Mont Grand-Fonds, QC: 3/24/10

Posted on by James Michaud

Hard to believe our amazing timing on this Quebec visit: a second powder day after two sunny spring days. Mont Grand-Fonds is a 1,300-vert hill that’s similar in size and layout to Massif du Sud.

When we arrived this morning to an empty parking lot, they were reporting 18 inches over the past 24 hours and it continued snowing lightly all day.

Juliet’s legs are dead and wasn’t able to handle the knee-deep snow without her fat skis, so after I lapped a bunch of untracked runs, we spent the rest of the day skiing the softest groomers of the season.

How great is it to go on a destination trip at the end of March — planned several weeks in advance — and nail conditions like this?

Tagged: Quebec2 Comments

Gore’s Midweek Lift Operations

Posted on by Harvey

I noticed something this year I hadn’t seen before. The High Peaks chair had run for two straight weeks, after President’s Week.

I had a some back and forth with Mike Pratt via email:

NYSB: Mike … did the High Peaks Chair run for two weeks straight?

Mike: Actually it was 18 consecutive days – from March 4 through March 21.

NYSB: Does that represent a shift in strategy?

Mike: It was simply great snow and our belief that this was the most likely operational strategy to both offer great experiences and attract the most visitors.

NYSB: But I mean you KNOW how cranky it makes Gore diehards when the Dark Side is down right?

Mike: It is a difficult decision when we limit operations mid week, but we are developed on 9 sides of 4 mountains and obviously the lift and trail capacity is much greater than the midweek crowds.

NYSB: So it’s a purely an operational decision, and has nothing to do with the importance of the terrain to the Gore Core?

Mike: The High Peaks side is a key component of both the winter and spring operational strategies. Snow cover, weather, and the size of the crowd are all considered when we make our operational decisions.

NYSB: Ok. If you’re going to open the Dark Side for 18 consecutive days in March… we’ll take it. But I swear I saw you over there on Saturday with a big grin on your face. Thanks for the time.

Tagged: Adirondacks, Gore Mountain3 Comments

Le Massif de Charlevoix, QC: 3/23/10

Posted on by James Michaud

After yesterday’s sunny blue skies and warm temps, there couldn’t have been a bigger market correction. It started nuking early this morning accompanied by 25 mph winds and this kept up the entire day. Le Massif’s well-known views were nowhere to be found; today was all about storm skiing.

We met up with guide Denis Robichaud, who had us laughing the whole day while doing 2,500-vert laps on Le Massif’s three high-speed quads.

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Tagged: Quebec2 Comments