Mt. Sunapee, NH 1/26/00

<I>(Note from the Administrator: This report was originally posted on 1/26/00. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>Ah, to ski mid-week, and with fresh snow to boot! After watching the weather, trying to decide who got the most snow by eight this a.m., and deciding how far I wanted to drive, I opted for Mt. Sunapee. The fact that it is only a forty minute ride from my house was a big factor, so I took a gamble that Sunapee would have received more snow last night than places further north, and I chose correctly. <BR> <BR>Snow totals there are about a foot, I would guess. Some of the trails were groomed early in the night, with 3-4 inches of new snow on top, and several were left untouched. There was a layer of ice/hardpack under the new snow, but I did not notice that until early afternoon. Crowds were large by mid-week standards, according to people I spoke with who ski Sunapee often. Translation: 2 people on every other chair, instead of every fourth chair. <BR> <BR>I got there early, and was on the third chair up. A powder day in New Hampshire! Okay, so it was nothing monumental, but I will take what I get, especially this winter. Rode the quad to the summit, got first tracks on Blast-off. Cold smoke, silent turns, and a smile on my face. Next run, ducked into the Summit Glades, new this year. Here was the freshies! Knee-deep in some places, untracked, quiet. This glade is fairly short, and needs a bit of pruning, but is not too wide open so you know you are still in the trees.Hopefully, Sunapee keeps going with glades, and prunes just enough to keep things interesting. <BR> <BR>Later in the morning, I went over to the Sunbowl, did a few laps off that quad down Wingding. Next, headed to the North Peak triple. Short chair, but serves some fun black diamonds. This is the spot too start a powder day. Good fall line skiing, some fun bumps, no intersecting trails, and a slow lift to keep the trails empty. <BR> <BR>Thoughts on Sunapee's expansion: the new Sunapee Lodge is a beautiful building, open, bright, all exposed wood beams and log posts. No fireplace, though, like the lodge that it replaced, at least that I saw. Granted, the old lodge had a state-run-facility feel to it, but it was nice to come in to a warm fire at lunch. Oh well, progress; the Sunapee Express quad, new last year, puts you up top in a hurry, along with one hundred of your closest friends. Too many people in too small an area for me, and from my experience there last season, on a weekend you take your life in your hands; did I mention that lift prices have gone up for the second year in a row? They have, but they gotta pay for that new chair on lodge somehow. Wednesdays are two-for-one for NH/VT residents, so that takes the sting off paying. <BR> <BR>Overall, a fine day, lots of soft snow and fresh tracks, and I can't wait for another day just like today!