Joe Harmon and Mark McKelvy Report from Appalachian on Saturday:
Mark and I decided to head up to App today. We rolled outta K-Vegas around 7:30 after a turn around at 7:19 to go back for his camera. How dare Mark go to the mtns w/o his camera. So we arrived in the parking lot of App around 9:15 or so. We threw our stuff on and headed out to the slopes. The slopes were in decent shape. They probably had 2 inches or so of new snow. The snow guns were off which was great. It was very warm out or seemed to be. So we made runs on the heavy wet snow that fell most of the day. It did not accumulate very much throughout the day. The crowds were very light in the AM. I guess after the people decided the roads were not bad, and that they would be able to get to the mountains they ventured out. It got very crowded for the PM, and the lines were kinda crazy for App. The parking lot was full all the way to the back GHIDDO parking.
The snow was good, not the best I have seen it up there this season. The snow was very heavy and wet so it turned icy when it got really packed. Overall it was a great day, and it was my first day back on the snow since I left solitude last Friday. Nothing will compare to the powder we had in
So I guess my report could be a little tainted. However I have been up earlier this season and the conditions were better. So if anyone says they are the best they have been all season, I would have to say they are crazy.
End of story. That’s the word straight outta the birds mouth.
OUT,
JOE
Lorrie Tomlinson reports from Hawksnest on Saturday:
Fresh snow dominated Saturday. A veneer of white decorated surroundings early. Embracing the cold and the falling flakes, another visit was made to Hawksnest. The Crescent Ski Race was in progress and the turn out was incredible. Although the number of people on the slopes resembled a holiday weekend, the lift ops managed the line efficiently. Tubing was also crowded, but they were obviously enjoying the adventure. Josie Ellis, with her Kiddy Hawk youngsters, and, Justin Grimes, the ski school director, should both be commended for great jobs Saturday. Friendly staff is often a rarity these days, but for Hawksnest employees, smiling faces and excellent customer service, is the norm.
Mark McKelvy reports from Appalachian on Saturday:
With the forecasted amounts of snow for today, it promised to be one of the best NC days this season. We had lots of snow in
Elsa Barnes reports from Wolf Laurel on Saturday:
As seen in the earlier story, the Wolf was an interesting place to be yesterday! I don’t know when I have ever seen that many people there-I was told there were 700+ in group reservations. The double chair debacle was a shame, as it took away from the REAL story of the awesome conditions. We arrived at about 11 and only about 1-2" of snow had fallen and precipitation was light. Didn’t get many runs in the early afternoon due to chair derailment. I would like to add that ski patrol did a professional job in handling the situation and that only a few chairs were actually evacuated because the lift began to run again. It is nice to know that they are trained to handle this type of situation and were prepared. I was actually walking under the lift and talking to folks to make sure they were ok and encouraging them to do what they could to keep warm. One 7 year old boy was crying and cold so I talked to him quite a while trying to calm him down. I only knew of one kid who went for first aid due to exposure, which is amazing for approximately 100 people on a lift for 80 minutes. Later in the day, the snow really started to pour. The kind skiers and riders dream about! We did night session, and although I am not a big fan of night skiing because of low visibility, I must say that the conditions were far superior to any day this year. About 6 " of powder fell as the evening progressed. The crowd had dwindled down to a more manageable number with less than 5 minute lines. By the way, the double was operating without problems till closing. Getting out at closing was tricky though. We saw one car off the road nearly on its side-hope those folks got out alright. Roads were snow and ice packed till Weaverville, so we took it real slow, although I don’t recommend travel with a Dodge Caravan in these conditions! Thanks to our buddies who were our wingmen getting off the mountain!
Mike Edwards Reports from
I was at sugar Saturday and Sunday. The only thing I can say was that the snow was awesome on all trails. Saturday was very crowded and anyone there in the afternoon had a very long wait at all lift lines and had to dodge people on the way down. Sunday was another story. I guess the snow kept people away and the crowds were thin. Little or no wait in the lines. Late afternoon the trails were pretty bumpy where the snow has piled up in places on both days. I would give both days 2 thumbs up.
On-Snow Reporters:
We will keep a log of the best reporter’s submission, photos and reports. Trust us it is way to time consuming to post every pic…but send them…because we are tallying the scores. The winner of the Best On Snow Reporter for 2005-2006 will win $1000 in cash, a FREE Getaway Vacation and more. The contest will run from now through March 1st and we will choose the winner. Our choice will be based on the following and IN THE ORDER of importance.
Quality of Photos
Quality of Reports (well written, informative, unbiased)
Number of Photo Submissions
Number of Reports
Extra points will be given for getting smiling faces in the photos and including names and cities where you can.
Extra points will be awarded for creative ideas.
We will choose the winner based on how helpful and informative the reports have been.
As of 02/12/2006 here are the top vote getters. (We will only document the top three to five here throughout the season…and we may begin posting the top ten, depending on how close results are.)
We have a very close race going right now with only a few points (a day or two of posts) separately the top three.
1. Lorrie Tomlinson
2. Kent Jackson
3. Mark McKelvy
4. Christian Davies
5. David Long