As we all know, winters in New England can be extremely unpredictable. Last weekend, New England experience record cold temps and wind chills. In New Hampshire, the summit of Mount Washington (6,288") set a record with wind chill of -108 degrees, this came with -47 air temperature. Providence, Rhode Island, the closest major city to me, reached -9 degrees which broke a record.
This cold weather also came with interruptions to ski area operations. Many ski areas did not operate or operated very little terrain. And the areas that did operate felt the effect in the days after the arctic blast. The drive shaft on Loon Mountains, White Mountain Express Gondola broke due to the cold and was out of service for a few days. At my home mountain, Waterville Valley, the lifts did not spin until late Saturday afternoon. We made the choice to ski Sunday. Here's how it went.
The weather was cold when we arrived at 8 am. It was about 7 degrees with little to no wind. So in reality it didn't feel that cold, it warmed up to almost 40 degrees by the time we called it quits at the end of the day! The snow was phenomenal too! With many of the trails untouched on Saturday there was great turns to be had all around the mountain. We'll get to the trails of the day in a bit.
The Tecumseh (not so) Express...
I know this may sound like I am complaining, but hear me out. I am not impressed with the new 6 passenger Tecumseh Express that Waterville debuted for this season. All of last winter and the summer they were boasting this investment that will make the mountain better, by getting skiers and snowboarders up the hill quicker.
The Issues:
This lift stops way too much for a brand new lift! When we arrived there was no line for the lift. On the weekends it is easily a 15-20 minute wait in the lift line before getting on the chair. Once, your on it honestly feels like it takes another 15 or so to get all the way up. When we arrived there was no line, so we thought "let's take advantage and jump on." Boy, did we regret this. We made it about halfway up before the first stoppage. We waited and waited and waited some more before we finally started to move again. Except... it was in the wrong direction! The lift went backwards before stopping for another 5 minutes, once we began going back up hill... it stopped again! Another issue I have with it is the fact that when you stop suddenly the chairs bounce an incredible amount! To the extent that I am nervous to ride the lift somedays. The last time it bounced when I rode the chair, I heard people in front of me and behind me audibly scream in fear.
As a passholder, I am extremely disappointed in this lift. I am not convinced that the chair gets people up the mountain quicker, the constant stopping, and awful bouncing makes me not want to ride this chair. I often find my self taking the longer way up the mountain... and honestly it is the same amount of time between the waiting in the lift line and the starting and stopping while going uphill. Three weeks ago I took about 18 runs without taking the Tecumseh Express once. The resort's communication to it's passholders and guests has been disappointed and down right frustrating! In every photo, video, and email blast they post or send out, they haven't once mentioned the issues they have been dealing with. The photos and videos also make it seem like the lift is constantly running with full chairs, which is so false.
Anyway, lets get to the skiing.
Trails of the Day:
1) True Grit
True Grit is a double black diamond located in the Sunnyside section of the mountain. This is one of my favorite trails at WV. The steep and wide slope allows for some great carves, soft snow, and awesome views of Green Peak and the Valley. We stayed to the skiers right, many people hug the lift line but the best snow is on the other side.
2) Governor's Run
The blue square intermediate run on Green Peak is honestly one of my favorite runs in New Hampshire and at Waterville. The terrain is much different than the rest of the mountain. Turns, straightaways, headwalls, and drops that can make for some creative skiing. The first half of the trail has a lot of drops and that you can send it off if you want. That's what I do... The terrain hugs the ridge line of a future expansion, we'll see... and brings you from right to left and a cool view of the base area of the mountain with Mount Osceola in the distance.
3) And Tyler Too
The often over looked, And Tyler Too, is on the "Northside" area of the mountain. This wide, left hand turning, blue square is a great run for those who are looking to rip down their first blue square. It's gradual enough and wide enough to be able to practice good turns and not have to worry about taking up the entire trail. Many people take the straight away route and take the neighboring Tippecanoe trail. My last trip the snow was untouched and the rollers were a lot of fun, this is the kind of trail you could ski a few times in a row because it's so much fun!
Recap
All in all, a day on snow is a better than a day at work on at home. The conditions and weather made up for the poor lift management and I can't complain too much because I'm already looking forward to my next day on snow!
Thanks for reading! As always, think snow!
Make sure you follow @jackmcg_photos on Instagram to stay updated with my photography adventures, and my website jackmcguirk.com for weekly blog posts.
Comments