No friends on a Powder Day! (Brett Lund photo)

No Friends on a Powder Day!!! I love to be able to use that phrase because even though you don’t mean it (usually) it means that Mother Nature has delivered the goods. What a great start to 2011 we have had in the Northeast! We seem to be in a cycle of weekly dumps, and I took the opportunity to visit one of my favorite resorts in NH, Mount Sunapee, during the latest dump.

Pow-Der!! POW-DER!!!

Sunapee always seems to do well with  snowfall. I had season passes here while in grad school, and was always impressed with the snow quality. When other areas of the state were getting rain or nothing, Sunapee always seemed to be squeezing a few inches of snow out of the air . Wednesday, February 2  brought a huge winter weather system and the snowfall was fabulous!

Days like this are an absolute dream on any type of snow sliding device, but I have been using Telemark skis for close to 2 decades and I live for these days. There is nothing like dropping into a Telemark turn in new powder, gliding slowly through a long arc. Being lower to the ground in a Tele turn seems to increase the sensation of centrifugal forces. It could be due to the lower center of gravity, or it may just be my imagination, but I feel the turn in a way that I never did while alpine skiing. It also has added years to my ski “career”, as the dynamic position needed in Telemark turns has strengthened my legs and protected my knees.

If you would like to try telemark skiing without investing in the gear, both New England Telemark and North Atlantic Telemark host festivals throughout the winter, and are an excellent way to try the sport or improve your Tele technique.

Rippin' Raelyn doing what she loves, but dreaming of fatter skis! Brett Lund photo

We arrived at Sunapee at 9 am after a slow and challenging drive. The parking lot was half full, but the line of traffic to the mountain was steady, with local and non-local snow junkies anticipating a day of joy in a foot of new snow. Here in the Northeast, our snow often comes with a blast of wind, and because of this the summit lifts were on hold, and would continue to be on hold throughout the day. If you were lucky enough to have Thursday off as well, you would have had another incredible day from the summit. Untouched powder in the Sunbowl area of Sunapee is beyond fun. I am jealous of those who were able to partake. If you have never been here, the views from Sunapee’s summit are excellent, especially  toward Lake Sunapee itself.

Regardless of the lift situation, the skiing off the front side of the mountain was incredible. On days like today the snow is so good that it really doesn’t matter if you have access to 50 trails or 5… You will still have a great time. Sunapee has some very fun runs off the front side, that often go unnoticed on days when the summit lifts are running. Trails like Upper and Lower Flying Goose, Chase ledges, and Lynx are excellent advanced/expert trails. If you like moguls, Flying Goose is a great challenge and sports a consistent pitch of quality bumps that will make your quads scream in agony and ecstasy simultaneously! With 10+ inches of new snow, it was stellar today.

Pretty sure there was a big grin under every balaclava at Sunapee this day! (Brett Lund photo)

Sunapee also has one of the best terrain parks in the state.  At least half of the crowd on his day was in the terrain park, making the most of the soft landings. The beginner areas were also open and busy; Sunapee has a completely separate area for the novice skier and rider that makes learning inviting.

After a long day of powder farming our group chose to relax in the pub, and enjoy a drink and pub fare while watching the diehards try to get in there final turns of the day. We relived some of the laughs from the day before loading up for the return home. Here’s hoping that this cycle of snow continues through the winter!

Snow snakes love powder, and lay in wait of unsuspecting skiers! (Brett Lund photo)

Mount Sunapee on Christmas Eve had lots of snow, not many people. Perfect way to celebrate Christmas a little early. (Tim Jones photo)

Something to keep in mind for next year: Christmas Eve is a perfectly wonderful day to hit the slopes. Lift tickets are probably cheaper than they will be over the holiday. And many people are apparently “too busy” to get away . . . Sad for them, great for the rest of us. The slopes will have more people than a typical weekday, and many more than on Christmas Day, but many fewer than the day after Christmas. Kind of an early Christmas present . . .

My son Justin and I were at Mount Sunapee in Newbury, N.H. on Christmas Eve. We got a late start and missed the first chair by a good 20 minutes. It really didn’t matter . . . it was a perfect blue-sky day (so rare in December!) and there weren’t that many people around. The entire mountain was freshly groomed; conditions were absolutely marvelous.

Sunapee will have all their snowmaking trails open for the week after Christmas, and, with their signature grooming, good snow conditions are pretty much guaranteed as long as Mother Nature doesn’t play any nasty tricks on us.

Here’s a hint for getting the best of Sunapee: First, get there as early as possible. Be in line for the first chair if you can. But don’t start at the “new” base lodge. Instead go to the “old” Spruce lodge (to the left as you drive into the main parking lot). If you’re ready early, head for the North Peak Triple, but if a line has already formed their, head left to the Spruce Triple (which services the “603” Terrain Park).

Were you "too busy" to ski on Christmas Eve 2010? Here's what you missed. (Tim Jones photo)

From the top of this short lift, take Duster across and warm up on the steep pitch at the bottom of Eggbeater. That gets you to the North Peak triple without any uphill climb.

From the top of the North Peak Triple, head straight and drop into the SunBowl on Upper Cataract—it’s one of the best trails on the mountain and only accessible from the North Peak Triple. Make a couple of runs in the morning sun at the Sunbowl, then take any trail you want (Skyway to Westside is a good option) back to the North Peak Triple and make some runs on Goosebumps, Flying Goose and Lynx.

By then, the folks who started off on the high speed Express Quad will have burned themselves out and you can yo-yo that until your legs cry quits. That doesn’t take long this early in the season, especially on Tele gear.

That’s basically what we did (sadly, Lynx and Goosebumps weren’t open, yet . . .) and it made for a wonderful morning of skiing. Oh, and because Sunapee’s so close, we were home in plenty of time to enjoy Christmas Eve with the family.

There’s snow on the slopes. What are you waiting for?

Here are two ways to save during vacation weeks (and all season long!)

Ticket Packs

Many areas sell blocks of three, six, or more anytime tickets.  Yes you pay more up front than you would for one day, but the tickets are good for a whole season, they are often transferable, and buying in blocks offers significant savings.

They seem particularly popular in New Hampshire and here are some examples:

Gunstock in Gilford, N.H. is a good example: with their 6-packs you get 6 tickets for the price of 5 and  their Baker’s Dozens get 13 tickets for less than the price of 10! These are anytime, fully  transferable tickets. An adult 6-pack is  $340, Baker’s Dozen is $675

Cannon Mountain in Franconia, N.H.has the 10 any-day, adult, transferable tickets good all season for  $569, which saves over $100 off the regular window price of $67/day.

Crotched Mountain in Bennington, N.H. offers a 10 pack of tickets for $449.  They are transferable and valid all season long.

Mount Sunapee in Newbury, N.H. has 6 – Packs which can be pre-purchased for the price of 5. Only two tickets can be used per day Dec. 25  through March 6. All six can be used in one day before or after those dates

Pats Peak in Henniker, N.H. has PIC-A-PAC anytime transferable Tickets, a 6 Pac ($336) saves $42,  a 12 Pac ($672) saves  $120, and an 18 Pac ($1,008) saves $216.

Waterville Valley in Waterville Valley, N.H. sells 5 Packs of any-day, non-transferable tickets which $10 a day off the regular ticket price.

Whaleback Mountain in Enfield, N.H. has a 4 pack ($120) for the price of 3, saving $40. (Yes, Whaleback’s weekend/Holiday all day lift tickets are $40 . . . )

There are more deals like this in other states, but you get the idea. If you want to ski several days or with several people over the holiday, this might be your best way to save.

Loyalty Cards:

At this time of year, if you don’t ski enough to justify a season pass but still want to save money, your best deal at many areas is a skier loyalty card. You buy a card up front (some come with a lift ticket) and it gets you a significant discount every time you ski. Some include discounts on lodging, meals, and resort services. Usually they pay for themselves in two or three visits. After that, it’s all savings all the time. Last week we looked at multi-mountain cards. Here are some examples of savings at individual resorts:

Ski Sundown in Canton Center, Connecticut has an $89 Savings Card that gets discounts up to 50% on lift tickets.

Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Mass has a $45 Value Card that saves you $15 off  every ticket and 7th visit free.

At Gunstock in Gilford, N.H. the Take 50 card ($130) cuts the price of a weekend/holiday adult lift ticket to $34.

Hunter Mountain in Hunter, New York offers the  $45 Big Lift Cards which saves 25% on Weekend & Holiday Tickets, 50% on Mid-week Tickets and four free Sunday lift tickets!

Bromley Mountain in Peru, Vermont has the $69 Sun Mountain Card which gets a free lift ticket and $10 off every lift ticket for the season.

Jay Peak in Jay, Vermont has the $99 581 card (named for their average annual snowfall in inches) which gets one free lift ticket and $50 adult tickets for the rest of the season

Killington in Killington, Vermont has the $79 Express card which saves 25-50% on tickets all season.

Mount Snow in Dover, Vermont has the $79 Fan Fare Card that gets 50% off midweek tickets, 10% off weekend/holidays.

Smugglers Notch in Jeffersonville, Vermont has the $89 Bash Badge which gets $25 lift ticket or $15 afternoon tickets all season.

The $79 Stowe Points Card at Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vermont earns points for each dollar spent at the resort, redeemable for lift tickets.

Stratton Mountain Resort, in Stratton, Vermont offers the $79 X2 direct-to lifts card that pays for itself with the first use, gets $30 off weekday tickets, $20 off Weekend tickets and $10 off holiday tickets.

Climbing out of the "Trench of Terror" is just one of the ridiculous obstacles at Sunday River's Tough Mountain Challenge (Sunday River photo)

The feedback from the Wildman Biathlon story has made it clear that there’s a lot of interest in the category of stupid stuff to do to yourself.  Sunday River’s Tough Mountain Challenge is now in the history books (stay tuned for the full story).  But, for people who still  want to try something ridiculous, are there any options this fall?

The answer is…yes!  There are two events that we know of that fit the category of “what WERE we thinking???” races that we’re going to attempt.  First comes Stratton Mountain’s “North Face Run To The Summit” on October 10.  Part of their Columbus Day weekend celebration, it’s pretty straightforward.  Put on your shoes, run up to the top of southern Vermont’s highest peak, win the race.  Um…okay, walk most of it, and survive.  Sounds like fun, in a sick way!

Probably even sicker is the Shawnee Peak Challenge on October 23.  Running up Shawnee would be bad enough; it’s plenty steep.  But, instead, they’re making an obstacle course there that the organizers claim will be the “best one-day challenge on the East Coast.”  Uh, oh…so, which is tougher, the Shawnee event or Sunday River’s Tough Mountain Challenge?  Only time, and our abused bodies, will tell.  We’ll be registering for it shortly; stay tuned for our results!

The smiles of finishers at Stratton's "North Face Run To The Summit" belie the pain you KNOW they felt running up a big mountain! (Stratton photo)

But, that’s not all.  While OUR bodies can’t handle any more, there are upcoming events in 2011 for other brave souls.  Here’s what we’ve been warned about at press time; come back again, as we’ll add events as the PR people notify us!

Probably the biggest news for idiot race junkies is the Winterwild series, January-March 2011.  Four races, three mountains (Whaleback, Sunapee, and Ragged) , lots of chances for self abuse.  Go up the mountain, come back down…this series tests your ability to climb AND ski.  Check it out at Winterwild’s website.  For some, the best part is that the races sometimes happen before the lifts open…can you say “first tracks”?  Unusual, though, to have your first tracks going UP the mountain!

Before we can test ourselves on the other crazy races, we have to survive the net run over Barker Pond! (Sunday River photo)

At the opposite end of the day is Sugarloaf’s “Moonlight Climb”. This is a randonee event (backcountry) where you either race on skis or snowshoes; the short course is a 1 mile climb, the long course is 5 miles and climbs 2500 vertical feet (don’t worry, there’s some downhill as part of it!).  At night.  Date for 2011 to be confirmed once they figure out when the moon is full.  That can be a big advantage to some of the racers; this is crazy enough that some of them may grow fangs and a lot of hair for the full moon, helping to keep them warm.

Clearly, there’s a lot of insane people out there who are perfectly happy to pay to inflict pain on themselves…and we thought it was just us!  Hope to see you at the races; if you recognize us, say hello!

Justin Jones rips soft spring bumps on Tele gear in the Sunbowl on Mount Sunapee. (Tim Jones photo)

At any time of year, finding truly great skiing and riding is a matter of timing. On a pure powder morning in January, for example, you have to be one of the first people on the lift or you are going to find yourself snaked on the line you were dreaming of when you drove to the hill. He (or she) who hesitates gets chowder instead of pristine powder.

Likewise, on weekends and holiday weeks throughout the winter, the first people on the hill generally find the best conditions, whether that’s fresh powder or untracked corduroy. By later in the day, conditions will often have deteriorated, especially in high-traffic junction areas or popular trails.

But in March, the paradigm changes. Patience pays off.

Most areas groom as little as possible at this time of year, not only to save money, but also to save their snow. If you rush make the first chair on a chilly  morning, you might just find yourself headed downhill on snow that softened the day before, then froze into a rutted, bumpy crust—the kind of snow Western skiers think is all we ever get in the East.

But if you wait just a little while, magic can occur. The sun, which has been hiding behind the hill all season emerges earlier on March mornings, climbs higher above the peaks, and uses its strength to create some of the best snow conditions of the entire season.

Justin Jones, a ski instructor at Pats Peak in Henniker, NH, enjoys a busman’s holiday tearing up the slopes of Mount Sunapee on Telemark gear. (Tim Jones photo)

This winter, my son Justin has been teaching skiing full time in the excellent ski school at Pats Peak in Henniker, N.H. Full time instructing is hard work and on a recent rare day off, he slept in.  When he woke up, the sun was shining, the air was warming, and we decided sneak away to Mount Sunapee in Newbury, N.H. for an afternoon on our Telemark gear.  There was a pretty good crowd for a mid-week day but we found a prime parking spot that some early-bird had just vacated (another advantage of going later . . .) and hit the slopes.

The ride up the triple chair in front of the old Spruce Lodge only heightened our anticipation when we realized that we couldn’t hear anything more than a soft swish when skiers below us on Flying Goose made their turns (snowboards always seem to rumble at least a little).

At the top, we sprinted for Cataract and made what was, until then, one of the best runs of the season. I say “until then” because each run—Whingding, Hansen’s, Ridge, Skyway—was better than the last! The snow was smooth, soft, but still firm. If you can imagine skiing on butter, you have some idea of what it was like. Perfect conditions for Telemarking.  Justin, who only took up freeheeling a few days before, was already out-skiing me and able to give me some very useful pointers. And the rides up with the warm sun on our faces were heavenly, not just for the chance to recover.

We skied hard until our thighs cried for mercy, took a quick break than punished them some more, ending our afternoon just before the lifts shut down. Literally a perfect day.

Soft spring snow is perfect for Tele turns. At Tenney, even the ski patrol goes Tele! (Tim Jones photo)

A couple of days later, my buddy David Shedd and I were at Tenney Mountain in Plymouth, N.H. We’d been camped on a mountain the night before in 20-degree weather. We woke up early, ate, broke camp, hiked three miles with packs on snowshoes over heavily-crusted snow, ate a leisurely second breakfast and still got to the mountain just a little too early.

As we rode up the summit double, we heard the scraping edges of the skiers below, so we immediately boogied over to the east-facing triple chair and found the sun had done its work nicely, softening the snow in all but the deepest shade. Later, the whole mountain softened. We pounded Tenney’s twisting trails in the sunshine until our legs gave out. Another wonderful day of skiing on perfect snow.

As March turns to April, perfect timing will change yet again. Just keep an eye on the thermometer. If the nights stay above freezing and the days get downright warm, you want to get out early and catch the snow before it turns to slush.

The sun is inevitably going to win and the 2009/10 winter season will eventually end. But that’s not for another month yet. Time it right, and there’s still perfect snow to enjoy. There’s snow on the slopes. What are you waiting for?

THE A LIST: Sunny Slopes

Spring sunshine, soft snow and Tele turns! (Tim Jones photo)

Typically, the first slopes to soften in the sun are the rare ones that face south. If you are a soft snow addict who must ski in the morning, consider visiting Black Mountain in Jackson, N.H., Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, N.H., and Bromley Mountain in Peru, Vermont.

Spruce Peak at Stowe Mountain Resort in Stowe, Vermont also faces south.

At Mount Sunapee in Newbury, N.H. both the east-facing Sunbowl and their South Peak Learning Area are top spots for early sun.

Sunnyside at Mount Snow in Dover, Vermont, and the South Face at Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vermont  and Bear Mountain at Killington in Killington, Vermont are all excellent sun spots.

At Stratton Mountain Resort in Stratton, Vermont, Kidderbrook gets morning sun and not much skier traffic since they took out the old Kidderbrook lift, while the Snowbowl gets sun in the afternoon.

Of course, a little later in the season, these spots will be first to go slushy, so hit ‘em early morning.

Blue sky, fresh snow...winter is officially here at Mount Sunapee! (Justin Jones photo)

The first day of skiing is never very smooth, but its always an adventure. When I found out that Mount Sunapee was opening on the 8th of December, I immediately made plans to go.

When the morning came I was bursting with anticipation, and after making several trips to the car only to remember something else I had forgotten (gloves, poles, directions) I was finally off. I always love the drive to Sunapee on 103, past gorgeous lakes and charming villages.

The parking lot and the lodge were bustling, and I was really already savoring the wintry mood as I (groan) put my ski boots on for the first time this season. Despite the recent unseasonably mild weather the excellent snowmakers at Sunapee have managed to blow enough snow to open Upper and Lower Blast Off for top-to-bottom skiing! I saw them at work, a large official-looking team of men clad in neon green reflective coats.

Falling for the snowmakers! (Justin Jones photo)

Every skier and snowboarder knows the feeling of sitting impatiently on the lift before the first run of the season. The Sunapee Express high-speed quad was operating, whisking me right to the summit. Blast Off is a very twisty run, with lots of rollovers and mellower sections. The surface was hard pack (pretty much a given for early December) with the occasional icy patch and some good corn snow. I started to join in the fun after a couple shaky turns…be careful your first time back out on the slopes!

There were snowboarders popping off the headwalls and carving up the mounds blown from the snow machines. Lots of groups of skiers and riders were meeting and chatting about the start of the season, and a crew of teenagers who had ditched school for opening day were talking excitedly about the possibility of a snow day on Wednesday (Sunapee is expecting 6-8 inches of snow!). The lift crews and the ski patrollers were all smiles.

Mount Sunapee has great early season skiing, so it’s obvious why the mood was so good! The snowguns were going full blast (fortunately none of them were aimed at the guests), and several more trails are expected to be open by the weekend.

Sunday December 13th is the first of two Cares and Shares Day events at Sunapee. Each skier or rider who brings five or more item of non-perishable food items to the ticket window skis for only $30, with food donated to local families and charities. Get out and spread the Christmas spirit . . . with skiing!

Thanks to the New England ski industry and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire, Brendan got his wish . . . (Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire photo)

If you are reading this, you are probably wishing for more snow. Be patient, it’s coming.

But if you are really into seeing wishes come true, check out the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life threatening medical conditions. The stated goal of Make-A-Wish is “to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” Most of these kids need all the joy, strength and hope they can get to help them though unimaginable times.

The ties between the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the New England ski industry are deep and profound. Did you know, for example, that every current  “Wisher”

So did Rosie . . . (Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire photo)

from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts receives a VIP pass which entitles them and an accompanying adult to a full day on the slopes with lift tickets, rental equipment and lessons at one of 32 different resorts across New England. That’s offered with the cooperation of Ski NH, Ski Vermont, Ski Maine, and the New England Ski Areas Council.

Ski NH adopted the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire as its official charity four seasons ago. They donate $5 from every $20 Ski NH Fifth Grade Snowsports Passport directly to Make-A-Wish.  On November 19, 2009 at the Ski NH Boston Media reception, Ski NH presented the Make-A-Wish

And "wisher," Michael (Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire photo)

Foundation of New Hampshire with a check for more than $10,000 from the winter 2008-09 passport sales.  Over the past three seasons, Ski NH and families of fifth graders have donated more than $20,000 in total. That kind of money makes a lot of wishes come true—and some of those wishes are for time on the slopes.

Here’s a list of the participating ski resorts. Wish them a prosperous New Year the next time you visit:

Massachusetts : Ski Blandford ,
Ski Butternut, Catamount, Jiminy Peak, Nashoba Valley, Wachusett.

Maine : Black Mountain of Maine, Lost Valley, Mt. Abram, Saddleback, Shawnee Peak.
New Hampshire: Attitash, The Balsams, Black Mountain, Cannon Mountain, Cranmore Mountain Resort, Crotched Mountain, Dartmouth Skiway, Gunstock Mountain Resort, King Pine, Loon Mountain, Mount Sunapee, Pats Peak, Ragged Mountain, Waterville Valley, Wildcat Mountain.

Vermont: Bolton Valley, Burke Mountain, Jay Peak, Magic Mountain, Mount Snow, Okemo.