What does you home resort look like in summer?

[surfsnowgirl]

This might be a dumb question but it's something I've wondered about so here goes.

The grass on the trails is pretty tall at mount snow right now, looks a bit over grown and wild in places.

Does any maintenance happen over the summer to the trails at ski resorts or do they just let things go au naturale and then when winter comes it gets covered with snow, etc.

 

[altagirl]

We even have shrubs and small trees that grow in the groomed terrain, but I'm not aware of any maintenance for that. You just ski on top of it once it's covered with snow. Maybe it's different in areas that plan for a lower base of snow? I believe there is maintenance of some of the gladed areas though.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Yeah, I know that there is effort that goes into keeping the glades maintained, although I'm not sure what exactly - there are always fallen logs etc to be careful of, so clearly they're not sanitizing them. And half-broken-down fences and such in some places ...

You'd be amazed at the scree field underneath some of these runs, too.

But mowing? No, I don't think so.

 

[santacruz skier]

From the Gunbarrel cat track at Heavenly last month...
View attachment 5825

You mean round-about?

 

[merrydog]

You mean round-about?

Probably, I'm bad with run names unless they are bump runs.

 

[SallyCat]

Here's a video about summer glade work at a mountain in New Hampshire. Doesn't help answer the question about regular trail maintenance, but it's interesting.

 

[sibhusky]

Well, we have mountain biking, so the areas around the biking trails get mown. And since essentially the whole front of the mountain has hiking trails and biking trails, that means the the areas around the open sections (as opposed to the forested sections) get a lot of mowing just for sight distance reasons.

On the other hand, there's a lot of huckleberry bushes. Those don't get mowed. They get covered by snow (along with A LOT of trees) in winter.

 

[Christy]

Some ski areas that don't get much snow mow and brush the runs in summer. Sun Peaks for instance does and they even pick the rocks off runs in summer. Then they can open with an 18" base. I hike in wilderness not ski areas in summer so I don't have photos but our slopes would be opposite and an interesting contrast to what @mustski posted. The runs below treeline were logged of course so there's giant stumps and boulders and all sorts of chumky stuff that make it easy to see why we can't even think of opening without a 36" base, and even that is a bring your rock skis situation.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

We were just at Bromley in Peru, Vermont yesterday hanging out on the deck having a couple of beers and it was quite gorgeous out. Bromley turns their mountain into a summer kid friendly oasis. There's a zip line, water slide, alpine slides, mini golf, bounce thing, a little beach with sand. Then the desk serves a nice array of beers, cider and food. I'm pretty fond of Bromley. My friends parents are good friends with the guy at Bromley who hires all the courtesy staff so think Tracey, Michael and I will be doing this next season. A couple weekends a month and we get season passes and discounts everywhere including ski school which I"m excited about. We make our own schedule so I can balance it perfectly with my schedule at my other mountain where I teach. I'm excited.

We just hung out for a bit but it was quite pretty and gorgeous.

18 hole Mini golf with a gorgeous view of Stratton in the background.

 

[VickiK]

This is Mammoth in summer.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

So beautiful

 

[VickiK]

It doesn't show but the town and mountain are packed this weekend. European tourists, families camping, bike park goers, and Village BBQ festival are happening.

Pic 1 is of Chair 2 at the Mill lodge and the easy Downhill trail for mountain bikes, pic 2 is from Canyon lodge showing Lincoln Mt with its steep chutes. A quiet bench looks south from the bike path behind the town

 

[santacruz skier]

About ten years ago BF and I did trip to Yosemite followed by several days mountain biking at Mammoth . What fun that was!!!

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Last year we spent a day at Yosemite and then drove down to mammoth for a couple days. Fantastic trip, would love to do that again. Mammoth had just closed and bike park wasn't yet open. Next trip we will time it better so we can downhill mountain bike a little.

 

[WaterGirl]

@VickiK was there last weekend too. It has also been super crowded the weekends we have been up.....



DD and I both commented that the double blacks seem steeper in the summer ......

 

[VickiK]

Yeah, I feel the same. That's a classic view of the whole mountain from the highway.

 

[Albertan ski girl]

Sunshine Village in the summer - I don't really hike at ski areas in the summer, but Sunshine Meadows often have to be crossed to get to some backcountry camping spots.
this is from the top of the mt.standish lift.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I am very excited. One of our 2 ski clubs has announced 2 of the big trips. One is to Ski Banff and Lake Louise. It's relatively inexpensive at $1620 and includes everything. One of our friends just got back from an RV trip and they stopped here, OMG the pictures...................

Haven't committed yet but it's a definite possibility.

February 25th thru March 4th, 2017

Includes:
* Round trip Airfare from Newark to Calgary via Air Canada
* Round Trip Charter Bus to/from Calgary Airport to Lake Louise/Banff
* 3 Night's lodging at Lake Louise Inn, a modern mountain resort, located a free 6 minutes shuttle ride from Lake Louise Ski Resort
* 4 Night's lodging at Banff Caribou Lodge and Spa, located a pleasant 10-minute walk, or complementary all day shuttle, from the shops, restaurants and nightlife of downtown Banff
* Luggage transfer from Lake Louise Inn to Banff Caribou Lodge
* 5 of 7 day Adult Lift Ticket good for Mt. Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Resort
* Group Dinner
Located in Canada's oldest and most iconic national park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this pristine paradise of unspoiled wilderness and mountain lakes is a destination for travelers the world over.
Collectively boasting a staggering 8,000 acres of accessible terrain blanketed annually with an average of 30 feet of feather-light, dry Canadian Rockies powder, Mt. Norquay, The Lake Louise Ski Resort and Sunshine Village offer skiers and snowboarders virtually unlimited variety. With two gondolas and 26 chairlifts accessing everything from super-wide groomers, gladed runs to step and deep chutes and black diamond mogul thrill rides, there's a run for everyone.
Other outdoor winter activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, dog sledding, ice walks and horse drawn sleigh rides. Add shopping, dining, museums, nightlife and a soothing soak in the famous hot springs.
Check it out at skibig3.com or view Ski.com's Ski Resort Vacation Guides for Banff and Lake Louise, or Banff Vacation Travel Guide / Expedia

 

[santacruz skier]

I'm sure @Albertan ski girl can tell you more, but my first time to Banff/Lake Louise I was blown away by how beautiful it is.... lots of great skiing and long runs. Lots of steep skiing and awesome bowls (you'll need your bump skills!)

 

[surfsnowgirl]

I'm sure @Albertan ski girl can tell you more, but my first time to Banff/Lake Louise I was blown away by how beautiful it is.... lots of great skiing and long runs. Lots of steep skiing and awesome bowls (you'll need your bump skills!)

I already had an idea about how beautiful it is from Albertan ski girl's photos but then when my friends posted pictures in the last few days, ok sold, let's go... coincidentally ski club is going there, ah a sign from above I think lol.

Trip's not until the end of February so I'll have lots of skiing in by then. I don't mind steep skiing so long as the runs are nice and wide. Long runs are great. If I'm not feeling great about bumps by then I will just avoid them. Hopefully there is something for everyone but my new mantra is no stressing about the mountain, I will go and have fun. I am taken aback by how beautiful it is.

I also want to see what domestic places the ski clubs are going before we commit to a trip.

Also likely doing San Diego with some skiing in Arizona and Big Bear so trying not to blow my entire vacation in the first 3 months of the year. Fortunately I have a fantastic employer with bosses who ski so they always work with me. Besides I travel with my laptop and usually handle things now and again which is partly I think why they are so flexible.