BushwackerinPA is making the early season rounds to Hidden Valley, Seven Springs, then yesterday at Wisp, where snow was very nice with good selection of open runs and insanely beautiful weather. It softened up about mid day when we met and made a few runs together. The Bushwacker carves TRENCHES and is a walking wikipedia on all things ski. His home football team is going to the playoffs too. The gathering was a bit disorganized due to my phone malfunction, but I eventually got to also meet Bousquet19 and SCWVA before the day was done. I'll try to post more details/pictures this evening, got home late last night.
I was at Wisp this last weekend as well, but not with those guys. It was my first time there and I was pretty impressed. The layout is really bizarre ,though, they need so many more lifts to allow you to get around that place than a mountain that size should need. Conditions were much better than I expected after the rain and were driving in some pretty heavy snow squalls Friday night.
The runs were a little shorter than what I'm used too, but were in good shape. Personal favorite was Ace's Run in the north camp. Squirrel Cage wasn't bad either (That's actually what the they're on in the pictures above. The Face still had a giant gaping hole in it with a pile of avalanche debris at the bottom.).
Biggest plus, surprisingly good prices for a ski resort. Had breakfast in the restaurant and lunch in the cafeteria for two and for $12-$18 each time.
Biggest minus, I got hit by an idiot snowboarder while stationary just behind the lift line at chair seven. Didn't even have the decency to apologize. Luckily since he was going down at the time he crashed into my boots and probably got the worst of it.
inadvertently met "bushwackerinpa" while he was looking for "jimk".......kinda funny I happened to be waiting at the bottom for my kids and he called out "DCSKI" I wasn't the guy he was looking for ..... but it was nice to see someone from dcski
*I thought conditions were excellent - Northcamp and Mainstreet were great.
The Bushwacker carves TRENCHES and is a walking wikipedia on all things ski.
I haven't ever met or skied with Bush, but somehow that "wiki" description makes perfect sense. He has a genuine enthusiasm for skiing. I get the impression he only stops thinking/talking about skiing for few brief hours of sleep each night .
Wisp was wonderful on Sunday: blue skies, comfortable temperatures, good skiing conditions, relatively short lift lines ... and 4 kinds of birthday cake to choose from!
Great to finally meet JimK and his son in the lodge at day's end. Jim is as nice in person as he is in his posts here and on SnowJournal.com. I'd forgotten to keep track of the rendezvous times, deciding instead to "go modern" and rely on cell phones to connect with the group. 'Won't do that again!
Hope everyone is enjoying this early part of the season!
The runs were a little shorter than what I'm used too, but were in good shape. Personal favorite was Ace's Run in the north camp. Squirrel Cage wasn't bad either
My thoughts exactly after skiing wisp over T-Giving...I Didn't get to ski the Black Diamond over on the new North Camp..was it open?
..... but it was nice to see someone from dcski
