Gore's grooming

[kcyanks1]

Not to stir up a big fight or be too negative, but I want to try to get some more active threads going, and it was something that came to mind. I voted for grooming too many trails. For many years Gore never seemed to have a real bump run that has moguls at a nice, constant pattern. Double Barrell ended up like that when I skied it a number of years back. I still think more of the normal expert trails need to be left alone.

[mattchuck2]

You do this poll for any ski area (besides MRG) and you'll probably get the "Grooms too many" answer. Hawkeye used to be the Quintessential bump run. Now I hardly ever see it ungroomed (exception of 3 or 4 weekends back when they were just opening it). Lower Double barrel always seems to develop nice lines in it, but that's the only trail you can count on to be definitely bumped later in the season. I've skied unbelivable Spring Bumps on Rumor, only to come back the next week and find it groomed.

I say they do it in twos. If you're going to groom Hawkeye, leave Chatiemac bumped. If you're going to groom Topridge, leave Uncas bumped (had some great moguls last weekend). If you're going to groom Lies, leave Rumor bumped. There's nothing more disappointing than skiing great bumps one weekend, then coming back to find them all knocked down.

[highpeaksdrifter]

You do this poll for any ski area (besides MRG) and you'll probably get the "Grooms too many" answer.

Mattchuck has hit the nail on the head hear. I remember a thread on AZ about grooming in general. I said then to ask any ten male skiers if they like grooming and nine will say no, but out of the nine probably 7 couldn't get down the mountain on ungroomed trails.

Sure experts like ungroomed when the snows good, but what would happen to a ski area's high volume trails if they went ungroomed on a weekend. By Sat. afternoon they are skied off down the middle and with no grooming Sunday is a disaster for the general public.

You have to cater to your client base because the ski business is a business and the bottom line is the vast majority of skiers want grooming.

I personally think Gore has down a great job opening up ungroomed glades and liftlines to the public. I've only been there 3 times this year and the last 2 times Hawkeye was bumped up nice. I love that trail when it's like that.

[highpeaksdrifter]

Not to stir up a big fight or be too negative, but I want to try to get some more active threads going, and it was something that came to mind.

Great idea, we have to mix it up otherwise things get boring when everybody is in agreement all the time. As long as we're respectful of each other's opinions let er rip.

[highpeaksdrifter]

If you're going to groom Lies, leave Rumor bumped. There's nothing more disappointing than skiing great bumps one weekend, then coming back to find them all knocked down.

I'm sure alot of you ski Gore alot more then me, but I don't consider Rumor a bump run. They get those big old whalebacks, which are fun, but not something to find a zipper through. I like Rummor and it does have a steep headwall, but I've always thought it was over rated. I'd rather ski Lies, much better bump lines.

[mattchuck2]

Come to Gore around the last week of March/first week of April . . . the big bumps on Rumor are fantastic and soft. Also, a couple of years ago, Rumor was ranked "Best Bump Run" by Ski Magazine (over outer limits, white heat, etc.)

[mattchuck2]

Link:

http://www.skimag.com/skimag/travel_...694893,00.html

[kcyanks1]

You do this poll for any ski area (besides MRG) and you'll probably get the "Grooms too many" answer. Hawkeye used to be the Quintessential bump run. Now I hardly ever see it ungroomed (exception of 3 or 4 weekends back when they were just opening it). Lower Double barrel always seems to develop nice lines in it, but that's the only trail you can count on to be definitely bumped later in the season. I've skied unbelivable Spring Bumps on Rumor, only to come back the next week and find it groomed.

I say they do it in twos. If you're going to groom Hawkeye, leave Chatiemac bumped. If you're going to groom Topridge, leave Uncas bumped (had some great moguls last weekend). If you're going to groom Lies, leave Rumor bumped. There's nothing more disappointing than skiing great bumps one weekend, then coming back to find them all knocked down.

That's a fair view. I have found that Double Barrell is the only trail that develops nice mogul patterns. Hawkeye used to, as you said, but no more. Rumor in the spring has some nice ones, though on the large size, but for much of the year it has messy, uneven huge whales. Though I love MRG, I can be happy with a little more grooming - like Sugarbush, for example. I can spend the whole day aside from a warmup run or two on ungroomed stuff, and often do--but if the ungroomed stuff weren't in great condition, there would be some alternatives. But MRG is great

[mattchuck2]

Do you think that the appeal of MRG is the lack of grooming, or the lack of snowmaking? Sometimes I feel like manmade stuff doesn't set, stay, and deteriorate as well as natural snow. New manmade is fun, but 2-3 days out, 5" of natural feels better than 5" of manmade. Know what I mean?

For that reason, mountains that make a lot of snow have to put in the time to do a lot of grooming. Lies and Hawkeye were great this past weekend because they were pounded with guns. But next weekend, without grooming, they will be rock hard (unless we get rain and warmth). Personally, I'm in favor of leaving them so they'll be ready for the next snow event. But I'm pretty sure that as soon as the bumps firm up to the point of not being easily skiable, they'll flatten them and wait to build them up again.

[kcyanks1]

Do you think that the appeal of MRG is the lack of grooming, or the lack of snowmaking? Sometimes I feel like manmade stuff doesn't set, stay, and deteriorate as well as natural snow. New manmade is fun, but 2-3 days out, 5" of natural feels better than 5" of manmade. Know what I mean?

I think both are a factor. I love natural snow, even when there is less of it. I think you post in the MRV group. I have a trip report from mid-Dec where I talk about skiing Spillsville and Exterminator for two days despite lots of thin cover (which I later discovered caused me to need some base repair ) because the snow was sooooo much nicer. But then I also like mogul trails, at least nice even moguls. From my experience, the moguls at MRG (and the natural snow SB trails) are always so nice shape-wise. While I do like the occasional groomer to warm up or take a break if I'm pushing myself (like Upper Antelope), I prefer mogul trails.

For that reason, mountains that make a lot of snow have to put in the time to do a lot of grooming. Lies and Hawkeye were great this past weekend because they were pounded with guns. But next weekend, without grooming, they will be rock hard (unless we get rain and warmth). Personally, I'm in favor of leaving them so they'll be ready for the next snow event. But I'm pretty sure that as soon as the bumps firm up to the point of not being easily skiable, they'll flatten them and wait to build them up again.

I think you are probably right. Manmade ices up a lot more. Also since snowmaking leads to uneven whales, grooming at least initially is probably necessary.