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.

#justgivemeagroomer    

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;

#justgivemeagroomer    

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.



#justgivemeagroomer    

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."

#justgivemeagroomer    

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.

#justgivemeagroomer    

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.



#justgivemeagroomer    

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;

#justgivemeagroomer    

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.



#justgivemeagroomer    

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;

#justgivemeagroomer    

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.



#justgivemeagroomer    

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.

#justgivemeagroomer    

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.



#justgivemeagroomer    

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.



#justgivemeagroomer    

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.



#justgivemeagroomer    

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.

#justgivemeagroomer    

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    

Day 28 - Crystal Mountain

Out 8:30 to 12:00 with a quick coffee break - left when I came out and didn't want to get in the REX line twice in a row; clear, cold, and crisp; 14 runs; 15,000 vertical; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's - easily the best thing I brought on this trip; beautiful soft groomers all morning; lots of pictures.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 27 - Crystal Mountain

On the hill from 8:30 to 12:15 with a quick lunch break; clearing with little to no wind and temps steady around 20; 18 runs; 25,000, skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; all groomers today; snow is still soft; not too crowded today; today's groomer texture at the end of my day.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 26 - Crystal Mountain

Out 8:30 to 12:15 with a quick coffee break; mixed precip and icing early, clearing later; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; 14 runs; 20,000 vert; another big crowd; looking forward to different skis tomorrow; today's mountain report, "We are 100% open with all 11 lifts running and 2,600 acres of pure mountain fun!"

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 25 - Crystal Mountain

Out 8:30 to 12:30 with a very quick coffee break; snow showers and a little wind developing as I left; mostly groomers; Line Supernatural 108's; 18 runs, 24,000 vert; manageable crowd;



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 24 - Crystal Mountain

So much for rain and brown snow. Out for just a couple of hours - came in for coffee and the line at the Mt. Rainier Gondi and Chinook Express Quad at the bottom where HUGE... I MEAN HUGE, so I just packed up and went home; sunny to start with a growing high overcast and temps around twenty; skied the brand new Line Supernatural 108's; 8 runs; 10,000 vertical; tons of snow here - 2 day old powder everywhere and plenty of soft groomers; this is a big mountain; got to ski some steep groomers (Pro Course to Middle Ferk's Run to Deer Fly) and some steep trees (Morning Glory Bowl to Pucker's Gultch); looking forward to trying more of the mountain tomorrow; new skis skied a little short.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 23 - Stratton

Out for a few runs as I drove by on my way home. On the hill for a little over an hour - took off as soon as a liftline developed; cloudy and windy with temps in the mid-twenties; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; 6 runs; 6,000 vertical; conditions and coverage were much better than last Friday - frozen granular; surprised there was no new terrain open; way more crowded than I was expecting; used 'day old' skis again today - this time it didn't work out so well - they were absolutely horrible.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 22 - Killington

Winter finally arrived. Out 8:00 to 12:00 with a rather long coffee break split between the Peak Lodge and the KSC building; clearing but still cold and windy with 2" to 3" of new snow overnight; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; 15 runs; 15,000 vertical; variable conditions - hard packed granular and various textures of snowmaking; big crowd today - tough skiing with all the snowmaking and all the people on such limited terrain; Upper Bunny under the guns was pretty good; skied OK; heading home tomorrow after skiing, so this ends part 1 of my ski season - let's hope it gets better from here.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 21 - Stratton

All things considered, not too bad. Out 9:15 to 1:00 with a ½ hour lunch break; temps slowly dropping into the low-thirties after another heavy rain overnight; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; 20 runs; 26,500 vertical; totally variable conditions - firmer, chunked-out crap up high, thick granular in the middle, wet snirt at the bottom; hey, at least they were open; very few other people on the hill today - nice change from the ProJam crowd at K yesterday.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 20 - Killington

Out for a few runs this morning before the next rainstorm. On the hill from 9:00 to 11:45 with a long KBL coffee break; overcast and windy with temps in the mid-thirties and rain imminent; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; 9 runs; 11,750 vertical; better snow conditions higher on the hill, but overall things look horrible; if we get a serious rain overnight, they're likely to loose Skylark and top-to-bottom on Great Northern; quit early when I went up to Northridge and the chair was closed with mechanical problems; soft snow and a couple days rest had me skiing pretty well today; the picture below was taken a couple of weeks ago during Race Camp.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 19 - Stratton

Out 9:00 to 2:00 with an hour for lunch; cloudy and windy with temps in the upper forties and more rain expected over night; 22 runs; 29,100 vertical; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; soft snow with thin spots on approach and run-out, but Polar Bear was actually pretty good; just me, the SMS kids, and couple of other folks out today; rather than running gates the SMS kids hauled B-net all day; the right knee felt pretty good today so I skied ok.



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Day 18 - Killington

Gettin' a day in before the next rainstorm. Out 8:00 to 11:45 with a KBL coffee break; overcast with temps rising through the thirties into the low forties; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; 13 runs; 13,250 vertical; semi-frozen groomed slush from yesterday quickly chunked out and became today's mush; skied a little with Aaron and the Radvanyi's; right knee is still balky, but manageable today; skied ok.

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Day 17 - Killington

ASRA Race Camp Day 4 - Race Day, otherwise known as 'Better Living Through Pharmaceuticals'. Out just over 2 hours, 9:15 to 11:45; thankfully last night's rain stopped right at 9:00 leaving a very low cloud layer with light and variable winds and temps in the forties; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheaters; 7 runs; 6,800 vertical; last night's rain and some light grooming actually made conditions a little better - there were still tons of rocks and crap, but the snow pack was soft and much more consistent than the past few days; we had a quick, 2 run, single course race on Bunny to help make up for the cancelled ASRA races this weekend - skied OK, a little slow on run 2, but OK; had a panel wrap-around and whack me pretty good on run 1; 800 mg of Ibuprophin and a Vicodin had my knee feeling much better today!

GS:    Run 1 - 38.12 (14)    Run 2 - 39.84 (19)    Total - 1:17:96 (14)

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Day 16 - Killington

ASRA Race Camp Day 3. Out 9:00 to 2:00 with a long, long lunch; calm overcast with temps rising from around freezing into the low forties; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; 13 runs; 10,000 vertical; heavy loose granular, scraped into piles by the end of the day; AM session: GS drills - turn initiation on edged ski from wedge, short dual brush course, and short stubby course; PM session: full GS course on Bunny; another accident/injury in my group today - Larry and Paul collided pretty hard I guess; worked on patience again today - 'going deep'; started to expand view of a single turn - rather than thinking about the top, the apex, and the bottom, trying to expand view of the bottom the turn through the crossover to the new ski; my right knee's been a little balky recently, but this afternoon it really acted up and I had to quit early - I'll try Vicodin for tomorrow's 'race'.

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Day 15 - Killington

ASRA Race Camp Day 2. Out 9:15 to 2:15 with an hour for lunch; increasing cloud cover, very little to no wind, temps steady around freezing; skied the 2015 Volkl RaceTiger SL World Cups; 15 runs, 18,000 vertical; a little more snowmaking and another night of light grooming had things looking a little better today, i.e. a little less granular and a little less variable; AM session: drills and short SL drill courses - long leg/short leg (building pressure through leg extension), engage the tip and maintain forward pressure (where does the snow start to come off the ski? at the tip or just in front of the binding?); PM session: real SL course - 40 gates or so with a flush and 3 hairpins; be patient, don't rush... ... ... engage the edge and build pressure slowly at the top of the turn while saving the hard knee and hip angulation for later in the turn when you need to finish the turn and for the skis to travel across the fall line to the rise line for the next gate; my skiing was a bit of a mixed bag today - some good and some bad; helicopter work today on the Snowdon Triple rebuild.



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