A recent thread, Ski areas open wkends onlyhttp://www.snowjournal.com/page.php?cid=topic17986 started off as weekends only and morphed from there. MissDaEast made an intriguing suggestion in response to which I am opening this thread.
Ski Areas open daily with a major pod (inaccessible from another lift) is regularly closed some days of the week.
For example, South Ridge at Killington would not count, because although inconvenient, all trails are accesible from K1. The Canyon at Killington would not count, because all trails are accessible from the North Ridge or K1.
So far be have proposed:
High Country, Waterville Valley
Slidebrook, Sugarbush
Practice Slope Double, Mad River Glen
Sugarloaf closes that one chair on weekdays, looking at the mountain all the way to the right. West chair maybe? Not sure of the name. If you ski down it, you gotta hitchhike.
Sugarloaf closes that one chair on weekdays, looking at the mountain all the way to the right. West chair maybe? Not sure of the name. If you ski down it, you gotta hitchhike.
You can still ski most of West Mountain and take the West Mountain X-Cut back to the base. This trail is quite flat and involves skiing over a condo access road, but it also lets you avoid the lower part of West Mountain which is equally as boring and is followed by a very long chairlift ride.
At Wachusett Vickery Bowl is frequently closed during the midweek and as such you cannot access all of that trail area without the triple chair running.
Posted: Sep 22, 2011 - 1:42 AM GMT Edited: Sep 22, 2011 - 1:42 AM GMT
Greek Peak's Chair 5 pod (long flat and wide non-snowmaking non-groomed green, a blue, a glade and a headwall) and the trails to access it are usually closed the two days following a weekend (Mon/Tue normally or Tue/Wed after MLK, President's)
Posted: Sep 22, 2011 - 2:11 AM GMT Edited: Sep 22, 2011 - 2:12 AM GMT
Depends how you define a "lift pod". Cannon's Tram does not run Tues-Thurs so you need to take at least two lifts to get to the summit for any top to bottom run. If you count Slidebrook as a "pod" then I think top to bottom skiing at Cannon could be in the running for a "pod".
Actually, Kinsman Glade and Tramline can't be skied without hiking back to Zoomer Chair and taking three lifts to the summit when the Tram is closed, so that is definitely meeting the pod definition.
While not technically closed, the Bear Trap Double and the Sunbrook Quad at Mt. Snow operate on alternating days midweek. Without the Sunbrook Quad operating, yes you can ski Sunbrook, but it isn't practical to do it more than once when you have to take the Bear Trap Double out of the bottom of the area, ski to the front side base on green trails, take a lift to the top, then pole over to the top of the Sunbrook pod for a second run. Not that I'm arguing with their business plan....just saying....
NH
High Country, Waterville Valley
Dartmouth Skiway: One side or the other. (I know that used to be the case, but was told they regularly operate both sides now. Any confirmation?)
VT
A-Slope and Outpost, Pico
Wilderness, Bolton Valley
Practice Slope, Mad River Glen
Slidebrook, Sugarbush
I'll reject both the Cannon Mt. Tram and Sunbrook at Mt. Snow. Like the South Ridge at Killington, you can get to them albeit inconveniently.
Now I've never been to Mt. Snow when the Bear Trap was closed and Sunbrook was open. If this is the case, then Bear Trap becomes a pod for the list - although the Lift Line on Bear Trap, which is the inaccessible trail, is closed more than it is open.
Just curious about how the Slidebrook impacts skiing a "trail pod"? Slidebrook connects two mountain areas which is more than a trail pod in my opinion. I think Sugrabush skis better with the Slidebrook running and others will point out there is always the shuttle bus.
Without that lift, typical skiers will either ski Sugarbush or Mt. Ellen thereby making the half they choose their "pod de jour". In essence, two separate ski areas.
Speaking of Sugarbush: Does Castlerock and/or Lynx run daily?
I wonder: Now with Peak running both Wildcat and Attitash, does anyone foresee one or the other shutting down one day a week during the "slow season"?
When I skied at Butternut last January during the mid-week, the Cruiser Chairlift was closed and as such you could not ski the upper parts of the Cruiser and Dipsy trails.
I usually work every weekend so despite the Slidebrook lift being shutdow I usually park and ski at Mellen but always take the shuttle to ski my fav trails at LP. The shuttle bus usually has other like minded folks. The only people who for sure would not do this would be those with a Mellen only season pass.
NL and Castlerock do run midweek, sometimes the Valley Double does not run midweek but the terrain it serves is easily accessible by Super Bravo which runs everyday.
... I usually park and ski at Mellen but always take the shuttle to ski my fav trails at LP. The shuttle bus usually has other like minded folks. The only people who for sure would not do this would be those with a Mellen only season pass.
...
I suspect if I were a season pass holder at Sugarbush, I might do that too. But more often then not, if I have an opportunity away from my home area, I'm not willing to waste the time waiting for the bus (twice).
Until the little connector lift was put in between Mt. Mansfield and Spruce Peak, I had never skied on Spruce Peak!
When I skied at Butternut last January during the mid-week, the Cruiser Chairlift was closed and as such you could not ski the upper parts of the Cruiser and Dipsy trails.
These are very short sections. Not alot of area lost. Plus, you can access the top of these off Upper Applejack, on natural snow times. Sometimes Butternut is open without Overbrook Triple. The pod with Crosstown, Upper Downspout, and Upper Freewheeler is not open.
What about Whiteface? Does that new peak (Wilmington Trail) area open mid week?
NH
High Country, Waterville Valley
Dartmouth Skiway: One side or the other. (I know that used to be the case, but was told they regularly operate both sides now. Any confirmation?)
VT
A-Slope and Outpost, Pico
Wilderness, Bolton Valley
Practice Slope, Mad River Glen
Slidebrook, Sugarbush
I'll reject both the Cannon Mt. Tram and Sunbrook at Mt. Snow. Like the South Ridge at Killington, you can get to them albeit inconveniently.
Now I've never been to Mt. Snow when the Bear Trap was closed and Sunbrook was open. If this is the case, then Bear Trap becomes a pod for the list - although the Lift Line on Bear Trap, which is the inaccessible trail, is closed more than it is open.
More?
If you reject Cannon (Kinsman Glade and Tramline) then you should also reject Outpost at Pico. You can get to Outpost at Pico via a five minute hike. The hike back to Zoomer from Kinsman Glade and Tramline would be longer.