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Starting tonight into Sunday morning a nor’easter will be rolling over New England! Parts of western MA and southern VT may get a foot of snow! Great news along with Killington and Sunday River opening for business this morning! Will be at the river tomorrow.

Incoming storm snowfall map by Accuweather.com:

Halloween Weekend Storm '11

There is light at the end of the tunnel! Forecast models are showing a window of snowmaking opportunity at the river. Tonight and tomorrow night the freezing level is dropping showing ample time to make snow on T2, tomorrow afternoon they could open but more than likely Saturday will be the day. Skis are in the car….

Snowmaking Sunday River

But, Killington has an even better window due to their elevation and they are forecast to have some natural snow as well! The Beast may just be the first to open in the east!

Snowmaking Killington

The snow guns on Locke Mountain will not be fired up tonight, but Thursday is looking pretty promising! Not just with the temperature, some natural snow may fall at higher elevation too!

Follow this link for the forecast:

Snowmaking Forecast For Sunday River

Earlier this month Sunday River fired off their guns on T2 to test out the system. Now we’re approaching that time of year where Sunday River fires them off in earnest to be the first to open. They won’t be the first in the country this but possibly the first in the east! Looking at the forecast, Sunday night might have the right conditions up on Locke Mountain!

Snowmaking Forecast

We’ll keep our fingers crossed for colder weather!

test

Sunny late afternoon skies, 70F, and the Pemi flowing at 1,000 cfs it was time to put in and make the first run of the 2011 season! Start point was in North Woodstock just off of the first 175 bridge and would conclude 4.5 miles at the third 175 bridge next to the Woodstock Fire Station.

Although not high the river was moving! The first Class I rapid was a bit choppy and cold… yes, I should’ve worn my wet suit! No matter, I was happy to be out enjoying the late afternoon rays and intermittent I and II rapids. About half way under the high tension wires there is a split to the right that can only be run with at least this cfs. Decided to bare right and take it only to find a tree had fallen across the way! Quick little portage around the fallen tree and entered a short but sweet Class II!

Where the river gets closest to Rout 3 the ’stairs’ were a nice ride! Pulled out just before the cascades at the third bridge, nice first run!

Warm up break in the sun

Beware of the fallen tree

Weeeeee!

The Stairs

Amazing what happens to the snow pack in just one week! Franconia Ridge is practically snow free from Mount Lafayette to Mount Liberty. Early June there will be a hike up the Flume Slide Trail, north on Franconia Ridge Trail, and descend on Falling Water Trail. From the base we’ll ride bikes back to the beginning. This route will cover the peaks of Mount Flume, Mount Liberty, and Little Haystack Mountain.

Specific dates will be posted soon!

Image From Today, Liberty on the left, Flume on the right

While the 2011 winter season holds on, spring/summer activities are starting up. Today was the first day out on the mountain bike. A good place to warm up is the Lincoln Woods Trail. The trail is a former rail road line (many RR ties and spikes and a couple of tracks remain), that ascends at a very low grade for 2.9 miles to the Pemigewasset Wilderness Border. At this point you can take a breather and watch Franconia Brook feed into the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River. After that it’s a gradual descent back to the beginning.

Good outing, cool breeze, sunny, NO BUGS! And a plus is my legs were not as rusty as I though they’d be!

Rack and Bike Mounted!

Halfway Point

Franconia Brook

Heading Back

Now for some White Mountain trivia:
In the next two pictures there is a wall. It is located just off the LW Trail 2.8 miles in. What was this wall for? Email me your answer!

May 7th and 8th, lifts start turning again! Jay Peak even received some snow the other day!

Get it while you can, still some nice lift serviced SC snow out there!

Sunday River’s lifts may have stopped and staff gone fishing for the summer, but there is a lot of snow still left! May 1st was supposed to be at Sugarloaf except jackass here woke up at 9:30 making the three hour drive not worth it. Reading reports from the last week of operations I knew SR would be the new destination!

Of all the peaks, Spruce looked to have the most snow. Parked at the base of the North Peak Express, strapped the skis to my pack and started up Dream Maker. Took a left onto Second Mile and traversed on over to Risky Business. The ascent of RB got me very excited for the descent! CORN, LSGR, and hardly any WTSN at all, and TC was only near the junction with Three Mile.

It was what I thought! What a day to make some turns, no clouds, bright sunshine, and 60F to boot! And the mountain was mine! Skied down to where the trail meets Three Mile, and hiked back up. Second run was American Express, same surface conditions. Back up AE, over and down Downdraft. It was almost a crime that I was the only one skiing that trail yesterday! So much so I went and did it again! Skied to Overdraft and hiked up for one more run which was to be Vortex. CORN snow all the way! Where the pitch got steeper, the snow was better! No ice, great runs!

To be honest I was very happy not to have gone to the loaf. Especially since they are re-opening May 7th! Hmm, who’s birthday is on that day?

Top Of Spruce

Risky Business

American Express

Can't Wait For Next Season To Try This Gem Out!

Lift serviced skiing and riding in New Hampshire has ended. Too much rain stopped Wildcat from reopening. Booooo. But, Sugarloaf in Maine and Sugarbush in Vermont will be spinning the lifts this weekend! Get it while you can!

NOOOOO!!!!

Of course we will still be climbing to ski this spring!

Little late in posting this report, but let me tell you, what a day! Tuesday morning was chilly but the sun made the snow into perfect SC! CORN was the primary surface condition with some LSGR and soft CUR. Barker Mountain was the only lift serviced peak, but, peaks like Aurora and Jordan Bowl still have plenty of snow!

First run was Ecstasy, Lower Upper Cut to Sunday Punch, soft CORN all the way! Then Jungle Road, Upper Cut (why no one else was hitting this I cannot understand!), to Monday Mourning. With those warm ups it was on to Agony. Soft bumps T2B! Made this run three more times! Over to Right Stuff, LSGR and CORN, lapped a couple more times. Lazy River was next, a fun blue square followed by Tourist Trap. Snow was getting a little heavy, but manageable. Next run was into the woods near LR, wow! Could not believe the amount of snow in there! Hit that run four or so more times and called it a day… my knee was telling me something at this time.

Great late April skiing at Sunday River!

Up the Sunday River Express

Right Stuff, Knock It Down!

Upper Cut

This Was A Fun Chute That I 'Found'

Skiing In The Trees In April, Sweet!

Self Portrait, With Spruce Peak

Season ending in this area that is! Cannon and Loon wrap the season up tomorrow. Been a strange week, sunshine but temps have been pretty chilly and the beautiful CORN that come out late morning has not happened the last couple of days. The rain and fog that moved in to the area Monday and Tuesday did not do us any favors either.

So, Loon tomorrow and the lifts keep turning at Sunday River and Sugarloaf until Easter. Wildcat works on a weekend to weekend basis after that. But, there will be climbing to the snow as well!

What a day to be alive on Sunday! 50F, not a cloud in the sky, and great surface conditions! On top of that for some reason hardly anyone was over on Mittersill! Didn’t bother us in the least, as we lapped quality run after quality run! The pictures will speak for themselves: