Don’t throw the towel in yet
22 posts
15 users
3k+ views
SeniorSki
8 months ago
Member since 01/31/2022 🔗
145 posts
There are some indications of a cold surge coming after March 8 through the first week of April. Several computer models are pointing to below average cold for this time period with 3 key graphs backing up the assessment for the Mid-Atlantic area. Getting through the next 10 days is going to be tough. We will probably loose all the low elevation resorts, to warm. Hopefully the high elevation resorts can get through this period. Multiple computer runs have multiple storms effecting the Mid-Atlantic after the 8th that could potentially have a snow signal. However this is all computer generated and we all know how it turns out, always changes. At least there is a possibility not totally into spring. Besides we are long overdue for a Nor’Easter for the mid-Atlantic. Fingers crossed, would like to get one ski day in on fresh deep snow. 
Leo
8 months ago
Member since 11/15/2005 🔗
362 posts

I think for a lot of resorts it would be a question of whether they want to start over in Mid March and I think the answer will overwhelmingly be no.  You may see some higher elevation resorts hang on and then opt to start making snow again but that would be more the exception than norm.

For Laurel Mountain (have it in my weather app for mountain biking purposes) here are the 10 day highs, sequentially:  44 (today), 50, 59, 65, 62, 54, 53, 44, 42, 39.  With the last night of the 10 day being the first possible chance of snowmaking.  There won't be anything left at that point.  Which is March 10th.  

So the decision will be, do they want to start over.  Not sure the ROI on that makes any sense, but hopefully I'm wrong.

Laurel Hill Crazie - DCSki Supporter 
8 months ago
Member since 08/16/2004 🔗
2,047 posts
Laurel's snowmaking is done. The rental air compressors went back today but they made snow until the trucks pulled up to cart them off. Laurel will close on Sunday and open next weekend for the season's final weekend. HV will do the same. 7S usually will try to make it to April but the weather might not cooperate.
The19thHole
8 months ago
Member since 06/29/2015 🔗
86 posts

Snowshoe and Timberline will be able stay open through March and take advantage of any late-season upslope snow events.

Most of the downslope ski areas won't make it past March 10th, or maybe even this weekend. That said, I heard today that Massanutten is planning stay open much deeper into March (if they can).

SeniorSki
8 months ago
Member since 01/31/2022 🔗
145 posts
Watching some of the gurus tonight and one of them has already flipped their March outlook. So we shall see what happens after the 10th. Completely makes sense not to try and build a base once it is gone. After all they need to make money to survive. The sun angle this time of the year is a huge snow eater, blow snow at night just to watch it disappear during the day is not a sound decision. All we can do is hope for a late March or early April dump. Last big storm was 2018. Spring skiing is ok but I really don’t like mashed potatoes. TL, CV and Massanutten will be on my watch list for mid March. 
mdr227
8 months ago
Member since 01/11/2016 🔗
193 posts
The other very big issue this time of year is skier interest.    It seems to be that once we start to get some warm spells in March skier interest drops off dramatically for the local ski outings (of course going out West is different as schools will have Spring break to look ahead to) as people transition to other outdoor activities especially the various youth sports which ramp up quickly in March.    I think the most we can hope for an expect of the resorts within a couple of hours is to make it through two weeks of March with most of their terrain open (though that won't happen this year of course, but has a few times lately).   You look at a resort like Liberty that really didn't open fully until after MLK Day (they had just a couple of beginner trails open then) and are effectively done after this weekend (they say they will open next weekend, but the weather is going to do a number of the snow they have left and wouldn't be surprised to see them not open next weekend) which is effectively a little over a six week season!!!!   Don't know how a resort can make a profit that way.
snowsmith - DCSki Supporter 
8 months ago
Member since 03/15/2004 🔗
1,587 posts
Well folks I threw in the towel for the east this year. I was supposed to leave tomorrow for a NH trip skiing Loon, Attitash and Wildcat. Looking at the weather forecast, I decided to cancel. I now have a trip booked for April 7 - 13 to ski Breckenridge, Arapaho and maybe Copper. This year we had basically one good 5 day period- Jan 17 to 22. I was lucky to be at my place in the Laurels during that period. I am hoping for a different weather pattern next year. Skier interest is dropping off quickly thus it does not make financial sense to keep the lifts spinning.
JimK - DCSki Columnist
8 months ago
Member since 01/14/2004 🔗
2,994 posts

snowsmith wrote:

Well folks I threw in the towel for the east this year. I was supposed to leave tomorrow for a NH trip skiing Loon, Attitash and Wildcat. Looking at the weather forecast, I decided to cancel. I now have a trip booked for April 7 - 13 to ski Breckenridge, Arapaho and maybe Copper. This year we had basically one good 5 day period- Jan 17 to 22. I was lucky to be at my place in the Laurels during that period. I am hoping for a different weather pattern next year. Skier interest is dropping off quickly thus it does not make financial sense to keep the lifts spinning.

 Breck (resortsy) and A-Basin (hard-coresy) are a great ying and yang combo and should still be outstanding skiing in early April!  Elevations are high, so take it easy the first day or two and hydrate.

snowsmith - DCSki Supporter 
8 months ago
Member since 03/15/2004 🔗
1,587 posts


 Jim - Great advice!! I have an Epic Pass and a 2-day Ikon pass so Breck seemed like an ideal base location to use both. I will need to take it a little easy on the first day or two. I hope you're enjoying your yearly sojourn to Snowbird.  You inspire us old geezers. 

JimK wrote:

snowsmith wrote:

Well folks I threw in the towel for the east this year. I was supposed to leave tomorrow for a NH trip skiing Loon, Attitash and Wildcat. Looking at the weather forecast, I decided to cancel. I now have a trip booked for April 7 - 13 to ski Breckenridge, Arapaho and maybe Copper. This year we had basically one good 5 day period- Jan 17 to 22. I was lucky to be at my place in the Laurels during that period. I am hoping for a different weather pattern next year. Skier interest is dropping off quickly thus it does not make financial sense to keep the lifts spinning.

 Breck (resortsy) and A-Basin (hard-coresy) are a great ying and yang combo and should still be outstanding skiing in early April!  Elevations are high, so take it easy the first day or two and hydrate.

needawax
8 months ago
Member since 04/19/2019 🔗
44 posts
Regardless of favorable weather on the way - in the mid-atlantic, you can't hold on to your staff long enough once the season goes sour.  They either take up new employment locally or go west or what not.  Skied HV today, and actually enjoyed it, let's call it spring skiing and leave it at that -  but there isn't enough there to hold for the forthcoming days. 
Crush
8 months ago (edited 8 months ago)
Member since 03/21/2004 🔗
1,283 posts

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needawax wrote:

Regardless of favorable weather on the way - in the mid-atlantic, you can't hold on to your staff long enough once the season goes sour.  They either take up new employment locally or go west or what not.  Skied HV today, and actually enjoyed it, let's call it spring skiing and leave it at that -  but there isn't enough there to hold for the forthcoming days. 
Patf1engineer
8 months ago
Member since 01/23/2018 🔗
64 posts

Here is my approach to this weather

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Laurel Hill Crazie - DCSki Supporter 
8 months ago (edited 8 months ago)
Member since 08/16/2004 🔗
2,047 posts

Low ceiling today at Stowe. It's in the upper forties and won't go below freezing the next few nights. 

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wgo
8 months ago (edited 8 months ago)
Member since 02/10/2004 🔗
1,669 posts
Good conditions at Killington today, but very foggy. They still have a good deal on the mountain open but there are definitely thin spots to avoid.
wgo
8 months ago
Member since 02/10/2004 🔗
1,669 posts

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wgo
8 months ago (edited 8 months ago)
Member since 02/10/2004 🔗
1,669 posts
Yesterday and today were both half days, cut short by the rain. Still got some good skiing in - killington yesterday, Gore today. First time at Gore, this is a very fun mountain even without the glades and natural snow runs.
Grumpy dad
8 months ago
Member since 11/7/2021 🔗
144 posts
7S will barely be able to remain open this weekend. It's going to be ugly.  Sunday it gets cold, and if they have a brain they will pull together many porta guns to fill in the areas that are cutting off entire slopes or sections of the mountain.  But of course their volume and capacity is so much lower than the previous ownership (before nutting started to go cheap too).  
Next week it warms up. There's no way Vail operates next week, but who knows.  Then the week after we get a week of cold temps and crossing fingers, cold enough to make snow.  The question is, will they?  
I personally think they do.  There isnt a single person that I know who isnt considering how to cut back on passes next year, or all together and just planning trips elsehwere.  If Vail were smart they would jump at the possible snow making op coming up in a couple of weeks to extend through the end of March and maybe even the first weekend in April.  That gives them a better look when pitching to people the idea of buying into season passes again. 
CBski
8 months ago
Member since 11/1/2023 🔗
7 posts

Grumpy dad wrote:

7S will barely be able to remain open this weekend. It's going to be ugly.  Sunday it gets cold, and if they have a brain they will pull together many porta guns to fill in the areas that are cutting off entire slopes or sections of the mountain.  But of course their volume and capacity is so much lower than the previous ownership (before nutting started to go cheap too).  
Next week it warms up. There's no way Vail operates next week, but who knows.  Then the week after we get a week of cold temps and crossing fingers, cold enough to make snow.  The question is, will they?  
I personally think they do.  There isnt a single person that I know who isnt considering how to cut back on passes next year, or all together and just planning trips elsehwere.  If Vail were smart they would jump at the possible snow making op coming up in a couple of weeks to extend through the end of March and maybe even the first weekend in April.  That gives them a better look when pitching to people the idea of buying into season passes again. 

I’ve been told Sunday will be final day of season for 7S, base is eroded and ground is too warm to build the base back up

Let’s see what happens

Leo
8 months ago
Member since 11/15/2005 🔗
362 posts

I'm too lazy to post screenshots of the current trail cams for 7S and HV and the 10 day forecast, but I think it's amazing that they are still selling tickets for THIS weekend.  I know they really want to sell lots of beer at the pond skim.  But it is not skiing at this point.  I'm not sure the ground ever really actually froze this winter, but they are losing snow rapidly from the top of the base AND the bottom.  And the areas around the main lifts are a disaster, only marginally navigable thanks to them moving snow from somewhere, I'm not sure where they scrounged it up. 

There is no way on earth they operate beyond this weekend....

CBski
8 months ago
Member since 11/1/2023 🔗
7 posts

Leo wrote:

I'm too lazy to post screenshots of the current trail cams for 7S and HV and the 10 day forecast, but I think it's amazing that they are still selling tickets for THIS weekend.  I know they really want to sell lots of beer at the pond skim.  But it is not skiing at this point.  I'm not sure the ground ever really actually froze this winter, but they are losing snow rapidly from the top of the base AND the bottom.  And the areas around the main lifts are a disaster, only marginally navigable thanks to them moving snow from somewhere, I'm not sure where they scrounged it up. 

There is no way on earth they operate beyond this weekend....

skied with my dad at LM last Friday   Great day, crew did a good job with the snowmaking window they got the few days prior.    Seemed to have a fairly substantial base    Not sure what this weeks weather did to it

Family day last Sunday at HV so my wife and twins could use up the 1 remaining day on their 7 day pass   Conditions were springish but not terrible, there was little to no base left on most of the slopes there    Not sure how they are going to open tomorrow 

 

Timothy.grasso
8 months ago
Member since 11/20/2018 🔗
70 posts

Not looking too promising for EPIC resorts. 

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Whitetail:1709842196_pbbvszzijvom.jpg1709842205_ixirpkccdwhp.jpg

jn_freedman
8 months ago
Member since 03/17/2018 🔗
25 posts
Call me a hater but is Whitetail really going to open this weekend?  I appreciate the effort but it doesn't look like there's much there, there....

Ski and Tell

Snowcat got your tongue?

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