Snow Zone

Here’s a lift ticket deal worth taking a day off next week.

To celebrate Leap Day – Feb. 29 – NEXT WEDNESDAY … Mount Snow in southern Vermont will be selling lift tickets for $29.

That’s a great deal when you consider the regular price of a weekday ticket is $75 for adults and $58 for youth (18 and under)  seniors (65 and up).

TO GET BUY THIS DISCOUNTED PASS, YOU MUST BUY THEM ONLINE, IN ADVANCE.

Monday is is the last day you can buy the $29 ticket.

The ticket is only good for next Wednesday.

Here are the full  details.

An even sweeter deal happens on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17 when lift tickets are only $17. Better yet, it’s on a Saturday!

This season, Snow is also offering the Vernal Eternal Spring Pass that offers unlimited skiing and riding, every day starting Sunday through the end of the ski season. The cost is $299.

The pass is available for purchase online starting Saturday.

This is your classic case of doing the math; figuring out how many times you expect to ski/ride at Snow before the season ends.

Last year, after an a very snowy winter, Mount Snow closed on April 17.

What are your chances of being killed in an avalanche at an Eastern ski resort?

Not very likely, according to national avalanche accident statistics.

But after hearing the news of three skiers being killed in an avalanche in Washington State on Sunday, it got some skiers and snowboarders thinking: can it happen to them?

In the East, one of the most likely spot to encounter an avalanche is in the backcountry of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. In fact, there is the Mount Washington Avalanche Center that offers warnings and and advisories.

This photo from the Mount Washington Avalanche Center shows the snowfields off of Mount Washington. The photo was taken Thursday. The White Mountains is one areas of the East where you can encounter an avalanche.

In its latest report for Tuckerman Ravine in the Whites: “The Sluice, Lip, Center Bowl, and Chute have Moderate avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible.”

Tuckerman Ravine can be a deadly place if you are not prepared and don’t heed warnings. From late March to often June, the area is hallowed ground for spring skiers who make an annual spring pilgrimage to Tuck’s. The bowl at Tucks collects the snow that blows off Mount Washington that can reach depths of 75 feet.

The ultimate challenge is going off the headwall. Other options are skiing half the headwall or skiing in the chutes like Hillman’s Highway. The biggest thrill, at least for me, was skiing from the top of Mount Washington, into the snowfields.

Mark Moore, an avalanche meteorologist and director of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center, got it right Monday when he talked about the three skiers killed in an avalanche in Washington’s Cascade Mountains on Sunday.

Moore told the Associated Press, “The snow doesn’t really care how experienced you are. It’s not keeping track of experience level. Once you’re in an avalanche, it has you at its mercy.”

The three killed at the Stevens Pass Ski resort were all expert skiers, had emergency beacons, shovels, avalanche recovery probes and knew the backcountry. One survivor, Elyse Saugstad, used had an air bag that kept her at the top of the avalanche.

But they took a risk because there was a high avalanche warning in the area.

“There are all of these technological things that will help us, but they’re not a talisman that you can wave at the snowpack,” Moore told the AP. “You can’t wave your beacon or your air bag at the snowpack. It’s not going to make you safe. It’s going to help you when get in trouble.”

In the East, avalanches are not as common as they out out West with deeper snow and more rugged terrain. Factors like an unstable snowpack, changes in temperature, wind, weather and the steepness of the slope can all lead to an avalanche.

Unlike the East, western areas also have wide back country bowls.

It’s no surprise that Western states have the highest avalanche deaths; Colorado alone accounting for about a third of the 25 people killed each year.

Nearly all the avalanche  deaths at ski resorts happen in the back country, not on established and patrolled trails at a ski resort.

According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, 89 percent of victims killed in avalanches are men in their twenties. And about 75 percent are experienced back country people.

So far, 17 people have been killed in avalanches in the U.S. this year.  The center keeps a detailed list of all the deaths here.

In the East, the most recent death by an avalanche happened in the 2008-09 season, when a climber was killed in Huntington Ravine in … the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

I highly recommend hiking and skiing at Tuckerman’s, but you’d be a fool not to heed the advice of the warnings of rangers and avalanche experts.

It could save your life.

Looks like another strikeout in the seventh inning of winter for the Northeast League.

The latest computer models show the likely path of a winter storm missing New England and wasting perfectly good snow in the Atlantic Ocean.

At best we could pick up a few snow showers.

If the storm does get its act together, the mountains of West Virginia could get significant snow. That’s good news for Timberline ski resort in Davis, West Virginia that’s picked up 14 inches of snow in the last five days alone.

Conditions should be great down there on a powder day, but I’m not willing to make the eight-hour drive to ski on its 40 trails and enjoy the 1,000-foot vertical.

I’m sure it’s a great ski area for the Mid-Atlantic region.

In fact, Mens Journal called it one of the “10 Coolest Mountain Towns,” but I have yet to find the article to discover what they were drinking.

And USA Today called it  ”A Little-Known Gem in the Rough.”

Missing the latest “Big One,” is another bad break for snow lovers in the Northeast.

But there is some good news on the weather front: some nice sunny days  in Ski Country the first part of the week with temperatures will be in the 20s and 30s.

And ski resorts are in remarkably good shape with many Vermont areas like Stowe, Sugarbush, Stratton and Okemo having nearly all their trails open.

Add the few inches of fresh snow they picked up earlier this week and you’ve got a great setup for a President’s Day weekend.

Closer to home you got Butternut, Catamount and Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts that have most of their trails open.

Over in New York, Hunter’s got 45 of its 55 trails open; Windham coming in at 40 of 49 and Whiteface that’s picked up 6 inches in the last week, with 67 of 86 runs.

Even Connecticut areas are hanging tough with Ski Sundown and Mount Southington having ALL their trails open.

And best of all? They’re much closer than Timberline in West Virginia.

This morning, WTNH New Channel 8 Meteorologist Gil Simmons was talking about the possibility of a major winter storm that COULD affect the Northeast Sunday. At this stage, Gil said it’s a “tough call” to forecast whether the storm would actually develop or whether most of the precipition would be offshore.

NBC Connecticut’s weather team is calling for just a “few snow showers.”

And the good old National Weather Service? A slight chance of snow Saturday night…chance of rain/show Sunday … and a chance of snow Sunday night.

My favorite snowstorm discussion (long, but very detailed) is on Mad River Glen’s Single Chair Weather Blog.

Yeah, I know it’s way too early to get excited, but with this winter you can only hope. No pray.

That’s because this storm – and any future ones – are extremely important to how long the ski season will last in the East. While snow bases remain deep at ski resorts (mainly thanks to snowmaking) it will not last with warm temperatures, foggy and rainy weather.

This was the scene Tuesday at Ski Sundown in New Hartford, Conn. The parking lot remains brown, but Sundown has 100 percent of its trails open.

And after Presidents Week, many resorts will ratchet down their snowmaking operation to reduce costs. Most northern areas are counting on a historically snowy March to keep the lifts turning.

Yes there’s still plenty of machine-made snow (and some natural snow) on most trails for the holiday crowds next week, but a big dump would make things of so sweet! Down here in the flatland of New England it’s hard to believe that there’s plenty of good skiing and riding conditions, even in Connecticut. One of the biggest problems ski areas have face is the lack of snow in people’s backyards; the old seeing is believing reality.

If we do get blessed by this Big Snow its timing will be perfect. Next week is Presidents Week when many kids and their families will go skiing and snowboarding. It’s also the last big money-making week of the ski season for resorts that have been hurting this year.

After next week, expect to see plenty of great deals pop up as we march in spring.

The first comes from Catamount in Massachusetts that is offering an online only midweek ticket for $20. That’s $9 less than what you would pay at the ticket window. The offer, however, is not valid next week (Feb. 20-24).

In Connecticut Ski Sundown (still 100 percent open) has $30 Thursdays. It’s an eight-hour ticket that starts once you buy it.  Every Thursday for the rest of the 2012 winter ski season INCLUDING NEXT THURSDAY.

In Vermont, many areas including Killington and Okemo in Vermont are offering discounted ski packages next week. The best way to find them is by trolling their web sites.

This is one Presidents Week where waiting to book at the last minute will result in big savings.

And hopefully, we’ll all be playing on some fresh snow!

A 33-year-old New York State man died Monday after hitting a tree at Mount Snow in southern Vermont, the Associated Press reports.

Michael Schroeter of Highland Mills, N.Y., died of injuries he suffered when he fell and slid into a tree on the Ridge trail at Mount Snow in Dover, AP reports.

According to the Brattleboro Reporter, officers from the Dover Police Department were called to the ski area after receiving a report “of a skier who had been injured on the mountain and was not breathing,” according to police.

Friends of Schroeter, said he fell and slid into a tree.2011-12-main-trails

The Ridge Trail is an intermediate run off of the Long John Trail, to the left of the Sundance chairlift.

Schroeter was transported to the Base Medical Center by a Mount Snow rescue unit where he was pronounced dead, the Reformer reports.

Police believe Schroeter had fallen while skiing down “a fairly steep part of the trail and slid into a tree hitting his back,” according to The Reformer.

Mount Snow declined comment.

Last month, there was another skier death at Windham Mountain in New York State when an 18-year-old Long Island woman crashed into a tree and suffered head injuries.

According to the National Ski Areas Association, in the last decade an average of 40 people die each year while skiing or snowboarding.

In the 2009/10 season, NSAA reports, there were 38 fatalities. Twenty five of fatalities were skiers (18 males, seven females) and 13 were snowboarders (12 males and 1 female). NSAA says of the 38 people who died, 19 were wearing helmets.

NSSA calculates the rate of fatalities is .64 per million skier/snowboarder visits.

Mount Snow, open since 1954, is owned by Missouri-based Peak Resorts. The company also operates Attitash and Wildcat in New Hampshire

Mount Snow was founded by Connecticut native Walter Schoenknecht, who also created Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall a few years earlier. Mohawk is still owned by Schoenknecht’s family.

Mount Snow, the largest ski resort in southern Vermont, has a 1,700-foot vertical drop.  It has about 80 trails, most of which are rated for intermediate skiers and snowboarders.

Looks like we’re finally going to get some snow again. Not much, just a few inches, but enough to get people thinking about going skiing and snowboarding.

And temperatures will dip into teens at night; in the single numbers farther north.

The National Weather Service is forecasting snow across all of New England; no big dump just a few inches to make it look like winter.

While conditions remain good at ski areas, the biggest thing resorts have been fighting all winter is one of perception. Especially from skiers and snowboarders who only hit the slopes a few times a season.

It’s the old snow in the backyard syndrome: if they don’t see it they don’t believe ski conditions could be any good.

Heading up to Vermont earlier this week, the first snow I saw was in the woods past Greenfield, Mass.

In Vermont, the heaviest snow is confined to the mountains. Many of the open valleys remained brown. Temperatures were in mid-twenties and never got above freezing.

A remarkable recovery from Irene

In Wilmington, Vermont the damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene in August was apparent. Dot’s Restaurant, the landmark diner along the Deerfield River remains closed. The side of the same building has many of its wooden planks ripped away. Tree trucks and clumps of brush piled along the river bank. It was a familar sight I would see across southern and central Vermont.

The damage caused by rising rivers was also seen along Route 4 in Woodstock, Bridgewater and Mendon near Killington. It was this area where an entire stretch of roadways was washed away. Damaged houses and trailers still dangle along the river banks.

A house damaged from Tropical Storm Irene floodwaters in Pittsfield, Vt.

Amazingly, the roads have been built and solid, temporary bridges erected. Sections of roads have been paved and new guardrails installed. I keep thinking how long it would take Connecticut to recover from such damage. And most of the construction crews working on the roads were employed by Vermont companies.

In Pittsfield, one damaged house had signs outside the structure encouraging people to take a “photo op” and asking for donations. In Jamacia, near Stratton the main bridge in town has been replaced with a temporary metal one.

So really, how good are conditions?

At Mount Snow nearly 75 percent of the mountain was open including trails on the North Face. The surface was a combination of packed power, over hard pack and dusted with a fresh coating of powder. This created fast conditions.

No crowds and good snow at Mount Snow on Monday.

Crowds? For the three days I skied in Vermont there was never a wait in a lift line.

Judging by the small amount of snow in the woods off the trails, Mount Snow wouldn’t be open without snowmaking.

I found the most natural snow at Sugarbush in central Vermont. The Bush’s trail report on Tuesday listed all 111 trails open. But to be honest, there’s many I wouldn’t have attempted to ski. Sure I could have made it down, but the coverage, ice and thin cover would not have made it enjoyable.

The best snow conditions were found at Sugarbush on Tuesday.

The best runs were the groomed trails. At Sugarbush I found the best conditions of the season. Lots of fun trails like Jeste,  Domino and Panorama. Over at Mount Ellen area, I did several non-stop runs to get the most out of the 2,600-foot vertical drop, one of the steepest in Vermont.

At Killington on Wednesday, the bluebird skies continued. More than 80 trails were open across all its mountains including Bear. Again,

A bluebird day and more than 80 trails. A great day Wednesday at Killington.

snowmaking was the seas0n saver. While there were several feet of snow in the woods, it would not be enough to sustain the heavy skier/snowboarding traffic.

Again, the better conditions were found on the groomed trails.

Snowmaking has allowed Killington to open the Great Eastern trail all the way down to Route 4 where there is very little natural snow.

Another example that there would be no ski season this winter without snowmaking.

Money can’t buy you love, but on Valentine’s Day it can get you some great ticket deals.

At Mount Snow in Vermont, you can get two lift tickets for $49. But you have to buy them online … in advance.

Snow is also offering married couples the opportunity to renew their vows at the the summit with a local justice of the peace. Details here.

Bromley, also in Vermont, is also offering two tickets for the price of one. But, you need to print out an e-coupon here.

Okemo in southern Vermont has a new twist for Valentine’s Day: Anyone who shows up at the ticket window wearing formal attire such as a bridesmaid’s dress, wedding gown, prom dress or tuxedo, will be able to purchase a lift ticket for only $59. They’ll also receive a coupon for a free order of chicken wings at The Sitting Bull, located in Okemo’s Clock Tower base area. And, if formally clad skiers and riders participate in an on-mountain photo shoot, they will receive a voucher for a complimentary return visit after March 10.

At Mad River Glen in Vermont, kiss your honey at the ticket window and you can ski for $14 each.

Jiminy Peak in northwestern Mass. is offering an e-coupon for $14. The downside: it’s for a twilight ticket for 3 to 10 p.m.

Hate football?  Don’t plan on watching the Super Bowl?

Love to ski or snowboard? Save money?

You’re in luck because this is your weekend; better yet make it a long weekend.

Because ski areas expect many people will be staying home and watching the Big Game, they have rolled out some great deals. Some stretch into Monday when few people will be there. And that means not only deserted trails, but great prices!

Some of the offers are available only online; some with limited quanities and times.

CONNECTICUT

A link on WEBE/WICC600′s website has a nice offer: A $55 Woodbury ski area lift ticket for $16.50. Click here.

There is a linked number of tickets available.

Mohawk Mountain has an early day ticket for Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Detailshere. Mohawk has the best deal going in Connecticut; just $20 midweek for four hours of skiing/snowboarding. The clock starts when you buy the pass.

Mount Southington:

Offering $5 off coupons for night skiing/riding on Saturday and Sunday

MASSACHUSETTS

Another WEBE/WICC600 offer …A $61 ticket to Catamount for $18.30. Again tickets are limited. Click here.

VERMONT

Here is a sampling of some of the best deals. Visit Ski Vermont for more details.

Stratton:

The Super Bowl 2-day ticket: Buy one day and get the second day at half price. Lift ticket for all ages and is valid Saturday and Sunday for just $130.50.

The Super Bowl Sunday Four Pack: Get four all day, any age tickets plus one cheese pizza from Double Diamond on Sunda for $199. Book online here.

Magic Mountain:

If you’re over 50, you can buy a lift ticket for $29 (half-price) at Magic Mountain. It’s part of the area’s 50 anniversary celebration. Saturday’s Retro Day.

On Monday, tickets are knocked down to $25.

Mount Snow:

$99 2-day Super Sunday Plus ticket – valid Sunday Feb 5 and Monday Feb 6

$59 Super Morning Ticket – valid from 8am til 12:30pm

$25 I Hate Football Ticket – Sunday afternoon 1/2 day

All deals available at the ticket window. No price changes for Youth / Senior.

Okemo:

On Sunday, ski/ride from 8 am to 1:30 pm for $64 for adults, $54 for young adults and seniors, and $40 for Juniors. Valid only on Big Game Sunday.

Monday Morning Quarterback

Ski or ride for $1 per point on Monday. Here is how it works: the lift ticket rate on this Monday only will be equal to the combined score of the two teams in the Big Game. (ex. Team A scores 17, Team B scores 14 – so a lift ticket is just $31!) Attention trivia buffs: the lowest combined score was 21 in 1973! (Ticket price not to exceed $59.)

Bromley:

Offering an e-coupon good for a $49 Sunday ticket. Limited time offer. Do it today.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Attitash Mountain Resort: 46 all-day lift tickets on Sunday.

Cannon Mountain: Two people can ski or ride for $68 on Sunday.

Cranmore Mountain Resort:- Super Bowl ECoupon that must be printed in advance from Cranmore.com and is valid for $47 adult, $37 teen, and $32 child lift tickets on Sunday.

Gunstock Mountain: Arrive at Gunstock with your Patriots gear on and receive $12 off a full price adult ticket on Sunday.

Ragged Mountain: Two-for-one full price lift tickets (2 for $71 for adults, 2 for $57 for teens & 2 for $47 for juniors & seniors) on Sunday.

Waterville Valley: In celebration of Super Bowl XLVI (46), Waterville Valley will be offering $46 lift tickets for adults and $15 for ages 12 and younger on Sunday

Wildcat: Wildcat  $46 all-day lift tickets on Sunday.