# Pats Peak 3/21/2013



## dlague (Mar 22, 2013)

*Date Skied:* 3/21/2013
*Resort: * Pats Peak
*Condition:*  PP

*Trip Report:*  Dinner and a Ski

My wife, son and I decided to use up some comps and go night skiing in Spring (Ha Ha)!  When we got there temps were in the mid thirties and as the sun went down it ended around thirty by the time we left.  Even though this is a smaller mountain, we had fun with it just the same (only fifteen minutes from home).  This was intended to be a chill night of what are short runs on slow chairs!  And it was chill! Overall, we found the conditions to be fast due to the refreeze and wet PP!  The snow that fell the other day was kind of heavy and with grooming probably packed down pretty tight.   Best of all we practically had the whole place to ourselves – so it seemed!

Initially, we went down East Wind and Duster then headed over to the Park with our son for a few runs before eating.  Our son pretty much lapped the park the whole time we were there and the Park was in great shape (generally always is there).  We went in for a bite at the Sled Pub and I have to admit, their food is not bad and the atmosphere totally lodgey!  After eating and a tall Harpoon, we let our son return to the Park and we planned on going down each of the more difficult trails Cyclone, Tornado, Hurricane, FIS and Twister.  In the end we opted for another run down Duster and skipped Hurricane and FIS.  We were running short on time and with no chair running to the true summit – you had to hike to Twister and FIS.  We were not doing that twice and took Twister over to the Park to do a few laps there to capture some video of our son.  Hurricane looked pretty good except for a few ice walls near the top where it first starts to drop (always scrapped off there).

There were only two chairs running the entire night – Turbulence Triple and Hurricane Triple!  Over all we enjoyed the conditions, as someone mentioned in an earlier post,  the easier trails were refrozen and zipped right along.  The steeper terrain had good snow and carving was really nice – yet still fast.  The tricky part was the random bumps that jumped out – light always seems flat at night.

Shadow on Hurricane



Refrozen PP (Still carved well)



On the Deck


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## puckoach (Mar 22, 2013)

Dog woke me up at 4am, remembered I had seen a $25 lift ticket for Pats Peak, and made a half asleep decision......

Hadn't been there in 30 years, so followed GPS directions.   Despite going by everyone's grand ma's house, was there at 8am and rode first chairs.

Place is nice and well kept.  Staffed like a full size mountain.   Was great weather and great conditions.   Taking in the sun while on the chair.

That said, the runs are half runs, and half "run-outs" back to the chair.   The runs are good, just very short.  Especially compared to the slow chairs.  At one point, a lifty passed me on his chair ride back down.  I went down Duster, to lower Tornado to the Chair, and passed him again on my way up.

A great place for locals or beginners.


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## bobbutts (Mar 22, 2013)

The Vortex chair is faster and quite a bit shorter, so the runout/long lift isn't as much of an issue when it's open.

Also if you want to get to F.I.S. and Twister from the Hurricane chair without going around, just do a quick u-turn to the right at the top, go up a few feet and then cut over skier's left.


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## deadheadskier (Mar 22, 2013)

IMO they should run vortex over the summit dbl as the second lift they open when hurricane chair line gets long. It makes the run out much more tolerable


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## puckoach (Mar 23, 2013)

For $25., who's to complain !

Glad I went.  As stated earlier, Hurricane Triple and Turbulence Triple were the only ones operating.   Whe I got there, another was running.  But, it was shut down quickly.   I think it was the Peak Double, but not sure.


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## Savemeasammy (Mar 23, 2013)

deadheadskier said:


> IMO they should run vortex over the summit dbl as the second lift they open when hurricane chair line gets long. It makes the run out much more tolerable



Vortex is the second summit lift to open after the hurricane triple.  It's the best way to avoid the run outs to the bottom...  Peak double only opens when it's busy.


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