT
3/15/2017 Big Sky, MT
3/16/2017 Big Sky, MT
3/17/2017 Big Sky, MT
3/18/2017
3/19/2017
3/20/2017 Crested Butte, CO
3/21/2017 Crested Butte, CO
3/22/2017 Crested Butte, CO
3/23/2017 Crested Butte, CO
3/24/2017 Crested Butte, CO
3/25/2017
3/26/2017
3/27/2017
3/28/2017
3/29/2017
3/30/2017
3/31/2017
4/1/2017
4/2/2017
4/3/2017 Loon Mtn, NH
4/4/2017 Loon Mtn, NH
4/5/2017 Loon Mtn, NH
4/6/2017 Loon Mtn, NH
4/7/2017 Loon Mtn, NH
4/8/2017
4/9/2017
4/10/2017 Mt. Tremblant, QC
4/11/2017 Mt. Tremblant, QC
4/12/2017 Mt. Tremblant, QC
4/13/2017 Mt. Tremblant, QC
4/14/2017 Mt. Tremblant, QC
4/15/2017
4/16/2017
4/17/2017 Sunday River, ME
4/18/2017 Sunday River, ME
4/19/2017 Sunday River, ME
4/20/2017 Sunday River, ME
4/21/2017 Sunday River, ME
4/22/2017
4/23/2017
4/24/2017 Sugarloaf, ME
4/25/2017 Sugarloaf, ME
4/26/2017 Sugarloaf, ME
4/27/2017 Sugarloaf, ME
4/28/2017 Sugarloaf, ME
4/29/2017
4/30/2017


#justgivemeagroomer    

Keepin' It Skinny

#justgivemeagroomer    

Tracks

Phoof, phoof, phoof, phoof, phoof, phoof.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 70 - Killington

After an uneventful day training GS on Bunny, I woke up with right knee pain and swelling; unable to walk for about 3 weeks, I just called it a season.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 69 - Stratton

Out for a nice day with Tommy and Bud; skied hard; lots of vertical.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 68 - Big Boulder

Beer League - I suck.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 67 - Copper Mountain

Last day out west. Out 9:30 to 12:30 no break; sunny and warm; skied the Head I.Speed GS Cheater 19's; 16 runs, 15,000 vertical NASTAR only again - 10 hcp Platinum.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 66 - Copper Mountain

NASTAR only again. Out 9:15 to 12:15 no break; sunny with temps rising into the upper twenties and a little wind; skied the Atomic D2 3.0 Race GS's; 17 runs; 17,000 vertical; NASTAR hcp 7.54 - Platinum.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 65 - Copper Mountain

NASTAR only today. Out 9:30 to 12:00, no break; clear, cold, and windy; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; 14 runs; 12,000 vertical; soft groomers; light crowd; lots of racing coming up the next 3 weeks, so I'm trying to conserve my knee while still getting days; with the soft snow they set a DH - not really, but it was awful straight; NASTAR hcp 5.26 - Platinum;

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 64 - Copper Mountain

Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a ski change and a lunch break; clearing, 2-3" overnight with diminishing clouds, temps in the teens, and very little wind; started with the 2015 Volkl RaceTiger SL World Cups and almost immediately changed to the Line Supernatural 108's; 9 runs, 17,500 vertical; groomers and bumps; saw John Matisko today;

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 63 - Copper Mountain

Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a coffee break; 25° and a little windy with this morning's high overcast building into a light snow by noon; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; 18 runs; 20,000 vertical; groomers were pretty firm; plenty of snow here, just none recently; enough people out today to make a few lift lines; feeling ok, despite my right knee hurting a little; always thought A-nets were more or less permanent, but they were taking down the A-net at the US Ski Team Speed Center; NASTAR 9.39 hcp - Platinum.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 62 - Winter Park

Bored? Tired? Homesick? Left early when I went to the car to change skis and just left. Out for about an hour and a half; 3" snow last night; beautiful day - clear skies, light winds, and temps rising into the thirties; skied the Volkl Katanas; just 4 runs; 6,000 vertical; powder and wind blown snow; big crowd; disappointed when my first run strategy of heading for Eagle Wind backfired - Eagle Wind was still closed and I ended up wasting the first run on some flat run on High Lonesome; left hand still hurts from hitting it on a gate last week at Steamboat; right knee is a little balky too, but nothing that a little Vitamin I won't fix; I'll be glad to head home, even if it's only for a few days.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 61 - Winter Park

Out 9:00 to 12:30 with a coffee break; mostly cloudy and very windy with temps in the thirties; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; 10 runs; 17,000 vertical; groomers, trees, and bumps; top closed from opening bell, but surprised when other lifts like Olympia and Super Gauge closed later; liked the trees skier's left of Drunken Frenchman even though it got tobaggany at the bottom - not sure that's a word, but think steep Echo Woods; dinged both skis - narrow line of bumps with a large rock exposed in one of the troughs.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 60 - Winter Park

Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a fairly long break at the car changing skis; sunny and warm with just a little wind today; skied the Line Supernatural 108's and the Atomic D2 3.0 Race GS's; 14 runs; 20,000 vertical; Sunday's snow awaited up top, albeit with a nice 2 day wind crust; got the first chair, ok second, when they opened Panorama at 9:30 - got 3 nice runs up there before the hoards arrived; all groomers after break; liked Hughes and Sleeper; still haven't got to Eagle Wind or The Cirque - we'll Belle Fourche at least, since I'm not getting a Cirque Sled Pass.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 59 - Winter Park

Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a quick break; overcast and windy with temps rising into the thirties; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; 14 runs; 20,000 vertical; top of the mountain still closed due to high winds; explored most of the rest of the mountain today; tons of lifts here.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 58 - Winter Park

Definitely a holiday. Out 9:00 to 12:00 with a coffee break; snow, 2" overnight, 2" more this morning; 25° snowing and windy; skied the Line Supernatural 108s; 8 runs; 11,000 vertical; plenty of fluff on a firm base; not as much snow here overall as I've seen recently; the wind closed all the top of the hill - Panorama and Eagle Wind; mostly skied Mary Jane - plenty of bumps and trees with the requisite groomers; left early when it got crowded.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 57 - Steamboat

Five for Five. Out 9:00 to 11:45; sunny with temps rising through the twenties; skied the 2015 Volkl RaceTiger SL World Cups; 2 runs, plus a dozen on Bashor doing NASTAR; 5,000 vertical; took the Atomic D2 3.0 Race GS's out first thing, but changed skis when I looked at the NASTAR course; ski and drive today; 7 hcp - Platinum.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 56 - Steamboat

Late NASTAR. Out 9:15 to 2:00 with a long, early coffee break when NASTAR was booked for a private function until noon; high, thin overcast barely dimmed today's sunshine - temps near freezing, no wind; skied the 2015 Volkl RaceTiger SL World Cups; 3 runs and maybe 20 over at NASTAR - ran the training course 4 times before coffee; early groomer was pretty firm on the pitch; right hand is a little sore today after hitting it on a gate yesterday; 13 hcp - Platinum

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 55 - Steamboat

Out 9:15 to 3:00 with a long lunch break; sunny and warm, temps in the upper thirties this afternoon; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's and the Line Supernatural 108's; 7 runs, plus 15 or so on Bashor running NASTAR; 13,000 vertical; lots of groomers; explored Sunrise and Sundown areas this afternoon; Billy Kidd just showed up at NASTAR this morning - sorry, none of the pictures came out very well; worked hard for that last tenth, last run of the day was my fastest and only Platinum; 14 hcp - Platinum

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 54 - Steamboat

NASTAR and a nap. Out 830 to 3:15 with lunch and a nap; sunny with temps around freezing and no wind; skied the 2015 Volkl RaceTiger SL World Cups and the Line Supernatural 108's; 10 runs or so and 15+ over at NASTAR; 19,000 vertical; big crowd for Tuesday; things are starting to firm up on the groomers, otherwise it's skied in but still soft; very tired this afternoon exploring, I guess NASTAR is more work than I give it credit for; 8 hcp - Platinum.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 53 - Steamboat

Just NASTAR this morning. Out 9:45 to 12:00; overcast with temps in the twenties; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; just 1 run up to the NASTAR hill, maybe 16 runs up and down that lift; 4,000 vertical; 6 hcp - Platinum.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 52 - Brighton

Spoiled - despite new snow, got bored and left early. Out 9:00 to 12:00 with a lunch break; 3" new snow overnight; mostly sunny with temps rising into the twenties and no wind - nice day for pictures; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; 8 runs; 10,000 vertical; baby soft groomers, baby soft trees, and baby soft bumps; crowded; did my skis last night.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 51 - Brighton

Out 9:00 to 3:00 with a breakfast break and a nap; overcast with light snow - no real accumulation; 12° this morning, 18° when I quit; skied the Line SuperNatural 108's; 18 runs; 22,900 vertical; a few groomers, lots of natural snow trails and some trees; just a couple of things left here to ski - one of the steep chutes through the trees off Great Western and something looker's left off Milly; liked the aspen glade between Rockin' R and Golden Needle - found it last run of the day.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 50 - Solitude

Out 9:00 to 2:00 with a lift ticket and lunch break - I'll explain later; partly cloudy and cold with very little wind - 1° this morning, 16° when I quit; skied the Line SuperNatural 108's; 21 runs; 27,500 vertical; lots of very nice groomers; started at Brighton this morning and skied to Solitude; I took an early break when I had to walk into Solitude's village to get my lift ticket; my skis need done badly; liked Serenity to Stumble, Inspiration, and Blue Spruce.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 49 - Brighton

Out 9:00 to 2:30 with coffee and lunch breaks; high, thick clouds and very little wind - 0° overnight, 14° when I quit; skied the Line SuperNatural 108's; 18 runs; 21,500 vertical; mostly packed powder, but soft, soft, soft; mostly groomers, a few trees and such; liked Pioneer to Pine Marten and aspen/pine glade off ???; didn't get to Milly - I'll do extra over there Thursday.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 48 - Brighton

Pow - 11" overnight with light to moderate snow continuing all day! Out 9:00 to 2:30 with a coffee and a lunch break; 15° snowing and windy - new snow accumulating at least a couple of inches; skied the Volkl Katanas; 17 runs; 19,575 vertical; powder - tons of snow here; lots of short tree shots; fair crowd as you'd expect for a foot of snow; fresh tracks all day if so inclined; kept skiing into flat spots; rode every lift - all 6 of them; Brighton's RFID lift tickets actually say Crystal Mountain on them.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 47 - Mt. Bachelor

Full on blizzard today. Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a couple of breaks - one for coffee, one just to dry off; heavy blowing snow - 30° and extremely windy; 3" by first chair, 6" by the time I left; skied he Volkl Katanas; 9 runs; 10,750 vertical; powder; tough start today with the heavy snow, the bad visibility, and my tired legs it took a little while to get the kinks worked out; in and out of the trees on the front side of the mountain all day; Summit, Northwest, and Outlook closed because of the wind, but I did get to ride the Red Chair for the first time; rear wiper on the car is finally fixed.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 46 - Mt. Bachelor

Successfully waited out the rain. On the hill from 10:45 till 1:15 with a quick warm up break; rain changing to heavy snow with a strong wind; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; 9 runs; 13,000 vertical; pouring rain at 9:00, first flakes at 9:30, full on snowstorm at 10:30, 3" of slop by 1:30; nobody else out; skied till I got wet.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 45 - Mt. Bachelor

Short day - auto repair scheduled in Bend at 1:00 P.M. Out 9:00 to 12:00, no break; high clouds, but bright with temps rising to just above freezing and a good breeze; skied the Atomic D2 3.0 Race GS's; 14 runs; 24,680 vertical; lots of big park features here, but very few park rats; not for a lack of trying, but no pictures good enough to post for the last few days.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 44 - Mt. Bachelor

More vert. Out 9:00 to 2:00 with a break for lunch; overcast with light rain after noon, temps rising toward 40°; skied the Atomic D2 3.0 Race GS's and the Line Supernatural 108's; 20 runs; 36,125 vertical; soft pack groomers, day old groomers, and even some au naturel; the Atomics are very well behaved skis; liked DSQ.

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Day 43 - Mt. Bachelor

Vert. Out 9:30 to 1:45 with just a quick bathroom break; sunny and windy up top with temps around 30°; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; 18 runs; 31,403 vertical; groomers; lots of snow here; lots of people out for a Monday; with a vertical rise of 2,250 ft and a ride time of 8½ minutes you can do a serious amount of skiing off the Northwest Express; liked Cliffhanger, Kangaroo, and Snapshot Alley;

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Day 42 - Grand Targhee

Viewing the Tetons from the west. Out 9:30 to 1:15 with a break for lunch; windy with diminishing overcast and temps rising into the low thirties; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; just 10 runs or so today; maybe 12,000 vertical; tired; soft groomers; lots of snow here too; I lost today's Ski Tracks when my phone died - it was fully charged this morning, but I guess all the pictures on the drive down drained the battery - I'll post some pictures as soon as I get a chance.



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Day 41 - Big Sky

Miles. Out 9:00 to 2:15 with lunch at a nice on mountain restaurant; overcast and windy with temps rising to near freezing; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; 19 runs; 29,500 vertical; packed powder groomers; tired today after all the deep snow yesterday; today's fav: Tippy's Tumble; tonight's Weather Channel secondary headline, "Snowfall of 1 to 2 feet is possible in the northern Sierras and Cascades through the weekend."

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Day 40 - Big Sky

More snow! Out 9:00 to 2:00 with a break for lunch; 6" new snow overnight and into this morning; 20° and overcast with light snow and variable winds; skied the Volkl Katanas; 14 runs; 22,250 vertical; powder; today's fav was Whiskey - baby soft, perfectly spaced, low angle trees; fell once and needlessly scared myself on a couple of blind breakovers today.

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Day 39 - Big Sky

Out 9:00 to 2:00 with a break for lunch; 20° partly cloudy with a little wind; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; 16 runs; 25,000 vertical; lots of low angle groomers and soft snow; just over 30 miles distance covered today; I liked Icehouse; Broken Promise is aptly named.



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Day 38 - Big Sky

Out 9:15 to 1:30 with a break for lunch; more snow - 1" overnight and 4-5" more into the early afternoon; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; 14 runs; 20,800 vertical; soft snow everywhere; lots of wide open terrain, some with grooming underneath some without, and lots of open, low angle trees; this place is huge; couldn't see Lone Peak with today's weather; explored a little - skied 5 of the dozen or more areas at this resort;

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Day 37 - Nub's Nob

Ski and drive. Out 9:15 to 1:00 with a break for lunch; temps in the mid-twenties with freezing rain; started with the Line Supernatural 108's and switched to the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; 25+ runs, 11,000 vertical; they groomed everything and I mean eve-ry0thing; more here than meets the eye - liked Southern Comfort, Bayview, Pleastview, and Smokey; nobody else out - perfectly fresh grooming every run; waited 15 minutes past opening bell to let the rain subside a little; some pictures later - come back later and check them out.



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Day 36 - Boyne Mountain

Snow ended overnight. Out 9:00 to 12:30 with a break for lunch; 19° overcast with occasional light flurries and no wind - 3" more new snow overnight; skied the Volkl Katanas; 25+ runs; 11,000 vertical; more powder and soft groomers;

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Day 35 - Boyne Mountain

More snow! Out 9:30 to 1:30 with a nice coffee break; drove in yesterday while they got 13", last night we had 3" more; 15° today with constant light snow and surprisingly little wind; skied the Volkl Katanas; 25+ runs; powder or 3" or less of fluff on top of a fresh, super soft groomer - however, I did ski a couple that were a little boney; 11,000 vertical; very few people; despite the recent snow not all the mountain is open yet; tons of snowmaking in progress; the Katanas are still great skis; had fun.



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Day 34 - Greek Peak

Some things change very little. Out 11:00 to 1:15 with a break for lunch; Overcast with temps in the low thirties and little to no wind; skied the Blizzard Brahma #1's; 15 runs, 12,000 vertical; Iliad and Fields/Stoic only; nobody else out; making snow under the new chair, so we used Chair 1 today.

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Day 33 - Snoqualmie Pass

Another Pow Day. Out at 9:00, made 4 runs, had coffee, made 2 more and called it a day; a couple more inches of snow overnight, but with Alpental closed on Monday we had like 8" of new snow; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; 6 runs; 7,500 vertical; "small", but rugged area - good vibe; skied 10 of 11 days - I'm tired.



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Day 32 - Snoqualmie Pass

The first non-holiday ski day since before Christmas turns out to be a Pow Day! Out 9:00 to 12:00 with a coffee break; 4"-6" new snow overnight ending by noon; ski what ya brung... Line Supernatural 108's; 12 runs; 10,000 vertical; very few other people on the hill today; took my second fall of the season today; today's picture tries to capture how light it was this morning despite snowing hard - I noticed this yesterday too.



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Day 31 - Snoqualmie Pass

Out 9:00 to 12:45 with a quick coffee break; overcast and snowing with a little wind - just enough accumulation to keep everything clean and bright white; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; 25 runs, 19,000 vertical; loved Rampart and the new chair; soft groomers everywhere.



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Day 30 - Snoqualmie Pass

Clear, crisp, and cold. Out for 2½ hours without a break; 15 runs; 13,750 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; soft groomers everywhere - even the day old groomers were good; pretty big crowd for a pretty cold day; rode their brand new chair 4 times; liked Rampart; had fun.

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Day 29 - Snoqualmie Pass

Stupid amounts of snow here. Out 9:00 to 12:15 with a quick coffee break; clear, crisp, and cold; 18 runs; 15,000 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; baby soft everything; it's beautiful here.



#justgivemeagroomer