December: Stokage Overflowage

Harvey

Harvey

Administrator
Staff member
I have never seen anything like this in December. Everyone gettin it, at every turn. How cool is that. Life in the fast lane - everything all the time.

I haven't been out since this weekends storm, but I dropped my bomb (email) on the rest of the office tonight, indicating that after lunchtime tomorrow, I'll be gone until it stops snowin' or they stop blowin'. Get out there and get it. I'm headin north.

Yahooo!
 
A year ago at this time, the assessment from Admin:

1. There's nothing good right now in the East, period. Jay or anywhere else.

2. Nobody's got a crystal ball. It's impossible to tell anyone what trails will be open next week, especially with the volatile weather currently in New England.

3. If you're committed, go on the trip and enjoy whatever's available. It's darned near miraculous that there's any skiing at all in New England right now.

Remember this brutal thread from the kid in Philadelphia who demanded answers?
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=2483

When the East gets snow, it ain't half bad. Funny how we haven't been hearing anything about Harvey's move out west lately...
:wink:
 
jamesdeluxe":3j2sdjvx said:
When the East gets snow, it ain't half bad.
Click to expand...
That is an understatement. Though of course, you neglected to tell the tale of the opposite aspect :wink: We are experiencing a great December but I am not going to get too high on the horse as anything can happen. I will take one powder day at a time. Though being one powder day away from double powder day digits before Christmas is something else. :D
 
Tony - not a coincidence that I will be returning Saturday. While long term weather forecasting has it's believers and not...I do watch closely and have been working really hard to get the next few days off. I'm not high on the horse...just doing my best to hold down a job, be a family man, and get the goods the best I can.

James - You are a defender of the East and you might not believe it but I am too. If you read my thread I was (am) exploring the options. It's not easy to move when you've lived 49 years in one part of the country, have a great job and a family. And there are many things about the east I really love.

Tony was extremely helpful to me with that discussion. He helped me consider all the options. I've done some research and there actually are a few viable firms in my industry in that mecca of skiing in northwest VT. And it seems that even in a bad year - 50 days on the hill or in the woods for folks in that area isn't unreasonable.

I still say Yahoo!
 
Sunday's weather prediction is not long term at this point and should be taken seriously. Surfaces will not be pretty unless you're far enough north, which sounds like northern Maine and Quebec from what I read.

But at least the snow won't be washed out with the ample base depths, and good skiing should resume with the next storm. This is what happened at Whistler 2 weeks ago. It rained to 6,000+ feet and skiing was limited to groomers for over a week. But with 3 feet new in the past week all is well at Whistler now.
 
Harvey44":1ltti8bz said:
If you read my thread I was (am) exploring the options. It's not easy to move when you've lived 49 years in one part of the country.
Click to expand...

From one NJ-ite to another, I wasn't taking shots at your plans... and I've always been impressed with how much time you get up north.

Having spent two tours of duty out west and in Europe, it's nuts not to consider a change of scenery, even for a few seasons. The wife and I have been talking about moving to northern VT or the Eastern Townships in Quebec for several years now. Unfortunately, we've become attached to our house/neighborhood/salaries... everything you're not supposed to do. We'll see how things pan out.
 
The wife and I have been talking about moving to northern VT or the Eastern Townships in Quebec for several years now. Unfortunately, we've become attached to our house/neighborhood/salaries... everything you're not supposed to do. We'll see how things pan out.
Click to expand...

sounds like the conversation at my house... Also once your kids reach middle school or older you are stuck for the duration , i know.
 
Sounds like James, Jason and I have some things in common.

One thing is for sure...my wife would drop everything TOMORROW to move to Burlington. But it's not that easy when you are responsible for 2 other human beings.

Tony - the forecast WAS long term when I first heard about it 3 weeks ago - warmer temps xmas week. We have our family vacation planned for next week, but I didn't want to be xmas shopping while this great skiing is happening at Gore. With my job, getting away, needs to be carefully planned and managed before Jan 1. Jan - Apr are much easier. Whether it's smart or not...I look at the long term forecast.

It's amazing how much fluff was on our porch - fallen since I was up last on 12/8. A knee-high bushwack from the end of the drive to the cabin.

BIGTIME thanks to Jason, who gave me the heads up on the weather when it became more probable/likely. His input helped get me up here tonight, skiing the next 3 days. I sent an abandon ship email to coworkers last night and booked at 1pm today.

I'm up at the Lodge freeloading on their internet and the dinner they cooked up for their staff party. Sweet.

I admit it...life is good.... and I admit it...it's good in the east.

Mark
 
jamesdeluxe":2v2mtqcb said:
Unfortunately, we've become attached to our house/neighborhood/salaries... everything you're not supposed to do. We'll see how things pan out.
Click to expand...
I can understand being attached to your house and your neighborhood. That is "home" and that is a hard thing to find, especially when "home" extends beyond your property to encompass your neighborhood and the people you surround yourself with. Those are the truly hard parts of moving up. We are still adjusting and have found a lot more home here in NH than we ever came close to in the NEK. But the salary? Its only money and you can't take with you and all that stuff. Couple years down the road when I get offered to cash in on a big promotion, I am going to tell them Plymouth, NH is about as far south as I can bare to move and not even doubling my salary would change my mind.
 
Harvey44":32pgc14f said:
BIGTIME thanks to Jason, who gave me the heads up on the weather when it became more probable/likely. His input helped get me up here tonight, skiing the next 3 days.
Click to expand...

Good call. Looks like Sunday may be a soaker all the way to Quebec.

riverc0il":32pgc14f said:
But the salary? Its only money and you can't take with you and all that stuff.
Click to expand...

Until about four years ago, I was a lifelong member of the "bankrupt jetset." Lived everywhere on a shoestring... an entire year on less money than some people spend on a week-long ski trip. Just sayin' that -- especially with a kid -- it's nice not having to worry about every cent you're spending.
 
I hadn't noticed until now that Riverc0il has added an hour one-way to all of his ski commutes vs. last year.

I may have mentioned that I job interviewed in Concord in 1993. That was the trip where I skied Killington on November 7. The locals there told me I should stay in California for skiing.
 
The extra one hour each way puts me back into the weekend warrior commuting mind set I had when I lived in MA and Cannon was two hours away which is how far Jay is from Ashland. After having lived half that distance (two hour distance round trip and an extra hour of sleep in the morning), I do find that I need to challenge myself and pump myself up more for two days in a row at Jay. I have been looking for local alternatives on Sundays. This is also by design as I began this season with a desire to do more touring and this section of NH has lots of quality touring options within only a half hour drive. Cannon should see more action from me this year as I get discounts through work. Basically, I am reserving my days at Cannon for when the rain/freeze begins and Jay shuts down their trees.

Concord is 40 minutes south of here putting much of Northern Vermont in the two to two and a half hour range. Not a bad place to work out of if you want all NH and VT options on the table. My location makes drives to anything south of Jay a real PITA. Mad River powder days are only going to happen when VT gets upsloped that NH doesn't as I need to cut across an hour or more of back roads to hit highway and then need more back roads to get to 89.
 
Yes, with the Interstate configuration Concord looks at least as good to me as where you are now. I remember driving west-to-east from Stowe to Portland seeming to take forever, and that was with no snow or traffic.

Obviously my impressions are formed mostly from what I read here, but based upon FTO reports Loon is usually an exercise in masochism and Cannon has good terrain but it's not well covered very often. Even though Burke is leeward of the Green Mt. spine and should get less snow, the FTO reports from there are more appealing to me than Cannon's.

I think the contrast between the Killington and Loon reports from Monday said it all. So from Concord I suspect I would rather battle the crowds at the former vs. the rocks and ice in Franconia Notch. Or push a bit farther to Sugarbush/MRG or even Stowe.
 
jamesdeluxe":1dosvtbb said:
Until about four years ago, I was a lifelong member of the "bankrupt jetset." Lived everywhere on a shoestring... an entire year on less money than some people spend on a week-long ski trip. Just sayin' that -- especially with a kid -- it's nice not having to worry about every cent you're spending.
Click to expand...

I've never heard the term "bankrupt jetset" but I sure can get the idea. Actually not sure about the jetset part but I do know bankrupt. I spent my 20s as a starving artist and I learned a lot. One of the things I learned was that when relationships were involved, my hand to mouth existence, made it harder for others to be in a committed relationship. And that was way before Neve, our (18 mos) daughter.

I'd never skied before I was 30. It wasn't an option for me. I started skiing at 30 after I got my first "real job."

I didn't notice that Riv had moved either. He does still seem to be gettin the goods.

M
 
Harvey44":1m8e6tct said:
I didn't notice that Riv had moved either. He does still seem to be gettin the goods.
Click to expand...
Doesn't matter where you live in New England, there are goods to be gotten. Some places are just easier to get to and more accessible than others. For a Jay Peak pass holder that loves the Whites in all seasons and only occasionally skis other VT areas such as MRG, the Plymouth is far superior to Concord. Especially when you consider access to NH BC. 40 min closer to Mount Washington as well for late season... though I am about 10-15 minutes further away than I was in StJ interestingly enough.

I think if Tony ever truly considered moving to the East coast, proximity to an airport like Manchester would be more important than proximity to the Northern Greens ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top