Best February since 2001

Mt. Snow reports they're closing the books on the snowiest February since 2001. They got a total of 50 inches this past month and a total of 11 feet for the season.

"We've had an unbelievable February. Conditions are about as good as they get right now," said Kelly Pawlak, Mount Snow's General Manager. "And the best part is that March is typically our snowiest month of the year. So it's only going to get better!"

They're 101 percent open--today they opened a trail they've never opened before (see above), which is under the summit local chair lift.

Mt. Snow is one of my favorite places to ski in the spring when it's warm and the snow is deep.

Epic Conditions

It's hard to imagine how the conditions could get any better up north. The Snow Detective stayed at the Mt. Washington Hotel with Mrs. Snow Detective last weekend and had a great time. We skied both days at Bretton Woods and the snow was just fabulous.

On Saturday there was a few inches of fresh powder and then three more overnight to make excellent morning conditions Sunday with sunny skies. Then it got even better. It started to snow hard and by last runs Sunday afternoon we were skiing in five inches of fresh powder!!! This was some of the best skiing I've ever had in New England.

Forecasts for this week call for more snow, so February vacation should be prime.

As for the Mt. Washington Hotel, it's an elegant grand dame. We'd recommend it to anyone who wants to experience New England as it was in the early 1900s. The hotel is gorgeous both inside and out, only to be topped by the views of Mt. Washington out the panoramic windows. We found an excellent deal online--$200/night for a couple to ski and stay. Mt. Washington Hotel.

We'd also recommend Bretton Woods to anyone interested in a mellow ski experience. The mountain doesn't have much of a slope to it with plenty of easy greens and blues. We would have been bored in about half an hour, if not for the glade skiing. They've opened up quite a lot of intermediate glades that aren't very hard, but are beautiful and fun to ski. It's also very family oriented with lots and lots of young families all around.

What a Difference a Week Makes

This time last week the New England Ski Detective was feeling pretty glum. He had downgraded conditions to a mere two stars (in early February!) and forecasts were calling for a lot of rain.

What's worse, he had booked a room at the Mt. Washington Hotel for a romantic ski weekend with his wife for this weekend.

Well, I must have been doing something right, because that rain turned into snow, lots of snow. So far the north country has gotten in excess of 20 inches of fresh powder with more to come.

Time to head north.

Bretton Woods

This just in from Jr. Snow Detective Jonathan Acosta:

North Country definitely 4 stars..... Saturday at Bretton Woods was busy, but snow great. Good amount of pow in the woods and trails. First chair made it better. Throughout the day conditions were constant.

Sunday, new day even better conditions, like 1.5 inches of powder snow just seemed better. Both days 4 stars all the way.

Thanks Jonathan. Glad you had a great time

Getting Better

Conditions up north are beginning to improve. Monday's storm brought 5-6 inches to most parts of the north country and forecasters are calling for small snow squalls continuing the rest of the week.

Surprisingly, conditions last weekend were not as bad as they looked. My wife and daughter went on a school trip to Cranmore and said the conditions weren't bad, at least on the groomers. The snow cats had done a good job of crunching up the ice surface and the skiing was enjoyable. They HATE ice so this is pretty encouraging.

For those of you who enjoy the glades however, they're still pretty much unskiable. We're still going to need another storm before the thick glaze of ice becomes covered enough to allow it to be skied safely.

I'm headed to Sunday River on the Jackson Ski Outlet bus trip on Saturday. There are still spaces open and it's a good deal, so come along. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Bohoohoohoo

After an epic first third of the ski season, the north country has been hammered over the past few days by record warmth. On Tuesday the temperature on Mt. Mansfield in northern Vermont broke the previous record set in 1998 by 6 degrees, rising to a spring-like high of 48 degrees!

Snow depths at the Mt. Mansfield stake dropped from 64 inches to 42 inches in three days. The tiny bit of hope here is that the snow depth has sunk down to the seasonal average and temps are predicted to drop down below freezing for the foreseeable future.

Northern reports are that considerable bare spots are now showing through. Predictions are that the very mushy snow is likely to turn to boilerplate as the temps drop.

I've had to drop my star ratings down to one out of five. This will only rise again when we get more snow to cover the junk we're left with.

Sorry to be the barer of bad news.

Cowabunga

After a brief patch of less than ideal conditions, the 07-08 ski season is roaring again.

Much of the north country has gotten up to two feet of new snow since Monday. The stake at Mt. Mansfield in Vt is recording 64 inches on the ground, that's twice as deep as the average depths this time of year.

Mad River Glen says it has 103 percent of its trails open (it's dropped the rope on cliff sections that it almost never opens.) Most of the other areas are now 100 percent open as well.

For those interested, I'll be skiing at Mt. Snow on Sunday. Kids under 18 pay their age! I'll be chaperoning the ski bus leaving from Jackson's Ski Outlet in Easton, MA.

Hope to see you all there.

Gino Del Guercio

Sunday River, Killington & Middlebury Snow Bowl

Jr. Snow Detective Wally Baloo reports: Skied Sunday River Saturday. After 4 inches of good snow overnight the temperatures remained around freezing. Fortunately there was no rain and the skiing was excellent. At the close of the day the skies were clearing and the prospects looked good for another great ski day.

Killington & Snow Bowl
Talk about night and day. The Snow Detective went to the Beast of the East on Friday. I'd rate it a single star, maybe two. Much of it has been skied off and large sheets of boiler plate are common. Bear Mountain wasn't too bad, and under the K1 gondola was also pretty good, which brought it up to two stars. But then again tickets were $79.

On the other hand, skied Middlebury Snow Bowl on Saturday. Some Vermont friends of mine took me there. It was my first time. What a great place. Classic old-school New England Skiing. Tickets were only $35 for adults, and $25 for students (no age limit or ID required). They only have three lifts, but some slopes can be quite challenging and they even have glades. On Saturday I found no ice, except for very late in the day. I'd rate it a solid four stars. Give it a try for a complete change from the beast.

Conditions at Sunapee

This update from assistant snow detective Keith Canniff:

Rode at Sunapee yesterday (Wednesday). Conditions were good for late December. Good snow coverage, mostly loose granular, a little more hardpack/ice as the day went on, but still good right up until 4:00. Not as crowded as I expected, only a couple of waits in line more than 5 minutes. It was warm and sunny too - too warm actually, unopened/uncovered trails were actually melting. Like your posting says, glades weren't rideable because of the super-hard crust.

Their North Peak triple is down for repairs all week (bad timing), so the 4 or 5 trails in that section weren't accessible. Park and pipe looked to be in great condition.

Overall a great day for late Decmber.

Thanks for the helpful blog.

Thank you Keith

Still Good, but How Long?

(Photo: Killington, Dec. 25) Despite the recent rain, the conditions are still good and the snow deeper than usual. However, the ungroomed glade skiing is a problem since the snow is now covered with a heavy crust.

Go now, because it's unclear how long our better than average conditions will continue. Warm temps and good snow are likely to hold through the holiday weekend, with even some light dustings of new snow.

It's very unclear how long our good fortune will last. Some predictions beyond Jan. 4 are not looking good. We may be in for some warmer temps and rain.

So the New England Snow Detective's advice is to go now. While the going is still good.

Best December EVER

(December 19, 2007 at Attitash)

I kid you not. That's what they're saying up at Mad River Glen, and they're not prone to the usual ski industry hyperbole. MRG got 3" last night with more coming today. They got 16"-20" from the Northeaster last weekend and they've gotten five feet in the past two weeks.

And it's not just Mad River Glenn. All of northern New England has been getting pounded with lots and lots of powder.

Early in the week was cold and very windy, but temps are climbing and the winds have subsided. I advise you go before the weekend, because it could get crowded.

See you up there.

Upgrading to Five Stars

Christmas has arrived early. This weekend's storm has worked out well for everyone. All the northern New England ski areas got a good dumping on top of their already significant base. In most places the precip came down as sleet for a time in the middle, but turned to snow again. Very northern Vermont, which has just been having an amazing early season, got the most with Stowe getting 18-25, Jay 24 and Mad River Glen (see photo) getting 16-18.

The weather service is predicting the next two days to be cold and windy but then warming up a bit mid week and staying nice through the Christmas holiday. There may also be small amounts of fresh snow during this next period.

Enjoy,

Gino Del Guercio

Fresh Powda

Parts of northern New England got a sweet new layer of fresh powder on Tuesday and Wednesday, although there was a small bit of rain on the lower elevations at the start. Snow depths at high elevations are now up at 39 inches.

Here's how the latest snow showers played out:


Cannon 2-4"
Jay Peak 9"

Mad River 3-5"
Smuggler's 6"
Stowe 5-7"
Sugarbush 8"

More To Come
But this is just the beginning. This current storm sweeping through is predicted to mostly stay along the coast, possibly giving slight accumulations in the mountains. But then on Sunday everyone is looking forward to getting pounded with a heavy Nor'easter. This is shaping up to be one hell of a Christmas for New England skiers.

Enjoy

Time to Go Skiing

This week gets a four-star rating.

Christmas has come early to northern New England. Last weekend's snow storm worked out beautifully. Everywhere -- Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine -- got snow and some places in northern Vermont got up to 43 inches!

In the past week these ski resorts have gotten the following:

Attitash 12"
Cannon 22"
Jay 43"
Killington 32"
Mt. Snow 14"
Sugarbush 20"
Sunday River 18"
Stowe 29"

For those of you who love powder, call in sick and head north. The locals are raving about the conditions.

Wow, it's still two weeks before Christmas.

The only reason I haven't given this weekend a fifth star is that it's still so early in the season many of the trails and mountains still aren't open, so conditions this weekend may get crowded and the nice snow may get skied off fairly quickly. That's why I say take the day off and go on Friday.