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.

#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.

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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.



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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.

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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.



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