Deer Valley, UT 3/15/2015

[Admin]

Day 43: A change of scenery.

That's what Bobby Danger, AmyZ, Telejon and I were looking for by venturing over to Deer Valley on Sunday. We'd at least dine well, too. :wink:

What we found, though, was somewhat surprising even in this warm, dry year. Now, DV had 95/101 runs open, and coverage on open groomed terrain was absolutely blemish-free. However, venturing off-piste was ill advised, either because it was thick and manky with daytime highs in the low 60s, or because it was thin enough that stuff like deadfall was a concern. Thank God for a high thin overcast that thickened throughout the day, otherwise it would've gotten really sloppy.

No matter, we had a ball and skied right to 3:30 before finally heading home.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

You Easterners seem to like bumps for some strange reason, so here's Empire Bowl and Conviction. Y'all can have your own little bump festival.

We easterners are still enjoying winter temps and fresh snow.

 

[Admin]

You Easterners seem to like bumps for some strange reason, so here's Empire Bowl and Conviction. Y'all can have your own little bump festival.

We easterners are still enjoying winter temps and fresh snow.

Following a melt and refreeze. Enjoy those ice bumps.

hard and fast with stiff snow in the trees following a midweek thaw/freeze

 

[Marc_C]

We easterners are still enjoying winter temps and fresh snow.

On rounded little ancient hills that at one time were real mountains.

 

[kingslug]

Like Stowe..yup..little hill that one...

 

[Marc_C]

Like Stowe..yup..little hill that one...

Seeing that it's summit is only 50' above the elevation of our airport, and all the lifts stop well below (500'?) the summit...

edit: just checked - the top terminal of the highest lift is 3719', so 674' below the summit (4393') according to published numbers

 

[Marc_C]

Day 43: A change of scenery.

That's what Bobby Danger, AmyZ, Telejon and I were looking for by venturing over to Deer Valley on Sunday. We'd at least dine well, too. :wink:

Unless you've figured out time travel, the date of your visit (and this thread) was 3/15/15.
If you have figured out time travel, we have to talk.

What did y'all eat? Pics?
(I'm home sick and haven't been able to handle solid food for the past 2+ days and I'm bored.)

 

[Admin]

Like Stowe..yup..little hill that one...

Actually, it is a little hill, which is simply borne of the fact that it's part of the Appalachian chain, which if I'm not mistaken are the oldest mountain range in North America. Hence Marc_C's comment that they are "rounded little ancient hills that at one time were real mountains."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_Mountains[/url] Wikipedia":2ajxyop6]The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period and once reached elevations similar to those of the Alps and the Rocky Mountains before they were eroded.

Now, Stowe's got great Eastern terrain and a solid 2,100-foot vertical drop. IMO it's one of the best ski mountains east of the Mississippi. However, because the Appalachians are by nature eroded and rounded it lacks the terrain of, say, an Alta, Big Sky, Crystal Mountain, Lake Louise, Taos, Mammoth, etc., not to mention comparing typical surface quality thanks both to Stowe's elevation and its proximity to a maritime climate. We're not even talking in the same league here.

 

[Admin]

Unless you've figured out time travel, the date of your visit (and this thread) was 3/15/15.

Thanks, fixed that now.

What did y'all eat? Pics?

No pics of the food. I had roast beef sliced from a New York cut with au jus and horseradish sauce, accompanied by roasted potatoes and vegetables. Bobby had a similar plate but with turkey instead of beef. Amy and Jon each got a salad bar.

In all honesty, I was just slightly disappointed. It's the first time that I've eaten at the Silver Lake cafeteria and I found the menu somewhat uninspired when compared with the offerings at Empire Canyon Lodge, where I usually eat when I'm skiing DV. The roast was the most interesting thing that I could find there. I also used to think that the food at DV was a real bargain compared to a greasy hockey puck burger and cold fries at other resorts, which it really isn't anymore, although it was only about a Lincoln more than a burger, fries and soda at Watson's (which BTW doesn't fit into the hockey puck category at all). I could've bought the half-pound game burger (elk/bison/wagu beef) cooked to my preferred temperature, with a salad or fries, and homemade bread on the side at Rustler Lodge for $10 less. While DV's cafeterias are still head-and-shoulders better than 99% of the on-mountain food in North America, I would've been happier eating at the Silver Star Cafe or High West Distillery slopeside next door at PCMR. Both of those excel because they are independently run.

 

[Marc_C]

Now, Stowe's got great Eastern terrain and a solid 2,100-foot vertical drop. IMO it's one of the best ski mountains east of the Mississippi.

+1

 

[socal]

Like Stowe..yup..little hill that one...

Seeing that it's summit is only 50' above the elevation of our airport, and all the lifts stop well below (500'?) the summit...

edit: just checked - the top terminal of the highest lift is 3719', so 674' below the summit (4393') according to published numbers

Since when does summit elevation have anything to do with if something's a real mountain or not? Isn't it more about the vertical? I mean Alyeska's summit is 3939ft, still well below your airport but I think that it's a real mountain.

 

[Admin]

Since when does summit elevation have anything to do with if something's a real mountain or not? Isn't it more about the vertical? I mean Alyeska's summit is 3939ft, still well below your airport but I think that it's a real mountain.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11762&p=73840#p73838

 

[socal]

Since when does summit elevation have anything to do with if something's a real mountain or not? Isn't it more about the vertical? I mean Alyeska's summit is 3939ft, still well below your airport but I think that it's a real mountain.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11762&p=73840#p73838

Yeah I saw that, it was a response to Marc_C, gotta be easier ways to take shots at the east coast mountains than talking about elevation.

 

[Marc_C]

Yeah I saw that, it was a response to Marc_C, gotta be easier ways to take shots at the east coast mountains than talking about elevation.

Personally I think the whole east/west thing is pointless, but some folks sure seem to get their shorts in a bunch way too easily, so it's always fun watching them squirm!
FWIW, both Stowe and Alta have about the same skiable vertical.

 

[Marc_C]

But while we're at it and to complete the thread hijack....
Which one of these more says "mountain!"

Stowe?

Alyeska?

 

[Harvey]

But while we're at it and to complete the thread hijack....
Which one of these more says "mountain!"

So wait... are you saying summit elevation is a bullshit statistic?

 

[Tony Crocker]

Summit elevation at Alyeska of 3939 is a bullshit statistic because top lift service is 2750.

What I would like to know from the 2 easterners is why they waited around until March 15 to get up to Northern Vermont. It's very rare for Vermont to have over 2 months of continuous winter snow yet these guys go up there the weekend after a thaw/freeze. The first rule of quality eastern skiing is carpe diem because next week it might rain or melt down.

Just to be fair I'll point out that Stowe has probably had far better skiing than Jackson Hole over the past month, as Jackson's first big thaw/freeze was Feb. 12.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

What I would like to know from the 2 easterners is why they waited around until March 15 to get up to Northern Vermont.

That's rich -- coming from the guy who's posted a pile of low-tide TRs this winter.

 

[berkshireskier]

What I would like to know from the 2 easterners is why they waited around until March 15 to get up to Northern Vermont. It's very rare for Vermont to have over 2 months of continuous winter snow yet these guys go up there the weekend after a thaw/freeze. The first rule of quality eastern skiing is carpe diem because next week it might rain or melt down.

Just to be fair I'll point out that Stowe has probably had far better skiing than Jackson Hole over the past month, as Jackson's first big thaw/freeze was Feb. 12.

Yea, I skied last Sunday morning in the East. Conditions were terrible - by far the worst of the Winter. Was warm and sunny a few days last week and a lot of the natural snow that had fallen over the past 6 or 7 weeks (and had stuck around for lack of a true thaw for all of February) melted down and then it was above freezing and rained quite hard last Saturday; turned cold Saturday night and everything froze solid. Sunday skiing was on the proverbial frozen coral (more like frozen corduroy after the groomers did their job Saturday night). Was truly harsh trying to ski on that frozen junk. We're now down to the two to three foot manmade base of solid ice, left over from early in the season. We need some warm weather to soften up that chunk of ice.

 

[Marc_C]

What I would like to know from the 2 easterners is why they waited around until March 15 to get up to Northern Vermont.

That's rich -- coming from the guy who's posted a pile of low-tide TRs this winter.

The west has been pretty dry all season. Tony would have needed to travel significant distance to get to high-tide. In contrast you guys are within day-trip/easy two-day trip distance. NEasterners on a certain discussion list were raving about conditions at Stowe and Smuggs on Sunday 3/15 - especially in the afternoon, scoring 5 back-to-back untracked runs in-bounds. One of the best winters in NE in a decade due to the lack of the usual rain and thaw/freeze events. I think Tony's question is totally valid.