# Saddleback January 3 2009



## salsgang (Jan 3, 2010)

*Saddleback January 3 2009 (Powder Pics!)*

Saddleback unreal! Two feet with bigger drifts! Best glade runs of my life. Will post pics tonight.


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## BackLoafRiver (Jan 3, 2010)

Can't wait to see them!  Hope your day was awesome.


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## jerseyrob (Jan 3, 2010)

Deepest day of my life today Salsgang! Absolutely AMAZING!!! I'll try to post some footie later as well.....staying up here for tomorrow.....still snowing!!!!!


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## salsgang (Jan 3, 2010)

*Date(s) Skied: * January 3rd 2010

*Resort or Ski Area: * Saddleback

*Conditions: * 2 Feet of powder - deeper drifts

*Trip Report: * - Well, I thought I had skied powder days before today. I stand corrected. 2 feet with drifts 3 feet plus. CRAAAAZY! Best ski day ever for the Salsgang Clan. Wind was a non-factor. Snowed all day. It was killer all day. Basically the day consisted of 1. Get off the lift. 2. pick a trial 3. GO DEEP. Not a big crowd, no lines no waiting.  

I can type on and on about this one but I will let the pictures tell the tale. Lighting was tough today so I tried to touch em up a bit. Hope you like them.

First - we had to take the deep on Golden Smelt.






Then, we dig the wife out of Golden Smelt





Then the boyz rip more Golden Smelt Deep





Then Parmacheenee Bell deserved our attention





Then of course Peachy's Peril needed a look.





Then the first "Legal Tracks" on Lower Intimidator Glade. They just dropped the rope when we got there.





Then Supervisor demanded our attention. The right side was NUTS! Wind Drifted 3 feet plus! We loved it! INSANITY!









Then we dropped into the Dark Wizard Glade. It was stellar. 52" pole people. 





The wizard was absolutely amazing. Best tree run of my life. Deep, soft powder.





Then the new glade Casablanca called. I was a bit nervous going over. I had never done "the hoof" to traverse over before. But Dark Wizard gave me strength and Boy #1 and I traversed over. It is quite a hoof but it It was very special. 





This glade is WIDE. This shot gives a good idea of how wide this glade is. As far as the eye can see. There are 4 marked drop in spots at the top. #3 and #4 are more wide open. #1 and #2 are more tight.





This is from our second run. I got Boy #2 and the wife over for a very special run.









This is at the bottom. I can imagine some air was to be had over this terrain.





All and all a very special day. 2 great days of skiing followed by a memorable one. Happy New Year everyone!


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## maineskier69 (Jan 3, 2010)

Sweet!  Amazing what a difference location made for this storm.  We were at Sunday River and we figure they got about 8" out of this since yesterday.  It was hard to measure as the wind had blown hard the night before.

Nothing like Saddleback on a powder day and this one was of biblical proportions.


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## wa-loaf (Jan 3, 2010)

Wow


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## snoseek (Jan 3, 2010)

Oh my god!!!!

I've been cleaning my house and refreshing this every so often waiting for these pics! Casablanca looks really nice-props to them for doing it right intead of a bunch of interstate-like trails. I have had days at Saddleback like this and absolutely know how stoked you and your boys must be right now. That looked like more than 2 feet-everything was plastered with snow!


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## deadheadskier (Jan 3, 2010)

win.


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## jerseyrob (Jan 3, 2010)

Pics look great Salsgang........here's a quick vid............

http://vimeo.com/8524983


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## salsgang (Jan 3, 2010)

jerseyrob said:


> Pics look great Salsgang........here's a quick vid............
> 
> http://vimeo.com/8524983



Awesome. Thanks for sharing. Unbelievable day...


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## WWF-VT (Jan 3, 2010)

Looks like a GREAT day !


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## frozencorn (Jan 4, 2010)

Win is right. Holy s-. I had Saddleback in my sights all week long, but made a last-second dash for Cannon yesterday morning after it took 2 hours to get out of Mass. alone.


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## Euler (Jan 4, 2010)

What a fun day!  Mt. Snow got more wind than snow, so I'm jealous!


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## reefer (Jan 4, 2010)

Very impressive! Days like that don't happen often!


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## bigbog (Jan 4, 2010)

Nice stuff guys...from a terrific day(away from the densely packed snow eastward).


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## BackLoafRiver (Jan 4, 2010)

Sal, great shots!!!! Looks like a ton of fun.  Nowhere near as cloudy as it was at the Loaf.  Should have headed there.  I will have to check out the video when I get home.  Vimeo is blocked here.

Smelt is my personal nemesis.  I got trapped on it a few years ago when it was all bumped up and I had just started skiing.  Scared me stupid.  I am determined to get there and give it another go.

Thanks for posting.


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## tipsdown (Jan 4, 2010)

Great report..

EPIC day at the Back.  The best eastern ski day of my life.  It was a nice GRAND opending for Casablanca.  Salsang summed it up pretty well. It truly is special.  I knew it was going to be good, how could a 44 acre glad not be good?  But it blew my mind...When you ski it/ride it, it's obvious that this thing was cut by a bunch of die-hard tele's that love that mountain (and not a bunch of lumberjacks).  I thought the talk about that glade catching and holding more snow than anywhere else on the mountain may have been a little marketing fluff but it's not...Easily the deepest stuff I skiied and it was DEEP everywhere...


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## xwhaler (Jan 4, 2010)

Yeah....I was happy there was hardly any wind and visibility was decent in the AM yesterday at Saddeback.
If your coming down Smelt head down skiier's left from the top...it's more gradual and doesn't have the lip/small cliffy in the middle. My wife is an intermediate skiier and I got her down Smelt yesterday going down skiier's left....fun trail; one of my favorites on the mtn.


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## BackLoafRiver (Jan 4, 2010)

Thanks for the tip.  It might be one of those "looking back on it" moments where it may not be as gross as I remember it a few years ago.  I have improved a ton since then.  From Sals pics, I can see how I would love it.  I just have this horrible vision of massive bumps and huge drops that puckered the ol' cheeks a bit.  Again...hindsight.  

Have they opened up the "Devils" yet?


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## xwhaler (Jan 4, 2010)

What's Devils?


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## BackLoafRiver (Jan 4, 2010)

Red and Blue Devil.  They weren't open last week.


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## xwhaler (Jan 4, 2010)

But of course! Unsure where my mind is today (likely still somewhere on the mtn!)
Yes, both are open with great coverage


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## BackLoafRiver (Jan 4, 2010)

No worries.  My mind is still somewhere around 4,000 feet waist deep in fluff    It's the first day back for our students so, it has been a rough morning.  Already planning my weekend skiing adventures 

Glad to hear they opened them up this weekend.  I bet it was awesome.


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## 2knees (Jan 4, 2010)

i'm literally climbing the walls after looking at those pics.

my god that looks awesome.


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## bvibert (Jan 4, 2010)

2knees said:


> i'm literally climbing the walls after looking at those pics.
> 
> my god that looks awesome.



x2!  I'm about ready to quit my job, pack up my family, and start driving north...


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## Johnskiismore (Jan 4, 2010)

Those pictures rock!!!  

That kicked the crap out of my day!


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## 4aprice (Jan 4, 2010)

What else can be said those pictures are epic. That's something you'll remember for a life time.  My buddy and I were just discussing hitting Saddleback and Sugarloaf from his Sunday River Condo in Ipswich Mass Saturday night (watching the blizzard outside).  Another "gotta to get to"

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## mattchuck2 (Jan 4, 2010)

WOW . . . Awesome job.  Thanks for the stoke.


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