Broke Lift Mountain
March 9, 2006
26 posts
13 users
3k+ views
I skied Timberline Today and Sunday. Sunday was a Blue Bird day--perfect temperatures and weather. Almost everything was open, although the base is starting to get low, especially on ALMOST HEAVEN. Some of the trails were also on the icey side, especially THE DROP. WHITE LIGHTNING and THUNDERSTRUCK have the best snow, but DROP and OTW are the most fun. Timberline seems to have called it quits as far as snowmaking is concerned. They've had lot of good opportunities of late to make snow but I guess they feel that the late season crowds (or lack thereof) don't justify the additional investment.
Today we got about an inch at the base and maybe two inches at the top--enough new snow to make some fresh tracks, but not enough to get too excited about. The one inch that fell on my car in the morning had melted by 1 pm, and the roads were dry on the drive back to DC. Nevertheless, it was fun day of skiing. It's always a bonus to ski some freshies in March.
Broke lift Mtn...Did the lifts break down..are you saying the lift operators are gay? Its a fairy Mtn? inquiring minds want to know!..PS Fri there was a solid,exellently Groomed surface to go with great weather!
I recall the Great Bare Spot on Almost Heaven - about half way down in the middle of the upper slope. First shown its ugly brown head in the middle of January. One week of snowmaking covered it up - sad to hear it may be resurfacing. John, do you think this weekend's temps and the little bit of rain forecast might do in Upper Almost Heaven for the season? This is the first season recently I recall any bare spots on Tline's main slopes this late in the season - that's usually a problem early on. I envy your bonus ski day today. Sunday afternoons and Mondays are heaven at Tline.
Tom
Timberline appeared to be making snow on Twister this morning.
My bad Tucker. When I drove by at 6 this morning it looked like there was snowmaking going on across the plateau and at the top of the Twister, Dew Drop area. It was a bit dark then but the lights were lighting up a white cloud in that area. May have been just a low cloud. I don't remember hearing the guns running when I left the house now that I think about it.
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I recall the Great Bare Spot on Almost Heaven - about half way down in the middle of the upper slope. First shown its ugly brown head in the middle of January. One week of snowmaking covered it up - sad to hear it may be resurfacing. John, do you think this weekend's temps and the little bit of rain forecast might do in Upper Almost Heaven for the season? This is the first season recently I recall any bare spots on Tline's main slopes this late in the season - that's usually a problem early on. I envy your bonus ski day today. Sunday afternoons and Mondays are heaven at Tline.
Tom
Tom, I have a flex day every other Monday and it is the greatest. Not only is the skiing awesome and empty but the traffic home is actually lighter than on Sundays.
The weekend weather scares me. T-line may lose some terrain if we get three warm days and some rain. Then again, creative grooming and some snowmaking can do wonders. There's so much terrain open now and so few people that losing a trail or even two won't matter much as far as slope crowding is concerned.
John, that may be true for the Sunday or weekday skier, but for the rest of us who have to contend with the Saturday crowds to get in our turns, it makes a huge difference. I understand that t-line cannot make snow on the skier left side of the mountain due to a water leak. Therefore, snowmaking on that side has ended (RIP Almost Heaven). It's just the old infrastructure that they have or maybe the water lines are not capable of taking the increase in pressure caused by the new pumps.
Purely speculation.
Kim:
That's the first I've heard about the broken water lines but it sort of makes sense. With all the hype about TWISTER, I would have thought they'd go for a re-coat, but technical difficulties may be the culprit.
My other thought is that the mountain spent more money on snowmaking early in the season (which makes good business sense) and as a result does not want to spend much now. I haven't skied one saturday this year so I do not know what the crowds are like on that day. With this new schedule, my whole philosophy is to ski Sundays and Mondays and leave Saturday for chores and housekeeping. But I know most of the world must ski on Saturdays so T-line should pull out all the stops for these skiers, including making snow when needed.
I'd give anything to have your schedule, John. Mondays this year have been very good. Saturdays have been SLAMMED.
Oh well, can't have it all.
Was at T-Line on Tues. The conditions were great! I skied all morning and into the early afternoon. When I left at 1pm it hadn't even gotten slushy yet. It was an overall terrfic day (even with moguls
) with no lines, and best of all....a $17 lift ticket for being a college student. Here is a shot from about 3/4 of the way up OTW. By looking at the tracks you can see that I was the 3rd or 4th person to ski it.
OTW 3-7-06
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Was at T-Line on Tues. The conditions were great! I skied all morning and into the early afternoon. When I left at 1pm it hadn't even gotten slushy yet. It was an overall terrfic day (even with moguls ) with no lines, and best of all....a $17 lift ticket for being a college student. Here is a shot from about 3/4 of the way up OTW. By looking at the tracks you can see that I was the 3rd or 4th person to ski it.
OTW 3-7-06
That's great, but where were the moguls? I haven't seen any all year. And I've been looking 
One of my friends who loves bumps as much as I asked the owner and the Resort Manager why they groomed everything flat. Thay had no idea that this had happened. Somebody needs a clue of what's going on or t-line will lose a lot of their advanced/expert skiing customers.
""It's either ignorance or apathy and or most likely both", said the willing who were led by the unknowning and were attempting to do the impossible with what means they had to work with."
Qoute from Shredilofucleus- snowboarding greek philospher/measily resort employee.
Any kind of feedback customers can give to those who make these choices concerning what advance skiers and boarders are looking for in terrain will hopefully help. It's good to discuss these things here, but again I would hope it would be usefull for the owners and management to hear it as well.
As far as bumps are concerned ideally there should be green, blue, black bumps runs, and Off the Wall. It would be nice for skiers and boarders to be able to ski and learn to ski bumps on terrain that is comfortable for the level they ski or board at. Green bumps are always more user friendly when they run along side a groomer.
Right now, I would settle for any bumps especially since spring conditions are approaching. Nothing beats whales covered with bumps when it's soft and sloppy!
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Right now, I would settle for any bumps especially since spring conditions are approaching. Nothing beats whales covered with bumps when it's soft and sloppy!
ohhhhh I am slightly turned on by that statement
Does t-line management ever check these forums? I would think that they should given the useful information that is given here. I realize that these are OPINIONS, but OPINIONS count when considering the bottom line which is the profit/loss statement. What is the best way of relaying our desires to Doc, Tom, and especially Amos?
Wow! I was expecting a moving story about two ski friends who enjoyed each others company and learned to love each other! Instead it's a documentary on the impact of snow groomers in the environment of Canaan valley and it's effect on aquatic life. Heavy sigh! I did so want to see some romance. Anyway. has anyone simply gone in and asked about it?
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Wow! I was expecting a moving story about two ski friends who enjoyed each others company and learned to love each other! Instead it's a documentary on the impact of snow groomers in the environment of Canaan valley and it's effect on aquatic life. Heavy sigh! I did so want to see some romance. Anyway. has anyone simply gone in and asked about it?
No romance?? I offer exhibit A:
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ohhhhh I am slightly turned on by that statement
Bushwacker is feeling the love with this topic, I am just not sure what is tuning him on more the whales over bumps or the wet and sloppy!
Not in defense of Timberline or anything, but the base of OTW was aweseome. I would venture to say it has just as much snow on it as any other slopes. I think that grooming OTW will enable them to keep it open a whole lot longer this year especially with the weather being like it is right now. It does make for a nice steep groomer, but I sure do miss my moguls
.
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Does t-line management ever check these forums? I would think that they should given the useful information that is given here. I realize that these are OPINIONS, but OPINIONS count when considering the bottom line which is the profit/loss statement. What is the best way of relaying our desires to Doc, Tom, and especially Amos?
The management may not, but the Ski Patrol sure does!
Let that serve justly as a caveat.
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Not in defense of Timberline or anything, but the base of OTW was aweseome. I would venture to say it has just as much snow on it as any other slopes. I think that grooming OTW will enable them to keep it open a whole lot longer this year especially with the weather being like it is right now. It does make for a nice steep groomer, but I sure do miss my moguls .
I concur
Next season T-line should make snow on OTW, groom it out to even the base, and THEN LET THE BUMPS GROW NATURALLY. I want natural bumps and not artificial whales. Also, this method seems to be the best way of maximizing the manmade base. AND BY MID-SEASON THE BUMPS WILL BE BIG ENOUGH TO CREATE SOME CHALLENGE FOR ADVANCED SKIERS AND RIDERS.
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Next season T-line should make snow on OTW, groom it out to even the base, and THEN LET THE BUMPS GROW NATURALLY. I want natural bumps and not artificial whales.
I agree. Artificial whales a kind of cool but nothing is better than natural moguls on a steep slope. Looking at the base on OTW now I think that letting it bump up on its own next year would be a great idea.
Does Tline currently have a good base on OTW?
If so, they should let it bump up this weekend and not groom it during the week until after the Snowy Luau. With the warm weather predicted for the next week, the bumps could be huge for the Snowy Luau.
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Next season T-line should make snow on OTW, groom it out to even the base, and THEN LET THE BUMPS GROW NATURALLY. I want natural bumps and not artificial whales. Also, this method seems to be the best way of maximizing the manmade base. AND BY MID-SEASON THE BUMPS WILL BE BIG ENOUGH TO CREATE SOME CHALLENGE FOR ADVANCED SKIERS AND RIDERS.
Thank you.
