Jump to content
Note to New Members ×

Sugarloaf 2018-2019


pow4ever

Recommended Posts

Thank you John for the weather report!   Local carver's point of view is so much more accurate, better than the resort's website!
Thank you Jack!  I should be on the mountain by Noon-ish on Sunday.  Still traveling in the AM.

Hope to make some turn with you fine gentleman!  First few days of the season is always ugly for me...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Report/Journal/Random thoughts...


Back to reality... sitting here at work but I am thinking about Sugarloaf.

What a great trip.   

For me to answer the question:  “how many lick does it take?”

for me It took about 8 and half day to get back to where I feel i was at last year.

Didn’t realized how much leg strength is really needed to hard carving….

 

BTW this week should be a great time to visit.  
Snow are grippy and hold an edge very well(as of Dec 25 2018).
Temp stay on the cold side so it should stay that way for a bit; and they are calling for snow this weekend.

Meet quiet a few nice people on this trip:

Kirby:  instructor I believed?  He took a ride on the lift and share some very nice pointers.

Milky/Mike:  ski instructor who let me tag along with the ski lesson(my condo mate).  Also some nice tidbits/laugh were shared.

Winter Stick/Tom:  I was so beat by the end of each day; I didn’t take a factory tour.  I did let my ski club know about it.

John:  Happy Tunes did a really awesome job!  My beat up board looks new and it ride amazing.  Thank you for "shaming me into it" lol.
@Jack M:  My phone battery dies as well.  it was nice to see the master at work despite briefly!  My mistake:  I was raving about comp hill and not skidder...
Please let your friend know that I was apologizing for my condo making too much noises(movie were loud as someone was hard at hearing in our old age lol).

I have been going to Sugarloaf on/off for quiet a while.  This is first time where I "get" why so many people love it.
It's like a bottle of sophisticated wine that need the right palates in order to do it justice.
it's also like a temperamental women that the condition can change fair quickly; gotta be adaptable/flexible to charm her. 

This is also the first time I did ride all the board I did bring.  Guess there is a reason to use the right tool for the right job lol...  I still strive to be an "one board to rule them all". 
175 Donek REV FreeCarve -- go any where do anything.  It's pretty damn good without a tune with burred up edges, no was, gouges everywhere.  With a right tune; holy cow... it almost make it easy.
185 SG GS -- on those days after rain, icy, chop buster.  Now I get it why people call it beefy.  It's heavy/damp and have not speed limit.  I got spank bad when i am just letting the board run; didn't feel I am going that fast until I ate it lol....  It's tough for me to bend it but riding it all day seem like a good training to appreciated a board with proper flex pattern. 
178 Dynstar 4807 -- on the warm/raining day it's actually lots of fun to be riding this.

As an inexperience rider:
the advance trail are too steep for me to enjoy and working on technique.  Hayburner, Narrow Gauge, Sluice, trails near/under Skyline, CompHill(my favorite as of this trip) 
The intermediate trail have good pitch but often crowded and get cut up quickly.  trails off Whiffle Tree lift, Tote Road, Kings Landing(steepish), trails  off timerline lift.  Binder is really fun/mellow run(narrow, natural gully)  but it's not made for carving but worth a visit.
The beginner trail are awesome but lift are slow and it's not worth the 8+ hours drive just for it.  Broadwalk

I can do 40k+ vertical feet a day without breaking a sweat but that's just "snowboarding/sliding/slarving"; it's still fun but not really the right reason to be riding an alpine board.
Now that I had my ah-ha moment; the mountain is like a brand new one to me to play/explored on.
On the last day:  After 20k+ vertical feet of hard charging/carving.  It hurts everywhere but I am still grinning like an idiot 🙂

Until next time!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/27/2018 at 9:16 PM, powdahbonz said:

Glad you had a great trip, Dave! Until next time...look forward to riding with you again!

Thank you Derek!  Snowboard fever/addiction are in full swing....
Don't have anything plan officially for the rest of the season but i better get on it lol.
May your 2018/2019 ski season be snowy at night and blue bird sky during the day!  Unless you want some chalky hardpack day throw in there once a while lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad you enjoyed your trip, Dave.   Sorry we didn't connect - next time!

Kirby was an instructor until this year.  Great softbooter who can carve - I've been working on him to get into hardbooting but it’s not a priority for him.

Sir Milky (Mike Egan) is a Sugarloaf institution - longtime ski instructor who gets booked for privates.  He is the third Egan Brother, and the skiing genes are strong.  His son is in my daughter's CVA mogul group, and he is all Egan as well.

Happy Tunes is great.  I gave up on the chore of shipping boards to SkiMD after I found HT.

It's true that the front upper slopes are steep and challenging.  If you can carve them you can carve anywhere.  When conditions are good they're absolutely exhilarating.  When it's icy they're humbling.  Sugarloaf is bipolar - the highs are worth the lows.

The timing of your trip proved to be as good as possible, as conditions have deteriorated since Christmas.  Another rain and freeze has created sugar-on-concrete that no amount of grooming can fix.  We got 6" of snow last night, followed by a little rain which made the snow very heavy and slow.  Now the system is blowing out and the whole mountain is on wind hold.  Hopefully the new snow will at least give the groomers new material to work with.

Frankly I wouldn't advise anyone to book a ski vacation in New England around Christmas time.  Yes I am in a negative mood as I sit indoors after walking the dog, but it always seems to be a bust.  If you have to scratch the itch, you take your chances.  Come back in late February or March.  Best chances of hitting Sugarloaf in its prime.  Then there is no other place I'd rather be.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Jack for the response and tip!  Will let the group know how lucky we are to have Sir Milky as instructor 🙂  Terry is another great instructor.

Loved this part and sugar-on-concrete statement.

On 1/1/2019 at 10:33 AM, Jack M said:

It's true that the front upper slopes are steep and challenging.  If you can carve them you can carve anywhere.  When conditions are good they're absolutely exhilarating.  When it's icy they're humbling.  Sugarloaf is bipolar - the highs are worth the lows.

Sorry to hear about the crappy weather Jack.  Life is cruel after I am on full blown carving addict relapse;  the weather have not been cooperating.
It will just make us appreciated those chalky day more 👍

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...