VertExpress

Now, here is what I call “no-loose” proposition. Smugglers Notch resort located in Northern Vermont guarantees that you will have fun or get your money back.

In the Summer, we have a wide variety of programs available, from our award-winning children’s programs, to our adult adventure programs. And, if any member of your family participates in one of these Summer programs for more than two days and doesn’t have fun, we’ll refund the entire program portion of that family member’s stay. It’s as simple as that.

The same guarantee applies to winter activities.

If you are up to a challenge and enjoy hiking, biking and running, you might want to check out  Fleischer Jacobs Group (FJG) Race To The Top Of Vermont. It will be held in Stowe, Vermont on August 30. If you are up ti 4.3 mile distance and 2,550 vertical register here

Annual race to the top of Mt. Mansfield

It appears that the last patch of snow is about to disappear at Jay Peak, VT.  What is really amazing is that it was probably taken sometime in June!

last snow at Jay Peak

Check out http://weblog.jaypeakresort.com

So it was a pretty crappy weekend from all perspectives. On a top of light depression caused by what appeared to be the end of 2008/2009 ski season, personal issues, rain and prospects of yet another Monday  are not the best components of the “make me feel good” mood. And well, “you never know”…Yes, I fully aware that this cliche is beaten to death but hey, just when I thought that things went completely South, on Monday morning I kind of solved personal issues, unexpectedly though, rain stopped and things turned Northeast with 5-9″ of fresh snow over the weekend and more flurries/snow showers Tuesday-Friday.

It seems that I will need to unpack my gear for one last trip. You never know…

…stated a snow report at one, let’s leave it anonymous for now, ski resort in Southern Vermont. And what a beautiful PR spin it was on a miserable rainy Sunday last week. Hmm, I noticed that creative snow reports are getting more creative come late March and early April. I also know that it is business, but come on…Just say: “Grab you Gore-Tex and make couple runs, you might not have another chance until next December”. Plain and to the point - i.e. it sucks, but skiing under rain in April is still better than thinking about skiing on a rainy day in May.

While the West is getting pounded with snow, things are not exactly blizzard-ish here, in the North East. In matter of fact, for the most part we are getting inches of rain and not powder which means one simple thing: this season might not last far into April. And therefore, ski resorts relying on natural snow pack might as well start packing. With that said it was not exactly a shocker to hear that Magic Mountain decided to close for the season. Considering pretty much snow less March, temperatures into high 40s and 50s and intensifying rain showers, there was little sense for them to keep a double chair running over the Red Line. If only they had a magic wand…

Nowadays, we hear a lot about collapsing Wall Street firms, free falling economy and rising unemployment. Unfortunately not many can claim to be fully isolated from a current crisis, and Burton, a famous snowboard gear and clothing maker is not an exception. Burlington FreePress reported that Buron will cut salaries, freeze raises and lay off “less than 5% of staff in North America”.

Moreover, the company founders Jake and Donna Carpenter will eliminate their own salaries while 401k match contribution will temporarily slide down to 1% from 4%. Burton mentioned that instead off firing larger percentage of employees, the company made a decision to temporarily reduce salaries by as much as 15% in order to preserve as many positions as possible.

Read the rest of an article here

While many might not like “spring conditions” which more often than not mean slushy and somewhat sticky snow surfaces, Spring skiing does have some benefits. For one, around this time many ski resorts are ready to wrap it up and thus you can sneak in without a lift ticket, and second, there is plenty of frozen granular snow left for you to enjoy. I never thought that icy conditions would be appealing but hey, I will take them over “soft corn snow”. At least, you can count on sliding as opposed to pushing yourself down a slope with frozen granular and icy snow surfaces.

So in a way, we got blessed with somewhat icy slopes at Stratton and Okemo last weekend. And yeah, we didn’t pay for it, so that was a definite plus. In matter of fact, I firmly believe that if there is no snow, and 1/3 of a mountain is closed there have to be some flexible payment options for skiers and snowboarders. In other words, if you are offered 60 trails instead of 100, why pay full price? My solution? Reduce it by 1/3 or whatever corresponding number, or move early/late season pricing and/or adjust them according to the weather conditions and snowfall levels.

Despite above mentioned factors, some kind of skiing is better than no skiing at all. Armed with such attitude, we braved icy trails at the top of Stratton, and slushy slopes at the bottom of it while also making short breaks to see snowboarders competing at the US Open sponsored by Burton. I should say that it was quiet entertaining and free energy drinks, yep, on the top of “ticketless” skiing, made the whole trip “worth a drive”.

Next day we decided to give ole good Okemo a shot, partially because Okemo and Stratton share season pass system, and also we really wanted to check out Okemo’s loading and unloading lift system. Now, back in September I raved about it in a very positive tone, however upon experiencing it myself, I am not sure how to categorize it. It is not that I disliked it, but it would be fair to say that I wasn’t overwhelmed by it. Maybe I am just not used to it, or perhaps, I don’t really need those rolling carpets to load and unload safely anymore. I personally think, that in order to make the whole lift experience less painful or feared, lifts should take off slowly from a loading area, and unloading platform should have wide and more or less flat slope to get off. On the other hand, when you have a lift that takes off like a Mustang and unloads you in the same manner, some people might have problems sliding down narrow, icy and steep drop off areas.But if it works well for beginners and there aren’t many delays with such system in place, I don’t think that anyone should complain about it. Let it roll…

Spring is here

Okemo

Slushy snow is better than no snow at all. Yes, it seems that 2008/2009 ski season is slowly winding down and while there is always a chance for late snow storm, we should probably start thinking about packing skis/snowboard and unpacking tennis racquets, bikes and beach towels. It does not mean that we will give up on snow and spring skiing/riding right away, as there are plenty of places where Mother Nature keeps corn snow until June or even July, but from the Southern Vermont perspective it is about the time to hang ski boots until November 2009.

Last weekend we had a chance to ski Magic and Bromley, and overall, left Vermont with a sense of satisfaction. And how could not you? On Saturday we skied for free at Magic where bare spots, grass, closed cafeteria and ticket windows after 2pm indicated that Magic was ready to finish the season. However, snow conditions were acceptable and though they had all Western side closed, there was plenty of action on 20+ trails. I am not sure how or for how long they will survive 40+ temperatures and occasional rain showers expected this week, but if they do, you might have some nice, albeit limited from terrain perspective spring skiing.

Bromley is not that far from Magic in both, travel distance and a sense of winding  things down. It is the ‘Sunny Mountain” so make sure to stick around shaded areas if you can find one or at least, show up early for some more or less form spring/frozen granular snow. We visited Bromley on Sunday and while it was nice and warm, snow was a bit too slushy which made it hard to ski especially on green and lower-intermediate trails. Thus, head towards black diamonds or steeper trails. It might also be a good idea to practice skiing/riding on moguls since soft snow makes it easier and less painful.

So to “summerize” this post, we should not expect epic conditions, but if rain showers by-pass Southern Vermont this week there might be a chance for another week or two of decent skiing and riding. It will probably be a bit slushy and wet, but hey, it is still better than “summerizing” your ski equipment right away.

Meanwhile we had lots of fun at Wildcat ski resort in NH.  Sure it was a long drive to NH from Southern Vermont, but getting 6+” of fresh snow is priceless, thus I shall not complain The only thing that kind of bothers me is that despite forecasted sleet/rain in VT, there was snow with approximate 5-7″ falling on Monday morning. Nevertheless, I still believe that Wildcat ski resort and its 4K elevation and views are worth of time and money. I know that ski magazine awarded Wildcat with “#1 in scenery in North America” and I have to say that while I could barely see anything thanks to a pretty heavy snow storm, whatever glimpses of landscape I did catch were quiet impressive. The Summit Express lift was equally impressive simply because it took us up to 4K under 6 minutes! Now, after experiencing riding lifts and gondolas all over VT, I can honestly state that Wildcat’s express quad was by far the fastest. Under 6 minutes…In matter of fact, I was kind of in disbelief: “What? We are at the top already? Can’t be!”.

Another fascinating aspect, or I should say a moment, that we witnessed at Wildcat was its “Race for 100K” run on that Monday. Basically, the point was to ski down 50 times or approximately 100K of vertical in one day. Although none of us participated in the race, after making about 15-17 runs from the top of the mountain, I was totally surprised and amazed how 20+ racers could manage  50! Oh well, back to a gym this summer….

Wildcat

Wildcat

Wildcat

Strong enough to race X50?

6 minutes to 4K