2017/2018 Great Lakes/Flyover/Middle West Express Thread

[uglymoney]

It has been a couple of years since we had a thread of our own. This is the place to put your snow reports, ski shots, kids stoke, and west bound travel stoke mini trip reports. If you think it is too lame for the rest of TGR put it here. We might not have deep POW except maybe Bohemia but we have the best sunsets and mortgage payments we can afford.

My home ski area (Chestnut) isn't very aggressive about blowing snow in November so not much to report except green grass, a nice little cold weather pattern this fall, and my 7 year old daughter is going to try the race team this year. They make up for their lack of early preseason snow blowing with regular refreshes throughout the season.

Episode 6 from Mt. Bohemia and Galena local teleripper JW is up.



edit to add episode that I missed

Episode 7

[uglymoney]

A little bit of cold air filtering into the upper Mississippi river valley but it looks like we'll be waiting another week or so with the warm air/cold air roller coaster ride we've been on lately. Lots of low temps in the lower thirties right around freezing but not quite cold enough. Further north things are shaping up nicely.

Meanwhile I've got sore legs from lunges, squats, calf raises, spinning.

From Chestnut this morning.

[uglymoney]

that a luge track next to the lift?

Alpine slide. They take some of it out and fill the rest of it in with hay bails then blow snow over it. Never see it once they get rolling even during the worst melt outs. They are right on the Mississippi so unlimited access to water.

[uglymoney]

Wow the forecast really blows for snowmaking. Might as well be living in Kansas. Rails to trails on the bike I guess.

[Yukonrider]

Maybe winter is starting here?

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Marquette MI
206 PM EST Mon Dec 11 2017

MIZ005-120315-
/O.CON.KMQT.WS.W.0007.171212T0000Z-171213T0000Z/
Marquette-
Including the cities of Gwinn and Marquette
206 PM EST Mon Dec 11 2017

...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING
TO 7 PM EST TUESDAY...

* WHAT...Heavy lake effect snow expected. Plan on difficult travel
conditions, including during the morning commute on Tuesday.
Total snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches, except 12 to 19
inches from near Marquette and Harvey to near McFarland,
Carlshend and Skandia, are expected. Locations to the south and
west of Champion to Ishpeming and Gwinn will see snow totals of
1 to 3 inches.

* WHERE...Marquette County. Impacting portions of US-41, M-28,
M-35 and M-94, especially south and east of Marquette.

[Yukonrider]

I'm guessing Marquette Mountain could open this weekend, of course I'll be away for a wedding..

They've been blowing snow for a bit now, had some piles going when I drove by on Thursday.

[uglymoney]

Chestnut went from shuttered to about 90 percent open in the last week. Skiing fresh man made tonight while my girl is doing the race team thing.

First two pics from their dock on the Mississippi river.

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My girl is megastoked that Dad finally shelled for race team. U8

[uglymoney]

I'm guessing Marquette Mountain could open this weekend, of course I'll be away for a wedding..

They've been blowing snow for a bit now, had some piles going when I drove by on Thursday.

Not open yet? You guys are like 5 hours north of here. Crazy. Hopefully you get some snow out of this system. Looks like Marquette opens tomorrow.

Meantime, even though I have never been to Bohemia, here is episdode 8 from JW and Boho.

[Millsie1]

Vailmont is open! Haven't had a chance to get out with my dad in the hospital. Hopefully Friday or Sunday or both!

[undertow2]

Here is a pic from my little slice of heaven this past weekend... I got to ride Sunday and they have shut down for the week to blow snow around the clock... I am taking my little homie this Friday and to say he is pumped is an understatement...


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And thanks Ugly for starting this thread... I will be sure to help keep it on the first page...

[uglymoney]

I am taking my little homie this Friday and to say he is pumped is an understatement...


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And thanks Ugly for starting this thread... I will be sure to help keep it on the first page...

Please do! I want somewhere to dump stoke but I really don't want this thread to turn into a personal blog.

Looks like a pretty damned beefy snowmaking system you guys have. Always good to see kids in the house with helmet on = pegging the middle west stoke meter.

[skuff]

Meantime, even though I have never been to Bohemia, here is episdode 8 from JW and Boho.

Too damn funny! I know a couple of those knuckleheads in that video.

Hopefully, Tyrol Basin next week for me.

[ill-advised strategy]

It's puking in mqt right now.



yukonrider...it's too small a town and too few skiers for us to not know each other at all. I'm sure we'd at least recognize each other. I'm sure I saw the mag known as Mustonen last year, but didn't catch up to him to talk. We should all ski together more. I skied with maggots almost every day in Utah and it's so rare to even take a run with anyone here.

[Yukonrider]

yukonrider...it's too small a town and too few skiers for us to not know each other at all. I'm sure we'd at least recognize each other. I'm sure I saw the mag known as Mustonen last year, but didn't catch up to him to talk. We should all ski together more. I skied with maggots almost every day in Utah and it's so rare to even take a run with anyone here.

I haven't been very active on the forums in a while, and I spent all last winter out of town, but the only Mags I knew in Marquette were Yooper, and #1wsguy. I'm hoping to get out tomorrow if they do their typical opening day bring canned food get a lift ticket type deal, but I don't see it on the site, and I could have made the whole thing up, its been a while since I haven't had a season pass.

[uglymoney]

Day 5 for me today at Chestnut. 100 percent open. Spotted a Model x plugged in this morning at their charging station. Ultimate ski car?

Pulled out the tele boards and it felt great. Last year I couldn't really hack it after my acl surgery the previous spring. This year 18 months out the knee is ready! Legs are noodles.


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[uglymoney]

Going to try to get to Chestnut Friday night and then head up to Granite when they close for the night to use our 2 free tickets and try to catch a little natural from the cold system passing through. Three inches forecast...with the cold air I figure it might make for some soft turns if we can keep our toes warm. If any midwest mags are going to be in the area drop me a PM and we'll take some laps.

Snow tires going on today!

One product issued by NWS for: Wausau WI Share|

Hazardous Weather Outlook
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Green Bay WI
608 AM CST Wed Dec 20 2017

WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-211215-
Vilas-Oneida-Forest-Florence-Northern Marinette County-Lincoln-
Langlade-Menominee-Northern Oconto County-Door-Marathon-Shawano-
Wood-Portage-Waupaca-Outagamie-Brown-Kewaunee-Waushara-Winnebago-
Calumet-Manitowoc-Southern Marinette County-
Southern Oconto County-
608 AM CST Wed Dec 20 2017

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north-central and northeast
Wisconsin.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Slippery roads are likely to develop over northern Wisconsin
tonight due to light snowfall.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

Hazardous travel is expected on Thursday and Thursday night as
snow impacts the region. This storm may bring a swath of 3 inches
or more of snow to parts of central and northeast Wisconsin.
Persons with early holiday travel plans should monitor the latest
forecasts of this weather system.

Arctic air will arrive over the Christmas weekend and linger into
next week. By early next week, high temperatures will settle into
the single digits above and below zero, with lows in the single
digits and teens below zero. Wind chills of -15 to -35 F will also
be possible.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotters are requested to forward snowfall measurements to the
National Weather Service in Green Bay.

$$

[uglymoney]

Good conditions up here at Granite. The place is mostly empty. They didn't get the late week dump like I'd hoped but we are racking some major vertical with no lines and super fast lifts and most of the good stuff is open.

My 7 year old girl ripping some turns under the Cupid quad. North exposure means lots of shade and flat light. The sun barely rises above the top of the hill. Cool place. Lucky folks here.





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[ill-advised strategy]

I haven't been very active on the forums in a while, and I spent all last winter out of town, but the only Mags I knew in Marquette were Yooper, and #1wsguy. I'm hoping to get out tomorrow if they do their typical opening day bring canned food get a lift ticket type deal, but I don't see it on the site, and I could have made the whole thing up, its been a while since I haven't had a season pass.

I had fun for about 5 days skiing the soft snow skier's right of snowfield. Day before yesterday, same old Marquette Mountain bullshit....after about 50 runs in there I've got some snowmobiler mountain ops guy standing at the bottom staring at me, and patrollers at the lift. So I get on with the patrollers and ask if it's open or closed. One laughs and says nothing, the other says "probably". I say "really, is it open or closed". The laughing one says "I wouldn't ski it". I say "Well, I would ski it, so is it open or closed?". Finally the other one says it's closed. I say "why? It just goes on and on with these old fat men being assholes.

There isn't enough coverage. But I've skied it 50 times and hit nothing.

It's not safe. But I've skied it 50 times, go and take a run with me, it's just soft ungroomed snow, it won't hurt you.

Kids see you ski it and go in there and hurt themselves. So at any ski area anywhere you have to close all expert skiing because children might see an expert skiing and get hurt? Please.

Somebody hit a snowmaking hose and it cost us $300 and we can't afford that. OK, so rope off the snowmaking equipment.

There's not enough coverage in there. Come take a run, I've taken 50 and not hit anything.

It's not safe.

So, same old shit. They claim to be nearly out of money to operate, but they're driving business away by only allowing people to ski 2 shitty groomers.

I can't believe it's almost January, and it's been cold for like a month, and we have 2 bunny-hill runs to ski, and priority 1 for the elderly obese patrollers here is keeping me from making a couple of turns in soft snow.....meanwhile their mtn ops people are doing 70 mph uphill under blind rollers on snowmobiles with no helmets on.

Probably the most ridiculous place I've ever skied, and I've skied all over the place....and it pains me to say that, because I used to have a lot of pride in my hometown and a lot of fond memories growing up freeskiing and racing here.

[uglymoney]

Yoop was saying the same about MQ's weak ass efforts this year on FB. Sorry to hear Yetiman.

Granite is full on opposite. Nobody there today...friendly staff and locals. Impressive improvements in snowmaking infrastructure since our visit last year.

[ill-advised strategy]

It's owned and operated entirely by non-skiers. Everything else is downstream from that fact.

[waltonhockey05]

Anyone on here still skiing at Perfect North?

Didn't get out a single time last year, given the warm/short winter we had. This year it's looking decent so far and would be good to meet up for some turns.

[Yukonrider]

Nuts out in Marquette right now, wonder how much snow they are getting in the higher elevations.

[uglymoney]

My daughter had her first official race this weekend at our home mountain Chestnut. U8. I think she was one of the only kids there on twin tips because we keep it real and I didn't know if she'd take to racing but she has and coach told me I need to pony for ice skates or I'm going to wreck her chances on the skating rinks. She crushed anyway, or DQ,d depending on the run. So much fun. She might not be the next Shiffrin but she skis like her dad!

[uglymoney]

Good day at Chestnut. Snow was set up in the morning, and surfy slushy powderboardish in the afternoon. Some pics of friends and family.

[Tips^Up]

Hard to beat a Chestnut sunset! I got to ski Sundown twice over Christmas. It was 100% open and pretty good skiing. Back in CO now, but my little brother and Dad went over for a Chestnut day about a week ago.