With hiking season just around the corner...

A really good thing for avid skiers and snowboarders to do is to check out some of the region's lost and closed ski areas. While many are on private land, there are quite a few with public access and the amount of alpine history is fabulous. I've been a fan of NELSAP for several years and have even found a couple lost ski areas myself. You'll alos find some really good links to other "lost" sites, forums, and lots of infomration on ropeways of all sorts.

Sugarloaf's still turning the lift...

I've been trying to avoid looking out the window this morning as the site is saddening. It's been raining for a couple of days and after a week of above normal temps, only one ski resort in the east remains open for daily operations. Sugarloaf, Maine has had to do some patchwork on the lower mountain to provide a groomed trail to the base of the SuperQuad, but has good cover on several trails fomr the top of the lift. Of course it you're looking for grooming, this is not the place... Except that until this Saturday it's the only place. While The Loaf will win the race for the last to be open continuously, Jay Peak and Sugarbush, both in Vermont, hope to open a trail or two each for the weekend. Again, as a note to any skier or rider, terrain will be un-groomed moguls and variable late season terrain for advanced skiers and riders only. If you do not fit into this category - while we still want you to be able to enjoy the sports - please wait until next season for your own safety. For all others, we'll see you out on the hill!

Coming soon to Topia Road... Me

For those who may like some more online articles on skiing and riding, and even a chance to catch some of my original articles, check out Topia Road Online Ski & Snowboard Magazine. You’ll find interesting articles written by folks who know skiing and riding and are willing to share their experience and knowledge with you. Everything from racing, how-to articles, resort reviews, and travel stories will be featured year-round. Subscribe and tell a friend about a new and fabulous place to keep in touch with your favorite winter sports!

Gondola projects taking shape

One of the first posts I made in this here blog was about the massive Peak-to-Peak Gondola project that is currently underway at Whistler/Blackcomb, BC. I talked about a site where you could follow the progress of the construction and installation of this mammoth lift through videos, pictures, and articles - all on a Whistler site. Sadly, this site came down once ski season started and whether it reopens is unknown to me. The Gondola, being built by Dopplmayr/Garaventa, is the largest in the world in terms of tower-to tower span, distance, and maximum height above the ground.
I’ve indeed also talked about a project here at lovely Sunday River, ME where Dopplmayr/CTEC is installing the region’s first hybrid lift (aka Chondola) – gondola and 6-person chair. Okay, so the scale of this project isn’t quite the same as the Peak-to-Peak, but it’s still a fairly major installation and I’ve decided that I will attempt to create a site/blog about the project’s process. The site address is TBD and will also be contingent on approval from Sunday River so stay tuned for further details.

Who will be last? An update!

So about a week ago I discussed all the ski areas closing down as May approaches and I even posed a question to many friends regarding, which ski area will be the last to have lifts running in New England. While only a few have daily operations ongoing to date, there are several that plan to reopen this weekend and some have said they will go further. Actually, some haven't said anything while both Sugarloaf in Maine and Wildcat in New Hampshire have indicated that they will at least go for the first weekend in May. This of course bodes well for people like me, but I have to wonder if a Vermont area will make a last minute decision. With former "King of Spring Skiing," Killington, closing a couple days ago, I would say that the resort with the best skier base to make feasible attempt would be Sugarbush. Jay Peak, the region's snowfall anomaly, could probably make it with their snowpack, but the northern kingdom of Vermont is just too far for many to travel for limited operations. The guessing game goes on.

It takes so long to build up...

...and yet each spring, the snow melts at a pace that is disturbingly rapid. With daytime temps reaching 70 degrees, the cooling effect of the snow surface is enogh to preserve the multiple feet that have packed down over the past several months. And so here we are, a week away from May Day and all but six or seven ski resorts remain open in New England. While earning money takes a back seat to plain old public relations, there is a positive yet somber vibe in the mountains. We celebrate a exciting and successful ski season, but at the same time, we say goodbye to another year of fun, friends, and memories. And while I hope to ski two and maybe three more weekends I sense the snow melting at an even more rapid pace now. The nighs are no longer cold and the days are much less short. Like everything in life, we are in the transition of cycles.

Last Resort Standing???

Okay, so we know that most ski resorts have given their expected closing dates while most have already closed. I personally think Sunday River will be too busy getting ready to build "The Viking Express" to stay open past their announced date, but it would be cool if they pulled a fast one and opened a couple weekends after the 27th. The Loaf has said May 4th, but there have been hints of later. Wildcat has said they will stay open for weekends as long as there is snow and people want to ski, but how many people? The Bush has said they will close, then said they will stay open, and it goes back and forth. If the Bust stays open they will get traffic. Mt. Snow wants to show off what their 101 fans guns did this past winter and prove that their southern location won't keep them from being the last. Finally there's Killington, home of the former "Superstar Glacier." They gave a date and then extended a week; hell they were originally supposed to close a few days ago. So let's hear what you think will happen. My vote goes to WC. I think that their exposure and elevation will hold the snow and they will open on weekends through mid-May or later, or at least I hope...

East vs. West... Again?

I know, this is sort of an odd question, but yet one that has come up recently with some folks from the east asserting that skiing in the two regions are actually different sports. Their argument focused on the fact that out west they get more snow, the elevation is higher, and for the most part, the vertical drops at ski resorts are longer. I guess the point of this post is that I don’t get how those factors would make the sport a different sport. My opinion is that it would make it similar to golf in that you can play a mountain course or an ocean course and while you would have some very different features, it’s still golf. Additionally, there are ski races all over the world, but wherever they are, they are still ski races. I don’t know. I guess I’m thinking out loud.

The Robert Conrad Sierra Trilogy - No it wasn't called that!

Jules often laughs when I talk about a particular TV show I’m watching on DVD. Why? Because it seems that just about every one that I watch is a cancelled show. I don’t think it’s that I like bad shows, but rather shows that some people just couldn’t connect with. A prime example of this would be three series that were created and starred Robert Conrad and family; High Mountain Rangers, Jesse Hawkes, and High Sierra Search and Rescue. The longest run of any of these was HMR, which managed a pilot and 13 episodes or one season, if you will. I don’t know what it was about Conrad that he tried desperately after already having an extremely successful acting career, to have a show work that was set in California and Nevada’s Sierra Mountains. He was obviously intent on it and apparently he was able to sell the idea on three separate occasions. Regardless, I love his stuff, especially the 80’s shows and anything filmed in South Lake Tahoe. The city and region should be proud that he had done all of this work.

I prefer the Hybrid Lift, but you can decide for yourself

So you’ve been reading up on ski lifts and have heard that Sunday River is installing a $7.3 million “Chondola” and haven’t a clue what it is, well you’re not alone. In fact Chondola is really just a nickname for this type of lift which is actually called a hybrid lift and has only been installed three previous times in North America. While it is a fairly complex left, given the need for daily configuration set up, which can be altered depending on needs resulting from temps and wind, the hybrid is one part chairlift and one part gondola. The carriers are interspersed along the haul rope at whatever desired interval the operators chose. The chairs seat 6 and the gondola cabins seat 8. Sunday River’s new Hybrid – I just don’t like the word Chondola – is being designed and installed by Dopplmayr/CTEC with the possible exception of the gondola cabins which in the case of a Dopplmayr installation, are usually purchased from CWA of Switzerland. While the name for the new lift hasn’t been announced, I’ve suggested to the resort that it be called “The Viking Express.” We shall see!

It's not over yet so don't put those skis away just yet.

Even though there are still a couple weeks left of skiing and riding at Sunday River, while at the seasons passholders BBQ today I sensed that people were almost saying goodbye to the season. True, many were, but while people were smiling, eating, and drinking, I just got a sense of sadness. Perhaps much of it was from me. This has been nothing short of an epic season for me and I'm not ready for it to be over, but I must say that this time of year can truly be depressing as the pending closure looms closer with the end of each day. Thankfully, I know that even when the season ends, I'll still see my skiing friends and summer will be okay, but wouldn't it be nice if "Infinite Snow" was an actual reality?

Sometime the unexpected turns out great!

As I awoke this morning, the rain was pouring and the sky dark. Around 9:00, I finally amde my way to the slopes. The rain had stopped but most of the mountain was covered in thick clouds with poor visibility. After about 10 or so runs, I headed west to Jordan Bowl and jumped on the quad. The treat that greeted me at the top was worth the wait and totally unexpected. The Jordan summit was above the cloud cover, sunny, and war, It was a real treat and the snow was perfect!

Bethel's Simon Dumont Breaks Quarterpipe World Record!

It took 4 days and countless runs, but this morning Simon Dumont broke the previous world record of 32.5 feet above the lip of the quarterpipe, held by Norwegian snowboarder Terje Haakonsen by launching a jump of 35 feet and throwing down a 900 spin while in the air. After 3 days of bluebird skies with warm temps, many feared that the record was destined not to fall as each attempt Dumont took was well-short of the mark. The quarterpipe, designed by Snow Park Technologies and funded by Red Bull, is the largest ever to be built and its' placement with a long in-run seemed the perfect spot on Sunday River's Aurora Peak. Yet the slow and wet snow, along with a minor injury kept hampering Dumont, a native of Bethel, Maine who grew up skiing Sunday River. Then Dumont decided to climb further up the mountain than he had on his previous attempts. The result was a huge world record jump that measured 35 feet with some on hand saying that it looked more like 36. Regardless, a collective sigh of relief fell upon the crew and crowd as the X-Games Gold Medalist added another accolade to his already impressive resume.

Another Perfect Day In The Northeast Kingdom

It was early this morning when I heard the distant sound base drive of the South Ridge Quad start turning. Expecting some solid cloud cover and perhaps some NCP, (Non-crystallizing precipitation, we don’t use the word r**n in the skiing world. It’s taboo) I saw the bright rays of the early morning sun peeking through the shades. Curious whether my eyes were deceiving me, I went out to porch to find bluebird skies and warming temperatures. It was day 80 of the 2007/2008 version of the search and having heard the grooming machines all over the mountain last night, I knew that the mountain would be ready. Stepping out of the condo and onto the super-soft April snow, I looked around to the visible peaks to see if any new bare spots were creeping up, it is April 10th after all, and yet the brown blemishes were few and far between. This would be another epic day on snow.

Here's hoping for April snow-showers... or just sun!

As the first week of April has drawn to a close, you wouldn't know it by looking at the ski slopes. Many major eastern resorts are close to fully open and the days keep getting better and better. Ice and hardpack has turned to soft corn snow and the warm temps and high sun provide goggles tans and smiles all around. Sure, most folks have hung up the skis for the year, but the best skiing and riding is upon us right now and I'm loving every minute of it. And while the snow is still deep and I love the warm sunny days, don't forget that last year, April was the season's snowiest month. I guess we'll see, but it seems like a win-win situation!

Simon Dumont to attempt world record jump

Bethel, Maine's own Simon Dumont will attempt to break the world record of air above the lip of a quarter-pipe, which is currently held by Candide Thovex of France. The record, which is 31 feet in the air, is actually about 50 feet above the ground. While Dumont's sponsor, Red Bull is being hush hush about details of when the attempt will be made, the venue is the mountain Dumont grew up skiing - Sunday River, Maine. Crews having been working around the clock constructing the 50-foot structure on the Airglow trail and rumor has it that the actual attempt will take place this week. Red Bull owns the rights to the record attempt and doesn't want unauthorized picture or videos, the reason for the secrecy. In an attempt last year, Dumont got 30 feet above the lip before crashing.

Loon Mountain Review

What day it was today on the southern slopes of the White Mountain National Forest. Loon, a new sister resort to Sunday River and Sugarloaf in the east, is a perennial favorite for commuters from Boston due to its' proximity to I93. Loon has been a major player in the east for a long time, but has struggled with expansion due to permits and changing ownerships. With a vertical drop of 2100 feet, Loon has an impressive drop and it isn't stacked; you can ski from the top of North Peak all the way to the base and then get back up on high-speed lifts. Having not skied Loon in over a decade, I'd heard horror stories about the massive crowds on the weekends and quite frankly I can't imagine the place on a busy day. Luckily, I was there mid-week and there were no crowds or lift lines. Even with the resorts long-awaited expansion to South Peak, the resort does not offer a lot of terrain. With a 4-person gondola and HSDQ getting people up the mountain, there are limited options from there. While I enjoyed the runs off North Peak, I couldn't see myself spending a lot of time at this resort. There are wonderful views and great cruising terrain, but the resort is nothing more than an intermediate haven. There is lack of really anything with much pitch and the only challenging terrain is off the trail map or out of bounds. If not for the fact that my pass to Sunday Rver allows me free skiing at Loon, I would have preferred to drive 10 minutes further to Cannon Mountain.

Parrot Head Weekend

I'm I the only one that thinks it's just a little strange to mix Jimmy Buffett and skiing? I mean his music and auro are representative of the islands and warm weather, yet we're currently in the midst of Parrot Head weekend here at Sunday River. Not only that, but these people come out in strong numbers. Despite overcast skies today, the area where the festivities were being held was packed with people, food, music, and lots of booze. I'm pretty sure some of those folks had no business being on the slopes after that. So anyway, I digress, I like Jimmy Buffett's musics and I can see why it would lend itself well to warm spring skiing, but with this being the 21st annual festival, where is the guy? What, he can't show up to one of these things? :)

Your Mountain's Expanding... April Fools!

Okay, so I’m one of those gullible folks that falls for just about every April Fools prank in the book. Yesterday was a day where ski enthusiasts had a field day with April Fools jokes on seemingly every alpine forum. Sadly, I fell for a good number of them. Perhaps the one that made me want to slap myself the most was a “press release” on the Sunday River Community Forum that was perfect from the format to even some of the details of the announcement. As if last month’s public announcement of the new Chondola wasn’t enough, one of the moderators, who is an employee of Freeskier Magazine, posted a fake press release regarding expansion to the western flank of Jordan Mountain. Such an expansion plan was drawn up over a decade ago under the direction of Les Otten and is still a viable option for the resort. Why this worked? Sunday River announced spending upwards of $20 million through this summer of which only $14 million has been accounted for, so trail expansion along with the history of the plans made it believable, especially with the huge increase of skier visits this year. Why this shouldn’t have worked? The author noted that the 200 acre development would be serviced by a new 6-pack. That would be unrealistic with the feeder lifts all being quads. Anyway, many of us took the bait. Other fictional press releases from online forums around the area included the finalization of the Killington-Pico Interconnect with a two way high-speed quad, despite POWDR Corp indicating this was not in their immediate plans, Sugarloaf’s expansion to Burnt Mountain, which was perhaps the most believable as the mountain has indicated plans are being drawn for the expansion, and the most ludicrous being an expansion at Crotched Mountain that would not only reopen the closed side of the resort, but also link the two to now defunct Temple Mountain via a tram taken from Cannon. I’m not sure anyone bought this one, but the funniest part about it was that the article said Cannon was replacing the iconic Tram with a Chondola. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m not so sure I’d like that chairlift ride!

Just something to think about when riding the chairlift... Or before!

Actually, it's probably something to think about before getting on the chair and I really shouldn't joke as whenever my dad sees me in my ski pants he asks why I don't have the bib over my shoulders and instead, hangin behind me. He always says that it's going to get caught on a chairlift and now that I've seen this short video, he may be right. Yikes!