What Season Would be Complete Without East vs. West?

[icelanticskier]

there are too many ski areas, elite list not including, that have at least as good as and way less crowded tree skiing than those on the elite list.

i won't add to the list to protect the non-elite, ok, maybe one-no, i'm not gonna.

and btw, cannon has one of the best, longest tree run that i've skied in the east or anywhere, part of the resort? of course not.

rog

 

[Admin]

and btw, cannon has one of the best, longest tree run that i've skied in the east or anywhere, part of the resort? of course not.

See:

some custom jobs between Mittersill and Cannon proper

 

[Tony Crocker]

I'm going to defer to admin on the details of eastern glades.

Careful with that broad brush of yours, Picasso! Most of Colorado, the Pacific NW, etc., etc. isn't like that at all.

There's a lot of geographic and climatic diversity out here. Thus for a given category you generally can find some areas in the West that outclass the best of the East by a large order of magnitude. For tree skiing I nominate Red Mt. I think admin and Sharon, who know eastern glade skiing well, will agree with me on this.

mount washington didn't see an overnight freeze from april 18th till almost mid-may and the skiing remained perfect and after a freeze even better, top to bottom,

What's that, ~500 vertical by now? So in the PNW there might be 3,000 vertical of optimal corn with 1000+ of sludge below that, which corresponds to the snowless trail you're hiking down in the East now.

And I really feel sorry for the Utards who are only getting their corn season in June this year because it was nearly all midwinter freshies in April. :-({|=

 

[icelanticskier]

What's that, ~500 vertical by now? So in the PNW there might be 3,000 vertical of optimal corn with 1000+ of sludge below that, which corresponds to the snowless trail you're hiking down in the East now.

exactly, i'd take a full 500 vert of perfect bliss over frozen 1000 vert up top to 1000 vert good to 1000 crap anyday. it's all about the snow underfoot at the moment of the turn and if we only got 500 vert of perfection then i'll just lap it over and over. who are you to talk anyway, i've seen no trip reports from you in awhile couch reporter/number dude.
rog

 

[icelanticskier]

and btw, cannon has one of the best, longest tree run that i've skied in the east or anywhere, part of the resort? of course not.

See:

some custom jobs between Mittersill and Cannon proper

guess you haven't been to cannon in awhile.
rog

 

[Admin]

guess you haven't been to cannon in awhile.
rog

That's very true.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

couch reporter/number dude

Icelantic draws a line in the sand.





And I'm still bored with this East/West bollox.

 

[icelanticskier]

awe come on james, this stuff never gets old. :twisted: marco!
rog

 

[Tony Crocker]

frozen 1000 vert up top to 1000 vert good to 1000 crap

Again, I'll defer to those more knowledgeable on the subject. That would be http://www.turns-all-year.com/ . There is little doubt in my mind that the PNW volcanic peaks are the class of North American backcountry spring/summer skiing. You backcountry types should over this TR from last weekend on Mt. Adams http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_sn ... ic=10383.0 .

Admin and I had the discussion about the Uintas during the big season 3 years ago. I opined that the Wasatch got substantially more snow and thus its its snowpack would last longer. Admin took a camping trip into the High Uintas in August 2005 and found that my conjecture was correct. http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=1149 .

What's different vs. 3 years ago that Snowbird won't try for July 4th?

 

[icelanticskier]

frozen 1000 vert up top to 1000 vert good to 1000 crap

Again, I'll defer to those more knowledgeable on the subject. That would be http://www.turns-all-year.com/ . There is little doubt in my mind that the PNW volcanic peaks are the class of North American backcountry spring/summer skiing. You backcountry types should over this TR from last weekend on Mt. Adams http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_sn ... ic=10383.0 .

nice link to a nice thread tony but, i gotta tell ya, it's a lot longer trek in for them to ski maybe as good of corn that we've been skiing day after day for months on a mountain that offered steeper options all untracked all within a short day round trip and over 3000 vert skied, not all in one run but 3000+ vert in a short day on perfect corn and not having to spend a weekend to do it is fine in my book. april offered plenty of perfect, not "top sections were frozen stratugi", 4300 perfect corn descents on old george. drooling? not a chance. skied pnw enough to know that it doesn't ski any better than the nh high country. 600+vert in june with a pitch between 40-52 degrees skied 5 times at home is just as good or better than 3000+ vert especially when you gotta ski on ice or mank somewhere out there during a long descent.
rog

 

[ChrisC]

frozen 1000 vert up top to 1000 vert good to 1000 crap

Again, I'll defer to those more knowledgeable on the subject. That would be http://www.turns-all-year.com/ . There is little doubt in my mind that the PNW volcanic peaks are the class of North American backcountry spring/summer skiing. You backcountry types should over this TR from last weekend on Mt. Adams http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_sn ... ic=10383.0 .

nice link to a nice thread tony but, i gotta tell ya, it's a lot longer trek in for them to ski maybe as good of corn that we've been skiing day after day for months on a mountain that offered steeper options all untracked all within a short day round trip and over 3000 vert skied, not all in one run but 3000+ vert in a short day on perfect corn and not having to spend a weekend to do it is fine in my book. april offered plenty of perfect, not "top sections were frozen stratugi", 4300 perfect corn descents on old george. drooling? not a chance. skied pnw enough to know that it doesn't ski any better than the nh high country. 600+vert in june with a pitch between 40-52 degrees skied 5 times at home is just as good or better than 3000+ vert especially when you gotta ski on ice or mank somewhere out there during a long descent.
rog

I don't really agree with the above. My stint in Boston with springs at Mt. Washington was followed by a period in Seattle with spring/summers in the Cascades. And I do not think the two are comparable for BC late season skiing.

The volcano referenced, Mt. Adams - while in Washington - is poorly served by roads from Seattle that probably have yet to melt out. Hence the trip takes a weekend.

There are many volcanic ski day-trips within 2.5 hrs:
Seattle - Baker, Glacier, Rainier
Portland - Adams, St. Helens, Hood
Except Glacier, you can easily get a 3000 ft vert run until July 1st.
SF - Shasta is a nice 5k vert for a weekend.

And there are numerous areas .5 hrs+ for some 2k lines off of i-90, Rt 2 and loop roads north. Alpental BC probably is still good today about 45 min away.

 

[icelanticskier]

frozen 1000 vert up top to 1000 vert good to 1000 crap

Again, I'll defer to those more knowledgeable on the subject. That would be http://www.turns-all-year.com/ . There is little doubt in my mind that the PNW volcanic peaks are the class of North American backcountry spring/summer skiing. You backcountry types should over this TR from last weekend on Mt. Adams http://www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_sn ... ic=10383.0 .

nice link to a nice thread tony but, i gotta tell ya, it's a lot longer trek in for them to ski maybe as good of corn that we've been skiing day after day for months on a mountain that offered steeper options all untracked all within a short day round trip and over 3000 vert skied, not all in one run but 3000+ vert in a short day on perfect corn and not having to spend a weekend to do it is fine in my book. april offered plenty of perfect, not "top sections were frozen stratugi", 4300 perfect corn descents on old george. drooling? not a chance. skied pnw enough to know that it doesn't ski any better than the nh high country. 600+vert in june with a pitch between 40-52 degrees skied 5 times at home is just as good or better than 3000+ vert especially when you gotta ski on ice or mank somewhere out there during a long descent.
rog

I don't really agree with the above. My stint in Boston with springs at Mt. Washington was followed by a period in Seattle with spring/summers in the Cascades. And I do not think the two are comparable for BC late season skiing.

The volcano referenced, Mt. Adams - while in Washington - is poorly served by roads from Seattle that probably have yet to melt out. Hence the trip takes a weekend.

There are many volcanic ski day-trips within 2.5 hrs:
Seattle - Baker, Glacier, Rainier
Portland - Adams, St. Helens, Hood
Except Glacier, you can easily get a 3000 ft vert run until July 1st.
SF - Shasta is a nice 5k vert for a weekend.

And there are numerous areas .5 hrs+ for some 2k lines off of i-90, Rt 2 and loop roads north. Alpental BC probably is still good today about 45 min away.

during your stint in boston, you probably didn't maximize your time hitting the goods that all of presidential, franconia and kancamagus area mountains had to offer on the best days. yes, i do hit some of the best days and often multiple times a week for months on end up there and believe me if i felt i was wasting my time skiing terrain and conditions that were of less quality than i could find while living out west-been there done that, and was bored by the terrain then i'd move back out,i mean my whole life really does revolve around skiing but, i'm not bored at all and am amazed at how good the skiing is out here compared to the skiing out west and the fact that the prezzies alone offer me all of the quality of skiing and solitude with easy access that i could ever want. do i like skiing out west? sure. it's good to get outta town every once in awhile. compare my pics to some dudes in the pnw, ya both our pics show smooth untracked snow that is white that is steep and ya gotta walk to get there. good corn and pow is good east or west and i'm just so glad that i don't feel the need to move somewhere else to find good snow and terrain when i already have it in my own back yard. another thing that's great about skiing out here in may and june is that the general public incuding most of the skiers are blown away and have no idea that skiing exists after april 1st so, when folks come into the shop and ask me what i've been up to lately and i tell them i've been skiing every week, they can't believe it. out west it's expected that the snow is always good and the snow is always there, what fun is that!? here, the snow isn't expected to be good so when it's good, it's oh so good, not just another-hohum pow day, it's cherished and talked about for weeks and sometimes years. we got a really cool small group of die hard 8 month snow farmers out here, and we ain't missin nuthin. we have the whole world to get away to for just enough time to realize how good we have it back home.
that's my story and i'm stickin to it. snow is all made up of the same ingredients and we all start somewhere higher than we end up with funny things strapped to our feet and we all have a good time. east/west same but different.
rog

 

[Tony Crocker]

With regard to the backcountry:
East in April = PNW in May/June
East in May/June = PNW in July/August
East in July/August = stifling humidity and bugs.

 

[Harvey]

FYI bug season, at least in our corner of the Adks, is approx May 10 - July 15. Sometimes bugs go later depending on weather. Last year I didn't get up to do the wood in early May, so I had to go in June. Was expecting major bugs. But a dry month and a random frost and there were none.

It does vary, but August is usually a great month. Best "summer" months are in order, September and then August. Even here in MASH, last 2 weeks in August are reasonable.

 

[Patrick]

East in May/June = PNW in July/August
East in July/August = stifling humidity and bugs.

From icelandic location, I would say Ocean. 8) Water is slightly warmer than in the PNW. :wink:

 

[Geoff]

East in May/June = PNW in July/August
East in July/August = stifling humidity and bugs.

From icelandic location, I would say Ocean. 8) Water is slightly warmer than in the PNW. :wink:

Tony,
Your comment is like saying everywhere in the west gets 600" of snow because you measured that at Alta.

The water temperature is still in the 50's at my house. The Gulf Stream influence ends at the tip of Cape Cod. I can't put tomato plants in the ground until after Memorial Day. I think I've had 2 nights so far this year where I didn't have to close all the windows in the house. Most summers, I only get around to installing the window air conditioners for that one hot week in August and there are years where they don't go in at all. My sister lives in Vancouver. My summer and her summer are comparable. My winter is much colder.

If you go very far inland, it gets much hotter in the summer. ...but that's true in the PacNW. If you go to the Okanagan, it's hotter'n hell in the summer. Ditto Washington & Oregon wine country.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Tony,
Your comment is like saying everywhere in the west gets 600" of snow because you measured that at Alta.

Tony's FTO job description:
1. Moderate forums
2. Create conflict by leveraging impenetrable and out-of-context numbers and formulas

:-s

 

[Tony Crocker]

The Gulf Stream influence ends at the tip of Cape Cod.

Very true for the coastal regions. So how warm does the ocean get off the coast of Maine in summer (Patrick's comment)?

The key difference between Eastern and Western mountains in most of these discussions is altitude. It's the reason for higher winter rain frequency, higher humidity, less overnight freezing in spring and faster meltout of snowpack in the East.

Your comment is like saying everywhere in the west gets 600" of snow because you measured that at Alta.

No. With lesser snowfall than western North America, the Alps and Andes also preserve snow better than eastern North America for the same altitude reasons. I've commented many times that Vermont snowfall totals are similar to much of Colorado (also the Alps and Andes). With the exception of Alta-type microclimates the most consistent difference between eastern and western snow conditions is in snow preservation, not snowfall.

Thus the easterners who come closest to western-type ski seasons are the ones who chase the powder, disproportionally represented here on FTO.

 

[Patrick]

So how warm does the ocean get off the coast of Maine in summer (Patrick's comment)?

I've walked above knees, but didn't swim in Oregon central coast and in northern Washington. Water was slightly colder than what I've experience in Maine.

Here is the quantitive information.

http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/natl.html

http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/npac.html

Yes, PNW is generally colder than northern New England by approximately 8F degrees. It's only fair, we do get the coldest Winters. :wink:

The key difference between Eastern and Western mountains in most of these discussions is altitude. It's the reason for higher winter rain frequency, higher humidity, less overnight freezing in spring and faster meltout of snowpack in the East. No. With lesser snowfall than western North America, the Alps and Andes also preserve snow better than eastern North America for the same altitude reasons.

Canada is also part of North America. You describe more the climat along the Appalachians below the 45th parrallel. Snowfall numbers are lower North of the St.Lawrence Valley, however winters are generally dryer and have less precipations and thaws in the ski season.

Thus the easterners who come closest to western-type ski seasons are the ones who chase the powder, disproportionally represented here on FTO.

Agree. But they are many things than our disproportionally about people writing on ski forum on the last week of June. :wink:

 

[Geoff]

Thus the easterners who come closest to western-type ski seasons are the ones who chase the powder, disproportionally represented here on FTO.

...or you can ski at one mountain on a season pass and grab all of their powder days. Some of us don't live in the land of smog, palm trees, and traffic jams where skiing is a major drive.