Mid-Atlantic Gathering @ Laurel Mountain / Seven Springs, Feb 7 to 9 2020

[dbostedo]

We have good for you snow, heavy "powder" and ice between due to wind blown and skier traffic. Light turn out. We will see who might show this afternoon if we can get to the meet up. Front Side 6 is down.

"Good for me" includes one pretty good fall, a couple of near falls, and learning that the beige snow from some of the guns is much slower/grabbier than the natural snow.

 

[JohnL]

"Good for me" includes one pretty good fall, a couple of near falls, and learning that the beige snow from some of the guns is much slower/grabbier than the natural snow.

Tougher than Taos?

 

[dbostedo]

Tougher than Taos?

Frankly, yes.

Partly because I was on my Stockli Laser SCs... which weren't the best choice.

The afternoon was much better on the north face... partly better weather, better conditions, and I was getting used to the variable-ness.

Only 16 runs total for the day. Laurel should be in great shape tomorrow.

 

[dbostedo]

A few pics... I forgot my camera so only got the phone out a couple of times...

 

[johnnyvw]

That looks a whole lot better than I would have expected. Saw a few flakes here at the south edge of the Poconos...no accumulation.

 

[JohnL]

Laurel today.

 

[crgildart]

^^^Pretty sweet rasta hut there!

 

[dbostedo]

^^^Pretty sweet rasta hut there!

The original lodge from the 1940's. Now locked up, but @LaurelHillCraze got some folks in for a tour today.

 

[dbostedo]

Posted this in the mid-a thread... actually meant to post it here...



Pugskiers in the photo: me, @theNitza, @JohnL, @LaurelHillCraze, @skibeachbum

More pics to come...

 

[skibeachbum]

1. LHC
2. Mrs. LHC
3. Son of LHC
4. dbostedo
5. @theNitza + a friend
6. JohnL - Saturday and maybe Sunday at Laurel

Please add Snowsmith to the roll call.

 

[dbostedo]

Thanks to Rob and Kathy for being great hosts at both Seven Springs and Laurel Mountain... and thanks to everyone that came out. It was a good weekend with some actual winter weather for once this winter.

On to the pics... I already posted a few of these, but just to be complete....

Seven Springs, Friday


Tyrol lift at Seven Springs... we were "stuck" on the front side for the morning runs, given that the two lifts that head to the North Face weren't running... some people were hiking along the base/parking over to the other side.



@LaurelHillCraze on the backside on one of the more groomed runs.... snow was really piled up in places



Same run as above... and snowing!



North Face, which we skied twice, and I crashed on once


Laurel Mountain, Saturday


The only lift at Laurel, in the early morning with lots of crowds in evidence



My skis for the weekend.... pretty good choice for Laurel for the most part; Less good choice the day before at Seven Springs



Guns on in the morning all over Laurel... they shut them off mid-morning which was good - some were pretty much spraying grippy slush



@LaurelHillCraze on the right, and his wife Kathy, our hosts for Laurel Mountain



@theNitza and George on Innsbruck run



The original lodge from the 1940's



The view in some clearing clouds in the afternoon. It's a great view from the top



The group for Saturday - I need help with the first couple of names... L-to-R: ?, ?, @JohnL, @LaurelHillCraze, @skibeachbum, Kathy, @theNitza, Marcus, George



The dropoff onto Lower Wildcat ... it had pretty good snow with some patches of ice, but held up pretty well throughout the day



Wider view of the dropoff and far slope



Marcus and @JohnL at the top of Lower Wildcat


Lower Wildcat from the bottom by the lift



@LaurelHillCraze about to give a tour of the original lodge

 

[Jim Kenney]

Great to see this event was a success! I was there in spirit.
Marcus looking mighty sharp in black and white. Even JohnL trying to go from dirtbag to fashionista

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

@dbostedo, thanks for taking the time to shoot then post some pictures. Thanks to all who came out to share my home hill. Sunday @jimmy and @DSloan joined us at Laurel. Special thanks to Laurel's management for offering a discounted group rate ticket without having to preregister our members. Although not all met up to ski together, Kaitlyn, Laurel's day manager, told me on Sunday that she had about 20 takers on Saturday. I'll get a final count later.

The two unidentified attendees in the picture below L to R are Warren and bousquet19 (on DCSki) whose family (an uncle, I think) founded Bousquet Mountain in Massachusetts. For any history buffs out there Bousquet Mountain goes back to the earliest days of the modern ski resort era in the USA first with the Mount Greylock Ski Club then hosting ski trains before putting up a rope tow then later, floodlights for night skiing in 1936.

The group for Saturday - I need help with the first couple of names... L-to-R: ?, ?, @JohnL, @LaurelHillCraze, @skibeachbum, Kathy, @theNitza, Marcus, George

 

[johnnyvw]

Very nice, much better conditions than I would have expected; night and day difference from here in eastern PA. I may hit Laurel for a day later this month as I'll be in the area on business. Looks like my kind of area

 

[dbostedo]

Very nice, much better conditions than I would have expected; night and day difference from here in eastern PA. I may hit Laurel for a day later this month as I'll be in the area on business. Looks like my kind of area

Just keep in mind that unless they get the natural snow areas open (which doesn't look too likely this season) it's all pretty gentle terrain except for Lower Wildcat. Lots of fun though!

 

[JohnL]

Just keep in mind that unless they get the natural snow areas open (which doesn't look too likely this season) it's all pretty gentle terrain except for Lower Wildcat. Lots of fun though!

Not all of the closed trails were closed-closed. Like we mean it closed. Pays to know The Mayor.

 

[johnnyvw]

Just keep in mind that unless they get the natural snow areas open (which doesn't look too likely this season) it's all pretty gentle terrain except for Lower Wildcat. Lots of fun though!

That's OK, I like the vibe of the area.

 

[Laurel Hill Crazie]

Very nice, much better conditions than I would have expected; night and day difference from here in eastern PA. I may hit Laurel for a day later this month as I'll be in the area on business. Looks like my kind of area

I'll be in Jackson Hole the last week of this month at the big Gathering then off to New England later in March for the Gathering there but drop me a PM if you would like to meet and ski together. Also, I've owned Vdubs since 1978 but they have all been the FWD water cooled variety.

 

[johnnyvw]

I will do that, thanks. If the current schedule holds, it will probably be that last week of February, although this has been delayed multiple times since December, so who knows??

I was heavy into the air cooled variety since 1970, and had multiple water cooled ones. My wife currently has an Alltrack. Thinking of getting a baja bug project, always wanted one. Especially since I still have a hot rod motor sitting around that I built about 40 years ago

 

[JohnL]

Pic from Sunday. Friends of Jiiiiimmy!