# Ski New England Bitch thread



## nhskier1969 (Apr 13, 2020)

Shelter place after a few weeks sucks.  Not skiing in New England during the best part of the year(mid march to mid april) really sucks.  So I wanted to Create a bitch thread for things you hate about resorts in New England.  
A couple I have thought of:
Wildcats base lodge to far away from the quad.
poling Reverse Traverse at Sugarbush in a head wind.


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## skiur (Apr 13, 2020)

New England doesn't get enough snow and it's elevation is too low.


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## MikeDeJ (Apr 13, 2020)

skiur said:


> New England doesn't get enough snow and it's elevation is too low.



Parking way too far from the lifts!!!!   Of course this is most places.


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## Smellytele (Apr 13, 2020)

Too many NYers! [emoji16]


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## Rowsdower (Apr 13, 2020)

My knees hurt. Oh, my back. Get off my lawn.


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## VTKilarney (Apr 13, 2020)

Freeze-thaw cycles.


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## Newpylong (Apr 13, 2020)

The fact we get a foot of snow and know full well it's going to be gone the next day. In the middle of winter.


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## jimk (Apr 13, 2020)

If you don't live in New England you probably haven't earned the right to bitch in this thread, so I'll post some _bitchin'_ New England photos instead;-)
MRG:


Pico


Sugarbush


Wildcat


Whiteface


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## RichT (Apr 13, 2020)

31 degrees and rain ALL of January, then 40 and snow Mid March.


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## Cornhead (Apr 13, 2020)

jimk said:


> If you don't live in New England you probably haven't earned the right to bitch in this thread, so I'll post some _bitchin'_ New England photos instead;-)
> MRG:
> View attachment 26749
> 
> ...



Hey, not bitchin, but Whiteface isn't in New England, sorry. Nice pics.

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## big_vert (Apr 13, 2020)

jimk said:


> If you don't live in New England you probably haven't earned the right to bitch in this thread, so I'll post some _bitchin'_ New England photos instead;-)
> MRG:
> View attachment 26749
> 
> ...



OK pics, but like is something in those supposed to make someone want to ski NE? Snow looks lousy in all of them. Typical NE "skiing".


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## BenedictGomez (Apr 14, 2020)

Bulletproof,  boilerplate, frozen granular, glare,  ice.


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## Cornhead (Apr 14, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> Bulletproof,  boilerplate, frozen granular, glare,  ice.


It actually sounds good now.[emoji20]

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## kingslug (Apr 14, 2020)

I admit im not a big fan of Eastern skiing..yet i go every week when im not out west or Europe. What skiing these sometimes crappy conditions does for us is it allows us to handle any condition no matter where we are. If im out west or Europe and its raining..or socked in by fog, or icy moguls..its no problem. Fair weather skiers and boarders ..maybe not so much. I know people who live here but will only ski out west. They dont do very well when things turn to shit. They want blue skies and powder..or theyre in the bar. Ok. Im out there.


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## tumbler (Apr 14, 2020)

nhskier1969 said:


> Shelter place after a few weeks sucks.  Not skiing in New England during the best part of the year(mid march to mid april) really sucks.  So I wanted to Create a bitch thread for things you hate about resorts in New England.
> A couple I have thought of:
> Wildcats base lodge to far away from the quad.
> poling Reverse Traverse at Sugarbush in a head wind.



If Reverse Traverse is something you bitch about you clearly know nothing about SB.  Are you going to complain about the stairs from the parking lot too?


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## asnowmobiler (Apr 14, 2020)

I hate all the damn Speed Traps trying to take my drinking money away.


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## urungus (Apr 14, 2020)

tumbler said:


> If Reverse Traverse is something you bitch about you clearly know nothing about SB.  Are you going to complain about the stairs from the parking lot too?



Yes !  I guess I “know nothing about SB” ... is there some way to avoid them ?


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## cdskier (Apr 14, 2020)

urungus said:


> Yes !  I guess I “know nothing about SB” ... is there some way to avoid them ?



Sure...walk up the driveway on the left side of Clay Brook! :lol:

PS...I'm amazed wind can even get to Reverse Traverse...that's a pretty sheltered trail.


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## thebigo (Apr 14, 2020)

nhskier1969 said:


> Wildcats base lodge to far away from the quad.



This never occured to me. Thinking about it, cat is one of the better setups.


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## EPB (Apr 14, 2020)

thebigo said:


> This never occured to me. Thinking about it, cat is one of the better setups.


I don't mind it either. That lodge has the worst water I've ever had at a ski area and used to smell like urine everywhere you went (much better now), but too far from the lift wasn't ever a concern for me.

As far as lodge placement goes, Stowe leaves much to be desired. Not like there's an obvious solution though. 

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## tumbler (Apr 14, 2020)

urungus said:


> Yes !  I guess I “know nothing about SB” ... is there some way to avoid them ?



you're on your way to exercise and have an issue walking up a flight of stairs?


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## Cat in January (Apr 14, 2020)

I understand one of the perks of working patrol is pre-running trails on a powder day.  Letting the “special ones” load up and get the goods while you stand in line is not cool.  Likely happens outside NE.

Ruining interesting trails, by cutting them wide so they become boulevards.  This was covered in an earlier thread.


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## Edd (Apr 14, 2020)

thebigo said:


> This never occured to me. Thinking about it, cat is one of the better setups.



Yeah, it’s not bad at all. Easy skate to the HSQ once you cross the bridge.


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## kingslug (Apr 14, 2020)

At Stowe you can practice hiking...up to the lift. My wife makes me carry her skis.


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## raisingarizona (Apr 14, 2020)

kingslug said:


> At Stowe you can practice hiking...up to the lift. My wife makes me carry her skis.



Well we know now who wears the pants in that relationship.


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## raisingarizona (Apr 14, 2020)

kingslug said:


> I admit im not a big fan of Eastern skiing..yet i go every week when im not out west or Europe. What skiing these sometimes crappy conditions does for us is it allows us to handle any condition no matter where we are. If im out west or Europe and its raining..or socked in by fog, or icy moguls..its no problem. Fair weather skiers and boarders ..maybe not so much. I know people who live here but will only ski out west. They dont do very well when things turn to shit. They want blue skies and powder..or theyre in the bar. Ok. Im out there.



The majority of skier visit numbers are by weekend warriors that only ski a few days a season. They aren’t into it the same as die hards. It’s an escape and a quick getaway from the regular, mundane 9 to 5 Monday through Friday working lifestyle. There’s nothing wrong with that and I can totally understand how coming from that perspective they don’t want to deal with cold, crappy conditions. I mean, string on a cold af lift ride to ski boiler plate under dismal and depressing grey skies isn’t really that much fun and when you add in the coats it’s pretty easy to see how most folks would chooses something else to be doing.


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## raisingarizona (Apr 14, 2020)

tumbler said:


> you're on your way to exercise and have an issue walking up a flight of stairs?



Haha! The folks that complain about walking on these ski forums crack me up!


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## EPB (Apr 14, 2020)

kingslug said:


> At Stowe you can practice hiking...up to the lift. My wife makes me carry her skis.


Haha 100%.

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## EPB (Apr 14, 2020)

raisingarizona said:


> Haha! The folks that complain about walking on these ski forums crack me up!


Agreed. 

My only"complaint" - complete with scare quotes because I don't actually think it's a big deal - is when I make it back to my car at the end of the day dripping in sweat after it has warmed up and I need to hike back to the car. Not super fun, but not that big a deal. A little walking is just part of the bargain.

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## BenedictGomez (Apr 14, 2020)

tumbler said:


> If Reverse Traverse is something you bitch about you clearly know nothing about SB. * Are you going to complain about the stairs from the parking lot too?*



That's at least a legitimate complaint.



asnowmobiler said:


> *I hate all the damn Speed Traps trying to take my drinking money away.*



Every radar detector I've ever bought has paid for itself, with the caveat that you need one of the top-of-the-line makers.  I'm > 20 years brand loyal to Escort.


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## BenedictGomez (Apr 14, 2020)

kingslug said:


> * I know people who live here but will only ski out west.*



Those people aren't really skiers.

It's one thing to prefer western skiing, which is obvious.  It's quite another to never ski anywhere in the east, which 100% means you're just not that into skiing.


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## kingslug (Apr 14, 2020)

raisingarizona said:


> Well we know now who wears the pants in that relationship.



Its called being nice..to your wife..who is willing to get the 730 chair saturday and sunday..not many wives on that line..


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## EPB (Apr 14, 2020)

kingslug said:


> Its called being nice..to your wife..who is willing to get the 730 chair saturday and sunday..not many wives on that line..


Totally rational to try to make things easier so you can get out more often/earlier. Not to mention, it's not particularly challenging to carry two pairs of skis. Got used to it racing as a kid.

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## kingslug (Apr 14, 2020)

And its not like i have 4 kids..whose skis i have to carry...


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## Hawk (Apr 14, 2020)

I don't know.  My friend George lives in the North end of Boston, takes the Thursday afternoon shuttle to SLC every other week.  He skis 40 to 50 days a year at Snowbird and says he is done with eastern skiing.  I would call him a real skier.


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## djd66 (Apr 14, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> Those people aren't really skiers.
> 
> It's one thing to prefer western skiing, which is obvious.  It's quite another to never ski anywhere in the east, which 100% means you're just not that into skiing.



Sorry, but if I had the choice, I would 100% be skiing out west exclusively.


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## Smellytele (Apr 14, 2020)

djd66 said:


> Sorry, but if I had the choice, I would 100% be skiing out west exclusively.



You do have a choice but you choose not to. 


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## jimk (Apr 14, 2020)

Cornhead, I can't believe I stepped into that 'NY is not part of New England' trap:-D  Shows you I'm not a New Englander. 
Here's a replacement photo from Stowe, VT:




big_vert said:


> OK pics, but like is something in those supposed to make someone want to ski NE? Snow looks lousy in all of them. Typical NE "skiing".



Didn't expect this comment, but it fits the theme of the thread.  And made me dive deeper into photo file.
Sugarloaf pow


Saddleback wind drift


Sugarbush mini powder day


MRG serious powder day


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## EPB (Apr 14, 2020)

djd66 said:


> Sorry, but if I had the choice, I would 100% be skiing out west exclusively.


I think this is precisely his point. It would be silly to argue you'd rather ski your favorite eastern mountain over your favorite western one. Skiers that live in the northeast don't have the time/means to ski often enough out west to consider themselves diehard (except for Hawk's buddy George and other presumably very rare exceptions).

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## Zand (Apr 14, 2020)

kingslug said:


> At Stowe you can practice hiking...up to the lift. My wife makes me carry her skis.



I was trying to think of my least favorite thing regarding New England skiing. I think that hill is the one.


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## sull1102 (Apr 14, 2020)

kingslug said:


> At Stowe you can practice hiking...up to the lift. My wife makes me carry her skis.



Took my first trip to Stowe this winter, as of now it’s where my season needed, and I was very surprised by how much walking there was to get to the base lifts. Only complaint about the whole place, and it’s a little tongue in cheek as almost every mountain has that issue. 


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## Smellytele (Apr 15, 2020)

sull1102 said:


> Took my first trip to Stowe this winter, as of now it’s where my season needed, and I was very surprised by how much walking there was to get to the base lifts. Only complaint about the whole place, and it’s a little tongue in cheek as almost every mountain has that issue.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone



I think the traverse from the gondolas to the other lifts (and visa versa) are worse if you ski down too low. I make sure to traverse high but sometimes you get down toward the gondola and realize the line sucks and decide to cut across or are at the mid-mountain lodge.


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## kingslug (Apr 15, 2020)

Our resorts are nothing when it comes to schlepping compared to European ones. Leaving your hotel it can be more than an hour to the top. Trains..gondis..lifts..t bars..


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## asnowmobiler (Apr 15, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> That's at least a legitimate complaint.
> 
> 
> 
> Every radar detector I've ever bought has paid for itself, with the caveat that you need one of the top-of-the-line makers.  I'm > 20 years brand loyal to Escort.




I switched to an Escort 360 a few years ago, before that I was a Valentine guy, they just did not keep up with the technologically until recently and of course Waze  can be a ticket saver as well.


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## Vaughn (Apr 15, 2020)

1) Blue Hills is 800' too short. 
2) The cut over from the Peabody to Cannonball lift is atrocious at Cannon.


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## Bumpsis (Apr 15, 2020)

I'll reiterate the theme of icy slopes. Since I do quite a bit of day tripping, I often arrive at the slopes when they are either scrapped down to the ice or close to it, making for a crappy session. I really wish that mountains would keep some trails "in reserve", closed for first half of the day so day trippers could enjoy some freshly prepped surfaces. Or perhaps do some mid-day touch ups, kind of what a Zamboni sweep does for an ice skating rink. I don't really know if that is at all practical, but it would really welcome. Bigger mountains could probably do this.
After all these years of skiing the east, I can appreciate a well groomed slope where my edges can actually dig in even though it's just man made snow with a hard crust underneath.

One other bitch - traffic. I'm just so sick of crawling traffic on Friday afternoon/evening leaving Boston that I stopped doing weekend overnight trips. I hoard my vacation time so I can ski mid week (and week - away) and skip the traffic madness. Come to think of it, this isn't just an eastern problem. I can only imagine what's happening on Friday evenings in Denver during ski season.


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## Bumpsis (Apr 15, 2020)

Vaughn said:


> 1)
> 2) The cut over from the Peabody to Cannonball lift is atrocious at Cannon.



?? OK, it gets icy really quickly but at least it's downhill.


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## Smellytele (Apr 15, 2020)

Bumpsis said:


> I'll reiterate the theme of icy slopes. Since I do quite a bit of day tripping, I often arrive at the slopes when they are either scrapped down to the ice or close to it, making for a crappy session. I really wish that mountains would keep some trails "in reserve", closed for first half of the day so day trippers could enjoy some freshly prepped surfaces. Or perhaps do some mid-day touch ups, kind of what a Zamboni sweep does for an ice skating rink. I don't really know if that is at all practical, but it would really welcome. Bigger mountains could probably do this.
> After all these years of skiing the east, I can appreciate a well groomed slope where my edges can actually dig in even though it's just man made snow with a hard crust underneath.
> 
> One other bitch - traffic. I'm just so sick of crawling traffic on Friday afternoon/evening leaving Boston that I stopped doing weekend overnight trips. I hoard my vacation time so I can ski mid week (and week - away) and skip the traffic madness. Come to think of it, this isn't just an eastern problem. I can only imagine what's happening on Friday evenings in Denver during ski season.



Gunstock used to do a noon time groom.

Heard the ride to Tahoe can be a traffic nightmare as well. And slc on powder days. So traffic is everywhere 


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## Vaughn (Apr 15, 2020)

Bumpsis said:


> ?? OK, it gets icy really quickly but at least it's downhill.



I've always felt like that was one of the most likely places where I'll going to get injured by someone else who has lost control. By the end of the day, it is often a scraped off icy chokepoint


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## VTKilarney (Apr 15, 2020)

Smellytele said:


> Gunstock used to do a noon time groom.



Bromont grooms in the afternoon before night skiing, but they aren’t in New England.


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## ceo (Apr 15, 2020)

Vaughn said:


> 2) The cut over from the Peabody to Cannonball lift is atrocious at Cannon.


The further-down connecting trail (Easy Link) is always in much better shape. Still dodgy on the steep section, but not nearly as icy as Big Link.


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## Bumpsis (Apr 15, 2020)

ceo said:


> The further-down connecting trail (Easy Link) is always in much better shape. Still dodgy on the steep section, but not nearly as icy as Big Link.


Oh.. you gave away the secret ;-)
There are days when lining up for Cannonball Quad is a bit like being a bowling pin. The Easy Link is often in much better shape than Big Link but the area right above where people line up for the quad is often sheer ice.
Actually, middle Cannon suffers from the same condition due to trail funneling at Rock Garden section - wicked icy!


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## Edd (Apr 15, 2020)

I dislike Bypass at Cannon, for the typically icy conditions. Always ski it faster and more out of control than I’d like. 


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## Mapnut (Apr 15, 2020)

skiur said:


> New England doesn't get enough snow and it's elevation is too low.


If its elevation was higher it would be too windy!
It's too windy anyway.


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## ScottySkis (Apr 15, 2020)

skiur said:


> New England doesn't get enough snow and it's elevation is too low.



It's used be 12,000 plus elevation here thousands of years ago


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## skiur (Apr 15, 2020)

ScottySkis said:


> It's used be 12,000 plus elevation here thousands of years ago



Millions of years ago.


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## nhskier1969 (Apr 15, 2020)

Could have missed it a few pages ago but I hate Loon MTN.  Everyone just bombs down the mtn.  Loon has so many intersections, I'm surprised no one has gotten seriously injured yet.


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## nhskier1969 (Apr 15, 2020)

ScottySkis said:


> It's used be 12,000 plus elevation here thousands of years ago



And it had a pretty deep base.


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## Vaughn (Apr 15, 2020)

ceo said:


> The further-down connecting trail (Easy Link) is always in much better shape. Still dodgy on the steep section, but not nearly as icy as Big Link.



I wasn't really thinking of them as being different but yes Easy is better than Big but both of them stink for the aforementioned reason. 

The food area layout at the Cannon base lodge is nearly unusable on busy weekends also. Total cluster. 

Still my go-to mountain though.


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## deadheadskier (Apr 15, 2020)

Love the bar at Cannon, but yes the main lodge area and cafeteria stinks.  Way too small for weekend crowds. 

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## Smellytele (Apr 15, 2020)

You should have seen it when the bar was in the middle of the seating area


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## deadheadskier (Apr 15, 2020)

Smellytele said:


> You should have seen it when the bar was in the middle of the seating area
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


Ive heard. I skied Cannon a few times as a kid and don't remember the lodges from the 80s. I didn't ski Cannon from about 90 until 2010ish.  Think it was the first year of the expanded lodge.  Typically boot up in the old lodge and only go into the new one for the bar. 

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## Smellytele (Apr 15, 2020)

In the 80’s the bar was in the basement. It was a cave


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## BenedictGomez (Apr 15, 2020)

skiur said:


> Millions of years ago.



The skiing would have been very icy.


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## mikec142 (Apr 16, 2020)

The stairs from the lot to the Forerunner quad on the Mansfield side of Stowe.


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## ceo (Apr 16, 2020)

The bar in the middle of the seating area only lasted a few seasons in the 00s.


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## ScottySkis (Apr 16, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> The skiing would have been very icy.



 Always wondered about that
What evidence is their how snow was back then here?


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## BenedictGomez (Apr 16, 2020)

ScottySkis said:


> Always wondered about that    What evidence is their how snow was back then here?



I'm not sure about the snow quality, but depending how far north you went there would have been glacial ice sheets.

So, basically Whiteface.


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## skiur (Apr 16, 2020)

No freeze thaw cycles back then so may have been pretty good.


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## dblskifanatic (Apr 16, 2020)

Upper Goat at Jay Peak is often an ice rink and the Flyer lift can be bitter when windy!


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## dblskifanatic (Apr 16, 2020)

skiur said:


> Millions of years ago.





BenedictGomez said:


> The skiing would have been very icy.



Back when Franconia Notch was carved out! And Willoughby lake was carved out! 


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## BenedictGomez (Apr 17, 2020)

Of course this would have to be one of the coldest Aprils in years.


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## Not Sure (Apr 17, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> Of course this would have to be one of the coldest Aprils in years.



https://www.alpinezone.com/weather/


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## zyk (Apr 17, 2020)

BenedictGomez said:


> Of course this would have to be one of the coldest Aprils in years.


,

Been snowing at my house most nights.  Of course it mostly melts during the day but it's making garden prep difficult.


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## BenedictGomez (Apr 17, 2020)

zyk said:


> Been snowing at my house most nights.



It snowed yesterday in Central New Jersey, on April 16th.  Might be the latest I can recall snow.


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## tumbler (Apr 17, 2020)

2-4 in Mass tonight...uke:


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## chuckstah (Apr 17, 2020)

It's been snowing a bit every other day or so here in Southern NH. Not much, but snow. 3-5 is forecast tonight. 

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## 1dog (Apr 19, 2020)

and Fred Singer passed away April 6th.

https://motls.blogspot.com/2020/04/fred-singer-1924-2020.html


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## dblskifanatic (Apr 20, 2020)

1dog said:


> and Fred Singer passed away April 6th.
> 
> https://motls.blogspot.com/2020/04/fred-singer-1924-2020.html



I guess I do not get the connection to this thread?


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