When (no BS) Do Eastern Powder Days Compare to Utah?

[Marc_C]

MarcC does provide rather compelling evidence. It has now rained during the peak Christmas holiday in northern New England 5 years in a row.

Um, not to belabor the point, but it's been 6 years - it rained yesterday/last night. From today's MRG report:

Merry Christmas skiers! Santa Claus delivered us a weather curveball yesterday we saw a rise in temps, some freezing rain and then plain old rain with VERY high winds. With a return to wintery temps today we have decided to suspend operations for Christmas Day to give the mountain a chance to drain and for the skiing surface to re-freeze consistently.

And they're looking at record warm temps and more rain this weekend.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I personally prefer diversity than 100% Blue Sky or 100% powder.

I agree with this, otherwise I don't think I would have tried 139 ski areas. Nobody who skis lift service as much as a typical FTO junkie gets anywhere near 100% powder. I've audited enough of admin's days to put him in the 30-40% range. The backcountry types like icelantic, JSpin and mapadu no doubt have a higher percentage but much less total quantity.

Diversity in terrain to me means groomed, ungroomed, steeps, trees, high alpine. Diversity of snow conditions I'll also go along with to a greater extent than most. But the bottom line is that the downside of eastern weather results in advanced and off-piste terrain being closed or unskiable. Check out which eastern trails are open or closed in the next few days. And I doubt many of you will be skiing the woods in this week's conditions either.

Again, I can relate because Mt. Baldy may well be in the same boat this weekend.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Oh goody. Another east vs west spray-a-thon. So just to swoop in, toss some fresh gasoline on the fire, and swoop out....

On behalf of all ECers on the FTO board, our gift to you:
[edit] in the spirit of the season, I'll play nice and pull my comment. Happy holidays, Marc C!

 

[Patrick]

Um, not to belabor the point, but it's been 6 years - it rained yesterday/last night.

WTH are you talking about??? 6 years in a row? :roll:

To contribute to this discussion, here is quote from another thread:

I'd say you got really unlucky.

FYI Park City is still only 64% open and The Canyons 56%. Some of this could be control work. Snowbasin is at 75% and Solitude 63%. Deer Valley at 89% might be another good option, but I'd suggest getting over there very early on general principles during "zoo week."

FYI Powder Mountain is at 45%.

Okay, after all this negative stuff about the East...blah blah blah. I did a quick check on Quebec's two major ski areas.

Mont Ste-Anne is at 100% with 72 inch snowtotal this season.
Tremblant is at 82% with 80 inches.

I've said, time and time again, that the Quebec City is a great place to ski during the Christmas Holidays. So enough with the all positives versus all negatives of both regions.

 

[joegm]

diversity???? =; :-& ... i've skied to many frozen gran, jaw droppin rock solid bump lines with cold so cold it feels like your face is gonna split in half to have time to seek and celebrate diversity..... [-( 8-[ ....diversity, that's funny.....you can stick diversity up the yazoo.... must have more bluebird and powder....can never be enough... 8-[

 

[Marc_C]

Um, not to belabor the point, but it's been 6 years - it rained yesterday/last night.

WTH are you talking about??? 6 years in a row? :roll:

Up thread a-ways I posted: http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7312&p=39799#p39752

Those were Northern Vermont forecasts. In 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, there was rain or freezing rain, sometimes of biblical proportions, and warm temps during the xmas-new years holiday period. I believe that's 6 years in a row.

 

[Patrick]

Here is some rain-soaked/frozen surface at Massif du Sud on December 24th. :roll:

http://www.zoneski.com/forum/index.php? ... c=9910&hl=

 

[Marc_C]

Here is some rain-soaked/frozen surface at Massif du Sud on December 24th. :roll:

http://www.zoneski.com/forum/index.php? ... c=9910&hl=

Remind us again why Mad River Glen was closed on Christmas day?

 

[Harvey]

For sure we've had some good times and bad during Christmas. I'd say it was probably 50/50 in my memory.

Here's my report from Christmas/NYers last year. I had the time of my life:

http://harvey44.blogspot.com/2008/08/go ... -1508.html

If I was in Utah, I'd be skiing.

Not saving 10 year old weather reports trying to prove....um... remind me again...what are you trying to prove?

 

[Tony Crocker]

For sure we've had some good times and bad during Christmas. I'd say it was probably 50/50 in my memory.

You have your own place and a season pass. Those are unacceptable odds IMHO for the typical holiday skier paying premium prices.

I'll certainly defend MarcC, whose weather reports reinforce the data I collected here on FTO to compile the http://webpages.charter.net/tcrocker818/vrmthist.htm chart. People have short memories. You need many years of info to draw informed conclusions about weather patterns.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Those are unacceptable odds IMHO for the typical holiday skier paying premium prices.

You're preaching to the choir.:dead horse: I think you'd get a more receptive audience with that rap on Epic or Alpine Zone.

Any of us ECers on this board know what we're up against, just as you do with Baldy. It may suck or it may be great. Given the weather records, very few of us would willingly put down money for a trip here before or during Xmas. But if you're forced to become a destination skier for whatever reasons -- I was last week at WF and Jason will be at Sugarbush in a few days -- it seems pretty silly to go into JoeGM mode and piss/moan.

Potentially lousy weather is a fact of life here. Deal, create a Plan B, or move to a red state.

 

[powderfreak]

Remind us again why Mad River Glen was closed on Christmas day?

C'mon, Marc. Let us believe what we want...haha. I know some days, probably more than Westerners think, are just as good if not better back east. It does snow *enough* at 300"+ to keep me satisfied and there's something to be said about the Vermont ski culture. However, you're in Utah where 500" or more fall every season on unbelievable terrain. This contest will never go the Easterners way and it is like comparing apples to oranges. I can appreciate the need to throw some gas on the fire though :evil: The skiing may be great out there, but you still live in Utah and there's no escaping that fact

 

[joegm]

Tony: Those are unacceptable odds IMHO for the typical holiday skier paying premium prices.

Jamesdeluxe: You're preaching to the choir.:dead horse: I think you'd get a more receptive audience with that rap on Epic or Alpine Zone.

Any of us ECers on this board know what we're up against, just as you do with Baldy. It may suck or it may be great. Given the weather records, very few of us would willingly put down money for a trip here before or during Xmas. But if you're forced to become a destination skier for whatever reasons -- I was last week at WF and Jason will be at Sugarbush in a few days -- it seems pretty silly to go into JoeGM mode and piss/moan.

Potentially lousy weather is a fact of life here. Deal, create a Plan B, or move to a red state.

i didn't realize putting up no bull, non embellished ski reports on conditions as they actually are and not some figments of someone's imagination was pissing and moaning :roll:

 

[jamesdeluxe]

i didn't realize putting up no bull, non embellished ski reports on conditions as they actually are and not some figments of someone's imagination was pissing and moaning :roll:

Sorry, just busting balls. :-"

 

[Marc_C]

This contest will never go the Easterners way and it is like comparing apples to oranges.

That's just the point - it isn't a contest. Yes, being a life-long northeasterner and doing over 95% of 20 years of skiing in New England prior to moving to Utah, without a doubt the best days in NE compare just as well to anywhere in the west. And without a doubt, certain specific days in NE have been far better than other certain specific days in the Wasatch. But when you look at overall consistency, season after season...that's where the apples and oranges lie. It's not so much differences in snowfall quantity as that we don't get a Dec/Jan thaw and we don't have the warm downpour/horrific hard freeze events. Now if we can just get past the delusional posts from both camps..... :dead horse:

 

[Tony Crocker]

Now if we can just get past the delusional posts from both camps.....

Yes, note that powderfreak, who has a powder track record that both eastern and western skiers can envy, does have a grip on reality.

It's not so much differences in snowfall quantity as that we don't get a Dec/Jan thaw and we don't have the warm downpour/horrific hard freeze events.

Bingo

...move to a red state

WA, OR, CA .... now CO & NM?

 

[icelanticskier]

all in all, east coast skiing is just plain better. much more special when it's deep and epic. offers a greater range of much appreciated diverse conditions. and on average produces much stronger skiers from learning to ski in all of the conditions that the east offers. you can all have yer apples and oranges or bananas and pears or cheese and wine, but ones things fer sure, STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY LINE!
SNOWIN? I'M GOIN!
rog

 

[Marc_C]

all in all, east coast skiing is just plain better.

Did someone say delusional earlier?
You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but you might find only a few others who share it.

 

[icelanticskier]

all in all, east coast skiing is just plain better.

Did someone say delusional earlier?
You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but you might find only a few others who share it.

delusional? nah, i've tasted more than most and ya, i like what i like. i like it all and that's why the east is so great cuz we get it all and some of us like it that way. the fewer that share in my opinion the better, more for me and that includes the deep days.
rog