Game changer: Ski Ward MA - 1st outdoor area to open in the East
- Thread starter Patrick
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Patrick
Well-known member
Yes they are.
That new snowmaking system is pretty revolutionary. I believe a few places in Australia have that snowmaking system on a limited scale.
So will Patrick go there instead of a third consecutive month indoors in New Jersey? We know James is rooting for that!
Patrick
Well-known member
Less vertical in Mass than NJ. Maps says that Ward is 9 miles closer than BigSnow from my house (419 miles), but getting to NJ is 7 minutes quicker (6:43). It took me 6h from house to parking in September.
Vertical and space advantage and space is probably indoors. BigSnow vert is 118ft versus the 220ft Ward from the top of chair, but only the magic carpet is open.
That being said, I’m also hoping for something closer; earned or liftserved. Not ideal in my current medical state.
Wow! Indoor SNO Oslo was 280 vertical.
I would presume that would preclude earned turns involving a lengthy approach like the Whiteface Toll Road.
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Patrick
Well-known member
The diagnostic on the option hasn’t been crossed off. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like expected skiable snow today hasn’t materialized. I was initially planning a drive into Upper New York State tomorrow, but looks like I’ll abort that plan.
Patrick
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Average from the 60 indoor area (snow) with vertical numbers on SkiResort.info is 31.1m.
45 area have little or no detail.
SnoOslo is at 80m is an outlier and second biggest tied with one in China and France.
Ski Dubai is 85m has the biggest vertical.
BigSnow (36m) is 17th out of 60. Higher that all the indoors in the UK and Japan. The planned indoor area in Virginia is suppose to be 30m. Ten indoors are 50m or greater.
Didn't Tony recently declare indoor skiing to be an unacceptable workaround which would result in an * on any ski-streak claims posted here?
Patrick
Well-known member
ChrisC
Well-known member
Are there any Dubai-based ski-streakers going year-round in the desert? With an occasional trip to the Alps?
Assume the snowmaking system at Ski Ward is running well above freezing. I do not really recall this ski hill, but it's located in an opportune place near Worcester, Boston suburbs, and Boston City (45 min). I believe Wa-Wa-Wachusetts (Westminster, MA) might be near a top 10 New England ski resort by skier days - definitely top 20.
EMSC
Well-known member
I'm going to be "that guy" and call BS. Pointless magic carpet opening (likely for at best one or two days to boot) is not an opening. Abasin could probably accomplish the same in August if it wanted to. Fun for them locally to get on the news, but certainly not actually notable or worth any larger consideration IMHO. Pretty soon I can just rent a couple shaved ice sno-cone makers and dump the 'snow' on the ground in my backyard and call myself an "open" ski area.
I'm inclined to agree. Ward isn't any bigger than the Avila stockpiles Patrick has skied in July 7x (how much vertical is July Avila?). And at least Avila installs some park features to make it more interesting. So the jury is out on Ward IMHO. If they get their full vertical with some features by the end of October, then they are at least as good as New Jersey.
I didn't say it's a cut and dried call. I said that repeated use of indoors to score the summer months would degrade the value of a streak.
I was joking (Patrick caught it). As always, I continue to
at the time, money, and mental energy that go into this enterprise.Not being based near a glacier, the skiing itself is obviously of secondary importance. The objective could be anything that seems preposterous to non-fanatics -- having a streak of eating a Big Mac once a week while living in Antarctica, flying to Timbuktu to make sure you don't miss the next partial eclipse, etc. Non-skier friends and family scratch their heads about me flying to the Alps twice a season (three times in 2017-18) when I *could* go skiing in the Catskills or Poconos. Part of the challenge is doing it on a very limited budget -- I would've been sunk without FF awards.
Patrick
Well-known member
Planet Skier took it another level when he skied Paraguay.
Paraguay on miniskis
Have skis, can carry snow, will ski anything. First descent of Paraguay's highest mountain, Cerro Tres Kandú. After ten days of meeti...
planetskier.blogspot.com
Actually didn't really needed snow in San Marino.
Skiing San Marino... on the rocks
countries_skied++; San Marino! It is the 58th country. Although I can't say there was snow... but rocks on the path from the to...
planetskier.blogspot.com
Patrick
Well-known member
Actually they have a Rail Jam next weekend, but I see the point. St-Sauveur/Avila doesn't really count their Akamp as an opening or extended season.
Not sure what the vertical of the magic carpet, but definitely less Big Snow or the AKAMP. I measured 100' vert at Avila this July which was serviced by the beginner chair. They moved operations of the camp to the beginner area one or two season prior to Covid where they could used the chairlift and not have to install a portable rope-tow at the bottom of the snowpark.
Removing the novelty of Ward in October, Big Snow is definitely way more interesting. It would be a challenge to ski 2 hours on a Magic Carpet.
Patrick
Well-known member
For me it's the novelty of it. Let's just say that Covid and my recent injury in California has messed up plans. Postponed idea of trips.
Avila in 2023 was with their setup with the chairlift. I had other plans if it wouldn't been for the injury, same for Big Snow.
Previous 11 Octobers (*earned)
Australia
* Parker Ridge in Banff (with borders closed)
* Mont Mégantic (with borders closed)
* Whiteface Road.
Killington
Colorado on Halloween
Killington
St-Sauveur (with a freshly broken ankle)
* Whiteface Road.
Sunday River
* West Virginia.
List of places also include: Wildcat plus earned turns at Jay and Massif.
Repeats Octobers (not counting Wildcat and Colorado multiple times in same year):
Whiteface Toll Road : 3 (WF was "skied" yesterday, but forecasted bumped didn't happen).
Sunday River : 3
Killington : 2
Colorado : 2
July? Same idea.
Avila setup at a different spot with chair
Big Snow (Covid in early July)
* Parker Ridge (borders closed)
* Avila (borders closed)
California and Zermatt
Avila under the lights with ropetow
California
* Avila
Avila Banked slalom with ropetow
* Avila and Tuckerman
* Avila Camp open (sick leave - unable to function or travel)
Oregon / Washington
then...
Tuckerman, California, Tuckerman, Tuckerman, Tuckerman, California
ChrisC
Well-known member
Sounds painful.
I used to look forward to the openings of the WROD at either Hunter Mt, Killington, or Sunday River, but not much anymore.
Killington would sometimes have walking and/or grass coming through an unconsolidated artificial snowbase. And Sunday River was sometimes just the top portion of Locke Mt. lift. Each of these 'openings' was less than 1000 vertical ft.
Now I do not have much motivation to ski until January since not much of interest is open until then - staffing (lifties, patrol, groomers) and snowfall issues prevent major operations.
However, late season is always more interesting.
I used to look forward to the openings of the WROD at either Hunter Mt, Killington, or Sunday River, but not much anymore.
Killington would sometimes have walking and/or grass coming through an unconsolidated artificial snowbase. And Sunday River was sometimes just the top portion of Locke Mt. lift. Each of these 'openings' was less than 1000 vertical ft.
Now I do not have much motivation to ski until January since not much of interest is open until then - staffing (lifties, patrol, groomers) and snowfall issues prevent major operations.
However, late season is always more interesting.