New Gore Trail

snoloco said:
Would be nice if they'd confirm that it's opening this weekend. They've made snow on it, but the snow report is very non-committal about any additional terrain opening.
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based on what I saw last weekend there was plenty of snow on the trail, they were working hard on making enough snow on Sagamore leading up to the entry to Backwoods but it also looked like paradox/eagles nest needed a lot of work. I have to assume all the snow this week should those open and sagamore will be fully open as well.
 
I got to experience the new trail for the first time today. Sorry no pictures as I left my phone in the car by accident and didn't want to walk back to Lot E to get it.

The new trail itself is really good. It's not to narrow, not too wide, has consistent pitch the whole way down, and has nice views. It was also in really good condition.

There is one major issue however. The portion shared with Pipeline, Paradox, and Eagle's nest need to be significantly widened. You have a 60 foot wide trail that narrows down to like 20. This part had bad conditions.

The trail seems quite popular and will mean the Burnt Ridge Quad has higher ridership. This is a double edged sword. More popular is good, because it incentivizes open the lift and terrain earlier in the season. However, it means the lift can be expected to have a line at peak times. They need to replace the RFID gates with one that has 4 slots rather than 2, and direct the line to fill chairs when it's crowded.

In addition to Backwoods being a fun trail to ski, it allows for a seamless connection between Burnt Ridge and the Ski Bowl. This is a game changer. Burnt Ridge is now easier to access from the ski bowl parking lot rather than the main base. The biggest discontinuity in Gore's trail system is now between Burnt Ridge and the main base. In my opinion, they should make the racers park at the Ski Bowl to take some load off the main base.

Burnt Ridge still isn't fully complete. Up next, they need another trail that you can access the main base from, so that you're not forced to ride the horrible North Quad when there is racing on Echo. I can't stand that thing.
 
snoloco said:
The new trail itself is really good. It's not to narrow, not too wide, has consistent pitch the whole way down, and has nice views. It was also in really good condition.
There is one major issue however. The portion shared with Pipeline, Paradox, and Eagle's nest need to be significantly widened. You have a 60 foot wide trail that narrows down to like 20. This part had bad conditions.
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That what practically defines Gore. Every easy route either has a section that is too flat for beginners to glide through or a spot that's intimidating to them, or both. Almost every steep route has a long flat spot. If you don't like that you don't like Gore.
snoloco said:
... they need another trail that you can access the main base from, so that you're not forced to ride the horrible North Quad when there is racing on Echo.
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They need an easier way to get there from the base, especially when Echo is always closed. Also an easy way back. Grading the bump out of Hedges would help. No one likes to climb it and the back side of it is intimidating to some. A two way T-bar on Cedars would solve the problem, but that's not gonna happen.

Maybe they should just forget about connecting the main base to Burnt Ridge and sell a SKiBowl/BRQ lift ticket for the 3 weeks a year that will be possible.

OTOH be careful what you wish for. Yesterday was the first time I ever saw a lift line at the BRQ, and easier access will only make it worse.

In other news, I was surprised that Pipeline was open all the way from the North chair, and I saw several people actually skiing it. It looks like we may be able to do cell tower to SKi Bowl this year after all.

mm
 
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It was not an issue of it being too flat or too steep. It's that Pipeline, Paradox, and Eagle's nest are too narrow and need to be widened.

I'm fine with easier access. They just need to fill the chairs on busy days.
 
They should close the Adirondack Express on weekdays and run Burnt Ridge instead. At least they are running High Peaks.
 
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