Project 101: USA Road Trip

[Tony Crocker]

Maine? I've given up trying to guess his next stops.

Yes Maine, as mentioned two days ago, which then seemed inconsistent with his "collecting ski areas" mission given the density of them in upstate NY.

He skied Saddleback and Sugarloaf today. I have not skied either, but I'm quite sure both are worth a full day, especially with current conditions. He is in Stuart's 49 Degrees North+Mt. Spokane territory now.

We can tell James where Project101 is NOT going:

2019-03-11	Tremblant	Quebec
2019-03-11	Olympia Summer	Quebec
2019-03-11	Sommet Gabriel	Quebec
2019-03-11	Sommet Saint-Sauveur	Quebec
2019-03-11	Bromont	Quebec
2019-03-11	Morin Heights	Quebec
2019-03-10	Bromont	Quebec
2019-03-10	Stowe	Vermont
2019-03-09	Sugarbush	Vermont
2019-03-09	Pico Mountain	Vermont
2019-03-09	Killington	Vermont
2019-03-08	Mount Snow	Vermont
2019-03-08	Stratton	Vermont
2019-03-08	Okemo	Vermont
2019-03-07	West Mountain	New York
2019-03-07	Gore Mountain	New York
2019-03-07	Whiteface – Lake Placid	New York

Today in Maine is stopping to smell the roses compared to the 2019 Northeast itinerary. 5 in one day in the Laurentians!

 

[ChrisC]

He went to Jay Peak yesterday (no powder and no trees) followed by a three-hour drive somewhere: Maine? I've given up trying to guess his next stops.

The high at Jay today is a brisk -13F with wind chill at -32.

From the report:
Since I have to move on soon – it's still three and a half hours to the motel, and I should be there by 7:00 p.m. (a good excuse to call it a day after the last lift) – I stick to easy-to-navigate runs. Unfortunately, I can't try out the numerous tree runs.

My most important source for ski resorts in the northeastern USA, the Storm Skiing Journal, has been raving about Jay Peak for years.


WTH? You travel all the way to Jay Peak from Europe, have read about it for years, and you neglect to ski any of its iconic glades/tree runs?!

Although Jay's snowfall numbers grab a lot of headlines, most of the snow is blown off the trails and into the woods. Hence, you will find all reported snow totals in the glades/trees. The upper 1/3 of Jay is typicallys wind-blasteed. Alternatively, one can see the woods below the tram summit, loaded with snow.

Also, Jay started the tree-skiing revolution in the East in the 1990s, with locals even thinning some lines in the summer. Stowe and MRG deserve mention, but they do not have the extensive snowfall or the overall volume of gladed terrain. This trend eventually spread out west with Colorado thinning its tightly-speaced Lodgepole Pine terrain; one can see this all over the trail maps from 90s till now. Same in other regions of the West.

Again, to travel to Jay and not even sample a few easier tree-runs is a crime. It's like going to the Alps and never leaving the piste - the land where off-piste skiing and freeriding originated.

The kicker: He left Jay Peak early to dive to Maine to be there before 7 pm.

It is so obvious he does NOT CARE ABOUT THE TERRAIN he skis on this trip. It's really secondary or tertiary. The best part is the pass "scan" and the online record of it in an app or website.

 

[ChrisC]

Yes Maine, as mentioned two days ago, which then seemed inconsistent with his "collecting ski areas" mission given the density of them in upstate NY.

He skied Saddleback and Sugarloaf today. I have not skied either, but I'm quite sure both are worth a full day, especially with current conditions. He is in Stuart's 49 Degrees North+Mt. Spokane territory now.

His Maine skiing was a complete sh-tshow and a disaster. I knew when he said 3.5 hours and mentioned Maine, it was game on.

Sugarloaf
Almost all of Sugarloaf was closed: High-speed lifts were down due to wind or maintenance. None of its famous terrain was open: Snowfields, twisty classic, old-school upper-mountain runs near the old gondola, SuperQuad was broken (and its modern fun fall-line cruisers), King Pine bowl down, etc. It was equivalent to the November opening day skiing - or worse due to cold/winds.

Verdict: For me, I wouldn't even count Sugarloaf as 'skied' because it is full vertical, underutilized, and misses all the famous/best terrain. Totally awful day.

Note: I waited years to ski the Snowfields on a proper big-snow year. It's one of the few places I would spend money to stay overnight (Sat only) to ski in the Northeast (distance and snow quality). Otherwise, it's day trips, friends, ski house guests, studen housing, etc.

Saddleback
Just as bad. The main HSQuad was down 80+% of the day, and he never rode/skied the other summit lift. Just stayed on the boring lifts at the base. A Midwest day might have been better.


Again, I ran out of red ink trying to show how 70-80% of both Sugarloaf and Saddleback were closed due to wind, weather, and mechanical issues.

 

[Tony Crocker]

It is so obvious he does NOT CARE ABOUT THE TERRAIN he skis on this trip. It's really secondary or tertiary. The best part is the pass "scan" and the online record of it in an app or website.

I told Liz about this trip and she summarized the trip as well as anyone here, "How to take the joy out of skiing!"

 

[ChrisC]

I think he actively avoids snowstorms and does not seek out powder skiing; it might interfere with driving and multi-ski area tours.

And he does not research any terrain, nor cares.

The only interest is trying to ride as many different lifts in 30-120 minutes at any ski area. I think it's the number of Chairlifts that determines the length of a ski day.

Mad River Glen = 4 lifts. That's one hour - Max!

I think storm day riding around the Catskills or Central New York would be amazing, Sun-Tuesday.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Project101 did get on Saddleback's HSQ Saturday. He's picked up his pace to 3 areas today.

As one who also "collects ski areas," it is an important but not overriding priority.

Examples: At Solden and Alpe d'Huez we had 25K vertical days, but there were a few sectors we missed. However, with conditions not ideal we prioritized skiing a new area somewhere else in preference to a second day in the same place. With great conditions we probably stay put at interesting terrain areas like that. In April 2018 we remained in Val D'Isere for the entire 11 days of our trip because it was so good.

We are also inclined to return to places we skied once but on a limited basis to get a more complete picture. We did that at both Couchevel and Courmayeur in 2024. Aletsch and Pila are in that category now because their upper lifts were closed for weather when we were there.

My upcoming road trip presents an opportunity to check out a bunch of Indy Pass places I have never skied. But I'm not doing that if conditions in Oregon and the interior Northwest continue to suck as badly as now.

 

[Skieric]

Project101 did get on Saddleback's HSQ Saturday. He's picked up his pace to 3 areas today.

As one who also "collects ski areas," it is an important but not overriding priority.

Examples: At Solden and Alpe d'Huez we had 25K vertical days, but there were a few sectors we missed. However, with conditions not ideal we prioritized skiing a new area somewhere else in preference to a second day in the same place. With great conditions we probably stay put at interesting terrain areas like that. In April 2018 we remained in Val D'Isere for the entire 11 days of our trip because it was so good.

We are also inclined to return to places we skied once but on a limited basis to get a more complete picture. We did that at both Couchevel and Courmayeur in 2024. Aletsch and Pila are in that category now because their upper lifts were closed for weather when we were there.

My upcoming road trip presents an opportunity to check out a bunch of Indy Pass places I have never skied. But I'm not doing that if conditions in Oregon and the interior Northwest continue to suck as badly as now.

Perhaps a diversion to ski the east is in order. I think everywhere on the eastern half of the continent is in good shape.

 

[berkshireskier]

He went to Jay Peak yesterday (no powder and no trees) followed by a three-hour drive somewhere: Maine? I've given up trying to guess his next stops.

The high at Jay today is a brisk -13F with wind chill at -32.

I call days like this "one run" days. You make one run and then go into the lodge before frostbite sets in. Once you warm up, you go back out for another run. Not fun skiing, IMHO.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I call days like this "one run" days. You make one run and then go into the lodge before frostbite sets in. Once you warm up, you go back out for another run.

You need an enclosed lift. I've had very few days that cold (-13F), and fortunately they were in Mustang's snowcat or Kicking Horse's gondola and not windy.

Notes from worst day 1/16/1987 at Mammoth:

Coldest day I've skied to date. -5F with up to -55F wind chill. 12-18 inch base w. rocks on busy or adv. runs. Morning difficult w. cold. 4 stops to warm up, buy new glove liners, use face mask. Hands inspected by ski patrol after run on 3. PM better skiing on 8,17,4&5. With weather & thin cover, still remains worst conditions I've ever seen at Mammoth.

I read this in Project101's thread:

A cow nail (Swiss German: Chuenagel) is a painful, mild frostbite of the fingers or toes caused by the rapid warming of chilled limbs. The sharp pain arises when the blood vessels, constricted by the cold, dilate too quickly, causing a rush of blood. The term has nothing to do with cows but is likely derived from "Chue" (bold/strong) and "Agle" (prickle/sting).

That's good description of what my entire hands felt like thawing after that ill-advised run on the Face of 3 in 1987.

 

[Skieric]

I call days like this "one run" days. You make one run and then go into the lodge before frostbite sets in. Once you warm up, you go back out for another run. Not fun skiing, IMHO.

This calls for the special cold weather gear that I usually reserve for Tremblant and Lake Louise. Have you tried frost tape for your exposed face? Boot gloves, glove liners, under the mitts with hand warmers in between? I also add an extra arteryx midlayer on the top and bottom for this.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I find boot gloves very effective for below 0F. I always have glove liners with me. And Canadians like Patrick and Skieric probably laugh at me wearing 3 layers under my jacket and ski pants for -20C or worse.

 

[ChrisC]

Project101 did get on Saddleback's HSQ Saturday.

Meh. The HSQ is ok terrain. The upper bowl area, which almost touches the tree line (sub-alpine), is much more interesting and the reason to make the journey.

He's picked up his pace to 3 areas today.

This is ridiculous.

Sunday River is obviously worth a day; it is one of the best East Coast ski areas for dependable, consistent snowmaking and large, interconnected trail pods (almost 9 distinct areas with 1,000 ft of vertical). Obviously different than Jay/Stowe/MRG/Sugarloaf, SR excels at what it is (better than Okemo/Stratton/MtSnow/anything in NH) and really deserves some time in prime winter conditions.

Wildcat is such a historic mountain that almost every run from the summit deserves to be skied. There is a story behind all of them. I do not find any of the runs very steep, but lots of unexpected drops/curves/vistas/etc. It's fun Classic New England.


I could see visiting Cranmore/Black/Pleasant Mt together. Decent skiing, but could be combined.

Maybe he will stack Bretton Woods, Cannon, and Loon Mountain tomorrow? It's doable, but these are not Midwest and W. New York molehills.

There are a bunch of Central/Southern NH ski areas that one could string together: Waterville Valley, Tenney, Gunstock, Pat's Peak, Ragged, Sunapee, Crotched, King Ridge, etc. Some with night skiing.

I am more curious about where the rental car will be dropped off.

 

[ChrisC]

Worldskitraveller has American competition in collecting ski resorts, especially NH ski resorts.

While he skied only 2 areas on Friday, Jan. 23rd, NH Governor Kelly Ayotte collected 9. Likely some police protection, VIP arrivals/departures, staff coordinating everything, and no ticket lines/parking fees. I wonder if she even took off her boots?

Anyway, not a bad PR tour to put NH skiing front and center. It often gets overlooked outside of New England.

On Friday, the Governor visited nine ski resorts across New Hampshire. ​

Many ski resorts in the state are situated near each other, making it easy to visit other mountains in a short time. Her stops included: ​

• Wildcat,
• Attitash,
• Bretton Woods,
• Cannon,
• Loon,
• Tenney Mountain,
• Waterville Valley (just in time for the last chair),
• Gunstock, and
• Pats Peak.

I suspect you might have seen Cranmore and Black Mt (easy add-ons) on the itinerary if she did not have to visit all of NH's premier league mountains.

Governor Of New Hampshire Visits Nine Ski Resorts In One Day

Before the weekend snowstorm came through, the Governor of New Hampshire skied at nine ski resorts in one day.

unofficialnetworks.com

 

[ChrisC]

Today's ski areas were a decent grouping, so sins committed (as if anyone cares about my opinion?)

2026-01-26 Attitash Mountain Resort New Hampshire
2026-01-26 Cranmore Mountain Resort New Hampshire
2026-01-26 King Pine – Purity Spring Resort New Hampshire

Attitash and Cranmore are not huge and have HS Quads in main locations, so they are easy to lap.

King Pine? I never really knew it existed. It's slightly off the main route to North Conway.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Many ski resorts in the state are situated near each other, making it easy to visit other mountains in a short time.

• Wildcat
• Attitash
• Bretton Woods
• Cannon

During our 2012 Ski Blog Summit: @Harvey, @Patrick, @rivercOil, and I hit those four in one visit with an unchangeable itinerary (due to being pre-arranged through NH tourism); however, in contrast to Mr. Ski Area Collector, we spent a day at each one!

• Wildcat
• Attitash
• Cannon
• Bretton Woods

I mention in the Cannon report that it was a "precipitation-starved winter"; still, there was sufficient cover for us to go in the woods -- clearly due to northern New England's excellent snow-preservation characteristics. The only day with fresh snow (six inches) was providentially at Bretton Woods, whose gentle pitch kept me from hitting the subsurface. I also had a nice stop at Pico on the way to NH.

 

[ChrisC]

The only day with fresh snow (six inches) was providentially at Bretton Woods, whose gentle pitch kept me from hitting the subsurface.

There is definitely a place for this type of East Coast mountain: gentle/rolling/flat. It takes very little new snow or snowmaking to recover from an inevitable thaw.

Some in this category: Bretton Woods, Mount Sunapee, Gunstock, Tenney, Okemo, Mt Snow/Stratton (parts), Haystack, Butternut, Brodia, etc. Never had a problem visiting these if conditions warranted.

I mention in the Cannon report that it was a "precipitation-starved winter"; still, there was sufficient cover for us to go in the woods -- clearly due to northern New England's excellent snow-preservation characteristics

I like Cannon much better than its fraternal twin, Wildcat. It's larger, with more terrain, a great setting, etc. I have seen some videos of the trees under the Tram, which more recently appeared on the map. With the rocky base, winds, and less snow than Greens - they look awful almost all the time, and will destroy your skis.

I also had a nice stop at Pico on the way to NH.

Pico is highly underrated. There are great steep cruisers and glades off the summit. And there is a lot of fun terrain in its smaller pods: Outpost and Little Pico never attract a crowd, barely run, and have classic, steep, winding New England trails.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Some interesting comments yesterday:

Last night I wasn't satisfied. The snow conditions were excellent, but somehow they passed me by. I lacked the drive to find good, untracked areas, partly because I'm unfamiliar with the area, but also because I doubted the ski resorts yesterday (probably most resorts in this corner) had the potential to offer any good powder at all, apart from glades and tree runs.

He's never at a Northeast area long enough to look into the trees.

My expectations for what is supposedly the largest ski resort in New Hampshire in terms of slopes, or the No. 5 ski resort in the East, quickly collapsed .......The area does have a gondola lift, but everything else – with the exception of the runs on Mount Rosebrook – is easy to very easy terrain.

This is the conventional wisdom on Bretton Woods, and part of why I took a pass on the NASJA annual meeting there in 2008.

This is where the ski racing stars of the future are forged – no wonder Bode Miller grew up in this area. Anyone who skis these slopes immediately understands where his aggressive skiing style comes from. Here, too, special challenges await: very high, unmopped mounds of artificial snow on the piste. Technical snow, ice, and powder all at once – if that isn't the best training ground, I don't know what is. I'm honestly blown away, because I hadn't expected this: Cannon is a truly amazing area.

Another place I haven't skied where the comments fit the reputation. I'm a bit shocked, because when would Cannon's conditions ever be better than yesterday?

In the end, I conclude that Loon represents the perfect synthesis of Bretton Woods and Cannon Mountain – and thus offers a successful end to a ski day that was overall significantly better than yesterday's.

My impression of Loon was formed in the aughts by numerous masochistic TR's on FTO from joegm. I have the impression that Boyne has invested significant $$ since then and improved it greatly.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

He's making the typical ice comments; however, his New England descriptions and pix seem to be more inspired than those from previous regions, where it felt more like a 100% collection exercise. To be fair, scoring decent conditions -- as opposed to his depressing swing through the western states -- certainly helps. It was good to see that he appreciated Cannon's ballbusting characteristics.

 

[Harvey]

Disclaimer: I have not read this thread, @jamesdeluxe just gave me the 2 minute summary.

We all do crazy stuff because it's what we want to do.

Is anyone saying this guys ski strategy is crazier than mine, or Patrick's?

 

[Tony Crocker]

Is anyone saying this guys ski strategy is crazier than mine, or Patrick's?

I think everyone on this thread would say that. Liz summed it up best:
"How to take the joy out of skiing."