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What do you hear about the Slides at Whiteface? I called the mountain, talked to a woman, questioned re the Slides opening. She said they are not, and they have large amounts of ice flow this season. Didn't say they wouldn't open. I guess a warm spell to homogenize the snow/ice pack would help. - Stuart Cole ----- Original Message ----- From: "James Dugan" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 9:18 AM Subject: [SKIVT-L] Gore Mt. 3/07 > This season seems to have turned around for the good > as equally dramatic as the earlier months were for the > bad. > > Whiteface has been unbelievable the last two weeks > plus. Deep natural powder on all trails and the best > their limited woods runs have ever been from my > perspective. Just when I thought things were getting > good in Vermont and I would probably start venturing > over they have gotten so good nearby that I can't get > enough locally. > > I have been out primarily solo all season and enjoying > the slopes immensely but there is a difference having > a couple of friends with you to push each other and > psych each other up. Such was the case yesterday as > Greg, Dave and I hit the jackpot at Gore. > > By the time we got there and up the gondola it was > only minus 1 at the top of Bear Mt. With calm winds > it was one of my warmer experiences at Gore lately. > We started with a warmup on Lies. Sweet effortless no > skid carving down the entire face. There was much to > be said for the grooming in this case. Sometimes it > makes things better in the overall experience. We > then headed up Straightbrook to start with Double > barrel. All the moguls were buried and drifted in > with fresh snow. Sweet, unique experience indeed. > > Even Dave did it once to say he did. He is 62 with > literally no cartilage in one knee. He wears a brace > that helps with support but not with pain enough. He > says if he gets a knee replacement the doctors said he > would never ski again so he continues as best he can. > > > Everything off the summit was 100% excellent. Even > Hawkeye was sweet carving and cruising. Normally I > hate that trail with a passion. We got fresh tracks > repeatedly all day in almost every place we went. > Cave glade, Straightbrook glade, Chattimac and even > all the groomed trails. There were perhaps the fewest > people there I have ever seen. Less than one half the > main parking lot was used. > > After lunch at Saddle lodge we went thru Wood In to > the High Peaks double. We had went up that first in > the AM but didn't ski over there. We noticed Dark > Side was open and untracked and well covered with > fresh powder. Greg and I alone would probably have hit > that first off but didn't want to shock Dave right off > the bat. There was so much good over at Staightbrook > and Topridge area the time went too fast to get back > there. At precisely 1:47 PM Dark Side was still > untracked. It wasn't for long as Greg and I blitzed > it top to bottom in soft deep powder without hitting > nary a rock. I am usually reluctant to attack that > trail as the visual evidence of pitfalls is enough to > make me cautious. > > A most unique experience happened right after that. > As we were ascending the double in the intensely > serene peaceful calm and silence of that area with > almost nary a soul to be seen anywhere an > instantaneous heart stopping roar shook the entire > lift. We all thought earthquake. I thought someone > fired up a snowgun right within 20 feet of my chair. > I looked left and right expecting some monster winch > cat to come ripping out of the woods out of control > and take out a lift tower. It turned out to be what I > thought was an extinct species from a by-gone era. > > http://www.globalaircraft.org/planes/a-10_warthog.pl > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nINgqs0_nh8&mode=related&search= > > These babies are subsonic and operate in attack mode > at speeds exceeded by a lot of high performance > automobiles. They hang almost hovering and scour the > area searching for prey much like a hawk or eagle over > a field. They swoop straight down from above with > their 30 mm nose Gatling cannon blazing armor piercing > rounds at 6000 per minute. You don't want to be in a > non US tank when they are around. There are some > military fly routes approved over the Adirondacks and > I am sure they were in compliance. It was kind of > weird that it was right up the liftline at barely 200 > ft. I could almost read the insignia on the > underbellies. It was very fitting that they flew > close air support in our attack on the powder > everywhere. The rest of the day only got better and > better and was too short as I found the last five > times I have been to Gore. > > Greg and I will arise even earlier tomorrow in the > predicted chill of perhaps -40F to attack the glades > and powder at Gore again. With or without close air > support we will accomplish the mission. Jimski > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > TV dinner still cooling? > Check out "Tonight's Picks" on Yahoo! TV. > http://tv.yahoo.com/ > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont. > > To unsubscribe, visit http://list.uvm.edu/archives/skivt-l.html > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SkiVt-L is brought to you by the University of Vermont. To unsubscribe, visit http://list.uvm.edu/archives/skivt-l.html