Day 30 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 12:45 with a ½ hour coffee break at KSC; cold and snowy with very little wind; snow started sometime before first light this morning; had 2" or so on the car this AM; snow continued all day; maybe 6" by the time I left; +11° in the parking lot; very little wind, so the snow fell straight down - very pretty; 16 runs; 17,500 vertical; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; a few inches of powder on top of last night's grooming - very nice!; first tracks on Needle's Eye was very floaty; did lots of things for the first time this season - rode the Skye Peak Quad and the Snowdon Triple - skied Vagabond, Conclusion, and Escapade; skiing ok, still feeling ok; finally picked up my new boots today after skiing; so ends part 1 of my Killington season - not sure what's next - I don't have to go home till Tuesday, so I might ski Stratton or Okemo over the weekend and on X-mas.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 29 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 12:45 with a ½ hour coffee break at KSC; clear and cold with a very light wind - +8° in the parking lot this morning, +14° when I left; 20 runs; 20,000 vertical; skied the Fischer RC4 GS Cheater 18's; 3f; not many folks on the hill today, but those that were there congregated around the K-1; skiing ok; amazingly enough, still feeling ok too!



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 28 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 12:30 with a ½ hour coffee break at KSC; temps in the mid-to-upper twenties with a plethora of sky and wind conditions - full on snow one minute, clear and calm the next; 19 runs; 21,000 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; great conditions today - yesterday's soft snow firmed up perfectly after last night's grooming; Bear opened today - Gateway to Bear Trax to Bear Claw to the Bear Mountain Quad - Skyburst and Snowshed Crossover were open too, but not the Skye Peak Quad; Supe/Skyelark was nice to start - Needle's was good too - Upper Chute was exquisite; Lower Bear Claw was the only thing that wasn't top notch - lots of chuncks; still like these skis; skiing ok; still feeling ok; new boots still not ready.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 27 - Killington

Out 9:30 to 12:45 with a ¾ hour coffee break at KSC to dry out; 3" of new snow overnight despite temps rising into the mid-thirties; 35° with a light rain in the parking lot when I arrived; windy with a light snow/sleet mix up top with light rain down low when I got out on the hill; 12 runs; 12,000 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 19's; soft, soft, soft; everything I skied was pretty good, but Highline was exceptional - good enough in fact that I did five despite having to ride the Slowdon Quad in the rain; skied ok given today's choice of skis didn't quite match conditions; still feeling good physically; a little late for the first time this year after watching Shiffrin win the W GS at Courchevel, France; all the frozen condensation that built up inside the K-1 Gondola cabins over the past few weeks unfroze overnight making for a 'rainy' first ride inside the Gondi this morning.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 26 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 1:15 with a ½ hour coffee break at KSC; light snow accumulating to a couple of inches with temps rising into the mid-twenties, a low overcast, and a little wind; 20 runs; 23,100 vertical; skied the Fischer RC4 GS Cheater 18's; really nice conditions - soft groomers with a packed powder topping; any crowd that showed up today quickly disappeared into all the open terrain - never waited in a lift line; Canyon Quad ran today :) ; skied Needles, Cruise Control, and Timberline for the first time this year today; despite my misgivings, I did middle Downdraft today - was able to miss most of the thin spots until I reached the last little drop off; with all the recent snows everything looks great.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 25 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a ¾ hour coffee break at KSC; clear and cold with a little bit of wind - +5° in the parking lot this morning - +13° with a high overcast when I left; 20 runs; 21,500 vertical; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; soft groomers with some firm spots on the steeps; lots of people on the hill; skied pretty well today; still feeling ok physically; looking forward to skiing GS skis next week.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 24 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 12:45 with a ¾ hour coffee break at KSC; clear, cold, and windy - +7° in the parking lot this morning, +13° when I left - a few clouds clearing to brilliant sunshine - not as windy as yesterday, but still pretty breezy; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; 17 runs; 17,700 vertical; packed powder and soft groomers; still lots of PSIA, but not much of a crowd otherwise; KMS had both Bunny and Highline closed today; everything was pretty good, but Northridge was really nice; took it easy today; skiing ok; feeling ok.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 23 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 11:45 with a ½ hour coffee break at KSC; cold, windy, and snowy - +8° in the parking lot - constant 30 mph head wind on the Ramshead Quad - tons of new snow, 10" on my car this morning - the mountain is reporting 20" since yesterday morning; 7 runs; 7,600 vertical; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; started at Ramshead again today to avoid the Powder Day Crush around KBL; first 4 runs through knee deep, untracked powder on the top ⅓ of Header - very, very nice - lots of hoots and hollars from the chair; great tracks from my first run - 69 turns - left my phone in the car, so no pictures.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 22 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 12:00 with a ½ hour coffee break at KSC; low to mid-twenties with moderate to heavy snow - a solid 3" in the Vale parking lot at 8:30 when I arrived and the heavy snow continued all day; 11 runs; 11,700 vertical; skied the Line Supernatural 108's; powder; deliberately started on Ramshead to avoid the 1st powder day of the year crush around KBL and was rewarded with the 1st and 4th runs down Easy Street - it may have been flat but it was totally untracked - sweet; missed a perfect opportunity to get a picture of my powder 8's directly under the Ramshead Quad when I didn't want pull my camera out of my pocket so I wouldn't get wet; after the velvety goodness of my first two runs, everything else was kind of blah.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 21 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a ½ hour coffee break in the KSC building; temp around 20° with an unexpected light snow that accumulated enough to make any flat spots real sticky and no wind; 18 runs; 19,818 vertical; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; firm - last night's corduroy got skied away very quickly despite the light snow; skied Snowshed and Easy Street on Ramshead for the first time this season today; huge group of PSIA's on the hill today - you couldn't turn around without skiing up on another group of them; skiing ok; feeling ok; Nadine was out on the hill today - it was great to see her; totally wrong choice of skis given the conditions on the hill.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 20 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 2:00 with a ½ hour coffee break in the Peak Lodge; temps in the low twenties with a few peeks of sunshine breaking through the cloud layer and no wind; 19 runs; 22,500 vertical; skied the Fischer RC4 GS Cheater 18's - had them ground flat, now all they want do is turn; firm or snowmaking; Cascade opened today - not too bad; had a couple of nice runs on Caper; snowmaking on Mouse Run was worth a second run; liked the firm steeps on Supe and High Line; skied pretty well today; feeling ok; blew off day 5 of Race Camp to ski with Tommy; big crowd today.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 19 - Killington

Race Camp Day 4. Out 9:45 to 3:00 with an hour for lunch; temps in the mid-twenties with a light snow accumulating to 2 or 3"'s; 10 runs; 11,200 vertical; skied the Atomic D2 3.0 Race GS's; basically dust on crust today, but the accumulation of new snow was starting to make a difference by the time I left; did not ski well today;

6    61    -    47.92 (6)    47.03 (6)    1:34.95 (6)

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 18 - Killington

Race Camp Day 3. Out 9:00 to 2:30 with an hour for lunch; mid-twenties and windy with a decreasing overcast after last night's heavy rain; 15 runs; 11,100 vertical; skied the Atomic D2 3.0 Race GS's; what a shit show for conditions today - hope tomorrow is better; good afternoon: lots of tucking and 4 full GS runs on Bunny;

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 17 - Killington

Race Camp Day 2. Out 9:00 to 2:30 with a ½ hour break watching yesterday's video and an hour for lunch; mid-thirties with an on again off again light rain and a strong southwest wind - raining hard when I left after doing skis; 14 runs - 11 on Bunny via the Poma; 8,500 vertical; skied the Atomic D2 3.0 Race GS's; low, wide, and forward with countered upper body from the very first turn - don't be lazy and let the inside leg a-frame or the inside hand drop; short leg/long leg during transition into the top of the turn to reduce a-frame; fall away strategy: keep the upper body countered all the way around to the real fall line of the turn, not just down the general direction of the slope or coarse; short brush course followed by a short course with full gates this morning; full GS course this afternoon; did 5 runs through the full course this afternoon; Achilles was fine today, but my shins are a little sore this evening - I think that's a good thing; skiing much better today.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 16 - Killington

Race Camp Day 1. Out 9:00 to 3:00 with an hour for lunch; sunny with temps in the low to mid-thirties and little to no wind; skied the Atomic D2 3.0 Race GS's; 19 runs - 10 on the Poma; 11,500 vertical; only really skied Rime and Upper Bunny, so I'm not sure how conditions were other places on the hill; in John Pierce's group with Bob, Ken, Roger, Cathy, Tim, ..., and ...; athletic stance - weight on the balls of the feet - flex ankles, knees, and hips together, not separately - hands up and in-from, visualize pushing open a door with both hands; turning with inside ski off the snow - tip contact ok, tail contact bad; statue of liberty with no poles; good skiing means low, wide, and forward; skied ok; my right Achilles is a little tight this evening; kept my mouth shut all day.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 15 - Killington

What's better than 10 by 10? 15 by 11 on a weekday! Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a ½ hour KBL Coffee break; complete overcast with temps in the low-thirties down low and at or just below freezing up high with a constant cloud layer about mid-mountain and very little wind; 23 runs; 25,150 vertical; skied the Fischer RC4 GS Cheater 18's; lots of different conditions around the mountain - various types of crunchy snow and death cookies on Supe and Skylark - nice, hard packed groomers with an inch of new snow pushed into some small piles in Northridge - consistently firm groomers on Snowdown; did 15 round trips on the Superstar Quad before coffee at 11:00 skiing pretty good; feeling pretty good - not sure how I'll feel tomorrow after today's stout finish to this five day stretch.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 14 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a ½ hour coffee break in the Peak Lodge; mostly sunny with temps rising into the low thirties and a sustained 20 or 30 mph south wind; 18 runs; 16,750 vertical; skied the Fischer RC4 GS Cheater 18's; wind-blown, hard pack was the order of the day; skiing ok; legs are a little tired, but otherwise feeling ok; thinking these skis need much less base bevel - they're currently at 0.7

Lower Cascade



5" of "groomed granite" poking through Rime



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 13 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a ½ hour coffee break in the Peak Lodge; mostly sunny with temps in the mid-forties at opening bell, but a front blew in from the northwest leaving temps in the mid-thirties with light snow and a howling northwest wind; 15 runs; 15,660 vertical; skied the Rossignol Avenger 76 Ti's; spectacular conditions today - Upper Chute was gorgeous first thing - smooth and carvable; Lower East Fall was spectacular later - smooth and carable - see the pattern?; skied most of the morning with David and Mel again; skiing ok, feeling ok; these skis are still a lot of fun.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 12 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 12:45 with a 45 minute coffee break in the Peak Lodge; 30° with a high, light overcast to start, 40° with brilliant sunshine and a growing southwest wind when I left; 14 runs; 13,000 vertical; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; nice groomers everywhere; no crowd to speak of; skied with David and Mel all day; East Fall was better today - it was even connected to KBL today; skiing ok, feeling ok.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 11 - Killington

Oh the velvety softness of an inch of snow filling in the grooves of last night's corduroy! Out 9:00 to 1:00 with a half hour break at the ski club building; 15°-20° with a light snow falling and a stiff breeze out of the northwest; 16 runs, 15,000 vertical; started on the Fischer RC4 GS Cheater 18's and quickly changed to the Rossignol Experience 98's; very nice conditions this morning - first run on Chute-Chute-Chute was pure, velvety goodness - Upper Bunny was extremely good as well - although East Fall was groomed, it was a little chunky, scrapey, and inconsistent, it even required a little walking in front of KBL; very few folks out for opening bell, but some people did show up by 11:00 - no lift lines what so ever; skied the last 5 with Dave and Mel; with the soft snow and the early change to a fat ski I took it easy today; the legs were a little more tired at the end of my day than I would have expected after 2 days off.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 10 - Killington

Out 8:00 to 12:00 with an hour break in the car where I watched the World Cup Girls free ski Superstar; 29° cloudy and windy; 10 runs; 11,000 vertical; started on the Fischer RC4 GS Cheater 18's and switched to the Rossignol Experience 98's after break; this morning's corduroy got churned up into a deep granular pretty quickly; I was able successfully to run away from today's huge crowd and never got caught in a lift line; East Fall and the Canyon Quad today; skiing ok; pretty tired this evening as I write this.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 9 - Killington

Out 8:00 to 12:00 with a ½ hour coffee break in the car; 17°, sunny and a little windy to start - overcast by the time I left; no Ski Tracks today, so the run count and vertical are guestimates; 15 runs; 12,000 vertical; skied the Head i.Speed GS Cheater 17's; excellent conditions today - yesterday's soft snow was groomed flat and setup nicely overnight making everything extremely grippy today; big holiday crowd; skiing better the past couple of days; still feeling good physically; despite being 5 or 6 years old, I still love these skis.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 8 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 to 12:30 with a ½ hour coffee break in the Peak Lodge; mid-thirties with light rain in the parking lot and snow up top - all snow by the time I left; 16 runs; 13,100 vertical; skied the Fischer RC4 GS Cheater 18's; conditions were good - softer snow down low - temps dropping and conditions firming when I left; big crowd that dissipated pretty quickly as Snowdon came on line today; skied with David and Mel; feeling ok; skiing ok; the Fischer's were a lot of fun again.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 7 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 to 1:30 with a ½ hour coffee break in the Peak Lodge; sunny with temps rising into the low forties and a stiff wind; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; 18 runs; 15,800 vertical; mostly flat and firm with the latest snowmaking spots softening quickly; pretty big crowd - variable line at the triple, so I made quite a few Gondi laps; skied ok; feeling ok; skied with Mark and Barb.

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 6 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 to 12:45 with a ½ hour coffee break in the Peak Lodge; 20° and overcast with a little wind; skied the 2012 Volkl RaceTiger SL World Cups; 21 runs; 15,500 vertical; flat and firm with lots of soft spots under the guns; good crowd, but never a lift line at the triple; more terrain open today - skied High Traverse, Upper Double Dipper, Lower Rim Run and Middle Chute for the first time this year; World Cup prep is coming along nicely - looks almost complete; lots of snowmaking on Snowdon - Upper Bunny, Killink and Upper and Lower Chute - shouldn't be too long till the Snowdon Quad comes online; snowmaking on Lower East Fall too - will probably be a few days before we get to ski it though; splicing the new cable on the Snowdon Triple this morning; skied several runs with Mark B. this morning - we switched skies for 4 or 5 runs - didn't like his Renouns too much, they felt a lot like Tom's old Volkl 5 Stars.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 5 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 until 11:15; the 3½" of new snow that fell overnight ended just in time for 1st chair - 17° with a stiff wind when we stepped off the Gondi - 25° with some sun poking through in the parking lot when I left; 15 runs; 10,000 vertical; skied the Rossignol Experience 98's; large enough crowd today to create a short lift line at the triple (5-20 people) most of the morning; the new snow got chewed-in very quickly; Lower Rime got pretty rough; skied at about 75% all morning - I was a little tired with this being the 5th straight day to start the season; skied OK; other than being a little tired, feeling pretty good physically.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 4 - Killington

On the hill from 9:00 till 11:30; 33° with wet snow falling and an inch of slush in the parking lot when I arrived - 29° and snowing hard at the top when I stepped off the Gondi - 2" maybe 3" accumulated in Northridge by the time I quit - 37° and overcast in the parking lot when I left at 2 o'clock after doing some more skis; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; 19 runs; 12,200 vertical; conditions where pretty good - the new snow wasn't too wet and it got skied in pretty well without getting pushed into too many piles; good crowd for opening bell, but never a lift line at the triple - after KMS left, Northridge was empty; skied ok; still feeling pretty good physically; Killington got a positive snow control yesterday, so the World Cup is a go!

#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 3 - Killington

Out 9:00 to 11:15; 33° and sunny with little to no wind to start, then some clouds moving in by the time I left; 16 runs; 10,425 vertical; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; flat and firm with a few rocks skier's right on Lower Rime after an over zealous groom job; nice crowd, but never a lift line up in Northridge; skied ok; feeling pretty good physically; dinged my skis returning to the ski club building; did three more pair of skis at the club before I left.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 2 - Killington

On the hill from 9:30 to 11:30; 24° with a thick, low overcast and very little wind; 14 runs; 9,275 vertical; skied the Blizzard Brahma #2's; flat and firm; fairly large crowd that thinned out nicely by 11:00; KMS out on the hill for the first time this year; skiing somewhere between bad and horrible.



#justgivemeagroomer    

Day 1 - Killington

A good start to the ski season. Out 9:00 to 11:00; 22° at the peak, snowing lightly, very little wind, 29° in the parking lot when I left; 12 runs; 8,100 vertical; skied the Blizzard Brahma #1's; groomed flat with good coverage up in Northridge, wet snowmaking on Mouse Trap and Lower Bunny on the way down; the snowmaking assault on Supe and Skyelark continue for the World Cup; skied till my legs started feeling a little shaky.



#justgivemeagroomer    

2017/18 Master Plan

Mon	10/23/2017	Killington, VT
Tue	10/24/2017	Killington, VT
Wed	10/25/2017	Killington, VT
Thu	10/26/2017	Killington, VT
Fri	10/27/2017
Sat	10/28/2017
Sun	10/29/2017
Mon	10/30/2017	Killington, VT
Tue	10/31/2017	Killington, VT
Wed	11/1/2017	Killington, VT
Thu	11/2/2017	Killington, VT
Fri	11/3/2017
Sat	11/4/2017
Sun	11/5/2017
Mon	11/6/2017	Killington, VT
Tue	11/7/2017	Killington, VT
Wed	11/8/2017	Killington, VT
Thu	11/9/2017	Killington, VT
Fri	11/10/2017	Killington, VT
Sat	11/11/2017
Sun	11/12/2017	Stratton, VT
Mon	11/13/2017	Killington, VT
Tue	11/14/2017	Killington, VT
Wed	11/15/2017	Killington, VT
Thu	11/16/2017	Killington, VT
Fri	11/17/2017	Killington, VT
Sat	11/182017
Sun	11/19/2017	Stratton, VT
Mon	11/20/2017	Killington, VT
Tue	11/21/2017	Killington, VT
Wed	11/22/2017	Killington, VT
Thu	11/23/2017	Killington, VT
Fri	11/24/2017	Killington, VT
Sat	11/25/2017
Sun	11/26/2017
Mon	11/27/2017	Killington, VT
Tue	11/28/2017	Killington, VT
Wed	11/29/2017	Killington, VT
Thu	11/30/2017	Killington, VT
Fri	12/1/2017	Killington, VT
Sat	12/2/2017
Sun	12/3/2017	Okemo, VT
Mon	12/4/2017	Killington, VT
Tue	12/5/2017	Killington, VT
Wed	12/6/2017	Killington, VT
Thu	12/7/2017	Killington, VT
Fri	12/8/2017	Killington, VT
Sat	12/9/2017
Sun	12/10/2017	Okemo, VT
Mon	12/11/2017	Killington, VT
Tue	12/12/2017	Killington, VT
Wed	12/13/2017	Killington, VT
Thu	12/14/2017	Killington, VT
Fri	12/15/2017	Killington, VT
Sat	12/16/2017
Sun	12/17/2017	Okemo, VT
Mon	12/18/2017	Killington, VT
Tue	12/19/2017	Killington, VT
Wed	12/20/2017	Killington, VT
Thu	12/21/2017	Killington, VT
Fri	12/22/2017	Killington, VT
Sat	12/23/2017	Okemo, VT
Sun	12/24/2017	Okemo, VT
Mon	12/25/2017
Tue	12/26/2017
Wed	12/27/2017	Greek Peak, NY
Thu	12/28/2017
Fri	12/29/2017
Sat	12/30/2017	Windham, NY
Sun	12/31/2017	Windham, NY
Mon	1/1/2018	Windham, NY
Tue	1/2/2018
Wed	1/3/2018
Thu	1/4/2018	Montage, PA
Fri	1/5/2018
Sat	1/6/2018	Elk Mtn, PA
Sun	1/7/2018	Elk Mtn, PA
Mon	1/8/2018
Tue	1/9/2018	Mountain Creek, NJ
Wed	1/10/2018
Thu	1/11/2018	Montage, PA
Fri	1/12/2018
Sat	1/13/2018
Sun	1/14/2018	Seven Springs, PA
Mon	1/15/2018	Seven Springs, PA
Tue	1/16/2018	Snow Trails, OH
Wed	1/17/2018
Thu	1/18/2018	Granite Peak, WI
Fri	1/19/2018	Buck Hill, MN
Sat	1/20/2018
Sun	1/21/2018
Mon	1/22/2018	Nakiska, AB
Tue	1/23/2018	Nakiska, AB
Wed	1/24/2018	Mt. Norquay, AB
Thu	1/25/2018	Sunshine Village, AB
Fri	1/26/2018	Lake Louise, AB
Sat	1/27/2018
Sun	1/28/2018
Mon	1/29/2018	Kicking Horse, BC
Tue	1/30/2018	Kicking Horse, BC
Wed	1/31/2018	Kicking Horse, BC
Thu	2/1/2018	Kicking Horse, BC
Fri	2/2/2018	Kicking Horse, BC
Sat	2/3/2018	Panorama, BC
Sun	2/4/2018
Mon	2/5/2018	Kimberly, BC
Tue	2/6/2018	Kimberly, BC
Wed	2/7/2018	Kimberly, BC
Thu	2/8/2018	Kimberly, BC
Fri	2/9/2018	Kimberly, BC
Sat	2/10/2018
Sun	2/11/2018
Mon	2/12/2018	Fernie, BC
Tue	2/13/2018	Fernie, BC
Wed	2/14/2018	Fernie, BC
Thu	2/15/2018	Fernie, BC
Fri	2/16/2018	Fernie, BC
Sat	2/17/2018	Whitefish, MT
Sun	2/18/2018
Mon	2/19/2018	Big Sky, MT
Tue	2/20/2018	Big Sky, MT
Wed	2/21/2018	Big Sky, MT
Thu	2/22/2018	Big Sky, MT
Fri	2/23/2018	Big Sky, MT
Sat	2/24/2018
Sun	2/25/2018
Mon	2/26/2018	Solitude, UT
Tue	2/27/2018	Solitude, UT
Wed	2/28/2018	Solitude, UT
Thu	3/1/2018	Solitude, UT
Fri	3/2/2018	Solitude, UT
Sat	3/3/2018
Sun	3/4/2018	Howelsen Hill, CO
Mon	3/5/2018	Steamboat, CO
Tue	3/6/2018	Steamboat, CO
Wed	3/7/2018	Steamboat, CO
Thu	3/8/2018	Steamboat, CO
Fri	3/9/2018	Steamboat, CO
Sat	3/10/2018
Sun	3/11/2018	Granby Ski Ranch, CO
Mon	3/12/2018	Winter Park, CO
Tue	3/13/2018	Winter Park, CO
Wed	3/14/2018	Winter Park, CO
Thu	3/15/2018	Winter Park, CO
Fri	3/16/2018	Winter Park, CO
Sat	3/17/2018
Sun	3/18/2018	Loveland, CO
Mon	3/19/2018	Copper Mtn, CO
Tue	3/20/2018	Copper Mtn, CO
Wed	3/21/2018	Copper Mtn, CO
Thu	3/22/2018	Copper Mtn, CO
Fri	3/23/2018	Copper Mtn, CO
Sat	3/24/2018	Vail, CO
Sun	3/25/2018
Mon	3/26/2018	Crested Butte, CO
Tue	3/27/2018	Crested Butte, CO
Wed	3/28/2018	Crested Butte, CO
Thu	3/29/2018	Crested Butte, CO
Fri	3/30/2018	Crested Butte, CO
Sat	3/31/2018	Monarch, CO
Sun	4/1/2018
Mon	4/2/2018
Tue	4/3/2018
Wed	4/4/2018
Thu	4/5/2018
Fri	4/6/2018
...
Mon	4/16/2018
Tue	4/17/2018	Sugarloaf, ME
Wed	4/18/2018	Sugarloaf, ME
Thu	4/19/2018	Sugarloaf, ME
Fri	4/20/2018	Sugarloaf, ME
Sat	4/21/2018	Sugarloaf, ME
Sun	4/22/2018
Mon	4/23/2018	Killington, VT
Tue	4/24/2018	Killington, VT
Wed	4/25/2018	Killington, VT
Thu	4/26/2018	Killington, VT
Fri	4/27/2018	Killington, VT
Sat	4/28/2018
Sun	4/29/2018
Mon	4/30/2018	Killington, VT
Tue	5/1/2018	Killington, VT
Wed	5/2/2018	Killington, VT
Thu	5/3/2018	Killington, VT
Fri	5/4/2018	Killington, VT

#justgivemeagroomer    

Good News

As you can probably guess given the lack of additional posts since I broke my arm, I never made it to Alaska, British Columbia or Montana. But today - three days short of eight months later - Dr. Rac finally declared my arm 'fully healed' and gave me the green light to resume all activities!

#justgivemeagroomer    

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.

#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