# Ski Season Grade So Far



## catsup948 (Feb 22, 2014)

I'm giving the season a C+ solely based on lack of overall consistency from December to now.  Storms followed by horrible cutters were to dominant trend of the first half.  Last three weeks have brought the grade up rapidly from a first half D+.  Last winter I gave the same grade at this point of the season but by the end it was easily a high B or low A.  To get a season in the mid A range I really want to see wall to wall snow, limited warmups and great spring skiing.


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## goldsbar (Feb 22, 2014)

The last storm brought it up to a B- for me.  Totally agree with lack of consistency.  That's typical for the NE, but this year was even worse.  Cold temperatures and early openings brought the tease of an A+ season.  Instead of one January thaw, we've had multiple.  If we get another decent storm after this warmup and it stays seasonal this could easily go to a B+.


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## abc (Feb 22, 2014)

It's matter of perspective and standard.

I don't know if people has rosy glasses when looking back or not. I've never bother to rate the season in mid-February. Because I remember more years with lousy condition mid-February than years with decent February condition! (my skiing "range" used to only go up to central VT so my recollection is limited by that)

For those of you in the north country, this year is probably not the best up to this point. For one thing, you're used to more years of good condition in February. But down here, we don't often have consistent condition in February (heck, we never have consistent condition any time anyway!). So the lack of consistency isn't a negative by itself. 

I would say the season down here isn't too bad. So probably a B? Though I hadn't been able to take advantage of it as much as I'd like so my pure "theoretical" rating might be a bit inflated to reflect the good days I missed!


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## SnowBro (Feb 22, 2014)

I'd give it a B. If there is any truth to global warming, we might as well enjoy what we have while we can. Last season was a B for me because I had so few days out. This season had a great start, but these thaws have really been depressing. From a travel standpoint I would have liked to have taken some more big trips to Maine but work has prevented me from doing so. Maybe March will be better. I'm hoping the weather stays cold for the next month. By April Wachusett will be closed and all the local hills will definitely be done with their seasons, so my only option would be to head north. I was able to get a decent amount of visits in so far this season and am trying to get to 30 days. If I reach my goal and weather cooperates, I'll probably end up rating the season a B+ or A-.


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## skiNEwhere (Feb 22, 2014)

A+ 

Most I've ever gotten out combined with great snow this year.


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## Bene288 (Feb 22, 2014)

D. Struggling to get out this season. Schedule is putting a damper on my ski time.


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## Kleetus (Feb 22, 2014)

I would give it a C+ to B- so far. Wayyy to inconsistent with the snow and then thaws, however, when the snow has been present from storms the skiing has been awesome. This last storm really helped the seasons grade so far.


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## MadMadWorld (Feb 22, 2014)

I feel like a few years from now people are going to look back and see the snow totals and think it was a great season. To me it's a B- so far.


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## steamboat1 (Feb 22, 2014)

Wasn't sure I'd be able to ski again this year so I'd give it a AAA+


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## deadheadskier (Feb 23, 2014)

MadMadWorld said:


> I feel like a few years from now people are going to look back and see the snow totals and think it was a great season. To me it's a B- so far.



That's about how I see it.  

I'm having a great season myself as I'm on pace to ski more days than I have during any season since I retired from ski bum life in 2001 and I've timed a lot of the storms really well, but overall we've gotten pretty screwed with rain events way too soon after good storms.  This week Southern NH saw 14" between Tuesday and Wednesday only to have it pour right after.  It would be nice to have at least a week to enjoy the fresh snow before getting screwed.


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## Cannonball (Feb 23, 2014)

I'm giving it a B+ so far.  I got excellent days in October and November (rare).  And December was way better than average.  The torching in January was tough and so the grade slips for that.  But the rebound was quick and substantial.  Even with that bad January we have more snow right now than we did at this point the past two winters.  Base depths are excellent, all the trees are in play.  This week was some of the best conditions I've ever skied.  
There is plenty of time left though and the grade could change considerably in either direction.


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## joshua segal (Feb 23, 2014)

Going into Feb., I would have rated the season as D to D+: Two major meltdowns; very cold January; not much natural snow; minimal glades skiing  The spectacular 2nd half of February has raised it to a C for me.  If we have a spectacular March it could move higher.

That being said, I suspect the industry is doing OK with both good condx Christmas week and exceptionallly good condx Presidents' Day week


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## dlague (Feb 23, 2014)

Too soon to rate this season three months left!  If I were to give it a grade the it would be a B+.

I would rather grade it by month so far!
We did not start early enough in November (C).  December was great with conditions looking the best I have ever seen them for early season (A).  Then came January which blew chunks because of #ain, flu and for us the least number of days ever in January (D).  Now we are wrapping up February and we have had some of our best days this season (A).  We are hoping for a great March, April and May!


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## gmcunni (Feb 23, 2014)

B-, i need more skiing up north.


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## VTKilarney (Feb 23, 2014)

Subjectively: A+ because I got back into skiing after a ten year hiatus,

Objectively: C- because we've really only had two weekends so far with excellent snow.


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## Euler (Feb 23, 2014)

My grade so far is a solid B.  I've had several phenomenal days...three in December and one in Feb.  There have also been a bunch of good days, as well as a couple of pretty dreadful ones.  I'm not psyched on the weather pattern I see in the upcoming week, but I'm hopeful that March will deliver, and I plan on skiing in April and perhaps May this year.  I've never skied in May so if I find some opportunities for nice trips up to K this season may well end up being a solid A by the time it's over.


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## Savemeasammy (Feb 23, 2014)

THE season is a B-.  It got off to an ok start, but January sucked.  February was good as a whole up until the r@!n - and this weekend was surprisingly good.  

MY season has been more of a C.  Not as many days at quality mountains with good conditions as I would like.  Getting injured 3 different times and missing about 5 weeks doesn't help!  Not being able to ski well for 2 of my pre-planned trips because of injury doesn't help either....   It can only get better.  I hope!


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## ERJ-145CA (Feb 23, 2014)

steamboat1 said:


> Wasn't sure I'd be able to ski again this year so I'd give it a AAA+



I hear ya.  After my serious injury last season I'm just thrilled to be skiing again.  I'm glad you're getting out too.


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## steamboat1 (Feb 23, 2014)

ERJ-145CA said:


> I hear ya.  After my serious injury last season I'm just thrilled to be skiing again.  I'm glad you're getting out too.



How are you feeling out there. You had a more serious injury than me, surgery, plates screws & all. I had no surgery but skiing this year with no ACL & a brace, ankle seems to have healed fine. Hope you're doing well. I've felt much better than I ever expected although I don't think I can ski more than 3 consecutive full days. Shooting for 5 days this week with a days rest after 3.


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## skiking4 (Feb 24, 2014)

B+. Have gotten some sick storm skiing this year, and just take a week off when conditions suck (like right now probably).


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## SIKSKIER (Feb 24, 2014)

Split decision.If you ski primarily in northern NE its been very frustrating to see 75% of the big snowfall occur in southern NE.Conversely,southern areas have had some pretty good snow totals although its seems most ahas been near the Cape.Good for Yagoo I guess.
We finally get good snow coverage at Cannon and bam,rain and freeze.WTF.I still have more snow at my house in Bedford than I do at Mittersill.


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## 4aprice (Feb 24, 2014)

Wow I guess the north really hasn't made out so well and its all about location.  The Pocono's are pretty much having an epic season with the mixture off cold allowing a great man-made base and the natural we've been getting over the last month.  Melt downs have happened but recovery has been quick.  Last weekends snow and this weekends spring conditions were just great.  Elk even has said they are ready to make more snow when and if needed, and I would bet Camelback hasn't put the guns away yet either.   They should have a good run through March.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## xwhaler (Feb 24, 2014)

Solid B so far for me mainly due to the qty of days. I'm at 14 which considering I have a 1 yr old at home it's been a good # so far for me....my wife has 7 days in which has been great for her to get out as well. Have met some cool AZ'ers and discovered new mtns (BMOM, return to Wildcat off a 20 yr hiatus, Dartmouth Skiway)
Have had a couple really awesome days none better than discovering Black Mtn of ME and skiing knee deep untracked powder for $15.
Pre-season goal of 20 days appears on its way to being surpassed as we have at least 7 days already planned for March. If I can get a couple more powder days in the grade will go up.


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## ERJ-145CA (Feb 24, 2014)

steamboat1 said:


> How are you feeling out there. You had a more serious injury than me, surgery, plates screws & all. I had no surgery but skiing this year with no ACL & a brace, ankle seems to have healed fine. Hope you're doing well. I've felt much better than I ever expected although I don't think I can ski more than 3 consecutive full days. Shooting for 5 days this week with a days rest after 3.



I'm feeling good. My leg healed well, rarely any pain or anything.  After 7 or 8 runs my knee starts to ache a little.  I've only been out 5 days so far and should be getting another one on Friday.  I haven't been going out by myself every chance I got like I used to, just going with the kids and friends.  Part of it is mental, I don't want to break that leg again.  The orthopedist told me that if I break that leg again, with all the hardware, it's going to be very difficult for him or what ever orthopedist has to deal with me.  Not to mention the wife is nervous, we can't really afford for me to be out of work for an extended time again.  The last couple times out though I was skiing much more confidently albeit much slower than I used to.  Now I just enjoy my time on the mountain rather than trying to get as much vertical in as I could in the time I had.


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## steamboat1 (Feb 24, 2014)

ERJ-145CA said:


> I'm feeling good. My leg healed well, rarely any pain or anything.  After 7 or 8 runs my knee starts to ache a little.  I've only been out 5 days so far and should be getting another one on Friday.  I haven't been going out by myself every chance I got like I used to, just going with the kids and friends.  Part of it is mental, I don't want to break that leg again.  The orthopedist told me that if I break that leg again, with all the hardware, it's going to be very difficult for him or what ever orthopedist has to deal with me.  Not to mention the wife is nervous, we can't really afford for me to be out of work for an extended time again.  The last couple times out though I was skiing much more confidently albeit much slower than I used to.  Now I just enjoy my time on the mountain rather than trying to get as much vertical in as I could in the time I had.



Glad to hear. I've never been a speed skier anyway so my style hasn't changed. I prefer being more like a mountain goat enjoying every foot of vertical. I leave the speed skiing to all those experts on the groomers at Okemo & Stratton. Put them on a mogul & they fall apart.


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## ScottySkis (Feb 24, 2014)

B+

Several fun smow days at Roxbury NY. more day this year in Jan. then all of last year. we had some utah snow events. rain has happen to but that always happens. got to Sugarloaf first time back since i was young. learning how to save money so i ski several new hills this wintwe


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## bdfreetuna (Feb 24, 2014)

MadMadWorld said:


> I feel like a few years from now people are going to look back and see the snow totals and think it was a great season. To me it's a B- so far.



I agree, we may be very grateful for this kind of season in 5, 10 years.

However a C grade is supposed to be average. This season has been well below average of my experience due to big time thaws and lack of snow in January mostly. The 2-day thaw late last week even did a good deal of damage.

There have been very short periods where one could ski soft snow 2 weeks in a row. For this reason the excitement this season has been short lived and limited. We've yet to see how long this base will last into the spring, but suffice to say we'll not really get by on what's already on the ground for too long.

Also on the issue of global warming, I think it would be warmer than it already is if it wasn't for certain ski areas paying to seed clouds and other large-scale geoengineering efforts which are clearly well under way.

In other words I give it a D+ because at least it snowed a few times. There have been very few seasons where I can remember so many trails being closed so late in the season at various times.


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## joshua segal (Feb 27, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> Going into Feb., I would have rated the season as D to D+: Two major meltdowns; very cold January; not much natural snow; minimal glades skiing  The spectacular 2nd half of February has raised it to a C for me.  If we have a spectacular March it could move higher.
> 
> That being said, I suspect the industry is doing OK with both good condx Christmas week and exceptionallly good condx Presidents' Day week



Updating my own posting:

At the end of Feb. vacation week, we had a thaw and from an economics point of view, I suspect the week was a resounding success: 9 consecutive great days!.  Sunday's spring snow hard-froze and by Monday, we were back to January temperatures and frozen/groomed granular.  If one cherry-picked his/her ski days this season, s/he could have found a dozen superb days, but this season at this point for me is back to D+ to C-.


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## dlague (Feb 27, 2014)

bdfreetuna said:


> Also on the issue of global warming, I think it would be warmer than it already is if it wasn't for certain ski areas paying to seed clouds and other large-scale geoengineering efforts which are clearly well under way.



Too much skiing at tunaspeed?


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## UVSHTSTRM (Feb 27, 2014)

Thaws?  Really?  In western NH I feel as though we have only had one and that was a week ago.  Perhaps I have missed a few.  My perception is that it has been cold and dry for the most part.  The only rain I can recall is what just occurred a week ago.  Other then that I would have to go back pre xmas.  In general the only saving grace this year has been the lack of thaws…lord knows NNE hasn't see and abundance of large snowstorms.

EDIT:  I went and looked back at early January and we did get a thaw of sorts……I didn't remember it because we had nearly zero snow on the ground at the time.


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## JDMRoma (Feb 27, 2014)

Thaws…Yes 2 in Jan, one last week and one right before christmas or christmas week…..very discouraging season for me.

So Im going with a D……..too many warm ups  / @ain events and then Super cold forcing all snow south of the NH Border.

Snow Banks are smaller up north than they are in my own back yard…totally sickening, and to add insult to Injury I have to commute to work in southern Mass during most of these Shit Show Storms coming at us lately.


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## Cannonball (Mar 2, 2014)

JDMRoma said:


> Snow Banks are smaller up north than they are in my own back yard…totally sickening, and to add insult to Injury I have to commute to work in southern Mass during most of these Shit Show Storms coming at us lately.



We were talking about snowbanks on the lift today.  This is my yard in Lincoln I was telling you about.  All these widely varying grades in this thread make me think that the conditions have been widely varying and localized.  Great morning BTW!


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## JDMRoma (Mar 2, 2014)

Cannonball said:


> We were talking about snowbanks on the lift today.  This is my yard in Lincoln I was telling you about.  All these widely varying grades in this thread make me think that the conditions have been widely varying and localized.  Great morning BTW!



Wow thats some snowbank !! Yes Great Morning with you and L, Nice Surprise getting some new Snow….and seeing you on Skis !! I ended up staying till 1:30, trails still held up pretty darn good ! Cant wait to get back next weekend.


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## mikestaple (Mar 2, 2014)

C-   I would have bet the house if you told me it was going to rain at Jay two days after Christmas.   Lots of rain destroying great snow packs. 


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## fcksummer (Mar 3, 2014)

C as of right now. It's been a frustrating year with all the southern storms and the thaws & rain we've gotten.


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## planb420 (Mar 3, 2014)

SO I'd give it a B- with the potential for a B+ depending on the longevity of the season


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## Tin (Mar 3, 2014)

C- and that is generous. Either frozen solid and nasty windchills or spring skiing in hoodies. Tough year for the woods up until the past two weeks.


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## AdironRider (Mar 3, 2014)

B+ - Been a bit wetter and heavier here than usual, which has been incredible for the base (130+ inches currently) but if I had to be picky it could be a bit more blower. This will turn into a solid A if it keeps up and Im riding lift served on July 4th again.


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## Cannonball (Mar 15, 2014)

Cannonball said:


> I'm giving it a B+ so far.  I got excellent days in October and November (rare).  And December was way better than average.  The torching in January was tough and so the grade slips for that.  But the rebound was quick and substantial.  Even with that bad January we have more snow right now than we did at this point the past two winters.  Base depths are excellent, all the trees are in play.  This week was some of the best conditions I've ever skied.
> There is plenty of time left though and the grade could change considerably in either direction.



Checking back on my grade from Mid-feb. Everything I said then still holds, and since then it has just got better and better. Base depths are phenomenal, everything is BURIED. You know it's a good season when they close off sections of trail under the lift because the surface is too close the chairs. In the past 2 days I've ridden everything from untracked knee-deep, to head-high wind drifts, to perfect corduroy, to mushy spring bumps, and beyond.  I'm bumping my grade to a solid A.


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## Euler (Mar 15, 2014)

Euler said:


> My grade so far is a solid B.  I've had several phenomenal days...three in December and one in Feb.  There have also been a bunch of good days, as well as a couple of pretty dreadful ones.  I'm not psyched on the weather pattern I see in the upcoming week, but I'm hopeful that March will deliver, and I plan on skiing in April and perhaps May this year.  I've never skied in May so if I find some opportunities for nice trips up to K this season may well end up being a solid A by the time it's over.



Season, I'm happy to inform you that your grade had improved to an A!  You delivered the goods as I requested with the skiing at Killington and Pico this week, and I'm looking forward to several more great days of both winter AND spring skiing.  At this point, it's worked out to be my best season ever in terms of getting things to line up for me in terms of weather, available time, and family.  Good job season!!  If you would like to improve even more, work on making sure there is a gorgeous sunny day for me to enjoy at Bromley on coned up spring snow before the winter ends, and also try to make sure the snow is skiable for me at Magic this Thursday if I'm able to head over for Throwback Thursday next week.  I'm proud of all you've done, especially in persevering through the truly challenging January thaws.


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## boston_e (Mar 15, 2014)

Today made it an A.  Weather events of Jan are long forgotten.


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## Bene288 (Mar 15, 2014)

My season has improved to a B thanks to a great day at Pico two weeks ago and my trip to Lake Tahoe. Tomorrow may bump it to B+


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## steamboat1 (Mar 16, 2014)

steamboat1 said:


> Wasn't sure I'd be able to ski again this year so I'd give it a AAA+



My opinion hasn't changed. If anything I'd give it another +


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## snoseek (Mar 16, 2014)

c-


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## joshua segal (Mar 16, 2014)

March has some great snow, but the slingshot weather continues. For example, 
 Mon. Tues (Mar. 10/11): Bitter cold and FG
 Weds/Thurs: Rain/Snow with wind.
 Friday: Powder day
 Sat.: Fabulous spring skiing day.
 Sunday: refreeze and back to FG

 Based on a few spectacular day, does this season crawl up the ratings?  I had it at D+ to C-.  At most I bump it to C- to C.


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## Warp Daddy (Mar 16, 2014)

An  A minus so far .


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## JDMRoma (Mar 16, 2014)

JDMRoma said:


> So Im going with a D……..too many warm ups  / @ain events and then Super cold forcing all snow south of the NH Border.



Ive had a good couple of weeks since this post…..Some good dumps up north and some really Great days skiing at Cannon.


Im going to give it a B+ right now !!


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## steamboat1 (Mar 16, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> March has some great snow, but the slingshot weather continues. For example,
> Mon. Tues (Mar. 10/11): Bitter cold and FG
> Weds/Thurs: Rain/Snow with wind.
> Friday: Powder day
> ...



Mon. was cold but not to bad, not much wind either. Tues was bluebird & warm, almost broke out the sun block. Skiing was surprisingly good both days despite not having received substantial new snow in almost a month. 95% of the mountain was groomed, even trails that rarely see grooming. Wed. it snowed all day (at least where I was) but it wasn't cold out. Wind was not an issue. Thurs. morning was the morning to get fresh tracks with the storm ending just before lifts opened. Yes it was cold with temps never getting out of the single digits but if you dressed for the occasion it was fine. Wind didn't start honking until after 1pm despite the main summit chair being on hold for the first 2 hours of skiing. The wind blew straight up the mountain in the afternoon so while riding lifts it was at your back. Other mountains in the area had zero issues with wind holds. Friday started out cold early but quickly warmed up to the 20's by mid morning. Beautiful packed powder skiing all day. Wasn't there Sat. or Sun. so I don't know. I highly doubt it got warm enough in the higher elevations Sat. to cause a refreeze back to FG. Lower elevation areas that got rain Wed. might be experiencing this issue. I just wanted to correct your timeline for what happened weather wise this past week.


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## joshua segal (Mar 16, 2014)

steamboat1 said:


> .... I just wanted to correct your timeline for what happened weather wise this past week.



I suspect a lot depends on where you were and perception of what there was.  What you said IMO wasn't a lot different from what I said, and to be sure I skied every one of those days (today is day 100 for me this season).  I may be just a lot more particular about what I rate as an A or A+ day of skiing!


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## jack97 (Mar 16, 2014)

I judge the season by the number of times I have a sh!t eating grin I have on my face after skiing..... seems like I had a great time every time out.  I would give this season an A- to A


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## bigbog (Mar 16, 2014)

After getting out today (off-resort(JoMary Mtn)) and loving the Legend's 115mm underfoot through the EC 3-day crusty pow(though would've loved a little sidecut...and a little <115 would've been fine) sure put a grin on the face...bumped 13/14 from.....Incomplete to a B+.
Today's sun made up for the gusty winds.....


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## joshua segal (Mar 16, 2014)

jack97 said:


> I judge the season by the number of times I have a sh!t eating grin I have on my face after skiing..... seems like I had a great time every time out.  I would give this season an A- to A


I'm afraid that if that was my only criterion, every season would be an A for me.


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## jack97 (Mar 16, 2014)

joshua segal said:


> I'm afraid that if that was my only criterion, every season would be an A for me.



With me, after the start of the season, I will grow tire of just skiing groomers and the sh!t eating grin goes away. I remember seasons where glades and bumps were hard to find (within decent driving distance).

That's the main reason why I don't get a season pass to one area. if the place doesn't get natural snow or seed some bumps, the place gets boring to me.


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## pcampbell (Mar 17, 2014)

I give it an A-.  I've only been around here 4 winters and my first winter,  I guess it was 10/11 seemed to be better... but this has been pretty good.


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## Smellytele (Mar 17, 2014)

For me personally it has been a A. Started out great at Killington in Nov, early Dec - A+. Late Dec, Jan were not great B- but Feb/March have been A+.


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## ScottySkis (Mar 17, 2014)

after this pass Sat. spring skking and seeing bikinins on wonen on slopes and fun tomes this passs winter in The Catskills oowder days i giving now a B+ .


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## Smellytele (Mar 17, 2014)

ScottySkis said:


> after this pass Sat. spring skking and seeing bikinins on wonen on slopes and fun tomes this passs winter in The Catskills oowder days i giving now a B+ .



Where I was it snowed Saturday afternoon - no spring skiing yet. Could get more snow this week and weekend...


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## jrmagic (Mar 17, 2014)

I guess its a  B at this point. The January thaw is the worst one I can remember of the last several years but the snow that has come since is making up for it as are the snow pack and the below average temps since January keeping the snowpack around and above average at this point. When it does warm up there should be bountiful corn harvests available to bring more smiles. If we can pull off another good storm I might be inclined to raise it to a B+


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## skiNEwhere (Mar 18, 2014)

Lowered to A-. Even though this is the most I've ever gotten out, looking back I realize I always miss the big dumps by 1-2 days


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## BenedictGomez (Mar 18, 2014)

I have to give this ski season an A.

If you ski in the Poconos a lot, I'd imagine you'd give it an A+ with a 100% score.


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## skiNEwhere (Mar 18, 2014)

It's all relative


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## 4aprice (Mar 19, 2014)

BenedictGomez said:


> I have to give this ski season an A.
> 
> If you ski in the Poconos a lot, I'd imagine you'd give it an A+ with a 100% score.



Pocono's scored big this year.  Taking a week off from the "Thruway Shuffle" to have one last "Pocono Party" (Parking Lot Party @ CBK) this weekend.  2 best days of the year still belong to the Pokes with Feb 15th at CBK being 1 and the following Sunday @ Elk being 2.  

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## kingslug (Mar 20, 2014)

I give it a solid A...lots of snow, skied 6 days straight of untouched pow...got back to Europe, started  the season at Alta..hitting Killington more and more...and it looks like it will continue until the end of April...


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## catsup948 (Mar 27, 2014)

I'm raising my score to a solid B.   After two great days at Jay Peak last week I'm feeling better about the season overall.  I haven't really done much spring skiing yet. I usually get 10 plus days in riding lifts or skining after April 1st.  Epic spring corn may up my grade higher.  I'm already forgetting January anyway!

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## VTKilarney (Mar 27, 2014)

I'm upping my grade to a B as well.  In northern Vermont, we have had February-like conditions (with good natural snow cover) for the entire month of March.  This makes up for the very poor start to the season.


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## Nick (Mar 27, 2014)

F. We had a baby on New Year's Day. Two powder days in a row I vowed to get out and everyone in the house got sick, myself included. So far I've got 2 hours at Wachusett and that's it. I'm dying here.


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## hammer (Mar 27, 2014)

B for conditions, D for amount of times out...so a C.  Biggest plus is that I'm now doing more to seek out ungroomed runs which makes things more interesting.  Likelihood of an additional trip is low (household and family stuff can't be ignored) so this will likely be a final grade for me.

Want to branch out to more areas next year (stretch the limits of day trips) and definitely get in more than one day to Magic.  Another trip out west next year is a possibility.


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## dlague (Mar 27, 2014)

dlague said:


> Too soon to rate this season three months left!  If I were to give it a grade the it would be a B+.
> 
> I would rather grade it by month so far!
> We did not start early enough in November (C).  December was great with conditions looking the best I have ever seen them for early season (A).  Then came January which blew chunks because of #ain, flu and for us the least number of days ever in January (D).  Now we are wrapping up February and we have had some of our best days this season (A).  We are hoping for a great March, April and May!
> ...



March has seen some of the best conditions all season so March gets an A and with the base that we have now April and May should be good!

So I up my season to A-.  The only issues for me has been days missed due to rain days (3) (January), family commitments (2), flu (2), and my family bagging it on a Sundays (We get up at 6-6:30 on week days for work and school and I make them get up at that time on weekends too to hit the slopes - they do not always agree with my drive to get out - twice this season they asked to stay home).  That's 9 days missed that we had planned!


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## C-Rex (Mar 27, 2014)

I think the season you had has more to do with you than with the weather.  In New England, you have to go get it while the gettin is good.  If we get a storm early in the week and you wait til the weekend, you stand a good chance of missing out. I realize not everyone can just take a day off on a whim but that's really what it takes to have a great season in the north east. The Jan thaw was pretty bad this year but late Feb and March have been great, not to mention we had a pretty good start back in December.

For me, I give this season a B+.  I have 27 days on the snow so far with several more still to come.  7 of those have been true powder days, and out of the rest only a couple were sub par conditions.  I chalk this up to being lucky that I can call my ski loving boss and take the day off pretty much whenever I want.  As far as he's concerned, it's my vacation time and I can do what I want with it.  I think I'm going to cry when he retires next year.

This season may bump up to an A- or an A depending on how the rest of it goes.  I still have 2 tickets to Jay to use, and a trip to Mt. Bachelor the 1st weekend of April.  A couple more powder days will definitely get the grade up.


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## pcampbell (Mar 27, 2014)

Still in the A range


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## mikec142 (Mar 27, 2014)

pcampbell said:


> Still in the A range



Love that picture.  Reminds me of a couple of runs at Sugarbush (Lincoln Peak).  Where is this picture from?


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## pcampbell (Mar 27, 2014)

Ah sorry! it's the chute at mad river glen.


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## dlague (Mar 27, 2014)

C-Rex said:


> I think the season you had has more to do with you than with the weather.  In New England, you have to go get it while the gettin is good.  If we get a storm early in the week and you wait til the weekend, you stand a good chance of missing out. I realize not everyone can just take a day off on a whim but that's really what it takes to have a great season in the north east. The Jan thaw was pretty bad this year but late Feb and March have been great, not to mention we had a pretty good start back in December.
> 
> For me, I give this season a B+.  I have 27 days on the snow so far with several more still to come.  7 of those have been true powder days, and out of the rest only a couple were sub par conditions.  I chalk this up to being lucky that I can call my ski loving boss and take the day off pretty much whenever I want.  As far as he's concerned, it's my vacation time and I can do what I want with it.  I think I'm going to cry when he retires next year.
> 
> This season may bump up to an A- or an A depending on how the rest of it goes.  I still have 2 tickets to Jay to use, and a trip to Mt. Bachelor the 1st weekend of April.  A couple more powder days will definitely get the grade up.



Steal what the mountain gives you and A's are easy to come by!  You are lucky enough to get those days when the snow falls!  I have to wait for the weekend with an exception once or twice!  However we have had great conditions two or three days after a storm!  Best powder days were at Stowe and Magic so no complaints here!


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## Nick (Mar 28, 2014)

pcampbell said:


> Ah sorry! it's the chute at mad river glen.



Hehe. Where else is there a single chair?


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## dlague (Mar 28, 2014)

Nick said:


> Hehe. Where else is there a single chair?



good point!


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## C-Rex (Mar 28, 2014)

dlague said:


> Steal what the mountain gives you and A's are easy to come by! You are lucky enough to get those days when the snow falls! I have to wait for the weekend with an exception once or twice! However we have had great conditions two or three days after a storm! Best powder days were at Stowe and Magic so no complaints here!




I went to Magic for the first time this year and I was lucky to get 2 amazing powder days.  The line under the red chair is SOOO much fun!  Al those little cliffs and natural kickers, great steeps and a fun runout at the bottom.  Great trail!!


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## mikec142 (Mar 28, 2014)

Nick said:


> Hehe. Where else is there a single chair?



Oops... missed that while staring at the moguls.


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## JDMRoma (Apr 21, 2014)

JDMRoma said:


> Ive had a good couple of weeks since this post…..Some good dumps up north and some really Great days skiing at Cannon.
> 
> 
> Im going to give it a B+ right now !!



My last update.....Im going to an A+, I have had an Excellent Season....Best Ever.

I found a new Home Mountain.....Cannon ! Absolutely love this place, will be going with the Cannon Season pass next year.

Did a lot of Firsts for me.....First time in Mittersill.....Some off the Map trails,some pretty Intense Glades and learned how to crawl out of some Deep snow ! 

Ive certainly had some fun, and made some new friends.....Happy to be joining the Cannon Community !!

Looking forward to next season !


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## Scruffy (Apr 21, 2014)

I give it an A. I caught many a powder days this year in the Northeast and JHole. I also judge a season by the skiing social fun factor. All those powder days were with my best ski buds, so that upped fun factor. Had several large house trips with great friends, a week in Jhole with a large group of great skiers.


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## Cannonball (Apr 22, 2014)

JDMRoma said:


> My last update.....Im going to an A+, I have had an Excellent Season....Best Ever.
> 
> I found a new Home Mountain.....Cannon ! Absolutely love this place, will be going with the Cannon Season pass next year.
> 
> ...



This is great to hear! Especially since you rated it a 'D' at one point in this thread. 

Was great skiing with you this season.  Welcome aboard the Cannon wagon! 

I rate this season: "F'n A"!


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## Skimaine (Apr 22, 2014)

With a string finish to the year, I give it an A.


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## 4aprice (Apr 22, 2014)

I used to know a site that gave the statistics of how much terrain (coverage) was open and when for a given season.  I bet for New England the 2 month period of say Feb 15th-April 15th most areas were reporting 100% coverage.  That's spectacular for the northeast.  I laughed as I read back over the grading because of the January thaw and subsequent raising of it as it progressed.  IMO it acted as should with decent cold followed by a little storminess early (good snowmaking weather) a January thaw (the reason for snowmaking) followed by a good back half.  Pattern seems to have broke when we just missed the noreaster in March.  (Have read that storms such as that break patterns, similar to Superstorm 93, had we been nailed with that one oh boy).   I do believe some places were under avg snowfall up north (K @ 189, I think I saw on K-1 Board, 250 avg) but the snow pack was solid for a long time.   Gets a solid A from me.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## Bostonian (Apr 22, 2014)

So far this season, I give it a solid A-... So far, I have managed to get out 19 times... Some days were better than others, especially towards the tail end of this season.  No true powder days this year; however, I did have some top notch days out.  With 19 times out this season, this is the most skiing I have done in about 4 years.  So I really cannot complain - I do hope to maybe earn some turns in the next two weeks (even if it is just one run) to make it 20.  Looking forward to next season and getting the little guy out on the snow too!


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## abc (Apr 22, 2014)

For me? *A+*!!!

But that's because I went out west 4 weeks! (in 2x2 weeks sting) And the 2nd 2 week early this month was blessed with powder day after powder day, interspersed with soft corduroy of fresh snow groomed to perfection with nobody else around to disturb it  That, underscores the overall rating: *the best I've ever had* (skiing-wise). Not to mention the most days ever (though that's less of a focus for me). 

Chances of meeting a few more AZ'ers, as well as other like-minded companions I shared with on the slope, was the icing on the cake.

For the northeast part of my season, it's more of a A-. Mostly because I missed almost all the major storm, notably the episode of mis-reading the 1st chair schedule in Stowe when they had a 8" dump the night before.  Still, I had a solid season mostly spent at northern VT/NH late March and this past Easter weekend. Had better luck with quite a few 2-3" minor ones, plus lots of leftover stashes of freshies here and there.

With all the coastal storms near home, I didn't manage to get much of. Work got in the way more often than not. Mostly only of leftover snow, which I harvested primarily on xc skis. So on that front, I had a decent season also. I would rate my xc season as a B-. A few notably good days, thanks more to good company than snow quality. And a few truly good snow days and/or interesting venture completes the grading. But it wasn't a very long season nor particularly frequent outing, hence the B-

_Bottomline, a long injury-free season in which I managed to get out a lot of days, quite a few of them with fresh snow and good company to share with. That's what skiing is all about, isn't it? A+ overall!_


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## C-Rex (Apr 22, 2014)

Now that my season is pretty much over, I'll give this season an B+.  To some that may sound like I have gripes about it but it really just means I'm leaving room for those once in a lifetime, buried all winter type seasons.  It also has to do with the fact that I didn't meet some of my goals like breaking my number of days personal best (35, however 29 ain't bad), or getting to Tucks (might still be a possibility).  But other than that, I am very happy with what we got.  

I had 3 great trips.  A great long weekend at Smuggs, where despite -15 deg temps I had a great time, found some great time and got to meet a cool fellow AZer (Savemeasammy).  I met a few more AZers at Cannon, but since my friends were being slow and annoying I didn't get the chance to ride with them.  Next year for sure!  Then I had I great week at Sugarloaf and happened to catch a 12"+ storm in the middle of it.  Finally got to explore some of Bracket Basin too.  Then I finished up the year with an awesome trip to Mt. Bachelor.  That was a huge eye-opener.  I had no idea Bend was such a beautiful, friendly, and exciting place to be.  I'm already jonesing to go back.  I also got to scratch Magic Mountain off my list, and did it with 2 amazing powder days.  All said and done, I had 9 powder days this year!  It's hard to knock a season where you get more powder days than a lot of people ski any conditions.


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## St. Bear (Apr 22, 2014)

Overall including trip out west - A
Northeast only - B


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## Glenn (Apr 22, 2014)

Overall, it was OK. It took awhile to get into the woods due to all the icing. And even into mid season, trails needed a lot of resurfacing from the rain/thaw cycles, followed by -0 temps. I felt areas that really laid down a good amount of snow early season made it through the warmups/rain better.


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## dlague (Apr 22, 2014)

This season had only two issues - 

the rain in January which caused many to down grade the season before the best part of winter even arrived which is (Feb & Mar).  While it got me down due to missing a couple days, I was not going to let that ruin my season.

the number of visits - I had too many missed days (8) due to flu, rain, family events.  Our goal was 40 days and it looks like we will hit 37ish.

Overall, December was really good, January had its moments, but February and March rocked and April has been pretty sweet.  It looks like the turns in may are going to happen so.......grade "A" for me!


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## Smellytele (Apr 22, 2014)

A-
As other said missed a few days because of weather in Jan also missed last Sunday because of weather (I know some went anyway but some would go in a Hurricane).


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## JDMRoma (Apr 22, 2014)

Cannonball said:


> This is great to hear! Especially since you rated it a 'D' at one point in this thread.
> 
> Was great skiing with you this season.  Welcome aboard the Cannon wagon!
> 
> I rate this season: "F'n A"!



I think I went with the D out of frustration with the weather......it did finally turn around so It was a distant memory !

Thanks to you and Puckit, my season turned around.....we certainly logged in some vertical !

Lotta good memories to get me through the summer


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## 57stevey (Apr 22, 2014)

Well, I didn't get out enough, and I didn't go anywhere new. But, I got back to Whaleback, and I finally had a full season with gear whose strengths complemented my weaknesses, allowing me to branch out into new terrain and conditions. So I guess B-minus ?


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## Savemeasammy (Apr 22, 2014)

If January didn't count as part of the season, then I think an A would be fair.  The fact is that January happened, and it wasn't good.  For the most part the rest of the season was very good to excellent, so I'm going with a B+.  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## fbrissette (Apr 22, 2014)

Late February I would have said 5/10.   Now I would have to say 7.5/10.


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## Cannonball (Apr 22, 2014)

fbrissette said:


> Late February I would have said 5/10.   Now I would have to say 7.5/10.



That's a "C".   That bad?


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## HowieT2 (Apr 22, 2014)

B-.
bookend.  December was great until right before Xmas.  Then bad until valentines.  Great march and April.


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## fbrissette (Apr 22, 2014)

Cannonball said:


> That's a "C".   That bad?



In my class, 7.5/10 is a solid B and pushing B+.  

Love your new avatar.  Not as much as the polar bear, but close.


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## steamboat1 (Apr 23, 2014)

fbrissette said:


> In my class, 7.5/10 is a solid B and pushing B+.



http://www.cs.uni.edu/~mccormic/lettergrade.html


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## fbrissette (Apr 23, 2014)

steamboat1 said:


> http://www.cs.uni.edu/~mccormic/lettergrade.html



Number and letter-based grading systems have advantages and disadvantages and we could have a long debate on that.  One thing that does not make sense however is to use a table as above to make both systems equivalent.

I use the letter system cause it allows me to give difficult assignments (and sometimes very hard exams) without having to normalize back the grades.   Typically an A would translate to an average score of 80-85 depending on the trimester, sometimes lower, sometimes higher.


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## dlague (Apr 23, 2014)

fbrissette said:


> Typically an A would translate to an average score of 80-85 depending on the trimester, sometimes lower, sometimes higher.



That seems like robbery!  An A should be above 90 at least.  Unless A+ accounts for 86-100?


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## fbrissette (Apr 23, 2014)

dlague said:


> That seems like robbery!  An A should be above 90 at least.  Unless A+ accounts for 86-100?



Can't believe we're having a grading conversation on a ski forum...  I prefer to have hard exams to maximize the spread between good and mediocre students.   Typically my exams will have a mean around 50% with the very best student around 85%, and the worst around 15-20%.  Once you add lab reports (with have much better grades), I usually end up with an F around 55 and an A+ around 85.  Very rarely have I had students above 90%.


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## St. Bear (Apr 23, 2014)

dlague said:


> That seems like robbery!  An A should be above 90 at least.  Unless A+ accounts for 86-100?



Well, you've got to factor in the exchange rate, as well as the conversion from metric.


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## VTKilarney (Apr 23, 2014)

St. Bear said:


> Well, you've got to factor in the exchange rate, as well as the conversion from metric.



Don't forget an adjustment for the relative humidity.


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## ScottySkis (Apr 23, 2014)

B + lots if great sniw in the Catskiills this winter. great days. i think my season is over. Thanks for fun tikes this yesr .


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## catsup948 (Apr 23, 2014)

I'm I based my winter only skiing at Berkshire East it would be a C.  Several great powder days but no consistency.  No spring skiing either.  But given that I skied 7 other mountains this season was a solid B+ for me!  More trips up north and more backcountry will help next year.


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## MadMadWorld (Apr 23, 2014)

I'll go with an official B+. Not as many ski days as I would have liked and was only able to get one real powder day....DOH! On a positive note I met a ton of great AZers. I've been lucky to ski with some very good skiers that pushed my abilities and have made me a better skier because of it.


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## Vortex (Apr 24, 2014)

I would say c plus.  There were some un expected powder days, but the ncp and cold freeze ups seemed to follow any storm.  It was cold for a good part of the season.  If you go enough, you get good days and bad days no matter what year it is.  No complaints and a few more weekends anyway left.


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## steamboat1 (May 7, 2014)

http://digital.vpr.net/post/strong-...il&utm_term=0_85838110bc-958b4f3269-286323177


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## marcski (May 7, 2014)

steamboat1 said:


> http://digital.vpr.net/post/strong-...il&utm_term=0_85838110bc-958b4f3269-286323177



What I found interesting in that article was this:

"Dave Meeker, a spokesman at Mount Snow, said 180 inches of natural snow,  a record at the resort..."


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## mbedle (May 7, 2014)

I thought the season was pretty damn good. Got out a lot at the local place (opened in November) and spent over 3 weeks up at Stratton and Stowe. But, I'm pretty much happy with any day skiing and not working, so I give it an A. I think back at some of the really bad years in the 90's and mid 2000's and think we had it pretty good in the east.


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## Domeskier (May 7, 2014)

I cannot grade my ski season until i'm sure Xanadu will not open before Sundown starts spinning its lifts in December.


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## ScottySkis (May 7, 2014)

marcski said:


> What I found interesting in that article was this:
> 
> "Dave Meeker, a spokesman at Mount Snow, said 180 inches of natural snow,  a record at the resort..."


I thought they average 160 inches of snow per winter . If they average that how is 180 the most they ever got. ( Calling Dr. Jeff nd or Glen.)


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## joshua segal (May 12, 2014)

There seemed to be different regions even within New England that might have rated this season differently.  In VT, Killington and north had a better season than the rest of New England.  But many in the mid-Atlantic states would have considered it the best year of the last decade.  

If my understanding of statistics and "bell curves" is correct, "C" would be an average season and no more than one, (perhaps 2,) seasons in 10 deserve an "A" rating.  IMO, there were at least three seasons in the last decade that were better than this season, which means, even though I personally had a great season, the season for me was at best average to average plus.

With the season down to few last gasps, any closing thoughts?


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## yeggous (May 12, 2014)

It was also a story of elevation.

By total snowfall, New Hampshire and Maine did better than Vermont. By within that area not all areas were the same. The high elevation areas like Wildcat and Cannon got torched in January, but lower elevation areas like Attitash faired okay where cold air damning kept the precip freezing rain and preserved the base. I saw some crazy amounts of snow in the woods at Attitash this year. Overall snowfall numbers were close to average, just a bit below.

Everywhere had a strong March. Spring skiing was strangely non-existent on the weekend this year as the cold and dreary held on until the end.

I'm not sure how to assign a letter grade, but this season gets a very average rating.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone mobile app


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