Sugarloaf – 11/30/14
Date(s) Skied: 11/30/14
Resort or Ski Area: Sugarloaf/USA
Conditions: Temps Mid 30's with 20mph winds. Cloudy skies. Groomed man-made with some Thanksgiving leftovers, and surprisingly edge-able snow.
Trip Report: The ride to the mountain was probably the most "exciting" part of the day. It was white knuckle driving with freezing rain/drizzle for most of the ride. I drove past numerous cars off the road, and had a near miss on the highway with the car in front of me pinballing off the guard rails...At that point, I seriously considered mailing it in & aborting the trip, but instead (like many others on this board) I took a break, let the heart rate get back to normal, and continued on.
I was expecting the worst conditions coming off a day with high temps only in the low twenties, no sun, and possible freezing rain forecasted...However it was surprisingly much better than I was anticipating. The temps reached mid 30's at top of Skyline however the winds & lack of sun made it feel more like mid winter. Winds were not much of a factor after 1/4 of the way down. The middle of the trails turned scratchy fairly quickly, however the sides of the trails were easy to get an edge, and there were nice soft bumps on the edges of both Hayburner & Kings. Gondi & Tote road were the other options down from the top. I love that Sugarloaf has committed to getting some serious vertical for early season skiing....Gondi is typically not in play until mid to late December. As usual, Gondi had the typical drop in with hardly any edge-able snow on the first 3 or 4 turns, but then it was pure bliss especially skier's right with deep snow pack & spots where you could even weave in & out of the new glade on the upper third of the trail. I lapped Gondi for most of the day mixing in some runs on the other trails, but found myself wanting the vertical rush that only Gondi can offer up. This was my third time out for the season & my second day on my new gear (Blizzard Brahma's)...Still learning how to ride the Bull, and there were a few runs where I felt like the Bull was riding me. I love most everything about the ski, but still getting used to the slight lack of quickness that I had in my old skis....Being someone that loves the bumps & likes to turn, I sometimes felt myself late in transitioning from turn to turn...however not concerned the bull will be tamed, and really LOVE every other aspect of this ski.
TOD: Gondi Line (of course).
Here are a few pics...The obligatory stop at Bullwinkles (still snowed in & not open yet for the season)
IMG_0694.jpg
Looking up Gondi.
IMG_0698.jpg
Looking down Gondi.
IMG_0696.jpg
Resort or Ski Area: Sugarloaf/USA
Conditions: Temps Mid 30's with 20mph winds. Cloudy skies. Groomed man-made with some Thanksgiving leftovers, and surprisingly edge-able snow.
Trip Report: The ride to the mountain was probably the most "exciting" part of the day. It was white knuckle driving with freezing rain/drizzle for most of the ride. I drove past numerous cars off the road, and had a near miss on the highway with the car in front of me pinballing off the guard rails...At that point, I seriously considered mailing it in & aborting the trip, but instead (like many others on this board) I took a break, let the heart rate get back to normal, and continued on.
I was expecting the worst conditions coming off a day with high temps only in the low twenties, no sun, and possible freezing rain forecasted...However it was surprisingly much better than I was anticipating. The temps reached mid 30's at top of Skyline however the winds & lack of sun made it feel more like mid winter. Winds were not much of a factor after 1/4 of the way down. The middle of the trails turned scratchy fairly quickly, however the sides of the trails were easy to get an edge, and there were nice soft bumps on the edges of both Hayburner & Kings. Gondi & Tote road were the other options down from the top. I love that Sugarloaf has committed to getting some serious vertical for early season skiing....Gondi is typically not in play until mid to late December. As usual, Gondi had the typical drop in with hardly any edge-able snow on the first 3 or 4 turns, but then it was pure bliss especially skier's right with deep snow pack & spots where you could even weave in & out of the new glade on the upper third of the trail. I lapped Gondi for most of the day mixing in some runs on the other trails, but found myself wanting the vertical rush that only Gondi can offer up. This was my third time out for the season & my second day on my new gear (Blizzard Brahma's)...Still learning how to ride the Bull, and there were a few runs where I felt like the Bull was riding me. I love most everything about the ski, but still getting used to the slight lack of quickness that I had in my old skis....Being someone that loves the bumps & likes to turn, I sometimes felt myself late in transitioning from turn to turn...however not concerned the bull will be tamed, and really LOVE every other aspect of this ski.
TOD: Gondi Line (of course).
Here are a few pics...The obligatory stop at Bullwinkles (still snowed in & not open yet for the season)
IMG_0694.jpg
Looking up Gondi.
IMG_0698.jpg
Looking down Gondi.
IMG_0696.jpg