Archive for 2012
October 19, 2012 at 8:49 am by Jim Shay
 Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont is one of the areas offering discounted tickets to Connecticut Ski Council members this winter. Photo courtesy Yukon Kornelius/Okemo Mountain Resort. The preliminary list of dates for ski areas offering discounted lift tickets is out.
And again, it’s absolutely the BEST DEAL going!
We’re talking about more than 50 percent off tickets at such prime Vermont areas as Stratton, Okemo, Sugarbush and Killington, many of them on weekends.
How cheap? How about $34 ticket for Mount Snow on Sunday, Dec. 16? Or 44 bucks at Okemo on Sunday, Jan. 6? Or $43 at Killington on Sunday, Feb. 10? A steal when you consider the walk-up-to the-window price can be in high $80s-range. Ouch!
And many of the discount days are arranged so you can plan an affordable ski trip around these dates. Ski one cheap area one or two days; move ontoa nearby resort for its discounted day.
All you have to do is have a Connecticut Ski Council membership card, be at the designated ski resort … on the designated day … at the designated ticket window … and get you cheap ticket. Yes, it’s that easy.
So easy, I’m always amazed at people griping about the high cost of lift tickets when they can, with some planning and flexibility, save hundreds of bucks this winter.
The list is brought to you by the good folks of the Connecticut Ski Council, a group of clubs through the Nutmeg State made up of people like you who have a good time on, and off the slopes.
All you have to do to reap the benefits of these cheap lift tickets is join a ski club. It’s not a huge investment; dues can be as low $30.
That will not only give you the coveted membership card (that you need to show at the ticket window), but options for day bus trips, ski vacations, business/equipment discounts and the chance to meet some great people who love sliding down a mountain as much as you do.
But you need to take some time to find the best club for you. THE site for learning all about that is the Connecticut Ski Council’s website that provides direct link to individual clubs.
Many clubs allow you to simply download a membership form, send in a check and bang, you’re in. No required meeting attendance or baking cookies. Involvement in a club is up to you.
So drum roll please, click on Awarenessdays below to see the list of discounted tickets. After reading it, there’s a good chance you’ll be signing up soon to be a ski club member.
Awarenessdays
October 18, 2012 at 11:41 am by Jim Shay
Riding Killington’s K1 gondola this winter will be a mooving experience.
Sorry for the pun, but I couldn’t resist it when I read the Vermont’s ski resort’s announcement today that it plans to power the K1 by using cow manure.
 Yes cow manure.
Here’s how Killington describes the process:
“Farms collect cow manure throughout the day, mixing it with wash water from the milking equipment which is then pumped into an anaerobic digester. The slurry flows through a digester for about three weeks at 100 degrees Fahrenheit allowing bacteria to convert the manure into biogas, about 60% methane gas and 40% carbon dioxide. The biogas is then delivered to a modified natural gas engine, which drives an electric generator to create electricity. Finally, the energy generated is fed onto the GMP electrical system which ultimately powers the K-1 Express Gondola.
 The K1 gondola at Killington in Vermont will be powered by gas created by cow manure. “The left over manure in the digester does not go to waste; it is separated into solid and liquid portions. The liquid portion is used as enhanced fertilizer and the solids, consisting of plant fibers including grass, corn stalk fibers, grain hulls, etc. can replace sawdust as bedding for the cows.”
The full release is here.
So don’t expect a barn full of cattle at The Beast this winter or the scent of manure at the K1 base area. What you’ll probably seen are signs reading “K1 Gondola: Powered by Cows.”
Yet maybe Killington will get a new knickname: The (Bovive) Beast.
Using green power is becoming more common at ski resorts.
In fact, the Snowbowl ski resort in Arizona plans to use recycled sewage wastewater to make snow.
Guess Killington’s and Snowbowl’s plans are all part of a bigger movement.
Post script:
Killington opened its season last Saturday with limited skiing and snowboarding in its upper mountain North Ridge area. But it was only available for season pass and Express Card holders. Not everyone was happy with the decision to announce the opening on late Friday afternoon. Killington explained the decision in its blog.
The Saturday opening made Killington – and tiny Woodbury ski area in Connecticut – as the first areas to open in the East.
September 4, 2012 at 2:52 pm by Jim Shay
Here’s a deal I’ve been waiting for all summer: discounted lift tickets for Killington in Vermont next winter.
The K58 tickets allow skiers/snowboarders to save up to $30 off the price of lift tickets if they are purchased by Oct. 11, or if they sell out.
Based on that offer, it looks like a Saturday lift ticket at Killington will be nearing $90! A midweek ticket should be in the low $80s.
The K58 tickets cost $58 for adults, 19 and up. There is also a K48 tickets for kids 7-18 for 48 bucks.
These are one-day tickets that can be used with the exception of 17 peak days (December 24-31, 2012; January 19-20, 2013; February 16 -22, 2013).
Killington has been offering these discounted tickets for a few years. This year’s price is $1 more than last year.
This is an excellent deal and gives you the flexibility of going to The Beast on non-holiday times … including weekends.
For details or to purchase tickets click here.
April 21, 2012 at 11:00 am by Jim Shay
Killington and Jay Peak in Vermont are planning to end its season Sunday.
They will be be the last resorts to close in the East for winter sports this season.
That will bring Killington to 177 operating days, well below average, but extraordinary considering last’s winter’s miserable snowfall. Last year Killington closed on May 1.
 The umbrella bar, at the base of Superstar, is THE place to have one last toast to the end of Killington's ski season on Sunday. This photo by Killington was shot today. While Killington says it may stay open a few days longer “if conditions permit,” it looks like Sunday will be the last day.
The Beast received 152 inches last winter, that’s about 100 inches less than average.
And it’s the lowest snowfall in 25 years, according to Killington’s own stats.
It’s longest season was in ’96-’97 when it was open from Oct. 4- June 22.
So what’s left? Six trails, if you count the upper and lower sections. Just a few off the Superstar lift; Lower Bittersweet, Upper High Road, Upper and Lower Skylark, the Superstar Headwall and Lower Superstar.
Lift tickets will be $49 for Adults (19-64), $42 for Young Adults/Seniors (13-18/65+) and $34 for Juniors.
Jay’s got a dozen trails and will be charging $45.
Jay was the big winner this season when it got more than 5 feet of snow over a period of days. Most of that snow is long gone.
Let’s hope that next winter will bring us plenty of natural snow and lots of good memories of being in the mountains with our family, friends and skiing/snowboarding brothers and sisters.
April 10, 2012 at 9:56 am by Jim Shay
This is not a late April Fools Day joke: the ski season has bounced back with Killington in Vermont getting up to 18 inches of snow!
 This photo was taken at Killington in Vermont on Monday. Yup. Eighteen inches that has allowed The Beast to open up 31 trails. That’s quite a difference from the three trails it had open off the Superstar lift just a few days ago.
Killington has again fired up the K1 gondola to bring skiers and snowboarders back to the summit for some turns on powder and packed powder conditions. Killington is charging $49 for lift tickets.
Farther north in Vermont, Jay Peak is reporting up to a foot of fresh snow. That will allow Jay to add to the 19 trails it had open before the snow started.
Jay and Killington are the only Vermont areas still open. Sugarbush and Stowe called it a season on Easter.
In New Hampshire, Loon is still open with 23 trails; Wildcat will reopen Saturday.
In Maine, Sunday River and Sugarloaf still have their lifts turning.
The National Weather Service forecasts a chance of snow/rain through Thursday.
It looks like Friday and Saturday are the picks of the week for mostly sunny skies.
This will likely be your last chance to enjoy some good skiing and snowboarding.
April 4, 2012 at 9:24 am by Jim Shay
 This photo from the Mount Washington Avanlanche Center was taken Friday at Tuckerman Ravine in New Hampshire. It was two days before a Boston man fell into a deep crevasse located in the area above the hiukers' heads. Of all the places in New England, Tuckerman Ravine in New Hampshire is hallowed ground for skiers.
For generations, skiers have hiked the 2.4-mile trail to the the base of the ravine, stared at its steep headwall and climbed up its pitched slope. Once they’ve gone as far as they could, they carefully put the skis on to make the steep descent.
All while praying, silently, that they won’t make a mistake and fall. That fall could result in you sliding a long distance, likely into trees of worse, rocks.
 In this photo Saturday, March 24, 2012 photo, Tuckerman Ravine is seen on Mount Washington. Authorities have not been able to reach Norman Priebatsch , a Boston man who fell into a deep crevasse on New Hampshire's Mount Washington. Officials say Priebatsch was hiking with three other people Sunday afternoon in Tuckerman Ravine when he fell, sliding down a slope and into the crevasse. The Forest Service said Monday evening that recovery efforts have been suspended until a safe entry situation exists. (AP Photo/Jim Cole) There’s no lifts, no grooming and no forgiveness at Tuckerman’s. It’s serious backcountry skiing where you can easily get hurt – or killed – if you’re not prepared, in shape or an expert. It’s a sustained 40-degree pitch on often cruddy and variable snow that can easily trip up skiers.
Every year, someone gets seriously hurt – or killed – at Tuckerman’s either it’s a skier or hiker.
And it happened again this week, when a 67-year-old Boston man slipped, fell and slid into a deep crevasse in Tuckerman’s. The crevasse is located between an area known as the Lunch Rocks (where people sit and watch skiers) and The Lip.
Norman Priebatsch, an avid hiker, skier and outdoorsman, is presumed dead after falling into the icy crevasse on Sunday. An attempt to rescue Priebatsch was aborted after rangers determined the attempt too risky. Inside the the crevasse there was hanging ice, and running water.
It could be days, maybe longer, before Priebatsch’s body is removed.
According to the Union Leader, Priebatsch was a well-known Boston-area entrepreneur who co-founded Tinnix Inc., which makes a smart cell phone application for tinnitus sufferers. He also co-founded a biotech company called Adeptrix, which works on DNA decoding.
Each spring thousands of skiers and spectators go to Tuckerman’s.
The ravine collects huge amounts of snow that is blown off the top of Mount Washington. It builds up in the ravine and snow depths reaching more than 50 feet. This year’s strange winter, however, has created even more dangerous conditions at Tuckerman’s.
Fortunately, there is plenty of information out there. The best source is the Mount Washington Avalanche Center that provides daily reports.
Read today’s report and it seems you’d have to be insane to go there now:
“Crevasses, undermined snow, and waterfall holes continue to be a serious threat. Currently the area from the Sluice to the Center Bowl is littered with crevasses. Most of these are covered with a thin coating of newer snow, which makes them nearly impossible to safely assess their exact location, size and depth. The hazards presented by the crevasses are not to be taken lightly; it is truly “no-fall” terrain.
“Taking into account the extent of crevasses, the severity of the consequences, and the inability to assess the hazard, the greater Lip area, which includes a section of the summer hiking trail should be avoided entirely. As we have discussed in past weeks this is also true for the heavily crevassed areas in the northern portions of the Center Bowl underneath the headwall ice, Lip and areas towards the Sluice all the way down to the Ravine floor.
“Surfaces will be icy and hard below the new snow, so long sliding falls continue to be another significant threat. The slick surface will allow for rapid acceleration down slope, potentially sending you into numerous obstacles below you.”
OK, I get the point.
Another great source of information is the Friends of Tuckerman Ravine, a private group that works with the U.S. Forest Service.
I’ve skied Tuckerman Ravine several times and count it as one of my most memorable experiences. I’ve done some stupid things up there, like not being fully prepared, but fortunately survived. The peak experience was one time in April when a buddy and me actually skied from the top of Mount Washington into some snow fields and down into a gully into the ravine. It was one of those experiences where you didn’t want to stop and think about what you were doing. If you did, the fear factor would start setting in.
There are some locations in the Ravine where the skiing isn’t so severe, like the Little Headwall and Hillman’s Highway. And in good snow years, you can ski all the way down from the Ravine to the parking lot on the John Sherburne trail.
There’s a limited amount of lean-to shelters where you can spend the night the night. Details here.
So, if you’re a very good skier, in good shape and up for the challenge, a trip to Tuckerman’s is worth it. Probably not this year, but in the years ahead. It’s the purest skiing you can get; light years away from the cushy groomed trails.
Just be sure to heed the ranger’s advice. They can save your life.
March 22, 2012 at 9:16 am by Jim Shay
Who’s still skiing and snowboarding in New England? Mostly those with season passes, locals, college kids looking for some fun on spring break or strong-legged baby boomers who have second homes in Ski Country.
But for most of us the season is over. The end came earlier than normal when the snow stopped falling and temperatures soared into the 60s, then 70s and likely today, the 80s.
 The scene near the summit of Mount Snow in Vermont. No wonder they are planning to end its season on Sunday. I expect this weekend will be the last for many ski areas this season. By mid-April, all lifts should stop turning everywhere.
Mount Snow in southern Vermont has already decided to pack it in on Sunday. “As you can imagine, snow does not react well to temperatures in the 60′s and 70′s, and that’s exactly what Mother Nature threw our way this week,” Snow posted this morning.
Okemo in Vermont also announced today that its final day of the season will also be Sunday.
“As the warm weather is making the days enjoyable, it is also melting away the snow that our snowmakers worked so hard to make all season. While we gave a gallant fight, the warming sun has been too much – so get on up here and enjoy your last turns while you can,” Okemo posted on Facebook today.
While there is still some good skiing and snowboarding, usually in the early morning and on high-elevation trails, conditions … for most people … are difficult.
Like many areas, Okemo is encouraging people to bring the sunscreen and “work on your goggle tan.”
The southern Vermont area gets the prize for the best take on the day: ”The best part of spring is the music you can hear in the air, as the sun rises each morning, and the days get longer, the birds return and their songs fill the world with joy.”
But what about the snow conditions at the areas still open???
 Finishing a run down Superstar at Killington on Wednesday. Killington's average snowfall is 250 inches. This year it received only 130 inches. Read Stratton in Vermont’s “snow report” for today:
“Our terrain is challenging, bumpy and absurdly fun these days, and spring conditions mean that bare spots, puddles and other unmarked hazards exist on open terrain. There is fun to be had out there, so bring your rock skis or boards and be ready to hop, skip, and walk to get to that spectacular soft spring snow.”
“Conditions are rapidly changing each day and some walking is required to get to the hidden gems of soft snow.”
And Bolton Valley‘s report, also from Vermont:
“The good news: today has the potential to be the warmest day of the year thus far, which means T-shirts and sunglasses are skiing and riding essentials. The not-so-good news: that sun is quickly melting the snow pack, causing the rest of our days to be numbered. Solution: The beach will be there for the rest of the summer, so you might as well get your last turns of the season in, before you have to wait until next year.”
Vermont still has lots of trails open, but the number is dropping daily.
Even the mighty Beast of the East, Killington, sees its days are numbered. Today, it has a mere 14 trails open.
On its Facebook page this afternoon, Killington posted: “We lost more snow than we expected last night and have closed the K-1 Gondola and Snowdon Triple.”
It makes me sad to read this report:
“Walking is required to ski or ride Outer Limits and there is no beginner terrain available. Additionally spring conditions exist, they can change rapidly and create unpredictable surfaces, so please pay close attention when you’re out on the trails and check back often for updates.
“We will be spinning the Bear Mountain Quad and Superstar Express Quad. Please note the unseasonably warm temperatures this week have caused our snow pack to melt faster than we hoped and although we’re skiing and riding down two peaks, they are both isolated. So, if you’re interested in skiing or riding on the isle of Bear Mountain and you want to return to K-1, simply hop on a shuttle – they’ll be going back and forth from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.”
In New Hampshire about 10 areas remain open with about a quarter of their trails open.
Personally, I think spring skiing is overrated. I’ll take a cold day with some powder or packed powder over a warm and slushy one with spring crud. I’d rather be cruising than getting grabbed by some slushy puddle.
Add the unadvertised fact: Many ski areas do not groom many trails so they can preserve the snow for the larger weekend crowds. Groomed trails lose their snow quicker.
Today if you want to go skiing and snowboarding in the East, you have to make a long drive. And with the high cost of gas, you have to ask yourself: Is it worth it?
March 16, 2012 at 9:38 am by Jim Shay
Ski Sundown in New Hartford, Conn. will finish its season Saturday with skiing and snowboarding from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
And it won’t cost you many greenbacks on St. Patrick’s Day; just $30 for an eight-hour ticket. The eight hours begins when you purchase it.
I’d suggest to get there early for the better conditions. All of its remaining 15 trails will be groomed, but will quickly slush up in a few hours.
 Not a pretty sight on Catamount's web cam this morning. The area, however, will be open this weekend and end the season. Sundown is also holding its St. Patrick’s Day Bump or Bust Mogul Competition.
The only other Connecticut ski area open is Woodbury. Check out its web cam and you can see there’s very little snow left.
Over the border in Massachusetts, Catamount will end its season on Sunday. This weekend they have reduced ticket prices to $35 for adults and $25 juniors.
Butternut in Great Barrington is also packing it in for the season this weekend. Ticket prices are$35 adults , $25 junior and $15 for kids. Their report says: ”For Sat expect = True Spring skiing. Bare & thin spots exist.”
Jiminy Peak will also be open this weekend and hopes to squeeze out one more next weekend.
You can get e-coupons for $35 lift tickets this weekend on its website.
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Bookmarks
- Ascutney, Vt.
- Bolton Valley, Vt.
- Jay Peak, Vt.
- Killington, Vt.
- Mad River Glen, Vt.
- Mount Snow, Vt.
- New Hampshire road conditions/weather
- Okemo, Vt.
- Ride Vermont
- Ski New Hampshire
- Ski Vermont
- Ski/snow conditions
- Snow conditions
- Stowe, Vt.
- Stratton, Vt.
- Sugarbush, Vt.
- Vermont road conditions/weather
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