Rock Out... Where it is DEEP or CHEAP! Ski and Snowboard deals in the East

10-11: Saddleback, Day 25

2011-03-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

With 11" earlier in the week, and 4" the day before we arrived -- we were in for a wintery treat. The weather was sunny one minute, with a snow squall rolling through the next -- If we timed it right, we would ride the lifts in the sun, and ski in the snow… Governor's was my trail pick of the day, with plenty of snow to push around. Great coverage all over the mountain. Stayed out of the glades today, but with my first time at Saddleback staying primarily in the glades, this time around I got to see some of the windy, snowy trails and all of their character.

10-11: Magic Mountain, Day 24

2011-03-19T05:24:00.000-07:00

The temps dropped a bit, and Magics base had locked up. While not the spring days we had Thurs+Friday, we enjoyed our day at Magic with friends and found some nice spring corn on sunshine corner. Next year hope to get to Magic during one of the winter vacations for full coverage and all my favorites in play. Best terrain in southern VT.

10-11: Sugarbush, Sun + Castlerock! Day 23

2011-03-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

The forecast had some rain showers, and cloudy weather in store for us.. Luckily, we awoke to clearing clouds and blue sky! Another fantastic warm spring skiing day for us. We started off with some lower-mountain warmups off of Gate house, moved up to Lynx as some wind-holds lifted, then headed over for a few runs off of Bravo (Steins! and Twist were fantastic spring bumps) Enjoyed a nice outdoor lunch, and then made our way to Castlerock to explore Middle Earth and Castlerock Run. Heaven's Gate didn't open due to some wind, so I guess I'll have to wait to check out Paradise and Ripcord.

10-11: Sugarbush - Mount Ellen, Day 22

2011-03-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

Best spring skiing of the year so far!

10-11: Burke, Day 21

2011-03-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Burke has been on my todo list for quite some time now. Today, I checked it off.

Snow was a bit heavy, and upper mountain visibility(fog) made for challenging at times turns.

It was a good day to check out the mountain, and I look forward to coming back.

10-11: Jay Peak, Day 20

2011-03-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

Driving up from Boston, and hitting some traffic due to an accident in Franconia Notch -- today we had a late start. Crowds were present, and we opted to skip the Tram all day and start off with the Flyer. Wind was a bit strong on the top part of flyer, but lift operations were not affected. Beaver Pond, North, Expo glades all held strong base and offered some good turns. The traversal trails themselves were a bit wind-blown and lets just call them 'hard-pack' instead of downright icy.

There was a few new inches of snow, but underneath was a thin crust layer, with more snow from the week below. This made for cautious turns in the glades, but decent snow on the trails that were not wind-exposed. A good day on the mtn, but I think I've been spoiled this winter with an inordinate amount of fantastic days to put today into the mediocre book.

10-11: Jay Peak, Day 19

2011-03-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

42"

Speechless.

37$ Ride-n-Ski 2-1
Season total: $667

10-11: Loon, Day 18

2011-03-05T13:57:00.000-08:00

The day started off nice, with a light coating of wet snow on the ground. A light snow fell for the first few runs, and the conditions on the mountain were fantastic from a skiing perspective, easily one of the best days for carving turns of the winter. The precipitation turned over to a bit sleety, and then to a fine misty rain which froze to the goggles and made visibility tough. A fog cloud enveloped the upper mountain and made for even more challenging conditions. Still great to be outside getting in turns!

0$ Conditions guarantee voucher used
Season total: $630

10-11: Sunday River, Day 17

2011-03-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

Fantastic day on the groomed runs of Sunday River. The day started cold, with light wind, but the sun was shining and I got out early to enjoy the nicely groomed corduroy. It's rare that I take a day off from work when it's not immediately after a storm, but I had decided that today would be a good day to get out and enjoy the mountain and winter before spring was upon us.

Warren Miller 2-1 39.50$
Season total: $630

10-11: Sugarbush, Day 16

2011-02-27T05:24:00.000-08:00

Today was the cherry on top! It snowed again, which freshened Friday's foot+ with another 4" of velvety, silky-smooth, pow. We got out there again around 9, and warmed up with some easier runs and some lower angle glades. The Sleeper woods start out a bit steeper around Waterfalls steep pitch, but mellow out to be a nice pitch for learning or blasting through some new snow. We then moved up for a run off of Lynx, and shot over to Mt Ellen for a few stellar runs like Hammerheads bumps, Double Diamond's steeps, FIS and it's superb snow, and of course checking out the Semi-tough woods. After lunch, we didn't have a chance to explore Castlerock, so it is a mandatory todo for next time, but Murphy's Glades and some exploring between trails made for some fantastic turns at Sugarbush. What a great mountain, I love the Mad River Valley.

$39.50 Voucher used, too cold in January
Season total: $590.50

10-11: Pico, Day 15

2011-02-26T05:23:00.000-08:00

The drive up to VT last night was one of the longest drives of the winter, probably taking 4.5 hours with the roads not in the greatest shape. With most of the storm for north country wrapping up in the evening, we knew we were in for a great day of skiing. We made our way to Pico a bit late for the 8:00 start, but decided to hit the A-slope lift first, a nice warm-up with some steeps for the first runs of the day. The snow was great, but considering this trail was closed prior to the storm -- you could start to see that what was underneath the new snow wasn't the ideal base. We then headed our way over to the Outpost area, and killed each of those runs. Bronco was in great shape, with tons of snow on skiers left, getting the full effect of fresh turns through 14"+ of snow. We then opted for an early lunch, since we skipped breakfast (powder for breakfast). Getting back out there, we checked out the summit glades and birch woods, both were a lot of fun with nice soft snow and some bumps. Great day at Pico once again!

36$ Warren Miller 2-1
Season total: $551

10-11: Cannon, Day 14

2011-02-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

I love Cannon. If you consider yourself soft, don't bother coming. The weather in the notch is often a bit on the harsh side, but its elevated base means typically a bit more snow than other mtns in NH. There is also a good amount of flat land between the green mountains and franconia notch, which provides I think a bit more wind blowing through the notch. I haven't been back to Cannon since the renovations they did, wow, the place looks great... Much more lodge space, much more bar space, and Mitersill is now more accessible (mixed opinions on that one).

8" of snow, but it was a tough day... More of a base-building snow than a powder day, which is fine -- but tough on the legs. Wish I snowboarded today instead of trying to ski through it. Timezone was probably my favorite trail of the day, with its access slightly hidden, it didn't get as much action as some of the other trails. The mountain was packed with Superbowl Sunday crowds (annual 2-for-1 deal), and the upper mountain was fogged so they were not running the Tram or Cannonball uppermountain lift.

Look forward to coming back on a weekday Tues/Thurs powder day!

$33.50 Superbowl Sunday 2-for-1
Season total: $515

10-11: Killington, Day 13

2011-02-02T06:01:00.000-08:00

Nice pow in the glades at Killington! Still need some more base before you can be worryfree on hitting bottom-- We arrived about 9am, and mostly stuck around Snowdon exploring each glade we could find. Nice day out there. A bit of freezing rain end of day, before turning back to snow for the drive home.

55$ - k55
Verdict: Deep!
Season total: $481.50

10-11: Sugarloaf, Day 12

2011-01-30T05:51:00.000-08:00

Sugarloaf -- one of my favorite East coast mountains. I haven't been to the loaf since the last day of last season, Reggae weekend, where we got some late April pow… I was primarily waiting for most of the mountain to open up, before making the trek. While most of the mountain was open, for this time of year -- the loaf is typically in a bit better shape. We explored the new Brackett Basin, and I also checked out some other glades -- I really enjoyed the large bumps on Spillway, and Sluice was one of my favorite cruising runs of the day. Unfortunately the King Pine lift was down, and Spillway still undergoing testing and out of commission -- this made it difficult to get to my favorite trails in the King Pine area -- but did allow for better snow conditions over there. I'd say with another 6" of base, the Loaf should be looking pretty great all over. I hope to make it back with the snowfields open, and all lifts in service ---

$38.50 Warren Miller - 2 for 1 (Plosker!)
Season total: $426.50

10-11: Saddleback, Day 11

2011-01-29T06:59:00.000-08:00

For several years, I had heard good things about Saddleback, and never made the trip over while up at Sugarloaf. This last saturday, I finally made the voyage! First day at a new mountain, and the feeling of not knowing the layout or what lies around the next corner is always a good one. We mainly explored the glades and trails serviced by the upper mountain quad. Casasblanca and Muleskinner were some of my favorite runs of the day. Black Beauty had a very ugly top-half, but down below held some great powder. Next time, I'll explore a bit more of the lower-mountain -- I definitely will be back this year!

Plosker resting up in some Muleskinner pow

25$ Ride-and-Ski 2 for 1 Weekend tour stop
Season total: $388

10-11: Mad River Glen, Day 10

2011-01-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

Ski it if you can! (afford it at 1949's lift ticket prices of $3.50)

Temps today warmed up about 40 degrees (to 28), which made for a nice enjoyable day on General Starks mountain. It had snowed about an inch or two overnight, adding a nice bit of powder to turn through. The green/blue terrain has a great base established, black terrain could probably use another good storm before all the obstacles are covered up --

Great day at Mad River Glen!

Compared to my day here a few years ago, I've definately become a better tele ski'r -- enjoying the hill a lot more, and starting to get a feel for smaller bump skiing... The beginner terrain of Birdland is a great place for anyone to start at MRG, look out for Quacky though!

If you are heading up, read Josh's weather blog -- he seem's to know his stuff!

3.50$ Roll back the clock day
Verdict: Cheap!
Season total: $363

10-11: Sugarbush, Day 9

2011-01-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

Too cold for lift attendants, not enough of the mountain's lifts open to be worthy of a report or even calling it a day on the slopes. :(

We will be back though.

0$ - Voucher for later use
Verdict: Cold!!
Season total: $359.50

10-11: Pico, Day 8

2011-01-23T13:23:00.000-08:00

Did I ever tell you I love Pico Mountain?

I do.

Such an underated mountain, being next to Killington -- it is dwarfed by media attention, meanwhile plenty of vertical, steeps, and powder await for you a few miles past the Killington access road.

Great day, first time checking out the A-slope terrain too -- absolutely killed the Outback area, great short yet steep, fun runs!

34$ Warren Miller 2-1 (Avery's)
Season total: $359.50

10-11: Killington, Day 7

2011-01-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

While another storm tracked mainly southern New England, flurries for north country turned into quite an unexpected powder day at Killington!

Lots of great snow, 6" untracked in most places, and on a few trails the snow was several feet deep -- perhaps due to either wind drifts or trails that were closed prior being opened up!

Great day at K-ton!

43$ 2-1 Coupon
Season total: $325.50

10-11: Ragged Mountain, Day 6

2011-01-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

This saturday we decided to follow Ride and Ski club's weekend tour spot at Ragged Mountain. The last storm hit MA and southern NH more than northern resorts, so we wanted to check it out to see if we could find any leftovers --

We did!

My google Earth gps track of the day, sums up coverage pretty good....

My favorite trails of the day were: Big Rock, Cabin Fever, Reggae Glades, Lower Ridge, Birches, and Sweepstakes... tough day on tele's, first real full day on ski's.... Found some nice pow out there! Surprised being a few days after the storm... Good times at Ragged! Hope to explore the glades a bit more with some more snow and confidence!

34$ Ride and Ski weekend tour - 2 for 1
Season total: $282.50

10-11: Crotched Mountain, Day 5

2010-12-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

First time ever visiting Crotched Mountain, a nice little hill in southern NH. Only an hour from my parents house, and some of the cheapest holiday week tickets around(54$), my brother and I decided to check it out.

All trails were open, and most ski'd very nice... They did a nice job grooming and making snow, and had pretty great coverage all around. The glades and some of the natural terrain could still use some more snow, but it was ski'able....

Lines? Was this holiday week? The lodge was busy, every table full over lunch... but the mountain handled the crowds well and the most I waited was about 5-6 chairs deep. Got in about 15 runs before calling it quits around 2.

Verdict? Great lil local hill, family mountain, and place to go on a holiday week. If you consider yourself and expert/advanced ski'r, you'd probably be bored here quick without the glades opening up of finding some backcountry lines (they do have some hikable terrain - and looking at wikipedia, a sister area which has been Nelsap'd) Great place to bring your friend who is just learning, or get some skiing in instead of waiting in holiday lines...

Oh, they do night skiing too!

Today's deal: Nope, holiday week...
Verdict: Not deep or cheap, but cheapest holiday rate around... got to ski with my brother while he was in town....

54$ Full price holiday!
Season total: $248.50

10-11: Loon, Day 4

2010-12-18T19:25:00.000-08:00

Enjoyed a few brews at the Woodstock station last night, and decided to check on Loon instead of venturing further back to VT. The price point wasn't ideal, but I ended up getting a Boyne Frequent Ski'er card which made the hurt less.

Got some of the rust off the tele's and pretty much covered the open ground loon had. Nice snow early on, but today we had to hit the road on the early side so called it quits around lunch.

Looks like they started to open up some woods skiers right of Walking Boss, didn't yet check if they highlighted that on the map yet -- but it could be something to look out for after a big snow.

Today's deal: Got a Frequent Ski'r card from Boyne, came with a free ticket for another day(94$).... decided to save it, and buy an additional ticket(61$), called it quits by 11am. as it was starting to get ski'd off
Verdict: not really cheap or deep.... :(

Two days - 155$

Season total: 194.50$ (ouch)

10-11: Sugarbush - Mt Ellen and first looks at Lincoln Peak, Day 3

2010-12-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

Mt Ellen opened up for the season today, conditions were 8-10" of light blower powder!

Image courtesy of thetrailboss over at AlpineZone.com

After last weekends epic conditions at Bolton Valley, and mediocre/expected conditions in Maine -- I tried my best to get back to Northern VT asap. I was on the lookout for a mountain that not yet seen lift-service, and caught wind that opening day for Sugarbush's Mt Ellen was slated for today.

Unfortunately, we didn't get first tracks, but we definitely did still get plenty of fresh snow to play in.. Compared to Bolton, this snow was lighter/fresher as it had more recently fallen vs several day old settled snow. We explored Mt Ellen's open runs, and a few areas that were not quite ready for the prime time -- both gave ear to ear smiles. Since our lift tickets covered Lincoln peak as well, and I had never checked it out -- I decided we should venture over there after lunch to give it a chance too... Being a friday, most folks were over at Ellens opener I think, leaving some good runs at Lincoln to be had.

I scoped one line, and it was picture perfect out of a ski-flick.... perfect, fast, big turns -- down ungroomed untouched powder, ending with a safe escape...

A+, will be back here soon.

Today's deal: 'Free' ticket from Jeremy Jones Deeper flick (20$)
Verdict: Deep and Cheap!
Season total: $39.50 (counting the total cost of the movie ticket too)

10-11: Sunday River, Day 2

2010-12-11T19:22:00.000-08:00

Did I go back in time a few months?

I had a free ticket to Sunday River that I had to use before the holidays, so it was a great day on the hill -- but it was back to primarily man-made and more typical early season skiing conditions. Sunday River had done a nice job with the snow-makers and the groomers, but, it felt like I had gone back in time compared to 'mid-season' powder day I had yesterday... I got in almost every run the mountain had open, but looking forward to coming back and exploring my favorite side, and the runs of OZ and Jordan.

Today's deal: Free ticket from Boston Ski and Sports Club Blizzard event
Verdict: Cheap! 0$ ticket
Season total: $19.50

10-11: Bolton Valley, Day 1

2010-12-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

Opening day for Bolton Valley, and my ski-season, WOW.

Car-troubles prevented me from getting out a weekend earlier this year, and missing the powder from the weather system earlier this week. Luckily, it snowed daily in northern VT and one mountain had not yet opened itself to the goods. Bolton Valley was the spot today, with over 4 feet of snow on opening day, this was not your typical season opener on groomers.. It was an all out, all you can eat/take powderfest... While many of the lifts were not running, fresh tracks and lines all day was the theme.

Best season opener (lift served) in my memory-- what other mountains are not open yet for the season?

Today's deal: 2-1 coupon from Ride and Ski
Verdict: DEEP and Cheap!
Season total: $19.50