# Bristol Conditions



## Johnny V.

No skiing today! (Shot from the Bristol webcam)


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## Johnny V.

Making progress.....................


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## Johnny V.

Bristol is opening tomorrow morning for the season. Upper and Lower Rocket. Unlike most years, I'm going to pass................


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## Johnny V.

Finally made it out today for my first ski day at Bristol. Conditions were about what you'd expect after 4 days of skiing and grooming with highs in the 50's-rather firm. One top to bottom WROD which is Upper and Lower Rocket. Nice to see some old friends even if we're keeping our distance.

Good news though-the guns are cranked up on a bunch of trails which should open considerably more terrain. Looks like the nor'easter will mostly miss us, but may give us two to three inches. We'll take it! I'll probably skip tomorrow but return on Wednesday and update the condition report then.


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## Johnny V.

Second day at Bristol today.The "Loop" which is actually six green trails opened today which took some of the pressure off the the WROD of Upper and Lower Rocket. By the time I got my lazy butt on the slope it was about 10:30 and the early morning crowds were starting to thin. Not too bad-the Loop was nice, but Upper and Lower Rocket were starting to get scraped off. Bristol got the edge of the Nor'easter and only received about 4" of snow, but we'll take anything we can get.
Snowmaking continues on several other trails- we'll see whether they'll be able to cover them during the cold temp window.

I believe walk up tickets and cards have to make reservations. So far they have not required that for passholders. Like most other areas, it's boot up in you car time ( a big pain in the butt for this old set in his ways man.)


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## Johnny V.

Skied today with my oldest (10 yr.) granddaughter today. Started about 11:00 which despite the slopes being somewhat skied off seems to be a good time in regards to crowds. Small lift lines and well managed. They are blowing lots of snow and will have 2 more trails open tomorrow. Too bad we missed the storm-would have really opened things up.I'm envious of you folks who got it!

So much fun skiing with my granddaughter. I've watched her go from a timid beginner to confident junior skier.I hope the younger two girls and their little brother take to it like she has.


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## Johnny V.

More trails added over the weekend-greens and blues, but the variety helps. Looks like snow and colder temps later in the week, so the guns will be cranked as soon as that happens. Crowds haven't been too bad-I've been taking my time getting down and things seem to clear out around 10:30-11:00.


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## Harvey

Johnny V. said:


> Looks like snow and colder temps later in the week,


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## Johnny V.

Bristol was the most crowded I've seen it so far-to be expected. No new terrain has opened up, bu they are doing their best with guns on many of the closed slopes. Four chairs running-no line at the fixed grip triple which I took a couple of times. Snow is good considering the crowds and they've done a good job of resurfacing where needed.

The new patio in front of the Rocket Lodge is open with two fire pits and quite a few chairs. Nice addition to the facilities.


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## Johnny V.

Bad news-good news report.........

Bad news-most crowded I've seen it this year.
Good news-Lots of guns going and more top to bottom and upper level (for Bristol) terrain along with the Galaxy chair should be open soon which will help things.Hopefully things will quiet down on weekdays next week.


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## Johnny V.

Three new trails opened yesterday-Comet, Upper Galaxy and Lower Galaxy which are nice additions to the more advanced terrain. Surface was decent-marbles on the newly opened trails, but not unskiable. They have done a nice job of getting a variety of slopes open with something for most skiers. 

Crowds were down from the crazyness of Wednesday, although it was good to see rental skis and tickets then-it means that the mountain is taking in cash.


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## Johnny V.

One more new trail-Milky Way a nice mild green. Snow conditions were good today, but fog, especially at the top of the hill made vision challenging (obviously!). They have done a great job of getting terrain open with the warm weather we've had.


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## Johnny V.

Less fog and nice surface today (for old manmade snow). Starting to get a little thin in spots on some open trails. We need cold temps or even better a good natural dumping to maintain and add terrain. Crowd weren't bad, although compared to previous years when it empties out on weekdays around 11:00, people were coming in.


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## tirolski

Anybody there when this went down Sunday night? Patrolers did a good job with the catch.








Girl rescued after falling out out of chair lift at Bristol Mountain (video) | Fingerlakes1.com


A skier at Bristol Mountain had to be rescued after falling out of a chair lift. It happened Sunday at the popular resort in the Finger Lakes. Video sent to Spectrum News showed the entire ordeal unfold. . Rescuers put out the tarp and caught the girl when she let go of a wire, according…...




fingerlakes1.com


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## Johnny V.

Pretty quiet around Bristol about this. I took Sunday off to watch the Bills game, and these days the only time I ski at night is for Wednesday night beer league races.


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## Johnny V.

More guns going today-we should have Upper and Lower Meteor soon. Also they are blowing snow around the entrance and exit to the Galaxy HSQ, so we should see that in operation shortly. Decent surface today, but upper mountain fog again-I've forgotten what it's like to ski in the sun.


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## Johnny V.

Finally skied in the sun today. Lower Meteor has been added and the snow conditions (aided by a smidgen of natural) were the best I've seen all season. Crowds weren't too bad (although bigger than last year for a weekday) and started clearing out by 11:00 or so.


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## Johnny V.

Conditions remain good and the snow surface keeps improving. No new trails, but if the cold comes next week,it could happen late that week. We skied today with some friends from the Skaneateles area and they were very impressed with Bristol's snowmaking ability especially considering the winter we've had so far.


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## Johnny V.

Skied last night with the grandkids and other family. Bristol claims about 12" of fresh over the past few days, and that combined with aggressive snowmaking has made for continuously improving conditions. Softer moguls are developing on the sides of the trails for variety, and per the website Upper Meteor is open today and they are working on Morningstar plus Upper Universe and Upper North Star. One drawback to this season-nights seem much busier than in past years.


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## XTski

Sweet reports Johnny! This is from back in the day when I taught there, do you know anyone last name Hopkins


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## Johnny V.

Boy, doesn't ring a bell, although I'm sure some of the people are still here from when you taught, like Chris Sancioce, Karl Butler, etc. Was Steve Howie ski school director then?

I've skied there since I started in the early '80's and the improvements over the last 40 years are amazing. Dan Fuller is pretty conservative in his approach on many things, but he continuously puts money into yearly upgrades.


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## XTski

Johnny V. said:


> Boy, doesn't ring a bell, although I'm sure some of the people are still here from when you taught, like Chris Sancioce, Karl Butler, etc. Was Steve Howie ski school director then?
> 
> I've skied there since I started in the early '80's and the improvements over the last 40 years are amazing. Dan Fuller is pretty conservative in his approach on many things, but he continuously puts money into yearly upgrades.


Yes Steve is the last person in the line, he was a super nice guy! I have a little duct tape on my glove, Kyle Hopkins used to work there as well, one of the best on the hill but he passed away, his brother is a longtime well known instructor at the Beast,


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## Johnny V.

As of today, one more trail open-Upper Universe.Conditions on most trails were good with the natural snow adding to the manmade. Sides of the trails are getting filled in for mogul development which adds variety. Cold weather should allow snowmaking enough to open the entire hill.

I'm usually a Bristol defender, but they needed to open another chair today-lines at the Comet HSQ were long. I think increased number of skiers (lots of people with time on their hands) combined with not fully loading the chairs (covid restrictions) has created this problem. Visit on weekends at your own tolerance level for crowds! I'll pass, especially on Saturdays.


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## Johnny V.

Good news! The entire hill is open ( a couple of trails were closed for resurfacing snowmaking). Crowds weren't too bad for a weekday, although still larger than last year. Nice to actually ski in the sun and have great visibility! Surfaces vary, still some marbles on the newly opened trails, but with the predicted snow for tomorrow, things should shape up nicely. Big whales and moguls on Lower Universe-hasn't been groomed yet and maybe they'll leave it that way for a while.


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## Johnny V.

It's amazing how much bigger the area seems with all the trails open. Galaxy HSQ was running which helped with crowding on the Comet HSQ. Decent conditions with whales on some trails-a few firm spots, but it's the east so sharp edges are not a bad thing to have. Would finally recommend a visit from out of the area if you've never skied there before-just make sure you reserve a spot on the website.


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## Johnny V.

No big changes from yesterday except for lots of guns blowing snow to ensure good conditions for the next warmup. Temps kept the crowds down too.


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## Johnny V.

Guns are still going on some trails and on others they've left the resulting whales at this point. Makes for interesting skiing especially with flat light. I expect they'll groom them out soon. Big crowds again today with lots of paper tickets and rental skis-good for the mountain. Looking forward to weekday skiing tomorrow.


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## Johnny V.

6+ inches of fresh over manmade made for fun, if tough skiing today. Not light fluffy stuff but still nice to see. Crowds were out-I got to the chair about 8:45 and there was a good line for the 9:00 start. Bumped up pretty fast, but great skiing all day. Perfect addition to the manmade they have been putting down and conditions should be great tomorrow-not so sure about my legs!


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## Johnny V.

Perfect sunny day with most slopes groomed at least in the center. The fresh snow combined with the temps led to small bump formation on most trails by noon or so. Big contrast to yesterday! Big crowds for a weekday that lasted until after 12:00 and I'm sure it will be busy tonight!


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## Johnny V.

Hero snow on most trails plus a sunny day with few crowds! Doesn't get much better than this! Everything is open-all is groomed except for Upper and Lower Universe.


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## XTski

Sounds sweet Johnny, does Bristol still work with visually impaired people, I believe they used to have a program called ”bold” or something like that and we used to wear blindfolds to practice teaching


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## Johnny V.

Can't say for sure and I haven't seen anyone out there this year with the vests on. Doesn't mean they aren't-I'm not down there every hour even though it seems so!


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## Johnny V.

Nothing particularly new to report-everything is open,snow is good and there's plenty of it, crowds were fairly big, but not unexpected on a holiday Sunday, and all lifts were running. Might be time for an out of towner to visit as we're expecting more snow this week. Just remember schools are out for Winter vacation.


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## Johnny V.

Got about 5-6" of heavy stuff from the storm. Quite a few trails were groomed early which meant there was fresh stuff on top. While it was far from champagne powder, it was still nice. Good addition to the base. Our 10 year old granddaughter got challenged today, but did well once she got used to the feel of the snow.


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## Johnny V.

Beautiful sunny day with just about perfect winter conditions. It's so nice to be able to really see! Short day-I was skiing with my daughter who crashed on about run 8 and bruised herself pretty well (and bent the brake on one of her skis so it wouldn't retract). We quit after that-she was beat up, and while the crowds weren't terrible, they were enough to make me content with the amount of skiing we'd done.


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## Johnny V.

We passed on the bluebird day yesterday as reservations were sold out for the morning (even though we don't need them as passholders it would have been a very busy day). Today was windy and gray, but the snow was excellent and the crowds were back to last year's weekday levels which meant skiing right up to the lift after about 10:30 or so. Nice moguls on Universe where it looks like they are leaving as a bump run, and the sides of some other trails.


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## Johnny V.

Predicted rain held off and we got to ski in the sun for a good portion of the day. Quit about 12:30 as the snow was starting to get sticky (I think everyone had cold wax on their skis). Pretty good line for first chair, but crowds dispersed between the Comet and Galaxy HSQs, so practically no lift lines for most of our ski time. Was about 53 degrees when I got back to Rochester. Beer league race tomorrow night-we'll see how conditions are for that after today's warm temps.


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## Johnny V.

Bluebird day with nice snow that didn't get sticky like Wednesday, although the temps didn't get as high. Pretty crowded for a weekday, but it's Friday, it's sunny and there's still snow in the backyards in Rochester. Crowds thinned about noon.


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## Johnny V.

Nice mostly sunny day with snow that softened up nicely as the day went on. Still 100% open with good coverage on the main trails. Skied with four lovely ladies-my wife and three friends. Pic is at the top of Lower Galaxy.


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## Ripitz

Johnny V. said:


> Nice mostly sunny day with snow that softened up nicely as the day went on. Still 100% open with good coverage on the main trails. Skied with four lovely ladies-my wife and three friends. Pic is at the top of Lower Galaxy.View attachment 8462


⚡Stockli crew⚡


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## Johnny V.

The woman on the left is a new cult member! She got them Monday and is a total convert!


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## Johnny V.

Beautiful sunshine and spring conditions yesterday. Everything is still open with good coverage. Bringing the grille today for a patio party.


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## Johnny V.

Another bluebird spring skiing day. Starting to get a few brown spots in certain areas...............


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Another bluebird spring skiing day. Starting to get a few brown spots in certain areas...............


How's the ice situation? Things were getting down to the boilerplate in a lot of spots by noon on Saturday.


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## Johnny V.

Yesterday was soft enough that is wasn't a problem.Remember, it is the northeast-you better have edges!


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Yesterday was soft enough that is wasn't a problem.Remember, it is the northeast-you better have edges!


Thanks and understood. But don't tell my wife that


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## Johnny V.

Bristol did a great job grooming last night for today (they didn't groom yesterday because of the warm temps). Spring conditions and still firm underneath. Unfortunately, the rain last night and the warm temps have caused several dirt spots-everything is open, but may not be for long. Colder over the weekend which will help preserve things.


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## Johnny V.

Creamy spring snow and increasing sunshine made for a nice day of skiing. Everything is still open and there's lots of snow on many trails, so we'll be skiing for a while unless we get a drastic warmup with rain. Day 98 of '20-'21 operations so they'll make their 100 day guarantee with no problem. In a infrastructure development- work started on expanding the snowmaking pond.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Creamy spring snow and increasing sunshine made for a nice day of skiing. Everything is still open and there's lots of snow on many trails, so we'll be skiing for a while unless we get a drastic warmup with rain. Day 98 of '20-'21 operations so they'll make their 100 day guarantee with no problem. In a infrastructure development- work started on expanding the snowmaking pond.


Johnny, thanks for the update. I have 1 pass left to use. Contemplating taking Friday morning off or going Saturday morning. I don't want to wait too much longer to use it with the big warm up next week.

Was there last Saturday 3/13 till about 12:30 and the sun and ski conditions were awesome.


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## Johnny V.

We'll ski tomorrow-not sure if they will be serving their traditional 100 day cake this year. Even though Saturday and Sunday may be zoo/lemming days with the sunshine we might go and party on the Sunset patio. Season is winding down and gotta get the days in while it's here.


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## Johnny V.

Nice job of grooming today and good skiing in the bluebird sun. I missed the 100 day cake-I was skiing. One of the connectors is closed and the woods have very little snow, but still good coverage on all trails.


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## Johnny V.

Another bluebird day! Snow softened up very nicely to spring conditions, but wasn't sticky (assuming you had decent wax). We quit at 12:30 and a few areas were starting to get water saturated and slow. Brown spots are appearing and it's close to the end for a few of the trails. Crowds were much lighter than I figured they would be, although this type of snow isn't everyone's favorite (leaves more for those of us who do). Repeat tomorrow with higher temps.


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## Taisunmatty

Johnny V. said:


> Another bluebird day! Snow softened up very nicely to spring conditions, but wasn't sticky (assuming you had decent wax). We quit at 12:30 and a few areas were starting to get water saturated and slow. Brown spots are appearing and it's close to the end for a few of the trails. Crowds were much lighter than I figured they would be, although this type of snow isn't everyone's favorite (leaves more for those of us who do). Repeat tomorrow with higher temps.


Hey Johnny, any idea on when they'll shut down for the season? I'm a big fan of spring skiing. Would like to get a couple more weekdays in.


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## Andy_ROC

Definitely a g


Johnny V. said:


> Another bluebird day! Snow softened up very nicely to spring conditions, but wasn't sticky (assuming you had decent wax). We quit at 12:30 and a few areas were starting to get water saturated and slow. Brown spots are appearing and it's close to the end for a few of the trails. Crowds were much lighter than I figured they would be, although this type of snow isn't everyone's favorite (leaves more for those of us who do). Repeat tomorrow with higher temps.


Johnny, I was also there from 830-noon on Saturday. Definitely one of the best spring ski days I've had in years.
Agreed a few trails are getting thin in spots some will have plenty of snow for quite a while.


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## Johnny V.

Wow! Making up for the gray flat light days of January and February! Groomed well in the AM,and got nicely bumped up in the late morning and early afternoon. Getting thinner on some trails-trail count will be going down in the next few days as the warm weather continues.


Taisunmatty said:


> Hey Johnny, any idea on when they'll shut down for the season? I'm a big fan of spring skiing. Would like to get a couple more weekdays in.


Based on past history I'd say at least through Easter weekend if not to the weekend after. But, I'd get your days in as soon as you can for the most terrain.


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## Johnny V.

Day 4 of bluebird skies. Bristol groomed (except for Universe) and conditions were perfect spring-creamy in the AM and softening up from there. No Galaxy chair, but it was possible to make it back from Lower Northstar and Universe with a little poling. Universe is just about done and more brown and bare spots on a few trails. We skied until close to 2:00 when we decided our legs were just about done.


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## Johnny V.

Another great day, but the sun and warm temps are taking their toll. Lower Northstar is losing the connector and Lower Universe has a big dirt area towards the bottom. Unfortunately the trail count will be going down probably as of tomorrow. I'm sure they will have no problem making it to 4/4 which is the projected closing date, but many trails will be toast.

The last five days have been a great run!


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## Johnny V.

Wasn't there, but trail count is way down (big surprise!) and they are closed tomorrow due to weather.


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## Johnny V.

Like most northeastern ski areas, a big change from the last day I skied there on 3/23. Not sure what the exact trail count is, but there are three ways down: Upper/Lower Rocket, Comet/Outer Orbit, and the combination of trails that make up the Loop. Comet/Outer Orbit is getting very thin and may not make it to the 4th. There was probably an inch or two of new snow-but quickly deteriorated to marbles from the grooming.At least the sun was out! I don't see them extending the season beyond Sunday-there's just not enough snow to make it worth while.


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## Johnny V.

Getting very thin and narrow on Comet and Outer Orbit. Rocket and the Loop have good snow, but I see them holding to closing tomorrow. Sometimes they open the next weekend, but with the predicted warm weather this week, I don't think it will happen. Unless it's brilliant sunshine tomorrow morning this is my last ski day of the '20-'21 season. Despite the restrictions, we had a good winter. Let's hope Covid is under control next year and we can travel and boot up inside like normal times!


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## Harvey

Thanks for all your updates this year @Johnny V. !


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## Johnny V.

Harvey said:


> Thanks for all your updates this year @Johnny V. !


You're welcome! Back at it next November or sooner if there is infrastructure improvements over the summer.


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## Johnny V.

Stopped by Bristol today to sign up for next years pass. Hard to believe we were skiing a week ago, but with the temps it's no surprise. Didn't get pics of the snowmaking pond expansion, but they're going to town on it!


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## Johnny V.

Went by Bristol yesterday and here's a few shots of the snowmaking pond expansion. Sorry, no before pics, but it looks huge.


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## Johnny V.

A couple of updates from Bristol's Facebook page:
1. New connector trail "Polaris" from the top of the Galaxy quad to the top on Northstar. According to them, this a part of a plan to widen Upper Northstar (which is a nice trail, but tends to get icy and skied off at times.
2. RFID-They are finally implementing RFID passes. No more lifties scanning passes and tickets (we hope!) This is a big step for the conservative management team. Not sure what other local hills have RFID, but they have to be one of the few in New York State.

As much as we locals like to nitpick about Bristol, every year there are improvements. Last year, the lodge redo and patio addition, this year it's the new snowmaking pond, new trail and RFID. The passes are pricey (for an Upstate NY ski area), but the Fullers are constantly putting money into the hill. We could have it a lot worse!


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## Harvey

I checked out the prices:





__





Season Products - Bristol Mountain - The Best Value For Multiple Visits


Get the most out of Bristol Mountain with a Season Product. Enjoy the perks of an Executive Pass including unlimited direct-to-lift access.




www.bristolmountain.com


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## Johnny V.

The early buy is the way to go, plus you can spread the payments out over 6 months. We're retired, so we get our moneys worth, but it's pricey for families. Still cheaper than Holiday Valley. There's always rumors that they will sell to one of the majors like Vail or Alterra, but so far they've stayed independent.


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## Harvey

Johnny V. said:


> so far they've stayed independent.




Hey man any input on this?









Bristol Mountain Trail Map, Vertical, Stats and Profile


Our profile of the ski resort in Canandaigua, NY.




nyskiblog.com


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## Johnny V.

Robert summed it up pretty well. I'll update as I learn more and we get into the season.


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## Andy_ROC

Thanks for the update @Johnny V. Nice to see them adding that new trail and plans to widen upper Northstar. If you ask me it will be the best run at Bristol especially once upper NS is widened. Maybe they will show a little more love for the north side of the mountain--- like making snow earlier and keeping the Galaxy Express running in the evening a little more. 

Yes the RFID passes and gates is a nice improvement for sure. I'm going to assume at some point that once you have an RFID card, that day pass users could reload them at home. 

I'd agree the patio was a monumental improvement to the visitor experience. 

Anyway thanks for the update and looking forward to ski season.


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## Johnny V.

Bristol is blowing snow as of last night-the webcam shows white stuff on Upper Rocket. FYI for any Bristol passholders reading this-they are mailing out passes this year. You may need to update your pass picture (we had to) and you'll need to esign the waiver. It took a phone call to sort all this out, so you may want to check to make sure of your status.


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## Johnny V.

Picked up my pass in person yesterday-if we end up skiing soon, I want to be ready. Still too warm to make much snow, especially at the base. Here's a pic of the new RFID gates at the Comet chair. It's a great improvement, but we'll see how much of a cluster happens when they are first used. In between many peoples inexperience with them and the inevitable technical glitches, I envision frustration and lots of barking......................hope I'm wrong!


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## Andy_ROC

I'm thinking Bristol may open tomorrow? I see a snow cat on Rocket


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## tirolski

Andy_ROC said:


> I'm thinking Bristol may open tomorrow? I see a snow cat on Rocket


Yup.
_Our 57th season of operation will begin on Friday, December 10th at 9am.

A big shout out to our Mountain Operations Team who pulled together through not ideal conditions to make this opening day possible.

The Comet Express Quad will operate from 9am until 4pm tomorrow. Upper Rocket & Lower Rocket will be open for advanced skiers and riders only. Terrain will not be available for beginner and intermediate skiers and riders. Bristol Mountain will be open this weekend Friday (December 10th), Saturday (December 11th) and Sunday (December 12th), from 9am – 4pm._


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## Johnny V.

Beat me to it! Gotta get my stuff together, scrape the storage wax off the skis I'll use tomorrow and get ready for the opening day shit show.Glad I went down and picked up my pass last week-my wife has not gotten hers by mail yet (she won't ski on opening day anyway). Let's hope the new RFID gates work. 

Was kind of hoping the Loop would be open-be nice to warm up on a series of greens rather than blasting down Rocket for the first runs.I'll take it though.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Beat me to it! Gotta get my stuff together, scrape the storage wax off the skis I'll use tomorrow and get ready for the opening day shit show.Glad I went down and picked up my pass last week-my wife has not gotten hers by mail yet (she won't ski on opening day anyway). Let's hope the new RFID gates work.
> 
> Was kind of hoping the Loop would be open-be nice to warm up on a series of greens rather than blasting down Rocket for the first runs.I'll take it though.


Have fun! Since I only have the Vert 1200 card I won't be going--- I never bother till more terrain is open. 
But you reminded me I have to scrap the storage wax


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> Have fun! Since I only have the Vert 1200 card I won't be going--- I never bother till more terrain is open.


Thanks! No, doesn't make sense to use it for one trail!


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## Johnny V.

Not bad for opening day. Surface was nice for the first couple of runs and because of the warm temps (boo!) it never got really chunky and marbley like some years with fresh manmade. Crowded in the beginning-I got second chair, but cleared out pretty fast. Did about 15 runs or so-legs were starting to feel it on top to bottom runs and I figured on living to ski another day. Unfortunately, temps in the 60s, rain and high winds are predicted Saturday-worst possible conditions for snowpack preservation.


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## Johnny V.

Good thing it was sunny today, otherwise I may have left after one run.................looks like it was ungroomed last night, so chunky piles and firm (yes, pretty close to ice) patches in between. Lower Rocket had softened up a bit, but still not great, plus lots of people. Truly the stereotypical WROD today. I may go tomorrow if they are open, but doesn't look good for snowmaking for the rest of the week. On positive note, the RFID system seems to be working great with no glitches.


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## Johnny V.

According to their Facebook page, they will be open during the week-obviously not worth it without a pass unless you're desperate...............


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## Johnny V.

Nice today-got there around 9:45. Sun, softer snow and much fewer people. Yep, getting boring skiing the same trail,but getting the ski legs back. Did about 15 runs or so.


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## Johnny V.

Finally got some cold enough temps to blow some snow. Surface on Upper and Lower Rocket was icy and marbley-not great. With churning up again overnight it should be better. The Loop should be open tomorrow. They're doing all they can, but with uncooperative weather, there's only so much that can happen.


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## Johnny V.

The loop was opened today which added some variety. Softened up quite a bit in the sun and was nice to actually get an edge you could trust.


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## Johnny V.

No big change from yesterday, although a little natural snow in the morning made it look like ski season. They are blowing snow so possibly more terrain for the Christmas vacation. Skipping tomorrow, but taking the 2 older granddaughters on Friday-hope it's not a complete shit show!


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## Harvey

Johnny V. said:


> No big change from yesterday, although a little natural snow in the morning made it look like ski season. They are blowing snow so possibly more terrain for the Christmas vacation. Skipping tomorrow, but taking the 2 older granddaughters on Friday-hope it's not a complete shit show!


Christmas Eve should be chill?


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## Johnny V.

Harvey said:


> Christmas Eve should be chill?


You might be right, but I think with the late start to the season and school being off, it will be quite busy. Good news is we've gotten some natural here in Rochester, and Bristol is cranking the guns, so more terrain will probably be available.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> You might be right, but I think with the late start to the season and school being off, it will be quite busy. Good news is we've gotten some natural here in Rochester, and Bristol is cranking the guns, so more terrain will probably be available.


Johnny thank you for the ongoing Bristol updates. 

On a separate topic, did you ever find out what ski tracking app Charlie D is using? I miss tracking those leaders since Trace tanked.


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> Johnny thank you for the ongoing Bristol updates.



Happy to post them-hope it's not getting too boring! I'll check on what Charlie is using this year and PM you. Let me know when you're going to be there and we can do a fist bump and a ski pole tap.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Happy to post them-hope it's not getting too boring! I'll check on what Charlie is using this year and PM you. Let me know when you're going to be there and we can do a fist bump and a ski pole tap.


Thanks Johnny! It will be a while before I go since I only have the Vert 1200 card these days--- I've got to wait until more is open to make it worth burning a pass. Me and my buddy stopped doing the season pass about 4 years ago because we were not enjoying night skiing so much anymore, between sketchy conditions and closed terrain because the Galaxy Lift would not run at night. Sure we only lose Northstar and lower Galaxy but that's a lot when they have training occupying other runs. 

Anyway looking forward to a ski pole tap some time. 
Have fun out there and Happy Holidays!


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## Johnny V.

Same to you Andy! Took my two older Granddaughters today-lots of people for the terrain that was open. The Shooting Star/mini terrain park opened which added another slope.Conditions were good-soft and easily edgeable. I skied my slalom skis for their short turn capability.

Nights have gotten less fun. I've done the Adult Race League for about 20 years now, and as a grumpy old man have gotten less tolerant of the school programs at night. Last year with the restricted chair loading was really bad-after course inspection trying to get up to the start in time was a pain. Not sure if I'll do it again this year.


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## Johnny V.

Uggh..................my two oldest granddaughters are doing Christmas camp Mon-Thurs. My wife took them down and I got there around noon to ski and take them home when they finished at 2:30. Hard piles of sugar snow with ice patches in between combined with low light, occasional sleet and fog, total beginners and race kids on limited terrain-hey, best day ever! Did 6 or 7 runs and decided to live to ski another day. Not Bristol's fault-no real opportunities to make snow. Depressing....................


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## Johnny V.

Much better today. Same limited terrain, but the sun warmed and softened things up and made it much easier to see. Crowds while still bad for the available slopes seemed thinner than yesterday. Might be a little natural overnight, but next real snowmaking opportunity is Sunday night. You can see the receding snow line on the north side of Rocket in the picture. Trail to the south of the snowguns (Outer Orbit) is not open.


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## Johnny V.

One run last night-did the torchlight parade for the first time in several years. Rocket was really bumped up with sugar snow and ice-made for an interesting trip down the mountain! Glad we didn't have to do it twice.

We tried some LED flares this year mixed with a few regular flares-the LEDs don't put out enough light to really see, especially with conditions the way they were. Great fireworks display afterward. Kudos to the Fullers for putting it on considering the year they've had so far.


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## Johnny V.

Today's report: Making progress! Cold temps have allowed resurfacing on the open trails, and snowmaking on some of the closed trails. There was a little natural which helped. Snow today was good-actually really edgeable in many spots and thankfully crowds were down. Warmup on Wednesday, then it gets colder again. Winter may actually be here!


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## NYSkiBlog




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## Johnny V.

Skied yesterday and today. Too warm for snowmaking , but Comet was opened today as well as the Launching Pad bunny slope. Per the weather report in the last post, we can expect continual improvements and more open slopes shortly. Surface wasn't bad (Comet was better than expected for it's first day). Some natural would help smooth things out as it mixes in.


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## Johnny V.

Well, we didn't get the dump that the Buffalo Northtowns did, but the guns are really running. Upper Infinity and the Sunset Chair opened today for the beginners (good idea!), and there are guns on Upper Galaxy, Lower Meteor, Lower Galaxy and Southern Cross. Sun made for nice visibility today (my old eyes like it!). Looking good for the future.


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## Johnny V.

BTW, anyone else is free to chime in on this thread. Hope I'm not boring anyone with my almost daily updates, which is what you get from a retired guy who likes to ski..........................


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## Cornhead

Johnny V. said:


> BTW, anyone else is free to chime in on this thread. Hope I'm not boring anyone with my almost daily updates, which is what you get from a retired guy who likes to ski..........................


Na, keep em coming. I've never been to Bristol, kinda surprised I haven't, some of my ski buddies have. I assume you get some lake snow. I think Greek, my home "mountain", gets less than it used to. Sometimes the couple inches here, couple inches there, of lake snow can deceptively add up still. We used to hit Snow Ridge more often too, seems their lake effect ain't what it used to be either. Maybe I'll try getting up to Bristol this spring. I hear the spring conditions can be good there.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> BTW, anyone else is free to chime in on this thread. Hope I'm not boring anyone with my almost daily updates, which is what you get from a retired guy who likes to ski..........................


Love and appreciate your updates. 
Thank you


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## tirolski

Cornhead said:


> Na, keep em coming. I've never been to Bristol, kinda surprised I haven't, some of my ski buddies have. I assume you get some lake snow. I think Greek, my home "mountain", gets less than it used to. Sometimes the couple inches here, couple inches there, of lake snow can deceptively add up still. We used to hit Snow Ridge more often too, seems their lake effect ain't what it used to be either. Maybe I'll try getting up to Bristol this spring. I hear the spring conditions can be good there.


Bristol and Greek have similar summit elevations. 
I don’t know where they actually measure it.


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## Johnny V.

tirolski said:


> Bristol and Greek have similar summit elevations.
> I don’t know where they actually measure it.


According to the topographical maps, Greek Peak is 2080 and Bristol is 2180, so very close.

Southern Cross and Skyway (connector) were open today, and guns were going on Upper and Lower Meteor, Upper and Lower Galaxy and Upper North Star, so should be a lot more open shortly. Overcast with snow showers made visibility not the greatest, but the natural snow was welcomed.Lots of water left in the new pond, so if the temps hold they may be fully open by next week.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> According to the topographical maps, Greek Peak is 2080 and Bristol is 2180, so very close.
> 
> Southern Cross and Skyway (connector) were open today, and guns were going on Upper and Lower Meteor, Upper and Lower Galaxy and Upper North Star, so should be a lot more open shortly. Overcast with snow showers made visibility not the greatest, but the natural snow was welcomed.Lots of water left in the new pond, so if the temps hold they may be fully open by next week.


Thanks Johnny! Any indications that Lower NS is making snow? I can't wait to rip polaris, Upper and Lower NS top to bottom. 

I'm tempted but might have to wait till Sunday or better yet next week. If the forecast holds temps will support a lot of snow making day and night for a good part of the next 10 days.

Once again your report is so greatly appreciated--- Thank you!


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> Thanks Johnny! Any indications that Lower NS is making snow? I can't wait to rip polaris, Upper and Lower NS top to bottom.
> 
> I'm tempted but might have to wait till Sunday or better yet next week. If the forecast holds temps will support a lot of snow making day and night for a good part of the next 10 days.



No guns going on Lower Northstar yet. I think they want to get Upper NS going and feed that into Lower Galaxy or Meteor.

Northstar is one of my favorite runs, especially the bottom. I rode up the chair with Dan Fuller and apparently the plan for next year is to widen Upper NS. I'd love to race on it-hope it happens before I get too old to do it.


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## Johnny V.

Passed on going down today, but a friend of mine took this picture. No big surprise-sunny, most open terrain for the season, backyard snow in Rochester, first day of brigades for kids, etc.etc. Probably better than the Vail pics I've seen though!


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Passed on going down today, but a friend of mine took this picture. No big surprise-sunny, most open terrain for the season, backyard snow in Rochester, first day of brigades for kids, etc.etc. Probably better than the Vail pics I've seen though!
> View attachment 11917


Was there and on the mountain by 845 and was done by 11. Lines were good early. Was great early but began getting too busy and scary. Conditions generally really nice. Sun helps everything 

Missed upper Galaxy and lower Meteor being open by ~30 mins.

Nice apres ski beer with friends on the patio.

I really like the RFID gates but they need to fix the merge lanes, they are jammed way too close together causing some disorganization.


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## Johnny V.

Firm today and cold with a good west wind. They are taking advantage of the temps to make snow-guns on Sunset, Upper Meteor, Lower Meteor, Upper Northstar and Upper Universe. Looking good for later in the week! Amazing, considering what the weather was like on New Years Day.


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## Johnny V.

COLD! But much less wind and some sun.More open trails-Sunset, Upper/Lower Galaxy and Meteor, Upper Universe and Northstar and the guns are still cranking.Conditions were good and crowds were thin as you can imagine from the temps. First beer league gate training today and first race tomorrow night-hope it's less of a cluster than the Covid affected races last year.


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## Andy_ROC

Thanks for the update. It's going to be bitter cold this weekend so I'm hoping it will cut down on some of the crowds. 

Good luck with beer league.


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## Johnny V.

Nice night last night. No wind, good temps and a fun beer league race course. Crowds went up and down, but with full chair loading the singles line moved pretty quickly. Kids don't want to ride with old people though.I got ditched a couple of times-join up with a twosome or threesome, then as you advance to the chair they stay back.Lifties need to do some yelling!


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Nice night last night. No wind, good temps and a fun beer league race course. Crowds went up and down, but with full chair loading the singles line moved pretty quickly. Kids don't want to ride with old people though.I got ditched a couple of times-join up with a twosome or threesome, then as you advance to the chair they stay back.Lifties need to do some yelling!


Johnny, any signs they are going to start making snow on Lower North Star?

Also they really need to adjust the line set up at Comet Express. The alternating lines were too cramped last Saturday and they still need a good line sheriff to make the groups efficiently. Singles were coming through thinking they could pair up only to see them out of a group and riding alone while there was a big line behind. There's one girl that is a really good line boss.

Yeah and those big groups of kids... I hate to sound like a grumpy old man, but I call them Mountain Vermin.


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> Johnny, any signs they are going to start making snow on Lower North Star?


I'm sure with the next cold spell they will get it open. Seeing it off Upper North Star, it's a good drop and you can see how much snow it takes to cover it. 

Conditions today were nice, although we had gate training most of the morning. Soft piles were nice even on race skis. Still big whales on Upper Universe and Sunset-I imagine they will groom out at lease Sunset before the weekend. Not sure about Universe as last year they let that get moguled up.

Yes, they need a hard ass line attendant to have people quad up, although one woman and her two daughters last night did not want a single riding with them-OK, I respect that. I DO have granddaughters down there, so I have to be somewhat tolerant of the kids, but they sure can be a pain in the ass sometimes!


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## Johnny V.

Very firm today as opposed to yesterday's great conditions. Glad I'm not skiing at night tonight-it's gonna be a scraped off ice rink. I feel sorry for the patrollers who will be either giving courtesy rides or hauling carnage off the hill.

Guns on Upper Meteor and the Loop, and I'm sure they will blast tonight and tomorrow to resurface with the cold temps. I'll pass on tomorrow, possibly ski Sunday and probably brave the MLK day crowds to ski with my grandkids.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Very firm today as opposed to yesterday's great conditions. Glad I'm not skiing at night tonight-it's gonna be a scraped off ice rink. I feel sorry for the patrollers who will be either giving courtesy rides or hauling carnage off the hill.
> 
> Guns on Upper Meteor and the Loop, and I'm sure they will blast tonight and tomorrow to resurface with the cold temps. I'll pass on tomorrow, possibly ski Sunday and probably brave the MLK day crowds to ski with my grandkids.


Hmm I was considering going tomorrow but I'm not a fan of skiing on very firm trails. But that happens. The cold doesn't really bother me.


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## Johnny V.

Today's report-day 21 for me:
Bluebird skies! With the cold I probably wouldn't have gone if it was overcast and gray. I got on the slopes about 9:40 and it was not too frigid, especially with the sun. Guns going on Upper Meteor, Morningstar, and the Challenger terrain/jump park. Conditions were better than Friday, but still slick and hard in some spots, especially Lower Galaxy. With the larger crowds (especially beginners and low intermediated-no knock, everyone has to start somewhere), you needed to keep it dialed down in many areas. New trails opened: Milky Way and the brand new Polaris trail off the Galaxy chair.

It was what a friend of mine refers to as a "lemming day"-the outer parking lots were filled when I left around 1:15 and there were quite a few people buying tickets (good for the montain!). The green slopes were crowded, but the steeper stuff wasn't nearly as bad as expected. The only major trails not open at this point are Morningstar and Lower Northstar. We'll see what happens with the predicted snowfall.


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## Johnny V.

According to the website, about 10" of new snow. If it's as heavy down there as it is in Rochester, it'll make for a good base. Full report later.


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## Johnny V.

It kept coming down! Pretty heavy fresh-Bristol claims 16" which is probably close. Chopped up by the time we got out, but still fun and a lot of work. As it was MLK day, the crowds were out, but there is enough terrain open to spread people out. The grandkids were down and I spent time in a backwards snowplow trying to help the 4 year old grandson learn. Unfortunately, the Magic Carpet was closed due to snow, so we were stuck taking him up the Sunset chair. He did OK, but it's time for a real lesson with someone who knows how to teach kids.

Should be nice tomorrow as the relatively heavy stuff will really help the base.


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## Ripitz

Johnny V. said:


> trying to help the 4 year old grandson learn.


Have you tried a hula hoop? They work great.


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## gorgonzola

Ripitz said:


> Have you tried a hula hoop? They work great.


back saver for sure, unfortunately didn't learn about it until the third child


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## Johnny V.

Ripitz said:


> Have you tried a hula hoop? They work great.


I suggested it to my daughter. I saw a couple of demos of it from a Google search and it looks like it works.

Today was what you may have expected when 16" of fresh snow gets groomed (on most trails)-smooth and soft early on then bumped up later. Pretty busy today-don't people work anymore?  Our beer league training course held up ok, then we free skied as the sun came out.

The hill is pretty much all open except for Lower Northstar. I heard today that there is an electrical problem in that section which is not allowing the snow guns and lights to operate. Hope they can find and fix the issue soon.


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## Andy_ROC

Was at Bristol myself this afternoon from about 2:45-5. Cut out of work a bit early. Should have headed out even earlier  Anyway was a bit disappointed with how over skied everything was and down to ice in some areas. I'm sure it was awesome early but I had a few meetings or I would have been there. 

Anyway skiing today reminded me of why I don't have a season pass anymore. I've just found that unless I can ski Bristol in the morning the afternoon sloppy seconds are often not great. I guess it's just proximity to too many people for the terrain they have.

Sunday morning was awesome and I'm liking Polaris to Upper NS. Hope they resolve the power issue on lower NS as I can't wait for a top to bottom rip.

Also the new retention pond while HUGE is looking low.


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> Anyway skiing today reminded me of why I don't have a season pass anymore. I've just found that unless I can ski Bristol in the morning the afternoon sloppy seconds are often not great. I guess it's just proximity to too many people for the terrain they have.



Late mornings/early afternoons can really vary. Some days the crowds really thin out and the place is relatively deserted until the kids get there around 3-3:30. Right now it's the "backyard snow" in Rochester plus the late start that's bringing people out during the week.

Moderate temps for our beer league race tonight (hopefully no rain!) then it gets cold again.


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## Johnny V.

Most full parking lots I've ever seen in 20 years of Wednesday night beer league racing. Got there about 5:00 and had to park in one of the non paved parking lots. Slopes weren't ridiculously crowded, although I stayed away from the loop and getting on the chair via the singles line wasn't too bad. Snow was starting to firm up and getting chunky as the temps dropped. Race course held up well for both runs-much better than expected. Beat the next closest guy in my age group by about a second and a half. so I was happy.....................


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## Johnny V.

Big difference from yesterday as might be imagined with the drastic temp change. Snow was nice and the sun was out. Firm with grippy stuff on top. Snowmaking on Lower Northstar (guess they got the problem fixed) which will be a nice addition plus resurfacing on a few other trails. Pretty windy up top otherwise we might have taken the Morningstar Quad aka the "Siberian Crawler" and skied the mellow trails on the back side for a change.


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## Andy_ROC

Thanks Johnny. The "Siberian Crawler" that made me laugh. So appropriate, the slowest 8+ mins. I've been riding that a lot w/my wife has she's gotten back into skiing.

Keep the reviews coming. I might go tomorrow night to watch my niece race and maybe buy a twilight pass if it's not all skied off.


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> The "Siberian Crawler" that made me laugh. So appropriate, the slowest 8+ mins.


It's bearable if if it's not too cold and windy, but that wasn't today. Occasionally I'll hike, but I was with my wife and she refuses. After racing last night and running gates this AM, I really didn't have the energy either. 

That terrain in back is nice and mellow-good for working on stuff and just a pleasant change. Too bad that chair is so slow (although it sure seems to come around the bullwheel fast then slows right down).


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## Johnny V.

Predicted sun made me decide to go on a Saturday and I was glad I went. Yep, below zero at the start, but no wind and bright sun made it seem warmer. Conditions were great-nice and edgeable. Snow guns on Comet and Lower Galaxy made for fun runs, but Lower Galaxy had too many people on it as the only way down to the Galaxy Chair. Guns are going on Lower Northstar and that should be open soon. Time to groom out Upper and Lower Universe (they're pretty hard and Upper has whales) and let the bumps build up again-no fun to ski right now.

Did a couple of runs on the Crawler, with no wind and sun it was fine, if slow and the terrain over there was nice.Crowds weren't bad (probably due to the cold), but cars were out the road when I left around 2:30. Good to see the place busy, but happy I get to ski during the week.


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## Johnny V.

Not skiing today, but according to the conditions report, Lower North Star, Challenger and Orion's Belt are all open, which means Bristol is 100% open. Amazing what good snowmaking and the willingness to turn on the guns can do. I'll have an on snow report tomorrow.

Go Bills!


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Predicted sun made me decide to go on a Saturday and I was glad I went. Yep, below zero at the start, but no wind and bright sun made it seem warmer. Conditions were great-nice and edgeable. Snow guns on Comet and Lower Galaxy made for fun runs, but Lower Galaxy had too many people on it as the only way down to the Galaxy Chair. Guns are going on Lower Northstar and that should be open soon. Time to groom out Upper and Lower Universe (they're pretty hard and Upper has whales) and let the bumps build up again-no fun to ski right now.
> 
> Did a couple of runs on the Crawler, with no wind and sun it was fine, if slow and the terrain over there was nice.Crowds weren't bad (probably due to the cold), but cars were out the road when I left around 2:30. Good to see the place busy, but happy I get to ski during the week.


Hey Johnny, I was also at Bristol Saturday morning and agree it was awesome. Was on the Comet express at 8:32 and was gone by noon. Crowds were light early but was fairly busy when we left at noon. 
Our first run was on comet. The freshly made powder on top of the groomed surface was amazing. The conditions overall were excellent and by far the best day yet for me there this season. 

Definitely agree that universe needs attention ASAP! With the piles of snow on lower galaxy and icy moguls on lower Universe it had the makings of a disaster later in the day leaving only two bad common options to get to the galaxy lift. We actually tried something different and ripped quickly down lower Meteor and turned left at the end and cruised our way to the galaxy lift. Only a bit of hiking. One of the lifties even cut stairs in the snow bank up to the galaxy lift. It really turned out to be a much better/safer way. 

So glad to hear lower north star is open. 


Yeah it was cold, but no wind and sun made it feel much warmer. Way warmer than Friday night. 
On my drive to the mountain my car said -17 in a couple areas we passed through. Was - 11 when I left my house at 730.

I was going to message you to see if you were there to say hello but it was too cold to take out my phone  

Go Bills!


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> Our first run was on comet. The freshly made powder on top of the groomed surface was amazing. The conditions overall were excellent and by far the best day yet for me there this season.


Sorry I missed you! I usually do a couple of runs on the loop to warm my old legs up as my first. I've never cut over from Meteor to the Galaxy chair, but I will ski Northstar and Universe back to the main chair when the Galaxy isn't running-you may have to hike a little (depending on your wax job) but it's worth it as very few are willing to risk the possible hike.

Yes, it was a great day!


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Sorry I missed you! I usually do a couple of runs on the loop to warm my old legs up as my first. I've never cut over from Meteor to the Galaxy chair, but I will ski Northstar and Universe back to the main chair when the Galaxy isn't running-you may have to hike a little (depending on your wax job) but it's worth it as very few are willing to risk the possible hike.
> 
> Yes, it was a great day!


Speaking of wax, it was so cold first thing yesterday morning mine and my buddies skis were very slow. Especially noticeable at the lift area and flats.


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> Speaking of wax, it was so cold first thing yesterday morning mine and my buddies skis were very slow. Especially noticeable at the lift area and flats.


Yeah, we're racing Wed. night and it's gonna be cold...........gotta put the LF 5 on the skis-I hate working with those cold weather waxes. Of course I'll still be stripping down to my race suit-shows how smart I am!


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## Brownski

There's nothing wrong with this thread that a couple pics wouldn't fix


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## Andy_ROC

@Brownski
Fixed


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## Brownski

Now that is some blue sky right there- almost Plattekill blue I'd say


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## Johnny V.

Cold but mostly sunny this AM. Guns on Upper Rocket (nice skiing if you could deal with the guns), Outer Orbit, and Lower Meteor. The snowmaking pond, as huge as it is with the expansion is WAY down-glad to see it on the hill in solid form. Skied Lower Northstar, but couldn't make it back to the Comet Chair without some hiking (Galaxy lift not running) as there was a huge snow mound (and a blocking snowboarder) in the way. Huge whales on the Challenger terrain/jump park and Upper and Lower Universe are still whaled/moguled up.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Cold but mostly sunny this AM. Guns on Upper Rocket (nice skiing if you could deal with the guns), Outer Orbit, and Lower Meteor. The snowmaking pond, as huge as it is with the expansion is WAY down-glad to see it on the hill in solid form. Skied Lower Northstar, but couldn't make it back to the Comet Chair without some hiking (Galaxy lift not running) as there was a huge snow mound (and a blocking snowboarder) in the way. Huge whales on the Challenger terrain/jump park and Upper and Lower Universe are still whaled/moguled up.


Thank you for the update Johnny. Yeah I noticed the huge pond is way down. I have no idea what it looked like before they started making snow but I can't imagine it was full, was it?

The fact that the galaxy lift is only running on a limited basis, and now not even weekdays, has been one of my pet peeves for years. Years ago when I had my season pass I recall it used to run more routinely even for night skiing. But they kept reducing and reducing its hours/days and frankly is one of the several operational reasons that helped me decide to dump my season pass (and locker)~4-5 years ago.

Yes, they really need to do something about Universe from top to bottom. I have no idea why they let it get so bad. I can't imagine people that like moguls even think it's acceptable at this point. 

Anyway it will be at least a week or two before I get back to Bristol as I'm headed to Utah!

Thanks and always enjoy your updates!


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## Harvey

Andy_ROC said:


> @Brownski
> Fixed



BUMPS! nice.


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## Andy_ROC

Harvey said:


> BUMPS! nice.


I guess if you like nothing but ice and icy bumps it might be great. But given the fact that the trail is empty and even the kids said it sucks was enough for me. Since I didn't start skiing till my 40's it's way over my head


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## Harvey

If you are going to have good bumps, you are going to have to accept the fact that sometimes they will be icy. First or maybe second warm day they will be rocking. Those icy bumps, off to the side, aren't hurting anyone.


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## Andy_ROC

Harvey said:


> If you are going to have good bumps, you are going to have to accept the fact that sometimes they will be icy. First or maybe second warm day they will be rocking. Those icy bumps, off to the side, aren't hurting anyone.


Oh I agree about off to the side but this is the whole width of the trail top to bottom, no escaping it.


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## Harvey

I was looking at this:





Looks off to the side to me?


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## Andy_ROC

Harvey said:


> I was looking at this:
> 
> View attachment 12242
> 
> Looks off to the side to me?


Yeah that's Rocket and it's wide and those bumps are well to the side-- so no problem. The trail Johnny and I are talking about is highlighted, upper and lower universe. It's also *much much* narrower than the drawing shows compared to the other trails and bumps and solid ice the full width top to bottom--- I got lured to it because no one else was on it and I learned the hard way as to why


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## Johnny V.

Harvey said:


> If you are going to have good bumps, you are going to have to accept the fact that sometimes they will be icy. First or maybe second warm day they will be rocking. Those icy bumps, off to the side, aren't hurting anyone.


They're not good bumps-they're uneven frozen snowmaking whales. No rhythm possible. I like the trail moguled up, but it needs to be flattened to let them build up again.


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## Tjf1967

Johnny V. said:


> They're not good bumps-they're uneven frozen snowmaking whales. No rhythm possible. I like the trail moguled up, but it needs to be flattened to let them build up again.


Hmmm.


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## Johnny V.

Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday report: Snow is very nice and they've been continually blowing it.Rocket currently has big whales-they may leave them for a while. Comet is smooth in preparation for a U Super G camp and race this weekend. We raced last night (Brrr...) and ran gates today followed by a little free skiing. Everything is open and well covered!


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## Johnny V.

Overcast with on and off snow-flat light vs. yesterdays sun. All trails open, although Comet and Outer orbit are closed for a Super G race (I believe for the weekend). Upper and Lower Rocket have big snowmaking whales and moguls, which if they don't want a lot of complaints, will probably be groomed for tomorrow.

I'm skipping tomorrow as it will have a high of 10 degrees, it's Saturday and I need to give this old body a break. Maybe Sunday with the two older granddaughers-the 11 year old is calling herself an "expert" and I think Papa needs to give her a reality check!


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## Johnny V.

Yesterday was great! Blue skies and excellent snow which brought out the crowds (for a weekday) early. Slopes were fairly uncrowded though as everything is open. Upper and Lower Rocket had the whales/moguls groomed out and the surface was nice-not many marbles as so often happens when it's first groomed. Galaxy lift not running (as usually happens early week) so Lower Northstar was hardly skied-worth it for the slight hike to get back to the Comet lift. Things cleared out by about 11:30 or so and we skied until about 2:00 before the kids showed up.


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## Johnny V.

Another bluebird day-two in a row! Gate training then free skiing-too nice not to let 'em rip! Even nicer snow than yesterday although it was windy. We'll see what happens with the forecasted storm. Racing tomorrow night so we hope the rain/freezing rain holds off until after we're done. Still whales and moguls on Upper and Lower Universe, but the main parts of all other trails are groomed with some moguls on the sides.


----------



## Johnny V.

Great night for a beer league race, although the snow was so nice and grippy I was sort of tempted to just ski. The race course held up well and I took some time off my second run. Biggest change in conditions report-Upper and Lower Universe have been groomed and should get a chance for new moguls to develop.

Raining as I headed home about 9:15-we'll see what it turns into................


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## Johnny V.

Snow coming down, but hard underneath due to last nights rain. We had gate training, but my wife skied the whole mountain and it was pretty much the same all over. See how much snow comes from the storm.


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## Johnny V.

Yup, passed on the "powder" day yesterday-my body (and bad knee) needed a rest. Wanted to ski today to see my granddaughters in their classes. Got down early, made a run on the loop then moved over to Galaxy. Started up the chair, got about 1/3 way up and it stopped. Mechanical issues-we were stuck for about 20 minutes then they used the auxiliary to get us to the top and closed the lift. Wasn't bad-it was sunny with no wind and the three women I got on with had us covered-doctor, lawyer and nurse!

Conditions were nice, although eventually some icy spots showed up, but plenty of snow to turn on. Bluebird skies with cold temps. The singles line moved well on the Comet chair, especially considering the crowds. Comet was closed for a college race, but some of the slopes were pretty quiet later in the day-I made runs down Rocket and Meteor with only 4-5 others on them. I assume the green slopes were pretty crazy. When I left around 2:00, both outer parking lots were full. As I can ski during the week, I'm glad to see them get the business on the weekends-more revenue means more improvements.

Saw the 11 year old doing moguls on Upper Universe, and saw the 7 year old charge fearlessly down Sunset. Still haven't seen the 9 year old since she started her lesson group-I'll try to catch her next week.


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## Andy_ROC

Hey Johnny we were stuck also! Second chair from the top. 
It was windy up there and we got cold! 

Yes it started out awesome. Galaxy, Northstar, Meteor, Rocket were like talcum powder. Simply the best conditions I've seen yet. I'm bummed because it was so nice for a while before it got busy. 

Unfortunately with the galaxy lift being down it got quite busy at the Comet Express. 

Anyway based on my weekend experiences at Bristol I would never recommend that anyone from out of town bother traveling to ski Bristol Mountain. There's simply too many people for the limited terrain. Also too many reckless wahoos. I almost got taken out on lower Meteor so I was done by 11.


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## Johnny V.

Yep, it was busy, but probably no worse than any Northeast ski area on a Saturday when there is fresh snow in the backyards and blue skies. I guess I lower my expectations when I ski during on a weekend, and yesterday was pretty good. Yahoos............I saw some snowboarder jamoke (and not trying to stereotype snowboarders) with a Labatts at the top of the Morningstar chair at about 10:30 in the AM-if I was patrol I would have pulled his pass and told him to get off the mountain.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Yep, it was busy, but probably no worse than any Northeast ski area on a Saturday when there is fresh snow in the backyards and blue skies. I guess I lower my expectations when I ski during on a weekend, and yesterday was pretty good. Yahoos............I saw some snowboarder jamoke (and not trying to stereotype snowboarders) with a Labatts at the top of the Morningstar chair at about 10:30 in the AM-if I was patrol I would have pulled his pass and told him to get off the mountain.


True the Backyard snow on top of pandemic skiers has definitely made skiing more busy everywhere. Bristol just always seems way more crowded than say Holiday Valley (which I'm guessing has far more skiers on a weekend). It probably has a lot to do with the number of trails, trail width, overall acreage, the number of lifts at HV, more tree skiing and fewer bottlenecks as compared to Bristol.

Yesterday crossing over from Meteor and Rocket to the comet singles line was dicey. Between the race audience standing there crimping the trail and random two way traffic through that very tight area was perilous at times.

As for ski patrol, at least at Bristol, they seem to more focused on accident cleanup than prevention. It just gets scary there. When I used to go on ski club nights the behavior was bad and there was always someone getting carted down the mountain in the dead sled.

A few things they could do; pull tickets for reckless behavior. Also if they opened up some treed areas by thinning some trees it would make for better tree skiing and provide more skiable area thus reducing skier density on groomers. Also would like to see them put the terrain park back on Morningstar. This would keep more high risk behavior concentrated in one area.

Anyway if anyone is thinking about traveling some distance to Bristol, make the trip on a weekday if at all possible.


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## Johnny V.

Nice day today! Blue skies, grippy snow, my wife and friends to ski with. Great coverage in most areas, a little bit of ice, but in almost all cases you could trust your edges. They blew snow on Rocket and left it ungroomed-whales and moderate moguls with a soft surface made for an ego building bump run. Lower Northstar was worth the slight poling back to the Comet lift-probably about 10 tracks on it when I went down the first time. Crowded (for a weekday) at first, but things thinned right out after about 10:15 or so. Skied until about 2:00 when the light began to get poorer.


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## Johnny V.

A couple inches of fluffy fresh in the morning and it snowed on and off with a mostly grey sky with a couple of shots of sun. Gate training for an hour or so, then free skiing. Rocket was still nice with widely spaced bumps, whales and grippy snow. Snow was too slow to try and make it over from Lower Northstar without a lot of hiking.


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## Johnny V.

Another nice night for a ski race. A couple of sprinkles, but the rain held off. No need for extra coats for the ride back up and the course held up fine for both runs. Fun and fast set by the race crew and (a little bragging here) I continue to be the fastest in the 65-dead age group.

One criticism-Bristol needs to replace a bunch of lights. There are several out especially on Galaxy and Northstar which seem even worse as the new trail Polaris is lit very brightly with LED fixtures. I'm hoping they work on this over the summer, although unless I race next year, I don't see myself skiing at night anymore.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Another nice night for a ski race. A couple of sprinkles, but the rain held off. No need for extra coats for the ride back up and the course held up fine for both runs. Fun and fast set by the race crew and (a little bragging here) I continue to be the fastest in the 65-dead age group.
> 
> One criticism-Bristol needs to replace a bunch of lights. There are several out especially on Galaxy and Northstar which seem even worse as the new trail Polaris is lit very brightly with LED fixtures. I'm hoping they work on this over the summer, although unless I race next year, I don't see myself skiing at night anymore.


Yes Johnny, the lighting has definitely degraded over the years in many areas. I skied a few weeks ago on a Friday evening with my son, and even with his young eyes he commented on how many lights were out and how dark it was in some areas. Galaxy, Northstar and Southern Cross and probably more. This was a problem when I stopped night skiing 5 years ago and has only gotten worse. The good news is that the lighting on Polaris is a good example of what we'll eventual get. I suspect when they widen upper NS that it will get new LED lights as well. But they really need to step it up and make some lighting improvements on existing runs. I'm surprised (maybe they are) that Ski Patrol isn't complaining a lot about this.


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## tirolski

Johnny V. said:


> One criticism-Bristol needs to replace a bunch of lights. There are several out especially on Galaxy and Northstar which seem even worse as the new trail Polaris is lit very brightly with LED fixtures. I'm hoping they work on this over the summer, although unless I race next year, I don't see myself skiing at night anymore.


Watched the Song cam and a skier coming down Otto’s had a headlamp on.
I thought it was a snowmobile coming down at first. YMMV.


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## Andy_ROC

Hey @Johnny V. any recent condition reports? Were you there today 2/18? Thinking about skiing Saturday but concerned about the wind forecast. Sunday looks a lot better but then again thinking it will bring more people.
Thank you


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## Johnny V.

Sorry, last time I skied was Wed. night for the race. wasn't bad, but I was off my game.. We're in New Hampshire and Cannon was closed yesterday. I'm expecting a skating rink there today.


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## Andy_ROC

Thanks Johnny. The morning wind forecast was 25-35 sustained with gusts to 50. Decided to skip.
Hopefully your NH ski day is better than you think.


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## Johnny V.

Back at Bristol today after our New Hampshire trip.Freezing rain on the way down turned to snow. 4-6" of new stuff over the groomed leftovers-it was nice if a fair amount of work skiing. I quit early to save some legs for the Masters race tomorrow at Hunt Hollow. Should be good tomorrow when the new stuff gets groomed in.


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## Andy_ROC

Saturday morning conditions at Bristol were quite nice. Good snow and blue sky and not much wind to start. Early was amazing but was getting skied off and pretty firm in areas by 1030. Just too many people for the terrain. Though the last run of the day was Rocket and it was still in great shape but my legs were tired by then or I would have done more. 

We had our beer on the deck and by the time we left shortly after noon the line out the rental shop door extended 80 feet outside! Never seen anything like that.

Johnny, I hope you had a good race day at HH.


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> Johnny, I hope you had a good race day at HH.


Yes, I did, thanks! 2nd place (out of 10 in the M9/65-69 age group), although a ways behind the top 15-hey, I'm old and slow. Conditions were excellent, the course was nice, and we had sun for much of the day.

I'm torn on seeing Bristol that busy-it's bad for the folks who can only ski on weekends, but it helps pay back the continual money the Fullers put into the place. A guy I race with who skis at Swain says they are doing well also this year-good for the sport.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Yes, I did, thanks! 2nd place (out of 10 in the M9/65-69 age group), although a ways behind the top 15-hey, I'm old and slow. Conditions were excellent, the course was nice, and we had sun for much of the day.
> 
> I'm torn on seeing Bristol that busy-it's bad for the folks who can only ski on weekends, but it helps pay back the continual money the Fullers put into the place. A guy I race with who skis at Swain says they are doing well also this year-good for the sport.


Congrats on the race. 

Good to know Swain is doing well. I've got to get there soon to check it out as it's been about 10 years.


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## Johnny V.

Sunny skies and groomed snow made for a day of fast skiing. Firm, but not icy. Bumps on Universe are groomed out.


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## Johnny V.

Sunny and soft in the morning-ran training gates from about 9:30 'till 11:00. Made a bunch of free runs afterward-nice soft spring conditions, although it got a little sticky right at the bottom around quitting time.


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## Johnny V.

Sunny in Rochester when I left around 8:00, but when I got the the hill it was overcast. Snow was firm and loud with flat light. The sun came back out and warmed things up. Haven't been to the Morningstar side in a couple of weeks, so I went over there with one of my old buddies. The chair isn't bad when it's sunny with no wind. I guess it isn't much slower than other fixed grip chairs, but after riding Bristol's two detachables, it earns it's nickname as "The Crawler". Trails over there are nice-mellow and perfect for working on technique.

Met up with some other friends and made a few more runs. Hated to quit, but our beer league final race (hopefully top to bottom) is tomorrow and I wanted to leave some legs in the tank for that.


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## Johnny V.

Ok, this is more of a recap for Thursday, Friday and Saturday than a Sunday conditions report.

Thursday-Beer league final. We got our wish, it was to to bottom on Comet.Fairly tight course set along with warmup and freeze on Wednesday made for a course that was pretty gnarly and rutty by the second run. A few DNFs, but nobody got hurt. I didn't ski after the race (beer/lunch/awards time) but my wife did and said it was decent.

Friday-Late start because of a doctors appointment. Sun, nice snow, lots of cars due to the U-16 Super G on Comet, but crowds on the slopes weren't bad. No bumps on Universe, so the north side was point 'em and go. Skied until about 2:00.

Saturday- Took my three granddaughters to their Saturday brigades as their mother (my daughter) has back pain. Got there around 8:30 and tons of cars-I'm sure a good portion were for the U-16 GS race. Made a couple of free runs with them before their groups met-wow are the 7 and 9 year olds making progress! Once again lots of people, but the slopes weren't bad, especially for a Saturday. I got to see the 7 year old ski fearlessly going down Galaxy, and I got to see the 9 year old (who I haven't seen ski since the beginning of the year) rip down Rocket with nice form. I skied with the 11 year old a couple of weeks ago in New Hampshire, so I know what she can do. Guess you can tell I'm a proud grandfather.

I skipped today as I had skied for 6 days straight. Unfortunately, the high temps, wind and tomorrows predicted rain are probably going to mean a big deterioration in conditions. We can hope for another storm!


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## Johnny V.

Sunny when I left Rochester and when I got close to the hill it was snowing. There was an inch or so of fresh over the mg/pp surface. It kept coming down on and off which helped the surface, although it was sticky as new snow often is at close to freezing temps. You had to be on your toes, especially in low pitch areas which made for some defensive skiing-I didn't want to go over the handlebars. The snow wasn't bad considering the high temps/wind Sunday and the rain yesterday. All trails are open.


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## Johnny V.

Snow! Started slow, but by the time we quit at around 1:15 there was 2" or so on the ground at the top. Not sticking in the parking lot when we left. It isn't much, but anything to add to the frozen granular base is good. Skiing was nice, although with a fog bank partway down the hill combined with the wet, heavy snowflakes, visibility wasn't the greatest.


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## Johnny V.

Beautiful day today. Snow was smooth and edgeable in the AM and turned more springlike in the afternoon. Sun all day-we skied from about 9:45 until 2:15 or so with out stopping. Skied just about everything including a couple of runs up the Crawler. Hated to quit, but after doing top to bottom runs all day with my race lady friends(yes, they are fast!) my legs had had enough.


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## Andy_ROC

Saturday morning March 12: "Piles and Ice"
Had about 3" of new snow overnight. It was skied into piles within 30 minutes of first chair.
Very icy but good edges could carve. Crowds not bad. Greens were less piled as expected. Beers with friends afterwards and out of there by noon. All in all glad I skied.


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## Johnny V.

I was there also. My two older granddaughters had their end of season Brigades race so I did a few runs before that off the Comet chair to make sure I caught their runs. As Andy said, piles and ice, but actually kind of fun, although my wife was less of a fan. The girls did well and were very happy. Went out after lunch with nieces and brother-good until we got caught in a fog/snow squall. Yup, not busy for a Saturday and not a bad day.


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## Harvey




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## Johnny V.

Just saw the post on Facebook.We extend the season by a couple more days!

Sorry for no reports, but we got back Monday from a 3 week IKON tour of New England.


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## Johnny V.

Skied yesterday 4/9 and today 4/10. Yesterday was quite decent for end of season-sun came out at times and the snow was fairly soft and creamy without it getting sticky. Three main trails open: Upper and Lower Rocket, part of Upper Meteor, and the Loop (which is made up of about 6 trails). Fair crowd including a bunch of the regulars, but no real after ski party on the Sunset Lodge patio like happens some years. Today 4/10 was pretty bad-chunks, sugar piles and flat light. I quit after about 8 runs-not worth twisting or pulling something to get another run or two.

Rocket yesterday:




My wife enjoying an after ski half price (trying to get rid of it) beer on the Rocket Lodge patio:




Good season at Bristol-got in 55 days (out of 78 total) there, so I think I got my money's worth.


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## tirolski

Just got off the phone with skiing buddy who was there Sunday too.
Said it was good fun with basically 3 ways down and like ya said got chunky skiable later on.
He rode the lift with someone who said they got in 116 days out of 117.
He met another person later on in the lot who said they skied all 117 days Bristol was open.
Both were older folks.

My buddy’s going back to Gore Good Friday.
I’m gonna try to hit the ball & walk, golfing.


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## Johnny V.

tirolski said:


> He rode the lift with someone who said they got in 116 days out of 117.
> He met another person later on in the lot who said they skied all 117 days Bristol was open.
> Both were older folks.


The 117 day guy was probably Charlie Dickerson who skis for 6-6/12 hours per day going for the vertical record on whatever site he keeps track on. As much as I'm a Bristol fanboy, if I didn't race which gives me something to work on, I'd get bored after a certain amount of time.


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## Johnny V.

Sorry, no pictures,but we drove by last week and it looks like the proposed widening of Upper North Star has happened or is happening now-you can see brown dirt instead of grass. Also, it looks like they are replacing the sign out it front-the old one was looking pretty shabby. I'll try to get pics shortly.


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## Johnny V.

Got a few so-so pics today.First is the widening of North Star-you can see the dirt portion partway up the hill. The second is the practice ramp into the snowmaking pond for the freestylers. Third is what looks to be expanded gravel or paved parking. Fourth is a new sign replacing the rather shabby looking old one.


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## Harvey

Freestylers are going to ride that ramp, landing in the pond, to practice jumping in summer?


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## Johnny V.

Harvey said:


> Freestylers are going to ride that ramp, landing in the pond, to practice jumping in summer?


That is the idea. Lots closer to home for most of the locals.


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## Johnny V.

Copied from the Bristol Mountain Facebook page-sums up all the changes over the summer. Lots of improvements! The Fullers are great about putting money back into the ski area. I'll try to copy some pics.

As we get closer to the start of the 2022-23 season, you're probably wondering new improvements will great you at the mountain on your first visit.

We've had a busy spring/summer/fall.

The new Experience Center will open this winter. We’re so excited to be able to offer our newest skiers and riders a world-class experience before they even get on snow. This project will greatly improve the ease of access to the mountain for all of our renters, with a convenient location right next to the Launching Pad and the Ski School Meeting Place.

Upper North Star has been widened to 120’ to match the width of Polaris and Lower North Star. As a part of the project on Upper North Star new utilities were installed along with low-energy air-water snowmaking guns and new LED lights.
This summer Shooting Star was widened to have a consistent width. This project will enable our Parks Team to add more features and jumps.

The addition of 2 new Prinoth Bison groomers to our fleet will help us improve our grooming capabilities and speed. One groomer is a replacement of an existing part of our fleet and the other is an additional groomer to enhance our capabilities.
The Comet Express got a new cable. The cable was replaced in a 3-day process that involved removing chairs from the lift, splicing the new cable to the old cable, pulling the old cable and the new cable around, and then splicing the new cable back together.

This fall we added 108 new parking spaces to the North Parking Lot.

A new permanent restroom was built next to the Summit Center.

The Greater Rochester Amateur Athletic Federation (GRAAF) has completed construction on a new freestyle water ramp jump at Lake Bristol. The jump will allow our Bristol Mountain Freestyle athletes to train and improve their skills year-round.

Finally, when you are arriving at the mountain this winter you will notice Bristol Mountain has a new entrance sign. We can't wait to welcome you back this winter. Think cold!


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## Johnny V.

Here's some pics:


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## Brownski

More parking and more bathrooms sound good to me


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## Johnny V.

Brownski said:


> More parking and more bathrooms sound good to me


More paved parking is always good, and the summit restrooms (they have had a heated trailer for the last few years) are a huge improvement over the unilt portapottys they used to have. I can remember using them on Wed. night beer league races peeling off my suit and hoping I didn't drop anything like goggles through the hole..........


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## Woodski12

Lodge looks great. The water ramp looks a bit flat to me maybe it's just the camera angle.


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## Harvey

Johnny V. said:


> Here's some pics:
> 
> 
> View attachment 16249View attachment 16250View attachment 16251


Great looking photos.


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## Johnny V.

Harvey said:


> Great looking photos.


I take no credit-they were on the Facebook post......................


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> Here's some pics:
> 
> 
> View attachment 16249View attachment 16250View attachment 16251


Wow Johnny those are huge improvements! Can't wait to rip Polaris-Northstar top to bottom.

Thanks for sharing.


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## Johnny V.

Andy_ROC said:


> Can't wait to rip Polaris-Northstar top to bottom.


I'm hoping we get to race on it! I think it's in the plans.


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## Andy_ROC

Johnny V. said:


> I'm hoping we get to race on it! I think it's in the plans.


Good race trail for sure but certainly not for spectators. Hopefully they don't race it on the weekend when I'm there  

Anyway seems like it's gonna be one the best runs in NY. One of my other favorites is Sagamore at Gore.


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## Johnny V.

From Bristol's Facebook page:

It’s go time!
Snowmaking started for the 2022-23 Season 11/14/22.


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## Johnny V.

I went down to Bristol today to get a replacement pass and my locker combination-want to be ahead of the first day rush. Got a chance to walk around the new Sunset lodge addition-wow! The rental shop is now in there which goes right out to the bunny slope and Sunset chair-perfect for funneling 1st timers out to the appropriate terrain. There's a new lounge area, new deck with fire pits and a Starbucks. 

So far, no snowmaking on the observable front side, but we're getting close.


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## Johnny V.

Guns cranking on Rocket (and possibly the Loop). Snowmaking window looks good through Monday. Pure speculation, but I'm thinking possibly a Tuesday opening. I'm sure they'd like to be able to open before Thanksgiving-it would be the first time in a quite a few years if it happens.


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## Johnny V.

I was right for once! Opening tomorrow at 9:00 with both Rocket and the series of trails known collectively as the Loop. Nice to have a lower angle slope open to get the the legs moving again rather than the sprint down Rocket for the first run.Skis (a couple pairs anyway) are in the locker, now to assemble the rest of the gear.


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## Johnny V.

Best opening day I can remember in a long long time! Rocket and the Loop had great coverage and softened up nicely in the sun. Great to have the Loop to get the ski legs going. Skied for about 1.5 hours and the legs said ' enough for today, come back tomorrow". By the time I got off the slope at about 10:45 it had cleared out pretty well.


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## Johnny V.

Did ten runs in the rain yesterday morning. Snow was soft and crowds were pretty sparse. The Loop is starting to get a few thinner spots and Rocket has a crack in the snow at the bottom of the badlands.

Bristol is closed this week and plans on reopening next Saturday. We need some colder weather so they can crank the guns again.


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## Johnny V.

One abbreviation : WROD. Decided to ski today as it's been a couple of weeks-passed on last weekend and they have been closed on weekdays. Got there before 10:00-saw the crowds on the one slope (Upper/Lower Rocket) and almost turned around. Put on my gear and decided to ski with wet snow/rain coming down. Made four runs-snow was sloppy/wet small moguls with icy spots in between. Too many skiers for one slope-race groups, freestyle groups, patrols groups and general public all skiing at various speeds and levels. Quit-live to ski another day! Closed tomorrow and Tuesday-hopefully reopening later in the week with more open. Think cold and snow.


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## Johnny V.

On the upswing! Bristol reopened today with Upper/Lower Rocket and the Loop. Firm (as newly groomed manmade usually is) but not bad and the sun was out. They're blowing snow on Upper Shooting Star (terrain park), Upper Galaxy and Comet. As long as temps hold and we get some natural from the predicted storm, things are looking much better.


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## Johnny V.

Much better day than last Sunday. Loop and Rocket were good, although Rocket was getting scraped off by the time I left. Shooting Star/Terrain Park is open and the snow was good for the one run I made through it. Snow guns on Comet and Upper Galaxy. Crowds were not bad with more terrain open-with the limited slopes and people, slalom skis were a good choice for fun skiing.

Still little natural, but with upcoming cold nights, they should be in good shape for the Christmas break.


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## Johnny V.

No real condition changes from yesterday, although weekday skiing kept the crowds down. Guns still going on Comet, Upper Galaxy and either Nova or Milky Way on the back side.


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## Johnny V.

Nice sunny day, but still skiing the same trails. Nice snow on the "Loop", Rocket wasn't bad, but go scraped off by 10:00 or so-it really needs a dose of snow. Guns running early, but shut off as temps rose. There's enough snow on Comet to groom and open it, but they need snow on Outer Orbit to get to the base. Predicted cold Friday night, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day should allow a big manmade dump.


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## Johnny V.

Back to gray today-maybe just a tad of sun. New trail opened today-Milky Way, one of the greens on the back side.It's a very mellow pitch though the woods. Great for beginners and those of us who like to work on technique on low angle trails. Unfortunately it's only accessible by riding the fixed grip quad Morningstar lift aka the Siberian Crawler for it's often cold windy rides. Anyway, did a few runs on it for variety. Good that it's open for the upcoming holiday week.


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## Harvey

Johnny V. said:


> Back to gray today-maybe just a tad of sun. New trail opened today-Milky Way, one of the greens on the back side.It's a very mellow pitch though the woods. Great for beginners and those of us who like to work on technique on low angle trails. Unfortunately it's only accessible by riding the fixed grip quad Morningstar lift aka the Siberian Crawler for it's often cold windy rides. Anyway, did a few runs on it for variety. Good that it's open for the upcoming holiday week.


That will keep the snow fresh in there.


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## Johnny V.

Two day report for 12/25 Christmas Day and 12/26. Took granddaughters #1 (12 yrs) and #3 (8 next month) for a couple of hours in the lull between presents and Christmas dinner. Winds from the past couple of days had subsided, but still blowing. They were making snow on Morning Star, Southern Cross, the Challenger jump area, and Nova. Any slopes with south facing guns had not been running as the high winds would blow the snow into the trees. Not a bad day with low crowds-did 6 runs on the loop with the younger one while the older one took off after a couple runs to check out her new skis.

Today I was slow getting down-my wife had taken all three girls down as #1 and #3 were enrolled on 4 day Christmas camps. My wife and #2 were very slow to get going after taking care of the other girls and as I was a nice grandfather/husband and waited for them we didn't get on the slopes until 11:00. Icy and busy (no surprise for a day when many people were off work and school was out). Got in few runs, but lift lines on the Comet chair were long and very disorganized. Southern Cross is now open-wondering when they'll get some of the steeper north side runs open. Snowmaking on Outer Orbit which should lead to that opening soon.

As a retired guy who gets to ski on weekdays, I tend to roll with the punches on Christmas week. It's a chance to do some skiing with the grandkids-next Monday we'll have the place to ourselves again.


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## Andy_ROC

Conditions quite good today. I didn't last long due to crowds, lines and limited terrain. But it was good to test out the legs for the first time this year. 

Looks like snowmaking is done for at least a week. I just hope rain doesn't do too much damage.


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## Johnny V.

Snow was nice, crowds were big, but the lift line disorganization that we saw Monday was taken care of on Tuesday and today. Spent some time on the backside the last couple of days as today all four trails were open and we were skiing with our middle granddaughter. Too bad about Comet being closed, but I'm sure the race on it was scheduled way in advance.

Yup, looks bad for snowmaking in the near future...............


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## Johnny V.

Another two day report. Yesterday was great-sunny, snow was nice and softened up nicely by 10:30 or so (not really a good thing on Dec 29!). Obviously no new terrain with the temps.Crowds weren't too bad and spent time on the backside for variety. Quit about 1:30 or so with toasted legs.

Today was overcast and it started sprinkling about 10:30. I quit as we were meeting friends for lunch. Some brown spots starting to appear, so next week looks sketchy for all the trails they have opened now. Crowds were lower than the previous days at the time I left. 

According to forecasts, we probably won't see below freezing temps until late next week...............

As an aside, I spent almost the entire week skiing on a pair of Atomic FIS spec 158 slalom skis. Great for working on carving on low angle and somewhat crowded slopes plus a good leg workout and they are fun!

Got a chance to make a run with my almost 8 year old granddaughter yesterday morning before the last day of her 4 day Christmas camp. Big improvement over the way she skied on Christmas day! So nice to see the improvement and watch them turn into little rippers.


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