So, how's about a thread to brag about your first day out this season:

I'm no expert when it comes to snow conditions, and I'm really not good enough for it to matter, but... When I walked off to the side of the bunny slope to pee today I was standing in knee deep powder. Woohoo!

Going back on Wednesday (to Keystone) and hoping to spend some time going down actual runs and hopefully even doing something as adventurous as a blue.

Nice!

Two weekends ago I went touring at Alta. OK creamy powder over a very thin base. Several rocks were hit, but that is what old skis and ptex are for. My alta season pass is languishing unusable, but they say it may open on Friday so I have hope.

OK 10/29 I hiked the Whiteface road..beautiful day, good snow. I don't have skins yet so i showshoed up, which killed our eficiency. The way down was pretty sweet... 1.5 hours! Not too many turns though

The first REAL day of the season was last saturday, opening day at K-mart. conditions weren;t bad at all, there were just alot of crowds. This next week looks like it will bring some decent skiing!

aw, you could ski up the whiteface road without skins ...

hm sounds like you don't need much more than xc gear for the ride down... maybe wide track with metal edges just for that psychological security

too bad i'm not going there for xmas after all. i'm dragging my family out to a condo in North Conway, though, so I need to find some place where my dad can ski or snowshoe away from the crowds. i'm not sure if i should put him on skis, or what skis to put him on. he hasn't done any downhill skiing in ten years, and even then he was a green/blue skier.

maybe put him on overkill telemark skis on a rugged trail that only needs xc gear?

Killington reportedly made out well from the storm yesterday, and the weather.com forecast is calling for 3-5 more inches tomorrow. So it looks like I'll get my first turns on Saturday. Can't wait.

So, I got those first turns on Saturday, and it was spectacular!! Lots of snow at Killington, and the crowds were totally manageable. One or two trails were very crowded with lots of people who had no business being on them, but there were plenty of uncrowded, well covered trails. Snowed all day. Unbelievable conditions for November!! Warmer temps and rain this week might put the kibash on this coming weekend, but the cold returns on Friday, and looks to stay that way for a while, with snow in the long range forecast. Yippeee!

Alta got hammered this weekend. I came down with a pretty bad cold, but I still got some great thigh deep creamy powder Saturday afternoon before I retreated to my bed.

Not fair to get sick during the first big dump of the season!

Forecast for the Northeast bodes well for the weekend of 12/10-11. Cold temps will settle in this weekend, and there is snow in the forecast for Northern NE from Sat - Thurs. The VT hills should be pumping lots of manmade fluff to augment the natural stuff. Can't friggin' wait to get back up there next weekend.

Out on the west coast, Pac NW and Northern CA look to get blasted the next couple days, with snow measured on FEET in the mountains (according to accuweather.com).

alta got another foot last night. i'm over the worst of my cold, so i think i'll try and get out tomorrow morning for a few runs.

Teehee! It's dumping about a foot up in Summit County right now. I'll be at Keystone bright and early tomorrow!

FYI, Tico reports that Alta has gotten 60 inches of fresh pow in the past week!

at least, with another storm moving in this afternoon. there was only an inch or two of fresh this morning, but i still found some good powder stashes here and there in the trees. awesome morning at alta.

I'm probably exagerating because I'm used to east coast skiing, but Keystone was freaking epic today!!! There was 3-4 inches of fresh when we showed up and it dumped 6 on us while we were there. I was praying for I-70 to get closed so we'd have an excuse to stay another day (my friend has to work tomorrow). It was still snowing when we left, and the drive was a little dicy, but they kept the damn road open!

And in other news... I can do S-turns!!! Woohoo!!

I think the word EPIC should only be used (if you are out west) 24" and up. If you are on the East coast. A well groomed run, temps in the 30's and sunshine. You Rockie Mtn boys have it made.

yeah, if you aren't in pow over your knees, it isn't epic.

another storm moving in today...

Since we are on the subject of epic days. What is your biggest day..
My most outrageous day was in B.C. Heli skiing.. 1st and only time skiing in chest to over your head stuff. That was 14 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday.. I have also had a had full of great days at Alta and the Bird.
Then came marriage, kids and now Northeastern boiler plate.

The best place by far in the NE for epic days is Jay. Iv'e had quite a few chest deep days there over the years. If you average their annual snowfall from the first day of winter, to the last, it comes out to someting like 4" per day. Not bad for the East, and better than a lot of places out West.

Jackson Hole got 20+ inches in the last three days. Opening day is tomorrow. I hope like hell the snow's falling when I'm out there in late January . . .

As for my best day, it was at Magic Mountain last year, with more than a foot of untracked powder everywhere. Bombed the Redline all day long. So sweet.

Jackson is soooooo sweet... I hope the Hoobacks (sp) are opened for you.. They were closed when I was there.
Last March I had a foot plus day at Okemo.. I loved it , the kids suffered.

My single best day of skiing ever was actually on corn - last summer skiing down mt adams in the cascades. God that was fun.

Other than that, most epic powder day could be any one of dozens that i've had in the wasatch over the last few years. Pretty fun stuff.

I would love to go heli skiing in BC or alaska sometime though.

hope the Hoobacks (sp) are opened for you..

The Hobacks are probably my favorite area at Jackson Hole! I logged lots of time in them the last two years I went out there! It was rare to see even one other party over there. It's like you've got a whole mountain to yourself.

Most epicest day - Mad River Glen in 1982. I turned my pole upside down and stuck it almost up to the basket. Something like 42" of powder. I learned how to turn in powder that day.

Going home my engine blew an oil seal and I put 23 quarts in it to get home. But it was worth it.

since Marc asked, my biggest day (on area) was in the 1997-8 season when I was in 69" of fresh.

my best day was in the adirondaks in '93 or so -- from the summit of cascade, ski down the trail to the saddle between cascade and porter - then hang a left into the woods (the map calls it walton basin, but i thought it had another name) ski down the basin to keene, right to the front door of monty's or purdy's or whatever the hell it's called.

the day in question had a super deep base with fresh knee to crotch deep powder. untouched powder that is. skiing through the birch glades seemed to go on forever! i'm a sucky skiier, but the snow that day made me feel expert.

i tried it again a few years later with a base that didn't quite cover the undergrowth. it was hell! trying to ski through the brillo and the pricker bushes was a disaster.

New Paltz looked like this at Noon today (12/9)

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d70/redalienx11/IMG_2673.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d70/redalienx11/IMG_2674.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d70/redalienx11/IMG_2678.jpg

yep, it sure did! I stopped off to grab a growler from the Otter that afternoon, on my way to Vermont. Looked like 10-12 inches of fluff!

I missed out on the best of the newly fallen white stuff on Friday, but my friends who skiied it that day (at Killington) told me it was fantastic. There was 8 or so inches on the upper mountain according to them. There was still plenty of snow to be had on Sat and Sun up there, and I took full advantage of it!

Early forecast is showing another similar storm (split jet stream) for later this week, though not as widespread. Could bring up to 6 inches more in northern New England. Killington, here I come!

tahoe is an interesting beast. its been wet but well above freezing for the most part, though ther eis a base, haven't checked anything out since i am poor and don't want to pay for a lift ticket for crap, but everything else is at that point where there is enough snow to make hiking suck and not enough to ski snowshoe.

hell it was mid 60s here yesterday

A friend of mine in San Ho skiied Kirkwood this past weekend and said it was good. Not great, but good.

Looks like another big dump up north just in time for this weekend! SWEEEEEEEET!