No poll, just a chance to respond. I have just looked at web cams at 7Springs, Wisp, HV, and read the weather reports for those areas as well as Snowshoe (still no webcam) and Timberline (naturally it is not working, TL did post a pic of the day from???). Anyway, it should be two great slope days. It will be cold enough at all the areas for the groomers to take care of the slopes for fantastic spring skiing! I really wish I was going to either HV or Snowshoe, but my knee is still not right and the distance is great, and taxes need to be done, etc. All excuses, I know. I mean, there is no tomorrow for most of the areas. By the way, the web cams appear to show the Wisp and HV slopes to be in the best shape, I am a little leary of what the 7S webcams show.
When you get back from the slopes tell the rest of us how the weekend went. Don't get too wet in the Pond Skims.
And fishnski, thanks for noticing!
The Colonel

I'm at Tline this weekend. I think my ankle's healed well enough to get back on the slopes this weekend.

Breckenridge & Keystone.

Just returning from Deer Valley...TR to follow.

I'll be going to Seven Springs with Marcus and my wife and son, daughter has dress rehearsal for the High School musical. I see that the Nuttings reduced their tickets for spring rates a whopping $5 so a weekend ticket is $40.00 for slush, bare spots and limitations. If Laurel opens next season this will be the last money I spend at 7S. I should head down the road to Hidden Valley but the crowd wants to hit the big hill.

Laurel Hill ---
HV would have been a good choice today. While it did start to get a bit slushy by end of day (due to sunshine and above freezing temps), conditions at HV were superb for most of the day. There was not a bare spot or 'limitation' on any of the open slopes including Imperial, Continental, T-bird, Firebird and Rambler/bowl area. I was pretty impressed by how thick their base is this late in the season--again, hats off to Buncher for great snowmaking and grooming all season long. And, I think they were only charging $15 for lift passes today.

I might head to Winterplace for closing day. They still have 27 of 28 trails open with no bare spots last I heard. The runs are getting a little narrow though. Definitely qualify as WRODs.


Hmmm just checked the weather. 70% chance of rain. Maybe I'll stay home and watch basketball.

I'm really reconsidering, the price at HV can't be beat. My son is down with a fever so wife is out too. I'll let Marcus decide tomorrow. He's not been out much this year but I know he'll be looking for some soft bumps and long cruising. I suspect that 7S will be his choice. Maybe next weekend I'll finish with the family at HV if the weather holds.

I hung it up. I took my skis to the DC Ski Center for the end-of-season tune and wax. After five weeks non-stop at Snowshoe, I have a) no vacation time left, and b) several gouges in my brand new - correction - now old, AC-40s that need to be repaired. Besides, if El Niño behaves and there's lots of good snow in Chile, who knows... they will be ready.

I know this is very much unlike me, but may I offer a defense for the Nuttings $40 lift ticket price. Note: I can't believe I'm defending the owners of a baseball team (PGH Pirates) who are vying to tie a Major League Record for futility; 16 consecutive losing seasons... my money is definitely on the record being tied this year and then being broken next year.

But if people are willing to pay it ($40), then why not charge it. Law of supply & demand. HV is charging $15 to draw people there. Once people discover what a great job HV is doing and the $15 price, I think more people will head that way, in spite of the lack of vertical. You'll probably then see 7S drop there spring rates to something more reasonable and HV may even raise theirs.

I'm guilty as charged, we anted up but Marcus caught an insider break so the bite was lessened. We mostly cruised and the snow softened and turned to velvet about mid-day. It was getting a little loose and deep, not yet mash, by 2 when we left.

The bumps on the front were coral in the morning so we went back to the groomed Avalanche for some speed and gees. We closed the day on the North Face throwing stones on the Boulder and strafing the bare spots on Yodeler with a few high speed passes through the terrain park just to buzz the boarders and trick rats. We even shot the crux through the bare spots on the Headwall of North Face proper on the skiers far right.

We had to pull up stakes at 2 to get Marcus back to work. If it were not for that fact we may have gone to T-line.

We'll see if we can make it until next weekend and maybe close the season at HV.

Was up on Saturday (getting more use out of my extended Mid-Week pass)...

http://leacar.smugmug.com/gallery/4622403_eHc6L#272711499

Arrived at 9 sharp, parked in the North lot and did laps on the North side on the high speed and quad. About 12:30, I decided to drop over to the front for some lunch, a peek at the pond skim and a sample of the well covered hills over there. Considering the weird weather we have had this year, this was one of the better days I have had up there this year...pretty good cover for late March, sunshine, good hard corn and no mashed potatoes.