These pics are about 2 weeks apart. You can't tell from this angle but when you get off the Ballhooter lift, you CANNOT see the Mtn Lodge sign or the Waffle Cabin. The snow whale they built is taller than the sign. If I saw correctly this AM, the guns were going along with the natural snow. Coverage is amazing - here's a few edits from the weekend - VIDS
Snowshoe end of Feb
Snowshoe Today
That's ridiculous! Perhpas they have a plan to push into April.
Bonzski wrote:
That's ridiculous! Perhpas they have a plan to push into April.
Now we know why they call it the Ridiculous Pass. And, BTW, no throwing snow balls at fellow dcskiers in the lift lines please - hahaha.
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Bonzski wrote:
That's ridiculous! Perhpas they have a plan to push into April.
Now we know why they call it the Ridiculous Pass. And, BTW, no throwing snow balls at fellow dcskiers in the lift lines please - hahaha.
Just preparing you for next season!
We had an absolute blast last weekend at Snowshoe. Unfortunately, we were not able to meet up with WGO. I had thought AT&T coverage was pretty good at SS, but it was almost non-existant this trip. I got coverage in our room at Mountain Lodge, and that was pretty much it.
- No coverage whatsoever on Soaring Eagle or at Top of the World.
- No coverage on Western Territory
- Only 1 bar (with no internet) on Grab Hammer, which is weird, because it dumps you really close to Mountain Lodge at the top.
Anyway, I would occasionally receive a text message (often 30 min - 2 hours late), but could never get any to send. Friends later told us they really only get service on Ballhooter, but we stayed away from the lift for obvious reasons (the lines). I really wish Snowshoe and AT&T would figure out someway to get better coverage at the resort and still respect the radio quiet zone nearby.
The conditions on Saturday were really great. Good (but not great) sunlight, no precip, moderate temps (maybe upper 20's), no snowmaking during the day. Very good snow conditions for the mid-A. Lift lines were moderate but not horrible, and the lines at Starbucks and Hoots during lunch were pretty light.
The sides of runs skied very well with ungroomed snow, and coverage was excellent except for a couple of places were small rocks had been kicked up. There were a few places that had dangerous holes in the snow, but 99% of the time you could ski off the side of runs and hop off things, which my 7 y/o really enjoyed.
I wish Snowshoe would blow a little more under the Soaring Eagle lift (side of Widowmaker), but maybe the natural snow did the trick. I enjoyed skiing the ungroomed there, but there were times you had to jump over small rock bands.
Camp 99 was "meh" (I only skiied it once), but not horrible. The only exposed ice I saw was on Sawmill, which was large bumps. There was enough snow on the run it wasn't bad, and Thursday/Friday was probably quite fun. However, I counted 8 people falling or down as I skied the run, and the boarders were just scraping off any snow clinging to any of the large bumps. It will never happen, but I'd like to see Snowshoe decide that is a dedicated bump run, and ban snowboards from it. I know... in my dreams.
Cupp was quite good from a snow perspective, but about as crowded as I can remember seeing it. Lots of falls and people taking others out. Maybe a function of it being Ballhooter spring break? Patrol was giving people stern lectures, and I saw one poor guy fall at high speed 3 times in a row. Our 7 y/o skied it, and skied it quite well, but I could tell patrol was nervous about someone running into her; I spent the time carefully blocking her back. Western Express was really the only lift outside of Silver Creek that didn't have a moderate line on Saturday.
We had a great time partying with friends on Saturday night, and enjoyed the bands in the village. Unfortunately, our daughter landed hard on her wrist while playing Saturday night and hurt it. We let her ski the beginner area with her little brother for an hour Sunday morning, but left early to get it x-rayed (it wound up being broken). Sunday was bluebird, and I'm sure another fantastic day (I'm assuming they blew snow Saturday night).
I brought only the 99mm waisted skis, and they skied fine, but were not at all necessary. I'd probably prefer something 10-15mm narrower for these kind of conditions, and will save the 99's for trips out west. Fortunately, no base damage at all, which says a lot about how good the coverage was (I spend a lot of time skiing aggressively on the sides of runs). I'll probably look for deals in the offseason for something in the 80-90mm range.
My shoulder held up well (I never tested it by falling), and I get another 9 days to heal before we fly out to Colorado. The other big news was the wife was so jazzed to get back on the slopes, she agreed to an August trip to Portillo. I have been pushing this hard for 10 years (she always wants to vacation someplace warm), and am going to try to strike while the iron is hot this time.
Reisen wrote:
We had an absolute blast last weekend at Snowshoe. Unfortunately, we were not able to meet up with WGO. I had thought AT&T coverage was pretty good at SS, but it was almost non-existant this trip. I got coverage in our room at Mountain Lodge, and that was pretty much it.
- No coverage whatsoever on Soaring Eagle or at Top of the World.
- No coverage on Western Territory
- Only 1 bar (with no internet) on Grab Hammer, which is weird, because it dumps you really close to Mountain Lodge at the top.
The above seems pretty typical to me. Any more I usually don't bother with phone unless it's epic and I want pics.
The conditions on Saturday were really great. Good (but not great) sunlight, no precip, moderate temps (maybe upper 20's), no snowmaking during the day. Very good snow conditions for the mid-A. Lift lines were moderate but not horrible, and the lines at Starbucks and Hoots during lunch were pretty light.
I lunched @ Hoots also...sorry missed ya.
I wish Snowshoe would blow a little more under the Soaring Eagle lift (side of Widowmaker), but maybe the natural snow did the trick. I enjoyed skiing the ungroomed there, but there were times you had to jump over small rock bands.
Those old stick guns on Widowmaker won't reach the opposite side. Under the SE lift is one of my fav lines when it's pow.
I brought only the 99mm waisted skis, and they skied fine, but were not at all necessary. I'd probably prefer something 10-15mm narrower for these kind of conditions, and will save the 99's for trips out west. Fortunately, no base damage at all, which says a lot about how good the coverage was (I spend a lot of time skiing aggressively on the sides of runs). I'll probably look for deals in the offseason for something in the 80-90mm range.
I had my narrow (80) and wide (106) skis but never pulled the wide ones out.
I must just be imagining it, but I swear I've had phone conversations with people from multiple different lifts at Snowshoe, including Western Express. I vaguely remember no service at the bottom of some lifts, but was surprised at how bad it was.
We were constantly trying to meet up with different people, and it was pretty impossible. Almost makes me want to go back to walkie talkies.
I was very impressed by Hoot's burger. Maybe my new favorite place to lunch at SS.
Hopefully the new guns SS just announced will help with full coverage. Would be great to see them blow to the point where they have full coverage all the way up to the tree lines.
Are there spots at Snowshoe with WiFi where you can do cellular-over-Wifi? I know a lot of today's smart phones (such as the iPhone) can hop on a nearby WiFi hotspot to make cellular calls / text messages. But maybe WiFi is pretty limited there too, with all the restrictions from the nearby National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
Scott wrote:
Are there spots at Snowshoe with WiFi where you can do cellular-over-Wifi? I know a lot of today's smart phones (such as the iPhone) can hop on a nearby WiFi hotspot to make cellular calls / text messages. But maybe WiFi is pretty limited there too, with all the restrictions from the nearby National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
There are lots of condo owner hot-spots but not many are open so that leaves Snowshoe Public which are intentionally low power due to NRAO. Some of the bottom lift stations have open APs. I've never tried wifi calling on Snowshoe APs but my guess is, if it's technically supported by the AP, it's a crap shoot for realibility.
Awesome conditions today. Snow was little heavy but can’t complain. My legs are fried. We are supposed to get few more inches tomorrow also. Little bummed they don’t have SC opened .
NorthEast is looking pretty damned good too. Killington might have enough base to keep spinning in June after this next round of refills..
Bonzski wrote:
Scott wrote:
Are there spots at Snowshoe with WiFi where you can do cellular-over-Wifi? I know a lot of today's smart phones (such as the iPhone) can hop on a nearby WiFi hotspot to make cellular calls / text messages. But maybe WiFi is pretty limited there too, with all the restrictions from the nearby National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
There are lots of condo owner hot-spots but not many are open so that leaves Snowshoe Public which are intentionally low power due to NRAO. Some of the bottom lift stations have open APs. I've never tried wifi calling on Snowshoe APs but my guess is, if it's technically supported by the AP, it's a crap shoot for realibility.
I'm on Verizon and have to make all my calls / texts on wifi at SS. Once I arrive, I set my phone to airplane mode and kick on wifi otherwise the battery will die fast searching for a cell signal. Each unit in Mtn Lodge has it's own modem and password. I'm told that's pretty common for the other buildings as we were the last to jump on the Citynet bandwagon.
Boathouse is reliable and I think I have used it at Arbuckles as well. Old Spruce has wifi but none at the Junction or Foxfire.
The only odd thing is that I cannot access my voice mail on wifi. When returning home, my phone goes nuts near Elkins if I have a couple vms pending.
crgildart wrote:
NorthEast is looking pretty damned good too. Killington might have enough base to keep spinning in June after this next round of refills..
And Killington is on the Ikon pass...
Just to echo what others have said - great weekend at Snowshoe. I can vouch for the size of the snow whale near waffle cabin. Also the first time I could just ski up to the window to get waffles for the kids.
Anyway, skied Sat - Mon and got a different ski experience each day. Saturday was all about the great conditions from the previous week's snow and finding pockets of powder here and there. It was also the first time I have seen bumps on Cupp. Sunday was great corny conditions on the morning and spring bumps on Sawmill in the afternoon. I will say that things were getting sloppy out there by late afternoon. Monday was all about the pow. Snowshoe's website said they got 5 inches overnight as of 7 AM - it might have been another inch or so by the time the ropes dropped**. Whatever the amount it was enough so that I did not hit bottom on the first couple runs (the fact that the pow was a bit on the heavy side might haev played a factor here). After the first couple runs there was still pleny of untracked to be found off to the sides.
I was skiing 86 mm waisted skis, so my powder skiing technique was pretty old school. No complaints here, though.
One non-skiing comment. We ate lunch at Shaver's Center on both Sat/Sun and were really pleased with the selection. In particular, there is a station for noodle bowls and a station for all-day Filipino breakfast. Both are really tasty and several steps above the standard cafeteria offerings.
** EDIT: per Snowshoe's FB page, 10 inches of snow this morning! Wow.
wgo wrote:
crgildart wrote:
NorthEast is looking pretty damned good too. Killington might have enough base to keep spinning in June after this next round of refills..
And Killington is on the Ikon pass...
If you are thinking that an Ikon pass for 2018-19 could be used in the next few weeks at Killington, that's not the case. Snowshoe is one of the few Alterra resorts for which an Ikon pass is good in March. Found the following on the Squaw/Alpine website:
Can I use my 2018-2019 Ikon Pass to ski or ride at participating destinations during Spring 2018?
Yes, you can use your 2018-2019 Ikon Pass or Ikon Base Pass starting this Spring.
Starting March 6, 2018, access at:
Starting on April 9, 2018, access at:
wgo wrote:
One non-skiing comment. We ate lunch at Shaver's Center on both Sat/Sun and were really pleased with the selection. In particular, there is a station for noodle bowls and a station for all-day Filipino breakfast. Both are really tasty and several steps above the standard cafeteria offerings.
Shavers center food court seems to be one of those things not everyone knows about too. For under $10 (with my resort charge discount) I had tenders, fries, and soda on Saturday. Despite the mountain being quite busy we had no issue getting a table at 11:45. We ate lunch and then went over to silver creek for the afternoon.
marzNC wrote:
If you are thinking that an Ikon pass for 2018-19 could be used in the next few weeks at Killington, that's not the case.
Yes, that is what I was thinking. Thanks for the clarification.
rbrtlav wrote:
wgo wrote:
One non-skiing comment. We ate lunch at Shaver's Center on both Sat/Sun and were really pleased with the selection. In particular, there is a station for noodle bowls and a station for all-day Filipino breakfast. Both are really tasty and several steps above the standard cafeteria offerings.
Shavers center food court seems to be one of those things not everyone knows about too. For under $10 (with my resort charge discount) I had tenders, fries, and soda on Saturday. Despite the mountain being quite busy we had no issue getting a table at 11:45. We ate lunch and then went over to silver creek for the afternoon.
The noodle bowl is one of my favs.
Look at the snow pillows on the picnic tables at Arbuckles
2 days later and the pipe on the left iof that sign is now buried.
Bonzski wrote:
rbrtlav wrote:
wgo wrote:
One non-skiing comment. We ate lunch at Shaver's Center on both Sat/Sun and were really pleased with the selection. In particular, there is a station for noodle bowls and a station for all-day Filipino breakfast. Both are really tasty and several steps above the standard cafeteria offerings.
Shavers center food court seems to be one of those things not everyone knows about too. For under $10 (with my resort charge discount) I had tenders, fries, and soda on Saturday. Despite the mountain being quite busy we had no issue getting a table at 11:45. We ate lunch and then went over to silver creek for the afternoon.
The noodle bowl is one of my favs.
^^ What he said ^^ Shame on you rbrtlav for not getting that Tai noodle bowl. Holy cow that stuff is good and not too expensive as well...
David wrote:
Bonzski wrote:
The noodle bowl is one of my favs.
^^ What he said ^^ Shame on you rbrtlav for not getting that Tai noodle bowl. Holy cow that stuff is good and not too expensive as well...
I guess I know what I'm getting for lunch on Friday (or Saturday this weekend) . Of course of the conditions hold up and the crowds are low, Friday might be a snack on the lift for lunch type of day.
rbrtlav wrote:
David wrote:
Bonzski wrote:
The noodle bowl is one of my favs.
^^ What he said ^^ Shame on you rbrtlav for not getting that Tai noodle bowl. Holy cow that stuff is good and not too expensive as well...
I guess I know what I'm getting for lunch on Friday (or Saturday this weekend) . Of course of the conditions hold up and the crowds are low, Friday might be a snack on the lift for lunch type of day.
Don't ask for anything above medium as far as the spice goes. It'll burn...
Snowshoe newbie question - their website says Silver Creek is closed today... will it open tomorrow or for the weekend? Or done for the season?
Definitely open Fri - Sun. I believe Bozski and a buddy of ours plans to ski it at 9 AM tomorrow.
Check the trail report tomorrow AM for sure
What is the parking situation at silver creek? Also, if I have time for just one beer at the end of the day tomorrow, where should it be? Thanks for thoughts!
RodneyBD wrote:
What is the parking situation at silver creek? Also, if I have time for just one beer at the end of the day tomorrow, where should it be? Thanks for thoughts!
Are you planning a day trip?
RodneyBD wrote:
What is the parking situation at silver creek? Also, if I have time for just one beer at the end of the day tomorrow, where should it be? Thanks for thoughts!
Not sure about parking - may have to pay there or park up top and shuttle down? I'm a fan of the Old Spruce Draft House. Lots of "local brews" on tap. It's next to Allegheny Springs / across from the Junction in the village. Otherwise you are hitting the bar at Silver Creek Lodge.
David wrote:
rbrtlav wrote:
David wrote:
Bonzski wrote:
The noodle bowl is one of my favs.
^^ What he said ^^ Shame on you rbrtlav for not getting that Tai noodle bowl. Holy cow that stuff is good and not too expensive as well...
I guess I know what I'm getting for lunch on Friday (or Saturday this weekend) . Of course of the conditions hold up and the crowds are low, Friday might be a snack on the lift for lunch type of day.
Don't ask for anything above medium as far as the spice goes. It'll burn...
Had this for lunch saturday... lived up the the reviews. Thanks!
Not to take anything away from the noodle bowl which is very good but the cheese steak is what I generally get & did today. Very tasty cheese steak but when your on your way past Philadelphia stop at Tony Luke's and get the roast pork with the sharp provalone!
BTW was out on Cupp at rope drop today. Very fast crusty cordoray with areas of golf ball sized ice chunks until it sofened up around 11:00. Shay's was delayed not sure if it opened but was looking very patchy.
Looks like a decent week ahead with some fresh powder with mix thrown in. Didn't report last Thursday but skied mid-thigh powder on the treeline side of Widowmaker where I lost my ski. Finding it took about 5 minutes of pole fishing. Left my powder straps back home thought I would never use them in the east. Bought them after loosing a ski on the Nevada side of Heavenly many years ago when skiing in the trees. Did eventually retrieve the ski 6 months later. Reason for buying straps! Not sure they sell them anymore?
Shotmaker wrote:
BTW was out on Cupp at rope drop today. Very fast crusty cordoray with areas of golf ball sized ice chunks until it sofened up around 11:00. Shay's was delayed not sure if it opened but was looking very patchy.
Looks like a decent week ahead with some fresh powder with mix thrown in. Didn't report last Thursday but skied mid-thigh powder on the treeline side of Widowmaker where I lost my ski. Finding it took about 5 minutes of pole fishing. Left my powder straps back home thought I would never use them in the east. Bought them after loosing a ski on the Nevada side of Heavenly many years ago when skiing in the trees. Did eventually retrieve the ski 6 months later. Reason for buying straps! Not sure they sell them anymore?
Yep, powder straps are still made by assorted vendors. Can even buy from Walmart. :-) Pow Tales are for people who own powder skis and get to ski deep powder more than a few days a season. Easy to buy at Alta.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/EK-Ekcessories-Powder-Cat-10110P-Ek/22262601
http://www.powdercordpouch.com/category-s/113.htm
https://www.powtales.com/index.html
When there was 20+ inches of fresh at Jiminy Peak under the lift line (double black, no snowmaking), saw more than one skier hunting for a lost ski. One boy was very happy to find his without too much trouble. So was his mom and younger siblings who went on the parallel black slope and were waiting well below where he lost the ski.
