Snow Journal - Serious About Snowsports!

Home

Forums : General Discussion : Trip Reports
Moderated by: Chris

Anonymous posts are not allowed in this forum

Crotched Mountain 2012-13

Page: 1 2 3 4 5

Author

Post

joshua segal
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Jul 12, 2004
Posts: 5941

Location:NH

Posted: Aug 08, 2012 - 7:00 PM GMT

For the last several years, I've provided a running commentary on the ski season at Crotched Mountain. Enough of you indicated that you enjoyed the thread, that I will continue the practice this season.

Using the algorithm that the ski season is nominally Nov. 15 to May 1 (or Dec. 1 to April 15), August 8 is the day where we are finally closer to next season than to last season!

August 8, 2012 - Weds.
I did climb the hill today and much progress has been made and continues to be made on the HSQ installation.
- All the dirt and woodchips that were piled at the new summit were plowed into the trails
- All the footings for the towers above the old summit area have been poured
- Many parts of the lift are in various stages of painting and priming
- If you want to follow the action at the base of the mountain, check http://www.crotchedmountain.com/live_cam.html where Chris added another webcam.
- There are a large number of 2x4s in front of the Patrol Shack. Not sure if the mountain or patrol is in charge of the refurbishing of the place.

__________
Joshua Segal

joshua segal
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Jul 12, 2004
Posts: 5941

Location:NH

Posted: Aug 11, 2012 - 8:18 PM GMT

Aug. 11, 2012 - Saturday
I was surprised that Sky Trac was actually working today. I've never seen a lift installed before and am somewhat surprised at how deep the tower footings are set. (Perfectly logical, because I assume the footings have to be well below the frost line.)

As of now, the tower footings from the "New Summit" until where Plutos crosses Moonwalk are poured and the holes are dug for the next two towers down to where Eclipse comes into Plutos.

It appears that the exterior of the base and summit housings have been painted on the outside, although the inside is still olive green. No graphics have been added yet.

__________
Joshua Segal

joshua segal
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Jul 12, 2004
Posts: 5941

Location:NH

Posted: Aug 17, 2012 - 7:04 PM GMT

August 17, 2012 - Friday
If one were merely looking at the web cams, one would not get the idea of the magnitude of activity at CM. My hike there today showed:

- All footings from New Summit to where Plutos meets Eclipse are poured.
- Two of the four footings from where Plutos and Meteor open into a single runout are fully dug and two have loose dirt removed, but will need blasting to make them deep enough to pour the concrete
- Snowmaking pipe to new summit is fully installed (electricity, light towers: Not)
- To my surprise, they are actually removing the old summit lift tower footings. IMO, it's nice they are concerned with the aesthetics, because it's not cheap and it is not necessary.

"A little bird" told me they are behind on schedule (which was to have it completed by the end of September), but it will be ready in plenty of time for the beginning of the season

Naturally, what I tell you is a combination of empirical observations, projections based on what I see and hearsay.

__________
Joshua Segal

joshua segal
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Jul 12, 2004
Posts: 5941

Location:NH

Posted: Aug 24, 2012 - 7:40 PM GMT

Aug. 24, 2012 - Friday
Progress on the mountain continues.
- Scraping, priming and painting: Towers, top and botton stations. Some now done on the inside too. I'd guess this part of the job is about 75% done
- Footings: Completed from Eclipse to New Summit; Lower ones appear to be dug, and some are in various stages of preparation for pouring the footings.

__________
Joshua Segal

tedede
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Nov 15, 2004
Posts: 806

Location:Amherst, NH

Posted: Aug 25, 2012 - 3:32 PM GMT

Thanks for the update Joshua.

Chris, care to add anything? Can you tell a few of us are extremely excited about this new (to us) chair?

Chris
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Apr 19, 2001
Posts: 2720

Location:New Hampshire

Posted: Aug 25, 2012 - 6:52 PM GMT

I'm glad you're excited... there is certainly a lot to be excited about!

Painting is almost done and the lift is beginning to look like new. It will look new when finished... the chairs came in and are freshly galvanized and look new as well. The Sky Trac crew has been working steadily on footings and most recently started the base terminal footing. A little more blasting was conducted this week on tower footings ... pouring concrete continues and I think we'll see the completion of the footings soon.

We (CM crew) will be installing wire for the new snowmaking and lighting this week.

__________
SnowJournal.com

nelsap
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Nov 21, 2001
Posts: 3649

Location:Saratoga Springs, NY

Posted: Aug 25, 2012 - 11:31 PM GMT

Any names yet for the newly reopened trails? What happens to the remnants of the T-bar?

JD

__________
Jeremy Davis

Chris
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Apr 19, 2001
Posts: 2720

Location:New Hampshire

Posted: Aug 26, 2012 - 4:26 PM GMT

The old t-bar is still there (towers and summit terminal only).

Yes, new names have been chosen for the trails and a new glade area. This year's trail map has glade areas marked on it. (keeping my lips closed on the new trail names for now

__________
SnowJournal.com

joshua segal
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Jul 12, 2004
Posts: 5941

Location:NH

Posted: Aug 27, 2012 - 3:16 AM GMT

Unlike Chris, I'm under no gag order. My source gave me this info as non-confidential. In light of the Mars Mission and CM's space theme, s/he told me that the trail known in pre-1990 CM as Turbo will be named Curiosity.

__________
Joshua Segal

tedede
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Nov 15, 2004
Posts: 806

Location:Amherst, NH

Posted: Aug 27, 2012 - 10:28 AM GMT

Edited: Aug 27, 2012 - 10:28 AM GMT

Quote:

Unlike Chris, I'm under no gag order. My source gave me this info as non-confidential. In light of the Mars Mission and CM's space theme, s/he told me that the trail known in pre-1990 CM as Turbo will be named ...

I'm hoping the average beginner doesn't get lured by the name. It's darn steep.

Are you sure you didn't fall into a Canary Trap?

joshua segal
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Jul 12, 2004
Posts: 5941

Location:NH

Posted: Aug 27, 2012 - 1:25 PM GMT

Quote:

I'm hoping the average beginner doesn't get lured by the name. It's darn steep.

Are you sure you didn't fall into a Canary Trap?

My source told me, they plan to groom it too

I'm familiar with the term "Canary Trap" as "cover story", which in the intel business, is specifically designed to mislead someone, if that person is guessing the subject of a highly classified project too closely.

On another subject Ted: What do you hear with regard to the Ski Patrol hut?
- Who is going to do the work? (Patrollers? Mt. Staff? Others? Combination of above?
- When is it going to happen?

__________
Joshua Segal

tedede
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Nov 15, 2004
Posts: 806

Location:Amherst, NH

Posted: Aug 27, 2012 - 2:39 PM GMT

Edited: Aug 27, 2012 - 2:40 PM GMT

Quote:

On another subject Ted: What do you hear with regard to the Ski Patrol hut?
- Who is going to do the work? (Patrollers? Mt. Staff? Others? Combination of above?
- When is it going to happen?

The patrol members will be getting it fixed up. We provide the labor and the mountain the supplies (that's how it got built). If we need any heavy equipment to help with that effort, it'll be the mountain staff operating it.

We're holding off for a few reasons:
1) We don't want to distract the operations crew while they're working on getting the lift, snowmaking, and electric installed
2) It's hard to organize a large work party in the summer
3) (Most importantly) It's just too darn hot right now, the fall is much more pleasant for this type of work

It should really just be a day or two to get the place leveled and the porch reattached. We'll probably give it an exterior paint job.

No plans for the interior that I'm aware of, but if anyone has a serviceable grill they'd like to part with, ours is circa 1994 and is probably past the point of another rebuild.

joshua segal
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Jul 12, 2004
Posts: 5941

Location:NH

Posted: Aug 29, 2012 - 1:02 AM GMT

Interesting. The new CM Trail map was posted
http://crotchedmountain.com/TrailMap_Front.pdf?utm_source=12%2F13+College+Season+Pass+%26+Seasonal+Programs+now+available!&utm_campaign=5-20-12+email&utm_medium=email

The trail that was Turbo, is Jupiter Storm (not Curiosity)
It appears the upward extension of Satellite Summit is still Satellite Summit.
Moonwalk has been rerouted from the new summit (rather than the old)
It appears that the upper lift line is not intended to be a trailand one gets to Plutos from a cut from Satellite Summit called Retro.
The area in between is "Darkstar Glade". Though cut in he autunm of 2011, it was never skiable last season (at least as far as I know).
What was Fortress Glade and Solstice Glade is consolidated as a single glade area.
Kuyper Belt (not skiable last winter) has been added to the trail map, but has been there for at least 3 seasons.
There are at least 7 more glades not on the map.

__________
Joshua Segal

newman
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Aug 21, 2008
Posts: 2124

Location:The mighty SKI WARD Shrewsbury MA

Posted: Aug 29, 2012 - 1:41 AM GMT

Thanks for posting the new map. Was Jupitor Storm the old t-bar line, or was the line where the glade area is listed? I thought they would have another trail from the old t-bar pod?

jedk
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Nov 29, 2007
Posts: 340

Location:Phoenix. AZ

Posted: Aug 29, 2012 - 2:12 AM GMT

I believe the T-bar line is in the Dark Star glade area.
__________
Attachments:

Chris
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Apr 19, 2001
Posts: 2720

Location:New Hampshire

Posted: Aug 29, 2012 - 11:39 PM GMT

Edited: Aug 29, 2012 - 11:54 PM GMT

Quote:

I believe the T-bar line is in the Dark Star glade area.

Yes, that is correct.

The first pieces of the bottom terminal of "The Rocket" were put in today which was awesome to see on my way down the mountain this evening. We've been busy installing wire for lighting and snowmaking... 1.36 miles of it so far. The hill is really starting to take shape and its easy to imagine what it will be like this winter.

__________
SnowJournal.com

Chris
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Apr 19, 2001
Posts: 2720

Location:New Hampshire

Posted: Aug 30, 2012 - 11:32 PM GMT

For the lift nuts among us ... Hidden Valley (Missouri) has posted a couple of lift construction pics on their facebook page showing their West Mountain expansion with the Riblet lift from CM. Very cool... check it out. They are already putting the cable on the lift!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hidden-Valley-Ski-Resort/109123823353?v=wall

Also the chairs for HVs new lift are from the CM Valley quad, not the old summit quad. The old CM summit chairs were swapped to the valley lift this spring. (both lifts are nearly identical Riblets and the valley quad now has the upgraded chair hangers that CM installed last year.)

__________
SnowJournal.com

joshua segal
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Jul 12, 2004
Posts: 5941

Location:NH

Posted: Aug 30, 2012 - 11:48 PM GMT

Quote:

For the lift nuts among us ... Hidden Valley (Missouri) has posted a couple of lift construction pics on their facebook page showing their West Mountain expansion with the Riblet lift from CM. Very cool... check it out. They are already putting the cable on the lift!
...

...

Are those the old CM Summit Towers? They don't look like them to me.

__________
Joshua Segal

Chris
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Apr 19, 2001
Posts: 2720

Location:New Hampshire

Posted: Aug 31, 2012 - 12:42 PM GMT

Edited: Aug 31, 2012 - 1:41 PM GMT

Yes they are ... we shipped 9 towers.

Did you find the right pics?

__________
SnowJournal.com

tedede
Profile | Galleries

Rank:

Member Since:
Nov 15, 2004
Posts: 806

Location:Amherst, NH

Posted: Aug 31, 2012 - 5:46 PM GMT

Here is tower 13 from the old summit lift

Any thoughts on who gets first chair?

Page: 1 2 3 4 5