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  1. #101
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    Your TR is good shit MNIAW. I loved the "hiked 50 vert ft for groomed hardpack" comment. The "c'mon vail" was just icing.. haha!
    Keep up the outstanding work.
    “I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.”
    ― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

    www.mymountaincoop.ca

    This is OUR mountain - come join us!

  2. #102
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    Quote Originally Posted by MyNameIsAugustWest View Post
    We did a Christmas week in Lermoos one year. Loved that region. Many days in the Arlberg and also many in the Zillertal.


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    Skied lermoos today

  3. #103
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    Quote Originally Posted by beer30 View Post
    Skied lermoos today
    Great! Hope you enjoyed as much as we did 33 years ago.

    Day 15: Magic Mountain, VT (Magic Pass)

    As has become the norm on or around opening day, we are getting new snow as I type this. Not the 12" prediction that turned out to be 30" last year (almost to the day) but 6-9" will at least turn the lift rides white again. This was before it started snowing:
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    As has been the case everywhere, it's been a tough start to the season here in Vermont. Too much rain and not enough snowmaking windows. Many folks know that maggot DoWork took on the job of Mountain Ops Manager at Magic almost 5 years ago; where does the time go? His team has been stretched thin and a shoulder injury to a key member of the team has him back burning the candle at both ends. Had a great chat with him this morning before they opened the lifts and he looks exhausted.

    Quite simply, the snow was fantastic today. DoWork has a strict wet bulb temp above which he won't make snow...it means Magic has less snow than other resorts, but his snow is far superior in quality. Did a couple of solo laps and then a bunch of regulars started showing up and it was like old home week. I really love this place.

    At around 11:00 a strange white substance started falling from the skies:
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    Easily 3" on the ground by 3:00pm and no letup in sight. Probably won't open much terrain and I'm being fairly conservative in light of my goals stated in this TR so probably won't venture off the open trails tomorrow. I'm sure I'll be in the minority....

  4. #104
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    Day 16: Magic mountain, VT (Magic Pass)

    That's not how day 16 was supposed to play out tho....Goniff called this morning and asked how bad do you think Stratton could be? My answer was, as it usually is, "How bad could it be, let's give it a try." So we arranged a linkup time and I started to get ready. Mrs. MNIAW used my car yesterday and it was warm when the snow started falling so it was pretty encrusted with ice under the 4" of dense snow that ended up falling. I scraped and I scraped and then I realized it was getting late and I had to hurry. Jumped in the car and headed over to Stratton.

    I was directed past the paved lot, past lot 1, and past lot 2 all the way to the Sun Bowl parking lot...this is bad as the Sun Bowl side of the mountain wasn't open. I called Goniff (who got the last parking spot in Lot 2) and arranged a new linkup by the ticket windows. I headed to the back of my car to get my boots on (Stratton is not allowing boot-up in their lodge) and noticed that my skis were still leaning against the vestibule at my house (at least I surmised that fact because they were not in my car). Total JONG move. I called Goniff again and told him I was heading back to Magic and to just meet me there when he got sick of fighting the insane crowds.

    Magic was pretty nice with a bit of new snow mixed in with the high-quality manmade that DoWork's crew puts out. At least the ride up the chair was mostly white underneath:
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    As the day wore on, the steeper pitches got progressively more scraped (there's only 1.5 RODs still) and the temps dropped throughout the day. Supposed to be single digits tonight and stay cold through the holiday so hopefully they can get a couple more RODs open.

    Another good day to be outside despite the morning fuck up.

  5. #105
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    I think your subconscious mind left those skis at home.
    www.apriliaforum.com

    "If the road You followed brought you to this,of what use was the road"?

    "I have no idea what I am talking about but would be happy to share my biased opinions as fact on the matter. "
    Ottime

  6. #106
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    lovin' this thread -
    Thank you, MniAW !

    skiJ
    Last edited by skiJ; 12-19-2021 at 06:23 PM.

  7. #107
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vt-Freeheel View Post
    I think your subconscious mind left those skis at home.
    Concur!

  8. #108
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    I just saw this thread for the first time. Bummer I didn’t know about it before or I would have taken a pic or 2 of you at Sunapee to contribute.

  9. #109
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    congrats! looking forward to following this

  10. #110
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tolkien View Post
    I just saw this thread for the first time. Bummer I didn’t know about it before or I would have taken a pic or 2 of you at Sunapee to contribute.
    I may be there on Wednesday if you're around.

    Day 17: Okemo, VT (Epic)

    Hooray, I actually made it with the 6 parts of the mantra my dad drilled into me starting at age 5; skis, boots, poles, hat, gloves, goggles. As the weather forecast predicted, it was a chilly start. Left the house around 8:30 and it had just reached double digits
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    It was more crowded than I expected but at least I made it into the uppermost lot at Okemo today. By the time I got my boots on and was shuffling toward the lifts, they had started loading the middle lot. When I left, I noticed cars in the lower lot so it was a pretty good crowd today.

    I stuck (mostly) to what Okemo calls expert terrain today. My 2 ventures onto the intermediate trails were frightening in the sheer number of near misses I experienced. There are very few good skiers at this place and most people are there for their once a year ski week. One trail (Okemo counts it as 3) in particular was deserted and in my opinion had the best snow on the mountain. I lapped it at least 10 times.
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    This is the view from that trail of Mount Ascutney, a monadnock (mountain not part of a chain) in southern Vermont. Ascutney used to have a ski area on it but its low base elevation (it sits right on the Connecticut River) and sparse snowmaking spelled its doom in the 90s. Fortunately for the owner, the lodge burned to the ground so he was able to collect on the insurance (not suspicious at all ). In recent years, Ascutney has become a mini-Mecca for mountain biking and a much shorter trip for the folks from the flatlands than heading all the way up to the Northeast Kingdom. In the last couple of years, the local townfolk have installed a T-bar to return skiing to Ascutney. I've done a skin lap there (before the T-bar) and it was fun but definitely needs lots of natural snow...a commodity in short supply these days in SoVT.

    A comment on the people at Okemo...they aren't very friendly. Nobody I rode with today wanted to chat. At Stratton, almost every lift ride sparks interesting conversations. Same was true at Sunapee. Maybe its because we're heading into a holiday week but my impression of Okemo skiers is not too positive.

    Still, 'twas a glorious day to be outside with clear skies, temps climbing into the 20s and not a breath of wind. The skiing from 12:00 to 1:00 was the best as everyone went in for lunch and the lift lines disappeared.

  11. #111
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vt-Freeheel View Post
    I think your subconscious mind left those skis at home.
    Goniff said the same thing....

  12. #112
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    Ascutney is known for the incredible trail riding, place has the best MTB network in Vermont. It’s so good.
    crab in my shoe mouth

  13. #113
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    Day 18: Stratton, VT (IKON)

    Happy winter solstice Druids! Had low expectations based on what I saw yesterday at Okemo...was pleasantly surprised. Got to the base area right at 9:00 and was able to park in the paved lot right by the village. Booted up, had my skis, so I headed for the lifts. Somebody at Bromley must have farted this morning because the ganjala and the Snow Bowl chair were on windhold.

    Was chatting with a guy on my first ride up about how nobody talked on the lift at Okemo and he said, "maybe it's you." I just laughed and asked him if I was that horrible a conversationalist. He laughed and got the joke. Linked up with another dude on a subsequent chair ride and we were skiing a similar speed (Star Wars warp speed compared to most of the people at Stratton but nowhere near Goniff or MMP speed). Did a buncha laps with my new friend Larry who used to be a part-time Magic patroller when Lynchdog was the Patrol Director there. Rode with another dude who does solo acoustic work and I promised to mention his name to the new F&B (and music) director at Magic.

    Anyway, the skiing was mostly good with some glacial spots but overall, I've been impressed with how Stratton has played the hand dealt by that bitch Mother Nature.

    Another lovely day...still not sure why those 2 lifts were on wind hold this AM because it wasn't even breezy at the summit at 9:15. They eventually opened. Here's a view looking at the side of Magic (all the trails face NNW). A bit hazy but another great day to be outside:
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    I usually spend most of my day on the upper mountain at Stratton because the lower mountain is really flat. As I was finishing up my day at around 12:30 I took this pic of the base area....apparently people go to Stratton to be seen in the base area and to dine on their very average ski area fare.
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    All good for me. Made it home and had a serving of Mrs. MNIAW's white chicken chili. No pic because according to the ECRC, chili is not soup!

    We have to be in NH tomorrow so I think I'll head back to Sunapee. Not a terribly challenging hill but I do like skiing there.

  14. #114
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    Keep it up, MNIAW!

  15. #115
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    Quote Originally Posted by Peruvian View Post
    Keep it up, MNIAW!
    Heh, heh. That's what she said....

  16. #116
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    "maybe it's you."

    haha

  17. #117
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    Day 19: Mt. Sunapee, NH (Epic)

    The day started dismally. At 6:30, whilst walking Mrs. MNIAW's dog, I discovered our dirt road was an absolute skating rink. Un-walkable. Had planned to meet savemeasammy at Sunapee at 9:00 but we both agreed that it would be prudent to delay.

    The freezing rain stopped around 10 and temps rose above 32* around 11 so we agreed to meet in the Sunapee lot at 12:45 (it's a 45 minute drive for me and shorter for smas). Saw blue skies and sunshine most of my drive but the mountain was shrouded in clouds of its own making. No big deal.

    We booted up and headed up. Same 3 trails open as my last visit but at least the trail under the chair was (mostly) snow. We sampled all 3 and then ran into powbmps and his son. Always like meeting new mags. smas and powbmps:
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    We continued to rotate the 3 trails until the weather turned decidedly colder and it was getting dark-ish what with the solstice yesterday and all. On one of our runs, smas snapped a few pics of me groomer zooming. Didn't even realize I was smiling....
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    A random dude who was also skiing fast (and good) got between us at what I thought was a critical juncture but he didn't appear in any of the pics. To his credit, he was waiting at the bottom to apologize for messing up our photo. We told him we would only have been upset if he was snaking a pow line and we all had a good laugh.

    Not the most beautiful day and tbh, groomer zooming is getting a bit stale but today's adventure was still way better than sitting on the couch binging Dexter.

  18. #118
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    Dec 2002
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    cow hampshire
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    You're impressing the shit out of me! I still don't have a desire to make a turn although my kid was at the Loaf today and some soft turns were had, so that peaked my interest.

  19. #119
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    Good to meet you today MNIAW. Sky was dark, and snow was firm in spots, but still plenty of fun.

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    Hopefully run into you on some other stops on your tour.

  20. #120
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    I’m glad I got out there with you yesterday AW - and it was good to run into you powbmps. I guess I should have taken a pic of you guys for the thread?! Let’s hope at some point we get to get off of the groomers!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  21. #121
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    Day 20: Stratton, VT (Ikon)

    Damn, it was cold this morning. Not really colder than Monday at Okemo but Stratton doesn't have heated seats on its chairlifts. I can't believe I just typed that but tbh,I like those heated seats when it's 10*.

    Linked up with a non-mag friend (Craig) who was the F&B manager at Magic last year and is now a bartender at the base lodge bar here at Stratton. Always good to have friends that tend bar. Also met his buddy (Jay) who lives at Timber Ridge, the closed ski area on the east side of the mountain that Magic operates on (Glebe Mountain for those not in the know). At one point TR and Magic were conjoined and a lot of Magic regulars still ski over there when there is new snow and Magic gets tracked out. But, I digress....

    It was cold enough today to preclude any pictures. A shame I suppose as it was one of the clearest days we've had in the last month or so. Views into the High Peaks of the Adirondacks to the west and not quite to the Presidentials to the east. Killington looked like it was right next door to the north. Of course my crappy iPhone camera couldn't begin to capture what the eye was seeing so maybe it's not a real loss.

    It felt good to be out in the cold, flying down the mountain. For those that don't follow the ECRC, you should strongly consider reading this article https://vtskiandride.com/skiing-after-dark/ Credit to mag jhyatt for posting that link in the ECRC.

    Did quite a few laps on the upper mountain but it started to get congested so we called it a day a bit early.

    Will likely be off the grid tomorrow and Saturday so happy holidays to all that I've met and those I haven't yet. And belated Happy Channukah to my friends that celebrate.

  22. #122
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    Day 21: Magic Mountain, VT (Magic Pass)

    After a couple of days off, it felt good to be back on skis. We had another tough weather day on Christmas with most of New England getting freezing rain...some places got a couple of inches of snow afterward but magic wasn't one of them. Even so, the guy that does 90% of the grooming at Magic (a cool cat who's married to the best bartender in the area) made things workable on the 1.5 RODs that are skiable. All the same, it was
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    It snowed a bit; not enough to really make a difference, but snow always makes skiers smile.
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    Herd of turkeys enjoying the low snowpack at Magic
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    Had a good chat with Jeff-with-a-G today. Magic is suffering the same woes as other ski areas around the country with a lack of available workers. Red chair to the summit should be open in a couple of days and I've seen/heard the additional snowmaking up above what is currently open. It will help make things more interesting to have different RODs to ski. Although there's plenty of places with more terrain open all around us, not going to them this week as they are likely zoos.

    On a different front, due to family health issues (not ours), we've cancelled our trip to Maui that was scheduled for next week through MLK Sunday. I'm sure the locals are pissed because it's guaranteed to dump if I'm out of town but getting those 13 days back for skiing makes my other season goals more easily attainable.

  23. #123
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    Day 22: Magic Mtn, Vermont (Magic Pass)

    Can Groundhog Day be in December? Today was eerily like yesterday except a few more mags showed up which always makes skiing better. Skied today with RustyGroomer, OrangeGondola, had beers with jgb@etree, and also saw MagicSnowboard and his ripping family. His 4 yo daughter was laying some trenches in the hardpack today. Mrs. MSB is an incredible skier as is her mom who is even older than me (by a little).

    Magic should have the summit lift open by Wednesday as planned. They were making snow up above where we were skiing today
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    Lots of day tickets swirling around today. I suspect the majority of them were IndyPass redemptions which I'm not sure was a good deal for them as Jeff-with-a-G has lowered day tix to $39 because of the limited terrain open. They should save those Indy days for pow days. Good for the mountain as I think Indy pays the ski areas somewhere in the neighborhood of $50 per redemption so +$11 for Magic.

    Spent the afternoon mounting Tectons on some new sticks for Rusty. I'll post some pics in the MYOFS thread when they're done.

  24. #124
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    Day 23: Magic Mtn., VT (Magic Pass)

    Another day of riding the wheel at Magic...I can think of worse things to do. It was warm this morning (34*) and the early groomer zooming was fun with soft snow and edgeable base underneath. We could really use some natural snow but that looks like a January proposition at best for New England.
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    After skiing I hung out with a bunch of friends (socially distant of course) in the lodge and then headed back to our casa to finish mounting Rusty's skis. Need to do some plastic trimming on the brakes as they hang up a bit but they came out really nice. Have to say thanks to rfconroy for building me a centering jig with his 3D printer. It really cuts down on the time needed for a precise mount (Tectons).
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    Skiing is still fun and the friends here at Magic make it even more so.

  25. #125
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    Day 24: Pats Peak, NH (Indy Pass)

    This is the little mountain that could. I continue to be impressed with the operation at Pats. Lifts spun at 8:30 and I got there at about 8:35...the line of cars to get into the lot was backed up a couple hundred yards. Just like I-70 on a Saturday morning, eh? Went to the ticket window and a nice lady that looked a lot like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction hooked me up with a ticket in less than 2 minutes.

    With the lots filling rapidly, I approached the chairlifts with some dread. Fear not...
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    Within 30 minutes they had 2 triples and a double servicing the frontside to the summit. Pro tip: use the Vortex Double...it's faster than the other 2 summit chairs and rarely, if ever, stops. It's mostly used by the racer kids but I skied on every lap. You lose about 50 feet of vert on each lap (it starts above the base area) and maybe that matters on a 742 vert hill but I'll take no stopping and no lines every time.

    Anyhow...the trails were mostly deserted! With 24 of 28 trails open, I'm not calling them RODs at Pats any more. Multiple ways down and a couple of trails with sustained steep pitches kept it interesting. The snow was soft and very edgeable. The visibility on the other hand...
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    Last time I was here, the "back side" of the hill was not open. This is a recent expansion and certainly wasn't open when I skied here 40 years ago. It opened at 10 and I hustled over there to trench some fresh cord. On my 3rd ride on the back side chair, the crowds arrived so I headed back to the main face.

    Wait, is that sun?!?!? Could this become a perfect ski day?
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    Alas, that peek of blue skies and sunlight was just a tease and we returned to the land of Murk
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    Back on 12/18 I fell while walking home from Magic and tweaked my knee. Rather than stopping my march toward 100, I've just kept skiing on it (although I did rest yesterday). I have to say the soft snow today really made it a lot easier but I'm rationing my runs to make sure I can keep skiing when the snow finally comes. Nightly gummies also help.

    Major setback today for Magic unfortunately. More drive issues caused a sudden stoppage of the Red Chair and the sudden stop caused a downhill-traveling chair to swing into a lift tower and become detached from the haul rope. State Inspector is aware but no prognosis on when Red will be up and running.

    Sorting out my skinning gear tonight....

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