Yesterday's Ski

[Adk Keith]

Well I don't see a TR from yesterday so here goes...

It wasn't half bad. :shock:


Started out the morning with ski patrol opening Cirque Glade. My first time over to Burnt Ridge (since there was a lift there anyway :roll: ). Cirque is interesting to say the least. Narrower than I expected, but I'm sure it will widen as time goes on. There was also a couple of spurs I didn't do. I have to say the last set glades before exiting is the longest, steepest, marked hardwood glades on Gore. It's fairly impressive to get to the bottom and look back up through them. Quite nice. A quick run down corduroy Echo and out. Then to the Cave glades, still with good cover, Rumor had big soft bumps, punctuated with a few rocks and ledges to keep you honest. Straight Brook Glades still had plenty of pow on the sides. Report from GF was that Hawkeye was the best she'd ever seen with No hard spots at all. Newton's were tracked up but not tracked out. Mine shaft were well covered. Hullabaloo was in great shape; cut up pow keeps you on your toes. Upper Darby kicked my A$$ as always. A little bony for sure. If I wasn't so protective of my skis I'd do so much better. Darby woods were next and surprisingly not tracked out either. Next was Lower Steilhang to the glades to the right after the headwall. Wish they'd learn to make snow on that headwall. Whales are ok only where they can be groomed later. The glade was almost untracked. By this point the legs were wobbly so down to the Saddle with the intention of eating and going back to Lift 6 for more Darkside fun. As usual after stopping we didn't have the gas to go back up. Decided to try out Otter slide Glades and much to our delight it was great. Hadn't received much traffic so we lapped that off the Sunway double including a poach between Sunway and Ward Hill. saw someone poaching skiers right of Little dipper and that looked sweet too.

In exposed areas there was some wind pack but for the most part the mt was pretty much as good as it gets w/ 10-12" of fresh.

[Jeff]

Was up yesterday on tele gear too. Spent a good part of the morning on the BR quad, in Cirque Glade and also the Sag Glade. I really like the Cirque Glade - hadn't been in there since right before Christmas. That last steep pitch is impressive indeed, although it seems to get scaped down pretty quick. It was my first time in the Sag Glades and although they are short and relatively easy (kinda like Tahawus Glade) found it very enjoyable -- plenty of lines to be had as it didn't seem to be getting much traffic at all. Also love that ungroomed nat snow on Sagamore, I wish they'd keep more of the mountain like that. Only problem with Sagamore is that a couple laps on that really burns the quads up (at least on tele gear)! I think the "silver lining" to the Cedars approach to the BR Quad is that it keeps the traffic down, esp the snowboarders (nothing against them).
Spent the rest of the day up top and that was great too, esp enjoyed the Cave glade and the Newtons. The stuff out past Chati glades was very nice - tracked up but not tracked out even in mid afternoon. Found a very enjoyable pitch by following tracks from the top of the Cave glade that led into the Pine Brook glade. I thought it was gonna bring me back into the Cave glade but obviously it angled a bit more to skier's left than that.
When the woods are good, that's all I need so I never even hit Rumor Lies Hawk or Chati (except for the top half down to the glades). They'll still be there for another day.
At the end of the day I followed Twister down to the Twister Glades and found them very enjoyable. Skied up pretty well but not scraped or boney. It's just a blast smearing tele turns through those soft bumps and letting it rip. Very user-friendly glade that seems to stand up to traffic well as long as there's enough base (like now).
I hope the second half of the winter is as good as the first half has been.

[fujative.]

definitely a fun day. and the my buddies and i chose to ski the mountain, we got lots of freshies for the first.. hour and a half probably.

[Jeff]

Was back at the mtn Sunday and I noticed quite a few tracks from the top of Echo leading along the base of the cliffs and into the Cirque Glade. No drop involved at that point leaving Echo. It looks like it could become an easy alternative approach into the Cirque Glade but I hope that patrol keeps that roped or fenced and doesn't turn it into an official signed entrance so as not to invite any more traffic into the Cirque. Keep the riffraff out and it's a safety for ski pat issue as well as the last thing you want is to sucker a beg-int into 1600' vert of off-piste with the most challenging segment almost at the bottom.
BTW, nugget -- not sure I know that one, can you give a hint?

[mattchuck2]

Haha, no hints, those trails are busy enough without posting locations all over the internet. A lot of people will show you stuff if you see 'em on the mountain.

It's so weird that on powder days at Gore, the woods get tracked up even before the trails do.

It's like the exact opposite of every other mountain in the world.

[MidnightCarving]

hah i know matt, people will ask me how the trails were and i can hardly provide an answer, i spend most of my day in the woods when it's nice....

I think we just get bored with the trails, and alot of the trails don't have enough pitch to fully enjoy on a powder day, end up going too slow.

[fujative.]

hah i know matt, people will ask me how the trails were and i can hardly provide an answer, i spend most of my day in the woods when it's nice....

I think we just get bored with the trails, and alot of the trails don't have enough pitch to fully enjoy on a powder day, end up going too slow.

i definitely hear ya on that one.

[B SMACKER]

You all need to calm down about naming all of the unmarked trails!!!!! This is how you get all the people who dont belong in there and ruin it for the ones that work hard to keep them quiet.

[Snowballs]

You all need to calm down about naming all of the unmarked trails!!!!! This is how you get all the people who dont belong in there and ruin it for the ones that work hard to keep them quiet.

the people who don't belong in there? how do you determine that? do you own that land? last i checked it was a public mtn.

the ones who work hard to keep them quiet? oh, the selfish people.

Gore could hardly be described as a crowded mtn. i was there yesterday. it was a freegin ghost town.

the people who always whine on here about others or mock the beginners/intermediates who aren't extreme skiers cuz they don't ski rumor or the woods or have trouble getting their kids across cedars, need to keep in mind that the mtn would not be open if it weren't for these patrons. they also help keep the price of a season pass reasonable. if we don't have enough skiers, next year's pass will be $1000.00+

[Snowballs]

while i'm at it, i know season pass sales are up, but does it seem to anyone else that the number of skiers at Gore seems to be down this year? i have yet to see the access road parked with many cars yet, usually it has been by now. the new parking lot F just opened so i'm not sure it's why the access road hasn't been full. anyone see the access road parked way down yet?

[Jeff]

They were parking down the access road this past Sunday. Not much beyond where the new lot is, but on the access road nonetheless.

[megatron]

Selfish? I would call the ones who do no work but love to brag about what they ski as selfish.

[Snowballs]

Selfish? I would call the ones who do no work but love to brag about what they ski as selfish.

care to clarify?

[megatron]

I think both of our statements speak for themselves

[Snowballs]

C

[midwestblues]

I think both of our statements speak for themselves

I would welcome clarification as well. If I were to guess, you are suggesting that unless someone spends the time off season clearing out the woods and clearing out cover, they don't have the right to ski those woods? Sounds selfish to me. How do we get to belong to your club. I have skiied Gore on and off for almost 40 years. Does that qualify me for the special "i do the work, i get to ski it and you don't club?" I think I would rather ski with my kids, thanks anyway.

[Spongeworthy]

You all need to calm down about naming all of the unmarked trails!!!!! This is how you get all the people who dont belong in there and ruin it for the ones that work hard to keep them quiet.What difference does mentioning the name of an unmarked trail make if the person hearing it doesn't know where the trail is? :?

I don't know the names of most of the unmarked trails I've been on, and the people I ski with on them (and who cut some of them without naming them) don't seem to care one bit.

[fujative.]

Selfish? I would call the ones who do no work but love to brag about what they ski as selfish.
do not work as in clearing trails, or a steady job?
if you mean trails, not having a license and working 36 hours a week over the summer = no good circumstances for getting up and helping. i'm already making plans with a few people to go up and help clear out this summer.


You all need to calm down about naming all of the unmarked trails!!!!! This is how you get all the people who dont belong in there and ruin it for the ones that work hard to keep them quiet.
and as a TR, i figured stating what i skied and what was good was acceptable. are you expecting to hear "i skied some glades at gore, they were good."? also, stating what i skied and where that is, are completely different.

another thing- you live in anapolis, MD...? how often do you even get to ski them?

[mattchuck2]

Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with megatron on this one.

I have to admit, I sometimes feel a bit guilty for ripping the glades up all winter, and then doing nothing with my weekends all summer. Every summer I plan on doing some stuff, but every summer, I always conveniently find other things to do with my time.

This year, I'm going to have to contact Mr. Goodspeed to set something up.

[Snowballs]

ok i didn't realize ya'll went up there and trimmed so much in the off months. suppose anyone could take a look at the chutes comin down towards echo or the wall off of cloud to the right of the summit chair for possible chutes while your up there? don't know if they'ld leave the sunway wall open/poachable IF there are chutes ( which i suspect there are) but getting some chutes/huckables going would be fun for you guys and prolly good for the mtn as chutes are vogue now even if they are little ones. and see if you can find that damn Cloud Yeti.

there has to be more chutes on that mtn. maybe between pine knot and headwaters or pineknot and uncas. the cliffs between rumor and open pit look a way to sick. still there maybe a skiable chute there, if you got the balls. that would not include me.

and before anyone starts giving me crap for asking others to do this, understand that i do not ski trees cuz i suck at it and i don't wanna trash my babies. 'sides i may even go along and help various heckerpeads on here next summer.

[B SMACKER]

Selfish? I would call the ones who do no work but love to brag about what they ski as selfish.
do not work as in clearing trails, or a steady job?
if you mean trails, not having a license and working 36 hours a week over the summer = no good circumstances for getting up and helping. i'm already making plans with a few people to go up and help clear out this summer.


You all need to calm down about naming all of the unmarked trails!!!!! This is how you get all the people who dont belong in there and ruin it for the ones that work hard to keep them quiet.
and as a TR, i figured stating what i skied and what was good was acceptable. are you expecting to hear "i skied some glades at gore, they were good."? also, stating what i skied and where that is, are completely different.

another thing- you live in anapolis, MD...? how often do you even get to ski them?

Ok, Guys I didnt mean to start a war here but all I'm saying is a lot of the Gore Locals go to great lengths to keep those particular runs on the down low and dont want them getting tore up and clogged up with people that have no business being in there. I have on many of occasion been tearing through an umarked glade and have almost taken someones head off because they had no business being in there.

And Fujative.... I have skied them a lot!!!! I grew up skiing Gore. I dont get up there that often anymore, but when I do I want to know that those sacred runs are being used for pure enjoyment and not something to go bragging to the whole world about. I have skied many a day with Megatron, Jimmer and all of the other Gore Locals and one thing I learned about skiing the unmarked trees is you keep them quiet.... Just keep it to yourself or your buddies.

[megatron]

Work on the trails is a CONSTANT effort. that means YEAR ROUND! There are always branches to be moved, and foot packing in the early season is what enables the glades to keep their snow.
I'm done with you clowns :evil:

[Jeff]

Loaded topic.

"Selfish? I would call the ones who do no work but love to brag about what they ski as selfish. "

Anyone who expects that they can take NYS Forest Preserve land for their own exclusive use, now THAT's selfish.
Anyone who uses those off-the-map trails/glades has as much right to be in there as anyone else, regardless of whether they assisted in the woods clearing or not, regardless of whether they are a "good" skier or a "bad" skier. For the most part, those who have taken it upon themselves to create these trails seem happy to share. That's as it should be. Similarly, there is no obligation to publicize the location or even existence of these trails. And that's as it should be also. Personally, I'm grateful those trails are there and I appreciate the hard work that went into them. It's a significant part of Gore's appeal to me. So, for the record, thanks.

Let's keep in mind that whether you did some of the work to create/maintain these glades or you are merely a user of these trails, we're all involved in an activity which is officially considered illegal and therefore "selfish." There seems to be a reasonably tolerant "don't ask / don't tell" policy on the part of mtn mgt with respect to both the creation of these glades and use of these glades. That works for me, I'm not looking to upset that balance. Too much superior attitude or expectation of exclusive use and you're going to upset that balance. I'd like to see an evolution of mtn mgt's stance on these trails that results in a "ski it if you can" policy similar to MRG's: the glades and woods are neither marked nor patrolled, you may ski them as long as you enter & exit from an open trail, ski in groups of 3 or more, can't enter after 3pm. That's pretty much it.
Regards,

[Snowballs]

^^^ very well said. he brings up a very good point. too much bickering/bullchit could change in the status quo. anybody who rips around and frequently " almost takes somebody's head off " needs to remember the ski with care rule AND show some respect/concern for others for crying out loud. that false machismo/braggadoicia has no place on the hill. the first time someone is seriously hurt or God forbid, dies back there don't be surprised if the out of bounds gets locked down, passes yanked and the actions of a few ruins it for the many.

jeff is right. mtn management does have a don't ask-don't tell attitude. i've only seen ski patrol tell people "this trail's closed" or " you know your not supposed to be in there " or even just look the other way. i've never seen them truly bitch any poachers out or escort them off the hill. while i don't ski woods, i support you guys thoroughly enjoying the crap out of them.

you got a good thing going there. if you show respect and concern for others and work together then you could get some more really cool trails. Gore's got alot of space yet to be ripped. many of the existing trails have areas in between, echo and sags complete w/chutes, pineknot and headwaters, foxlair and sunway, that could be developed by us and if done well could lead to an offical nod/wink.

mtn management needs to be shown respect. that means ski with care, in groups, don't get hurt, don't enter the woods late and don't do stupid things. if you go solo, you make damn sure you do not get hurt. you'll not only fudge yourself, but all the others who enjoy the same activity you do. do not screw over mtn management. they're the good people who permit your activity.

please don't anyone get they're panties in a bunch. i'm just trying to promote the common good, improve the mtn and of course the main reason we're all there................FUN!

[Spongeworthy]

:arrow: the first time someone is seriously hurt or God forbid, dies back there don't be surprised if the out of bounds gets locked down, passes yanked and the actions of a few ruins it for the many.Words of wisdom.

You can pretty much guarantee that's exactly what would happen. After an experienced bobsledder got hurt at at Mount Van Hoevenberg 23 years ago, then sued and won, ORDA was going to end bobsledding forever in Lake Placid. After a groomer got injured on Rumor 12 years ago, then sued and won, ORDA was not going to let Gore cut any more expert trails. Fortunately, both of those cases got reversed on appeal and you can see the results in Lake Placid and North Creek.

[B SMACKER]

^^^ very well said. he brings up a very good point. too much bickering/bullchit could change in the status quo. anybody who rips around and frequently " almost takes somebody's head off " needs to remember the ski with care rule AND show some respect/concern for others for crying out loud. that false machismo/braggadoicia has no place on the hill. the first time someone is seriously hurt or God forbid, dies back there don't be surprised if the out of bounds gets locked down, passes yanked and the actions of a few ruins it for the many.

jeff is right. mtn management does have a don't ask-don't tell attitude. i've only seen ski patrol tell people "this trail's closed" or " you know your not supposed to be in there " or even just look the other way. i've never seen them truly bitch any poachers out or escort them off the hill. while i don't ski woods, i support you guys thoroughly enjoying the crap out of them.

you got a good thing going there. if you show respect and concern for others and work together then you could get some more really cool trails. Gore's got alot of space yet to be ripped. many of the existing trails have areas in between, echo and sags complete w/chutes, pineknot and headwaters, foxlair and sunway, that could be developed by us and if done well could lead to an offical nod/wink.

mtn management needs to be shown respect. that means ski with care, in groups, don't get hurt, don't enter the woods late and don't do stupid things. if you go solo, you make damn sure you do not get hurt. you'll not only fudge yourself, but all the others who enjoy the same activity you do. do not screw over mtn management. they're the good people who permit your activity.

please don't anyone get they're panties in a bunch. i'm just trying to promote the common good, improve the mtn and of course the main reason we're all there................FUN!


Let me say first, I dont go running through the trees carelessly and I always stop to offer assistance to anyone that needs it even on the bunny hill!!!! I used to work in ski school and always stopped to assist people, you were trained to.

I used a bad choice of words saying I rip through the trees with reckless abandon. But I did come very close once to seriously hurting someone. They were just sitting there trying to negotiate a section of woods that they werent really qualifed to be in. And I dont mean that only the locals who cut the trails or do all the work to keep them up to par in the winter can only use them, it was someone that was not one of the strongest skiers that could probably be the type to get seriously hurt, sue Gore, ORDA the whole bit and mess it up for all of us.

I want everyone to enjoy these gems that we have at Gore, they are definitley what makes Gore the absolute best in the East. Just keep em on the down low.

And please keep them good for me, I'll be up there in a few weeks to enjoy!!!!!

[SIAWOL]

Gore does have a nice tree network--better than most other mountains. I can think of only a handful that are better/comparable (SL, SB, Jay).

But because of Gore's accessibility to the woods from mainstream trails, they do have a tendency to attract developing skiers to them. I've heard an awful lot of chatter just riding the gondola from folks that want to learn how to ski glades by going to Cave, StraightBrook, or "trying" the Cirque glades. :shock:

Otter slide, people. Otter slide. :idea:

Beginners/Intermediates like to explore the mountain just the same as experts do. And the feeling of being in the woods is something all can appreciate. It's just that they often lack the experience and judgement to make wise decisions with respect to the woods. That's something no amount of whining is going to address--all we can hope to do is educate folks about what to look for in the terrain, good practices (ski with friends, etc.), and what good etiquette is in the woods--ski in control, move to the side and let others pass if needed, take your time, and don't be afraid to admit you're in over your head....[/quote]

[fujative.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TVz7MiFhAk&feature=related

[Snowballs]

sure hope that's not a link to a gnome porn site! :wink:

[MidnightCarving]

both are selfish. those who don't do any work are becuase they contribute nothing to the mtn. those who do work and keep secrets are selfish because we all want to promote the sport and the mountain.

also, involving more people in the backcountry leads to more trails being created, which subsequently evens out the population gains, and creates new areas.

some may contest me, stating that we don't need the masses in the woods, but the masses don't want to be in the woods, i've found that the people who seek hidden trails are not the stereotypical jersey/long island crowd. The jersey/long islanders are perfectly happy on trail or on marked glade, and don't care enough to inquire about hidden trails. Most people i've met that know, or want to know about hidden trails are responsible, safe, and a little bit adventurous people that really contribute to the whole atmosphere.