SallyCat

Okemo was a shit-show today. I arrived a little late and had to park insanely far away. Texted my friends who said the main chair and one other quad were down, no new trails were open, and they were doing more standing than skiing. I turned around and headed home, figuring to get a few skinning laps on Mt. Ascutney. Turns out backcountry skiing is a bear right now because the snow is like chest-deep and even though it's fluffy, it's hard to make any progress even on the steeper pitches. A four-foot powder dump that makes skiing nearly impossible is pretty on-brand for 2020, I'd say!

The demographics of weekday skiing are weird this year. Usually it's 98% people over age 65 drinking coffee in the lodge for two hours then skiing a few runs and going home. Now there seem to be a lot more young, college-age people out. Still not a lift line all day, but a noticeable change in people. A friend thinks it's because older people can't be arsed to boot up in the car.

Still in Vermont, living on Mt. Ascutney and loving it! Props to Blue for a strong opening; I miss the night skiing and tailgating! Best wishes to you all for an awesome season at the True Mountain!

Cheers for a great season for us all! Glad to see Blue open! Got my first runs at Okemo this week. Great snow, though not many trails open. People generally behaving in lines, etc. A little more crowded than I expected mid-week. Got a new schedule where I work two days a week...SA-WEET! WINTER OF SALLYCAT!

It's been a lot of work setting up and getting started, but I like it. I don't have overnight dorm duty and I can "mute" kids who are being obnoxious, which really improves class for the other students. The kids on the whole seem to like it and so far they're doing great. But some have shitty family dynamics, which is why they were at a therapeutic boarding school to begin with, so long-term, online school isn't necessarily healthy for every student. Will be interesting to see how long we have to keep this up and how/if it changes what school looks like after it's all over.

I figure wherever you live, city or country, your local hospital is about to become overwhelmed. It's going to be a nightmare everywhere. At least here in VT it's easier to spread out and we're not all touching the same subway pole. Plus the locals here aren't exactly being responsible all the time, either. I was booted off the Backcountry Touring in the Northeast FB page for saying that shredding trees in the backcountry isn't ok just because you are "local." If you're hurt you'll still need to be rescued by people who don't have adequate protection, you'll tie up an ambulance for hours

I hate that "locals vs. outsiders" mentality; I mean the state's biggest economic sector is tourism after all. There are tons of people here in my town waiting this thing out in their vacation homes; I don't blame them and haven't heard much of any local griping about it either. They're ordering take-out from local restaurants and supporting our general store. I think it's just that whether you're local or a visitor, try to make good decisions and don't unnecessarily create a burden on the system right now.

Winter wonderland up here, but it's falling on bare ground. Resort trails still have snow, but obviously it's not being groomed so it can be pretty bulletproof depending on the weather. There's been a push to discourage people from skiing at closed resorts or in the backcountry, the logic being that if you hurt yourself you'll be a drain on medical resources and cause more exposure. Our hospitals and grocery stores are small and wiped out and even Dartmouth-Hitchcock is asking people to sew masks for them because they have no protective supplies. There is definitely a strong current of

Shoot, if any of my current juvenile-delinquent students came as close in their spelling as "tracks" I would throw them a f-ing Mardi Gras parade. My standards have dropped.

Didn't ski at Jay alas. I ran a 5-day ski safari for a group of five kids and we went to Gunstock, Cannon, and Bolton x2. By the end of the day Thursday they were pretty spent and the temps were brutal Friday, so we decided to end the week with the waterpark. The skiing at Bolton was phenomenal. We had fresh snow both days and there was tons of tree skiing available; I really love that place. I'm not a confident woods skier but I loved the ungroomed trails that bumped up a bit. Sounds like @mbike-ski is doing a killer beer safari, too! Jealous!

Oh god the waterpark. Took some students there yesterday and still haven't recovered; so loud...so crowded. But really my biggest complaint was that I had to be sober because I was working. 😪 The flow rider looked really fun! Why are water park hot tubs never hot? The view of Jay and the Greens coming in from the east was worth the whole trip. Spectacular. Happy shredding!

If you want to come to NH/VT by car or plane, go for it. Your Peak Pass is good at Crotched, Mt. Snow, Attitash, and Wildcat. That would make for a good North--south driving safari. Mt. Snow probably has the best snow of all four right now. It's been a grim winter up here so far unless you like boilerplate and holiday crowds. Vermont has WAY better beer than NH, but any ski area is going to be reasonably near a brewpub. If you need nightlife beyond that you haven't skied hard enough. BUT: if you fly in and rent a car, it won't have winter tires and trust me, you want winter fucking tires

Me, too! I would see anything with Will Ferrell and JLD. It's just funny to imagine a comic American remake of Force Majeure. The original was brilliant because it was SOOOOOO quietly, painfully awkward. Will be fun to compare the two.

Also, good god, are those will Ferrell's real bottom teeth?

^ That's a remake/ripoff of Force Majeure.