Sugarbush, VT 12/19/99

<I>(Note from the Administrator: This report was originally posted on 12/20/99. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>What a difference a day makes! Everything was extra-doubled groomed this morning, with no sign of death cookies, ruts, or other unpleasantness. Like a typical cold January Sunday--with a slightly questionable base. <BR> <BR>Groomed "styrofoam" snow greeted us for warm-up turns on North Lynx--edgeable enough for the lower intermediate in our group but hard enough to discourage laziness. Jester was much better--perfect recycled cordoroy for easy cruising. Organgrinder (top-to-bottom)presented more styrofoam up top that soon emptied into a wonderful terrain-park of ungroomed snowmaking whales, perfect for warming up creaky knees. The more interesting terrain, however, was questionable. Ripcord/Spillsville were a minefield of rock and twig-filled troughs, enough to discourage a LT poach of Paradise. A detour over to Ellen gave us more snow, but harder surfaces and cold shadows. Still, for $25+a toy donation, it was a fine day. <BR> <BR>Highlights: whales, and killer views across VT into NH, with every major White Mountain peak crystal clear on the horizon. Nothing like deep purple sky and well-rimed trees to keep your mindoff the sketchy snow conditions.