IrishSnow686

I think it all really depends on what you are looking for. Blue has a 1,000' vert. If you are looking to just go park, Blue might be a bit more crowded this weekend since Sidewinder park is opening today.. so alot of people will want to go and check it out. Blue's park has some big features. BB has nice setup's from what I have read. If you are looking for more than just the park... Blue has the vert, but JFBB will probaly have less amount of people. I was at Blue last weekend at it was a madhouse on Lazy Mile and in the lower park. I heard BB was pretty empty for a weekend.

SNOWMAKING HAS ENDED ON SIDEWINDER PARK,THE CREW IS NOW BUILDING THE PARK AND IT WILL OPEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND CHALLENGE IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN THURSDAY NIGHT. Looks like it might be Friday night they open Sidewinder. Hopefully for everyone heading up there for the day it will be open by mid-day. Get a few good runs in before the Friday Night crowd gets in there.

Maybe they did place a few guns close or in the woods. I know Okemo has one glade that they blow snow on. And apparently there is enough snow in JF's b/c T-Bolt glade is open and Risk It is set to open this weekend. They must have brough some guns in or very close to the edge.

The 6-pack is nice but the crowd builds up right off the ramp pretty badly. People coming off the lift are going right into the people that are just hanging out.. and it can be a pretty decent size crowd. Then mix in the people coming from the quad and having to go around that clusterfuck! From what I heard from two friends of mine, Big Boulder and Shawnee were dead empty in the morning on Sunday. I go to Shawnee but once every 3-4 years, and BB about 5 times a year.. but if thats the case it is well worth it to head there than deal with this 6-pack issue on the weekends. Blue usually is crowded on weekends, but now with a high speed quad and 6-pack, the amount of people on Lazy Mile sunday was insane.

The cov'g on Lazy Mile is decent. About 1/2 way down, pretty much where Sidewinder and Lazy Mile are real close, the right side seems to be covered but has minimal cov'g. Alot of rocks and ice chunks. I dinged up my edges and put some good size scrapes when I 1st went thru it.

I work for an insurance company.. and yes, it is covered under the contents portion of a homeowners policy. Like Johnnypowder said, the best thing to do is take an inventory (photo or video) of all of your things. Keep a copy of it and also see if you insurer will take a copy (just in case your copy was stolen or burned in a fire!). However, I highly doubt any insurance company would let you put it on your policy like a peice of jewelry.. mainly b/c this is an item that you are using alot, and subjecting it to a lot of wear and tear amonst everything else. We have people trying to add their golf clubs, bikes, computers to their policy and we have to decline it. We just tell them it is covered under the contents portion. Though it may be listed on your policy and if it were stolen, you are still subject to the deductible... so if board and bindings were less than your deductible, you have to pay for all of it. Its a great thing those kids were caught, but all the more reason for CB to stop trying to earn a $ for every little thing and have a free ski/board check like Blue.

Not sure if anyone knows about this website, www.steepandcheap.com, but here is the deal with it. They only sell ONE item at a time and once its sold out, it moves onto the next item. Most of the items on there do not interest me and are not always ski/snowboard related, but keep checking at it and you'll be able to find some good deals on ski/snowboard equipment. I believe most of it is last years models, but still. Some examples: I got a pair a Spy goggles for $40, retailed for $160. My friend got a 2 Flow snowboards for $250 each, retailed for $550. Sold one on ebay and made his money back. I'm not pushing or promoting anything here.. just trying to help some people out to get some good stuff for cheap. With all the money we spend on equipment, finding a great deal is hard to pass up and not tell people about.

Thats what I was thinking. They need to blow at least on lower Sidewinder.. I have grown very tired with Come-A-Round. Not sure if I'll be up tonight then... I am going with a friend who hurt his knee back in Nov and this is his 1st time out this season.. the ice might change his mind. Tomorrow should be better, get a fresh coat over the trail.. but then again, by time I get up there at 5:30 that will all have been scrapped off.

With the cold temps coming and snowmaking resuming tonight, how icey do we expect these trails to be? A few days of light rain, temps in the 40's.. then a quick blast of cold air... and if they are making snow, do you think they will be blowing on the open trails or wait until after hours?

tou'che!

The ski patrol/rangers may not be police, but some sure do carry the attitude they are. Last year at Blue, was in the slow skiing area by the Main St. double chair going slow b/c there were a few people.. ski patrol dude comes thru pretty fast, talking and looking at his buddy on his right. By the time I see this, I had a split second to react, tried to move and brace myself as much as I could.. the guy grazes me and he goes down.. then proceeds to yell at me for going to fast thru the slow skiing zone!! He wanted to take my ticket but he knew he was in the wrong.. just was too embarassed to admit he was wrong.

Things do get chewed up real fast, people see that fresh cord and just have to be the 1st ones on it. Whats better is when people sit and wait at the ropes on Razor's Edge and if you are lucky enough to be on the lift when the rope drops.. all you see is about 20-30 bodies popping over the crest of the mountain followed by about another 20-30 people all trying to get in the first turns on the fresh groomed cord's. Generally, they do not groom a trail around here with it still open as they will rope off the trail. You do run into the occasion groomer making a trip to the top or bottom while the trail is still open and everyone is skiing/riding on that couple feet wide of groomed trail.. haha.

Last year I did Sugarbush, Stowe and Smugglers Notch. Sugarbush and Stowe were fun mountains. I went mid-week so there were no crowds. Stowe's nightlife was the best of the three, Sugarbush got a good snow while I was there so conditions were great. By the time I got to Stowe, all the powder was gone. I do not reccommend going to Smuggs. I was very dissapointed with the place... super slow double chair lifts (no high speed). In a little over 3 hours of riding, I might have got in 3-4 runs. Tree skiing was good, zero nightlife and no town w/in distance. I go to Whiteface every few years and have a good time there. Might want to add that one in.

The only trail I have seen Blue shut down for grooming after it was already open at the beginning of the day is Paradise. I have seen grooming during the day on Razor's edge and Switchback early in the morning and then open up by 10am. I would love to see a grooming team out there around 5pm to give the night crowd some fresh trails and clean landings.

My post was from opening day, Dec 8th.... On that day, they had a different set up then what they got going now. When you 1st entered come around, there was a gap on flat down box, then a jump were that wide picnic table is which lead into the next jump that is still there. THe jump they took out was a much bigger one than what they have now. By the next week they changed the set up, took out the flat down and the big jump. Added a the two rollers and the flat box. With the widening of Upper Sidewinder, how do you think the lighting will be? Last year it seemed to me that it was kinda dark in the park. I didnt see that they added more light, but I could be wrong.

LOL.... I love the contradiction from the same website in a matter of days. COLD January, but then the other says only cold for 2 days at a time.. ugh..

I went up to Blue this morning and to my suprise, they did have a park set up (a flat down box, 2 jumps and another jib on Come Around) Typically, Blue has always kept the park features to the park. This is the 1st time they have opened with park features. There was no mention that they would, so I assumed they wouldnt.. but it just made it that much sweeter while on my lift ride up I spotted it. MCskiALOT - I left Blue around 2:30ish.. didn't hear ya but then again, with that wind blowing as hard as it was I don't think I would have hear a bomb drop right next to me. I was expecting a little bit more of icy conditions after yesterday's warm temps and then quickly getting cold but the conditions good. But then again, it was opening day and I could have been going down on a piece of plywood and been happy! haha.

Blue will NOT have a terrain park open. From what their Ski report phone message says, they are opening with 6-7 trails...Come Around, Easy Out, Vista, Midway, part of Main Street. I am assuming from where Midway connects down to the lift, unless X-ing is open, then Main St. would be open from where X-ing connect to the lift. Burma Road might open at some point during the day. Blue always opens with the smaller side of the mountain first. To access both terrain parks you need snow from top to bottom. And they only started blowing snow at the base area about 3 days ago. But I will be there tomorrow since I have off from work!

Anyone know what trails Blue Mt. might be opening with? My guess is the usual right side of the mountain where the majority are beginner trails.