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The Melt After the Deep Freeze!

Randi M.

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I’m so incredibly bummed out. For weeks it has been frigid, and then snowy, in the entire northeast. We have had MLK weekend at Gore on the books since December and for the last week or so I’ve been watching the weather. Forecasts originally predicted temps in the 20s all week through Sunday but now they are predicting in the 40s on Thursday and Friday. And worse yet, rain BOTH days. It should drop to 23 and snow Satursay but at best the mountain will be a sheet of ice! I’m crushed!
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It looks like it's going to SNOW!!!! I keep getting weather alerts and sounds like Gore will be all snow w/5" coming.. I"m hoping so!!!!
 

nopoleskier

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
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newboots

Angel Diva
I think there's a good chance Killington will get snow*. Although it's supposed to be quite warm, the elevation is high, and just look at that purple band extending into Rutland County!

*This opinion is based largely on wishful thinking.
 

SallyCat

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.
 

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.

I’m an east coast skier now, but I grew up skiing mostly in Utah. I’m spoiled forever and ever and I never give up hope for pure, iceless snow. It’s definitely masochistic.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Gore is my home mountain. I skied on Wednesday in absolute perfect conditions. The snow coverage was excellent and they were still blowing manpow on Chatiemac and the Dark Side. Topridge isn't open. The Glades were in great shape. On Wednesday.

The Bad News: I live about 40 miles south of Gore. It's raining right now and 52* with horrible fog. At least 50% of the snow in my yard is compacted or gone.

This is what we refer to as the January Thaw. Since we moved here in 1997, it's gotten warmer and rained the second week of January. Every. Single. Year. Then, winter comes back with a vengeance. (Except in 2015 when we had no real winter at all.)

Gore didn't open the upper mountain at all today, and the only lift is the gondi. They didn't groom at all last night, so they are conserving as much as they can. Hopefully, the rain will run through the snow cover and be ready to accept the new snow. 4-8 inches predicted for Friday night into Saturday evening.

The good news is that the weather will keep many skiers off the mountain on Saturday. Gore has wonderful snowmakers and a really good grooming crew, so they will get as much open as possible, as quickly as possible. I don't think the mountain will be an ice rink, but there will be patches of boilerplate, especially if the wind is blowing. Sunday will be cold and beautiful.

Sharpen your edges and come anyway.

If your weekend is a washout, here are some options.

The Great Escape Waterpark in Queensbury.
Lake Placid is a wonderful village in the mountains. Visit the Olympic venues. Have a nice lunch at the Cottage.
Bring your snowshoes and take a hike in the Adirondacks.

Here are my tips. Don't buy a 3 day Gore pass. It's non-refundable under any circumstances. Instead, the most economical option is an Empire Card $99 (first day is included/'free'). The next weekend/holiday day is $65 (25% reduction) Even if you only ski 2 days, the Empire Card saves you money. 50% during the week if you can come back. And you can ski Whiteface or Belleayre with the Empire Card, too.

Hope it works out for you.
 

Randi M.

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This is what we refer to as the January Thaw. Since we moved here in 1997, it's gotten warmer and rained the second week of January. Every. Single. Year. Then, winter comes back with a vengeance. (Except in 2015 when we had no real winter at all.)

Watch -- based on this, we will avoid Gore this weekend next year and it will be 28 degrees and 2 feet at the base.

The good news is that the weather will keep many skiers off the mountain on Saturday. Gore has wonderful snowmakers and a really good grooming crew, so they will get as much open as possible, as quickly as possible. I don't think the mountain will be an ice rink, but there will be patches of boilerplate, especially if the wind is blowing. Sunday will be cold and beautiful.

Sharpen your edges and come anyway.

Our bags are packed and we're planning to load into the car at around 4:00. We have warm gear and don't mind skiing in the cold, so an empty mountain on a cold day with a combination of blown and fresh snow works for me. As long as we get a few hours in tomorrow and a good day Sunday and Monday I'll be satisfied. Fingers crossed!
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Safe trip! I wouldn't count on an empty mountain, but the crowds will be less than normal due to the weather.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
How was Day 1? The snow report didn't look promising.
 

Randi M.

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Well... here’s the story....

We drove up to the house last night in the rain. It was snowing when we woke up this morning. With all that precipitation, the river next to our house had swelled and the bridge to Gore was washed out. To get there, we had to drive about half an hour out of the way. We arrived 15 minutes before ski school started only to find the lock of our roof rack had iced shut. So we raced into town and bought de-icing fluid and were back at the mountain in 30 minutes. But by that time the inner lots were all full, so we parked in Siberia. It was bitterly cold and windy, and somehow my husband left me and my kids in the dust on the way to the lodge. My 9 year old stopped dead in his tracks. The only way I could get my kids to the lodge was by pretending we were explorers scaling Mt. Everest. While carrying three pairs of skis and a pair of poles.

Miraculously, they were able to take my kids into a ski group even though it was almost lunch time. My husband and I got them settled and then headed to the main lodge, but we accidentally separated along the way. There was zero cell service and we couldn’t find each other all day, right until pick up from ski school at 3:30. We later figured out we had missed each other by feet and minutes all day long.

The conditions were insane. Sheets of ice the entire width of the trail, bare patches and, oddly, pools of slushy snow. Only four lifts open, counting the magic carpet and one lift on the far side of the mountain. Long lift lines. The weather was so cold and windy my gaiter froze to my cheek on the quad.

It took us an hour and a half to get back home at the end of the day because both main roads in and out were closed due to floodwaters, and for a minute we thought we might not be able to get there at all.

But.....but! I skied by myself all day, at my own pace, in my own time. I had lunch when I wanted to, warmed up exactly as much as I needed, and stopped on the hills to survey the terrain to my liking. My recently-stretched boots were comfortable, and my new socks and boot gloves kept my toes warm for the first time in basically forever. I practiced carving in the morning and moguls in the afternoon as the trails began to bump up. And finally, finally, finally, I made friends with the ice. I trusted my equipment and my technique, and just went for it. I found it to be harder work but totally skiable. It was exhilarating.

At the end of the day, my husband and I found each other at ski school pick up. He - a true beginner - told me he had had an awesome day. His only complaint was that the runs off the easy lift were too short. He’s finally truly ready for the top of the mountain, a real milestone. My nine year old told me he graduated to poles and my seven year old told me he skied his first blues. My nine year old had to do on more run with me, and we had the honor of being the last on the lift. And when I asked my kids to rate the day, they gave it a 10 out of 10.

And you know what? So did I.
 

2ski2moro

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Too bad the tropical breezes screwed up your weekend. I'm glad you were able to salvage the day.

AT&T has good service, Verizon is good on the hill but not in the lodge. There is WiFi, login with "Guest" and the password,"more gore." WhatsApp and Messenger work with that if you want to leave messages. It also works at the Saddle Lodge.

Did the Gondi ever open? I heard that it was iced over. May not run Sunday either. Did you hear that, too? I also heard that they are making the manpow as fast as they can.

I wish I were there tomorrow to show you around. I know some hidden gems. If you get back to Gore sometime, send me a PM and we can meet up if you want to.
 

vickie

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I remember my one day at Stratton. Stopping at the top of the lift to wring water out of my gloves before putting my pole straps on.

Snow was softened by the rain. No lift lines. Almost empty trails. On a weekend. Wonderful, ain't it?
 

Randi M.

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Too bad the tropical breezes screwed up your weekend. I'm glad you were able to salvage the day.

AT&T has good service, Verizon is good on the hill but not in the lodge. There is WiFi, login with "Guest" and the password,"more gore." WhatsApp and Messenger work with that if you want to leave messages. It also works at the Saddle Lodge.

Did the Gondi ever open? I heard that it was iced over. May not run Sunday either. Did you hear that, too? I also heard that they are making the manpow as fast as they can.

I wish I were there tomorrow to show you around. I know some hidden gems. If you get back to Gore sometime, send me a PM and we can meet up if you want to.

We have Verizon and I had no service anywhere. I got into WiFi but my husband had trouble.

The gondola was closed. I heard several different rumors, ranging from wind to ice to someone breaking a key part while trying to get it open yesterday. I hope they open it today. The top of the quad is brutal.

I will definitely PM next time we are back. That is such a nice offer! I can see how great a mountain it is. Some really interesting terrain.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
But.....but! I skied by myself all day, at my own pace, in my own time. I had lunch when I wanted to, warmed up exactly as much as I needed, and stopped on the hills to survey the terrain to my liking.

:thumb:

That's my skiing experience about 80% of the time and I love it! (The other 20% is wonderful, too, even though I've been accused of being "defiantly solitary." :wave: )
 

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