If you had plans to hit Winterplace tomorrow, you may need to reconsider.
The resort will suspend operations for February 28 due to the rain that’s in the forecast. The meltdown games are taking place this upcoming weekend, so the resort staff is likely just trying its best to preserve the snow.
Winterplace will return to regular business hours on Thursday, and it’s still open today, with 28 of 29 slopes open and five lifts spinning.
My plan is to hit Bradford Ski Area in Haverhill, Massachusetts tomorrow. The resort – dubbed “the biggest baby sitter on the North Shore” by owner Neil Sawyer in a recent Boston Globe story – is tiny. But it’s cheap, it’s accessible by train (with a short walk or Uber ride mixed in) and some of the best snowboarders in the world have also graced these hills. Olympic silver medalist Scott Lago got his start on those hills.
I’ll surely be out of there by the time the after-school rush hits, though. Here’s Billy Bakers story for more.
Here’s everything else you need to know to ski and ride in the southeast today:
Timberline
The conditions are soft and spring-like at Timberline today. Upper Almost Heaven, The Drop, and Off The Wall area ll ungroomed.
“Snowmaking began Saturday evening on key areas of the mountain, and ran overnight until Sunday morning to refresh conditions and expand coverage,” the snow report says. “Despite the warm temperatures and light rain forecasted for today and tomorrow, we are still 100% open.”
Snowshoe
There’s a slight chance of thunderstorms tomorrow, but today, the rain is just set to be off-and-on throughout.
From the snow report:
Surf’s up this Tuesday as classic spring skiing conditions continue with mild tempuratures and a slight chance of rain this afternoon. Nothing to dampen the stoke! We’ll still be out there shredding the most terrain in the region. Spruce will remain closed the remainder of the week in preparation for this weeks Darn Tough Banked Slalom. Have you registered yet? Find the link on our website and our social pages.”
Appalachian Ski Mountain
Buy a season pass for next year, and ski and ride the rest of this year for free.
The ski area is 100% open yet again today.
Discord user Long Jawn Silver was at App yesterday. Here’s what he had to say:
Glorious at App yesterday! Girlfriend had her first day on planks and a great lesson. Conditions were very comfortable and soft, great day to learn!”
Bryce
Ski patroller Bill Nabers took off to West Virginia to get some turns in at Snowshoe with some friends.
“Back working at Bryce,” he said. “Great skiing this morning. Snow is warm and soft this afternoon. Bryce made snow on Saturday night. Working on a tan and skiing!”
Cataloochee
Discord user and reader Steven Cooley was at Cataloochee for the weekday goods. Here’s what he had to say:
It was a true spring like weekday! Coverage is great. It was nice and groomed this morning and soft by lunch. Lap after lap after lap. It was a great day!
Sugar
It looks like the Richard T. Trundy Memorial Sugar Cup Competition will go off on March 2. All of the entry fees will go to the American Cancer Society in honor of the former director of operations at Sugar.
Registration will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on the third floor of the lodge. Start time will be at 9 a.m., and the entry fee is $35. The giant slalom race will be at Oma’s Meadow, and a combined time determines the winner.
Beech
There are 15 trails open and five lifts spinning today.
Don’t forget, the Beech Mountain Banked Slalom will go off on March 9. All proceeds will go to benefit the Colon Cancer Coalition.
But more immediately, the Park Rat Classic goes off on March 2. The event is a snowboard competition, in which tricks will be set for certain features and worth certain points, kind of like a game of H.O.R.S.E. in basketball. The event is free to enter and a group lift ticket rate will be offered to those who preregister for the event here.
Practice will start at 10:30 a.m. and the event kicks off at 11 a.m. The event is sponsored by Public, Vans, Dang, Volcom, Howl, and Beech Mountain Resort.
Saudi Arabia Big Air
If you follow golf, you know that the controversy surrounding the LIV tour and its poaching of golf’s biggest stars and most recognizable names from the PGA Tour caused pure chaos. Well, Saudi Arabia has entered the snowboarding conversation.
The Snowblast KSA Cup will be held on a scaffolding jump in Riyadh. That’s the capital of the country, and as Mark Clavin of Snowboard Magazine reports, the three-day festival will kick off tomorrow, February 28, and contain a prize purse that is astronomical, compared to what riders typically get in the United States and Canada.
The first place finisher will win $50,000. Another $30,000 will go to the second place finisher, and $20,000 will go to the third place.
There’s no word on who exactly is competing just yet, but the invitee list is packed with recognizable names, including Blowing Rock’s own Luke Winkelmann. Other invitees, according to Snowboard Magazine, are:
- Nicolas Huber
- Mons Røisland
- Sven Thorgren
- Su Yiming
- Ryoma Kimata
- Chris Corning
- Leon Vockensperger
- Red Gerard
- Brock Crouch
- Jake Canter
- Hiroaki Kunitake
- Taiga Hasegawa
- Enzo Valax
- Takeru Otsuka.
There is currently no word on a live stream for the event, and no women were invited to attend the contest.
If you aren’t totally aware of the PGA Tour and LIV situation, I cannot possibly do a good enough job explaining it to you within the constraints of the FirsTrax report. Here is a story from the Associated Press that breaks it down.
And if you’d like to take a further dive, golf writer Alan Shipnuck wrote an entire book about it.
I will end with this: professional snowboarders do not make nearly as much money as you think they do. For many, a $50,000 first-place finish means that they will not have to work a 60-hour-a-week landscaping gig in the summer months. And here in North America, FIS, brands, and contest hosts should really think long and hard about that if they don’t like that athletes are headed over there to compete.
Video Of The Day
This one is brand new. It dropped yesterday. Erik Leon’s Super Top Secret Video Part.
The Rest
Thanks to everyone that has already joined us on Discord.
Think snow!
Think cold!
Click here to join us on our new SkiSoutheast Discord channel. It is a great way to meet new snow loving friends and shares experiences, ask questions, and more!
And as always, email me at [email protected] with your thoughts and photos.