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The Melt After the Deep Freeze!

Randi M.

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm learning that if you ski in the east, rain and freeze-thaw cycles are the price of admission. Neither has been a deal-breaker for me so far unless the surface is literally hard, solid, ice and that's only happened once. Rain makes the snow soft, and if the mountain is open it's usually worth it to stay out.

I'm just a mediocre intermediate, and I find that I really learn a lot about what I'm doing and not doing with my edges when the surface is firm. It may not be the most joyful, carefree skiing, but it has its value. Or at least, you can extract some value from it if you're inclined.

You are 100% right about this. There’s no way through but technique. I became a better skier this weekend for sure.
 

Audski

Certified Ski Diva
It was awful up at Okemo this weekend too. They didn't run lifts until 10am on Saturday and those who went out came back in quickly seeking refund vouchers. The line for refunds stretched clear across the lodge. They refused to sell lift tickets for the rest of the day. All reports were versions of "it was the worst day of skiing I ever saw". I sat in the lodge until it was clear that I had no business going out there. Over night they tilled the snow, and groomed. It wound up being an OKAY ski day Sunday. Lots of icy patches and death cookies, not all lifts running, and many closed trails. Made the MLK weekend crowds feel even worse since the few lifts that were open had long lines. Frustrating weekend for sure.
 

Randi M.

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It was awful up at Okemo this weekend too. They didn't run lifts until 10am on Saturday and those who went out came back in quickly seeking refund vouchers. The line for refunds stretched clear across the lodge. They refused to sell lift tickets for the rest of the day. All reports were versions of "it was the worst day of skiing I ever saw". I sat in the lodge until it was clear that I had no business going out there. Over night they tilled the snow, and groomed. It wound up being an OKAY ski day Sunday. Lots of icy patches and death cookies, not all lifts running, and many closed trails. Made the MLK weekend crowds feel even worse since the few lifts that were open had long lines. Frustrating weekend for sure.

Ugh, so sorry to hear that. Such a bummer.
 

echo_VT

Angel Diva
I just posted something similar in catskills 2017-2018.

here's also what i wrote up elsewhere for the weekend

Sat & Sun were somewhat interesting skiing. Friday (and Thu) it poured quite a bit so a lot of snow was lost. it then dipped in temps by a lot and soon the mtn became quite the ice skating rink. i said i feel like i'm ice skating down the mtn in humongous skates (our metal long skis attached to our legs). like a toboggan chute. it was iffy for sure. but they were blowing snow to get back everything they lost as it was cold enough for the snow to hold.

Mon i skiied uphill (finally not too icy to go uphill) for the 2nd time. 1700 ft of ascent. it was great coming down b/c it was snowing naturally and they had blown snow. fresh tracks are great.

i snowboarded on Mon during the day and had a good time of it. i skied with the kids and we drove home. another long drive as there was traffic due to the long weekend. drinking lots of water due to the workout in the AM.
 

W8N2SKI

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Tuesday in the mid-Atlantic (humble Massanutten) was the best day of the season so far. I suspected it would be great and called in "well" to the office. PERFECT conditions (for man-made). The weekend doesn't look so great, but hey, we're used to that and I maintain that less than optimum (i.e., crap) conditions make me a better skier.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I was at Gore today. I am happy to report that the mountain has recovered and the skiing is excellent!

The Hudson River still has ice jams between Warrensburg and Thurman. The ice jam is more than 20' high in some places. When that ice jam breaks, there will be some serious flooding downstream.

Gore will not be affected.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Wish I could say the same here. Lots of ice under a little bit of snow. No tree skiing....groomers only.

And the fog....skiing by braille!
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Killington had many lifts on wind hold, also, making the rest of the mountain quite crowded.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
maintain that less than optimum (i.e., crap) conditions make me a better skier.

That's my motto, too! Sketchy conditions immediately reveal every bad habit in my repertoire. I figure trying to correct errors in challenging conditions is probably a good way to lock in good habits. I hope so, anyway!
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That's my motto, too! Sketchy conditions immediately reveal every bad habit in my repertoire. I figure trying to correct errors in challenging conditions is probably a good way to lock in good habits. I hope so, anyway!

I agree in principle but it was more than a little scary from time to time in the fog yesterday! The snow felt great underfoot but there were times I had to stop and figure out where the side of the trail was! I was a tad queasy when I couldn't figure out up!
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Well. Now that we have frozen again, thawed again, and are freezing again, we thought we'd take a trip to Killington.

Ice:
Wow, some serious ice! My new self-congratulatory, learning-in-the-East phrase is, "I don't mind boilerplate. I don't mind icy. I'm not that crazy about ice, though." Meaning frozen rivers here and there, not just the odd patch.

Timidity:
I have conquered a different kind of timidity after my head-banger fall. I'm standing up to dear BF who keeps claiming I belong on blue trails. I can ski them, certainly. But I brake all the way down (skiddy turning ending uphill on every turn), and get very tired. Too tired to keep skiing those trails. I was able to explain to him that I have a lot I'm learning on green trails, and beating up my legs on blue trails, then continuing to ski them, is not my plan.

On the easier trails I am learning to tip my skis and turn. I need practice. He needs to go ski Superstar by himself a few times!

Ice again:
Oh, and I have renamed Bittersweet. Now it's Death Cookie Avenue.
 

Randi M.

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That's my motto, too! Sketchy conditions immediately reveal every bad habit in my repertoire. I figure trying to correct errors in challenging conditions is probably a good way to lock in good habits. I hope so, anyway!

I’ve decided that while the challenge and beauty of skiing elsewhere is in the varied terrain, the challenge and beauty of skiing the east coast is the varied conditions.

This is my third real season skiing in the northeast and I kept hoping for ideal conditions. Finally after that crazy weekend at Gore, I realized I had to adjust my outlook or i would be endlessly heartbroken.

My new motto is “embrace the conditions!”
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Well. Now that we have frozen again, thawed again, and are freezing again, we thought we'd take a trip to Killington.

Ice:
Wow, some serious ice! My new self-congratulatory, learning-in-the-East phrase is, "I don't mind boilerplate. I don't mind icy. I'm not that crazy about ice, though." Meaning frozen rivers here and there, not just the odd patch.

Timidity:
I have conquered a different kind of timidity after my head-banger fall. I'm standing up to dear BF who keeps claiming I belong on blue trails. I can ski them, certainly. But I brake all the way down (skiddy turning ending uphill on every turn), and get very tired. Too tired to keep skiing those trails. I was able to explain to him that I have a lot I'm learning on green trails, and beating up my legs on blue trails, then continuing to ski them, is not my plan.

On the easier trails I am learning to tip my skis and turn. I need practice. He needs to go ski Superstar by himself a few times!

Ice again:
Oh, and I have renamed Bittersweet. Now it's Death Cookie Avenue.

Just UGH on trying to improve, as a novice, under those conditions! I used to panic and straighten out my downhill leg to push the fear away! I agree, send him off to get his rush and let you fuss with your turns. I recall being at K-ton about 20 something years ago. Then a total novice with a BF who skied more. I remember coming down something in deep snow and arriving at the bottom where I declared: "I am NOT HAVING FUN"!!!! It does get better, I promise!!!!
 

newboots

Angel Diva
@Abbi - It's a mixed thing. I appreciate so much how much confidence he has in me, and how right he has been about it in many ways. But just because I can make it to the bottom (usually) without cracking my skull, doesn't mean it's fun, and after awhile, it's not even instructive. I do need to make runs that stretch my comfort zone, but not so many of them.

Maybe it's because I haven't skied for 2 weeks, or because I haven't been active (had a migraine that lasted and lasted), but I am completely wiped out after 4 hours today. Completely. I was asleep immediately after dinner, and I have rallied a bit, but I won't be up much longer. Whole body aches. A "ridiculously good workout!"
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@Abbi - It's a mixed thing. I appreciate so much how much confidence he has in me, and how right he has been about it in many ways. But just because I can make it to the bottom (usually) without cracking my skull, doesn't mean it's fun, and after awhile, it's not even instructive. I do need to make runs that stretch my comfort zone, but not so many of them.

Maybe it's because I haven't skied for 2 weeks, or because I haven't been active (had a migraine that lasted and lasted), but I am completely wiped out after 4 hours today. Completely. I was asleep immediately after dinner, and I have rallied a bit, but I won't be up much longer. Whole body aches. A "ridiculously good workout!"

Still with the head aggravating you?? I hope it cuts you some slack!

The challenging yourself vs feeling safe/having fun needs a balance. But you already know that.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Work on your skills at your pace and your place. Once you get those turns into C's and not Z's you can venture further afield.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Work on your skills at your pace and your place. Once you get those turns into C's and not Z's you can venture further afield.

And the Cs are beautiful! Just way too fast on the steep slopes, so I keep braking and slowing down.

You are so right!
 

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