Gore Mountain Conditions

[Harvey]

Only certain trails are really right for racing. The way I understand it, Twister and Echo are the best for racing, and both are pinch points for traverse traffic.

There are some advantages (for the hardcore) to racing on Echo.

 

[TheGreatAbyss]

Never been a racer but echo is a wide trail with consistent pitch. A couple of years ago they set up race training on Hawkeye on a powder day. It cut off Hawks, Chatty, and both glades over there. People were furious, I was furious. I can accept losing echo.

 

[x10003q]

I don’t believe that. Running machines fewer hours doesn’t necessarily extend their life. If skiers expect BRQ to run every day, ORDA will have to maintain it in good condition. If skiers accept that it will often not run, it goes to the top of the deferred maintenance list. That’s what will shorten it’s life.
Mad River Glen depended on the original single chair for 60 reliable years. The first Castlerock double ran infrequently for 40 years, and it was unreliable for at least the last 10.

I love Gore, long traverses and all, but all the necessary connecting trails are a costly problem now that natural snow is so scarce. Also racing on Echo is a self inflicted wound that disrupts access for the public way more than racing does anywhere else.

mm

You might not believe it, but they don't put hour meters on machinery for grins. Why install an $8 million lift in an area that is not used or hard to use? By the way, comparisons between fixed grip and high speed chairs are silly.

 

[Huezee]

IIRC, Echo is FIS homologated.

 

[x10003q]

I don't remember racing on Showcase, but it isn't wide enough since the rules for speed courses were changed to require 2 rows of B fences on both sides. Also, Showcase has lift towers and Sleighride crosses it. Twister isn't steep enough at the top for a Super G. Racing on Sagamore would close some of the best glades.

No.
Showcase is a homologated race trail approved for US Ski and Snowboard SL events. My son raced SL on Showcase in college. The course started about level with Tower 6/2B. Tower 6 was probably created because of the SL starting gate.
Twister is homologated race trail for FIS GS and SL races and US Ski and Snowboard DH and SG races. My son raced GS in college on Twister.
Echo is homologated race trail for FIS SL, GS, and SG.
They are all currently valid.

The finish for the races on Twister is the bottom of Showcase and has been that way since the 1980s.

It is what it is. Echo racing may be the most annoying part of it, but the terrain just isn't well suited for lift served skiing. I'm surprised that I like it so much.

mm

The Gore UMP has a bunch of other trails that were supposed to be cut on Burnt Ridge. The HSQ was installed in 2008. Fourteen years later and we have the underused lift, 2 trails and an unfinished pod. I guess that was the lie in order to get the HSQ.

 

[SudsNBumps]

Echo was built as a racing trail. It is the only FIS certified run ay Gore. I think there is an FIS race this month at Gore and yes it brings money. I am a recovered race parent. BTW skiing was excellent today. With the north chair closed the last two days, the snow piled up in Tahawus Glades. Chati sill has her bumps and they are still skiable. I skied both Sagamore and Echo today. There was powder on the sides of Sagamore that was fun. Bottom skied like Dear Valley early. Man was it cold...

 

[Milo Maltbie]

No.
Showcase is a homologated race trail approved for US Ski and Snowboard SL events. My son raced SL on Showcase in college. The course started about level with Tower 6/2B. Tower 6 was probably created because of the SL starting gate.
Twister is homologated race trail for FIS GS and SL races and US Ski and Snowboard DH and SG races. My son raced GS in college on Twister.
Echo is homologated race trail for FIS SL, GS, and SG.
They are all currently valid.

The finish for the races on Twister is the bottom of Showcase and has been that way since the 1980s.

The Gore UMP has a bunch of other trails that were supposed to be cut on Burnt Ridge. The HSQ wsa installed in 2008. Fourteen years later and we have the underused lift, 2 trails and an unfinished pod. I guess that was the lie in order to get the HSQ.

I’ve seen the UMP and there’s nothing in it for me, just widening and straightening, and new trails through Abenaki and Sagamore glades. The Abenaki trail will be an easier route to Ski Bowl, and the Subway improvements are OK, but the rest of it just makes it more like Okemo, which will only make it a third rate Okemo instead of the weird Gore it wants to be.

mm

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

I’ve seen the UMP and there’s nothing in it for me, just widening and straightening, and new trails through Abenaki and Sagamore glades. The Abenaki trail will be an easier route to Ski Bowl, and the Subway improvements are OK, but the rest of it just makes it more like Okemo, which will only make it a third rate Okemo instead of the weird Gore it wants to be.

mm

"Keep Gore Weird" would make a nice t-shirt/bumper sticker.

 

[Harvey]

Have skied Gore about 20 times this year and there seems to be an unfortunate new pattern for midweek skiers: Burnt and North chairs not running. It happened last week, today, and apparently tomorrow as well.
Furthermore, the gondola was broken from noon onward today.
That said, in general the grooming (of the admittedly small trail count) has been pretty good this year.

Not saying that there isn't some truth here. But in the last five years (excluding the last two) there have been more lifts operating midweek. In part at least, the issue this year is staffing.

 

[SudsNBumps]

Wednesday...everything available except the bowl wasn't open and I think some of the ropes were because of lack of ski patrol, which I saw very few of today. "Gore, It is what it is. If you don't like it ski somewhere else" That will be my t-shirt. All this bitching and complaining has gone on for years and will continue into the future. Kudos and major thank you to the snow makers and groomers because so far this year has sucked for natural and we are currently skiing some really good shit. Thank you