First day out!

Skis were loaded in the car and boot bags packed the night before! We were psyched to get out on the hill! Lily and Jorja couldn't wait to try out their new equipment! We found a great parking spot and we were on the chair by 8:45! We couldn't have pick a more beautiful day! The sun was shining, the skies were blue, and the conditions were great! Of course, this meant people were happy! We explored the whole mountain with a mid morning break at the Sunnyside Lodge to enjoy a giant chocolate chip cookie. YUM! Despite the typical holiday week crowds, the lines were completely tolerable and sometimes non-existent. We could jump right on the World Cup chair, North Side double, and Quadzilla. Valley Run was crowded but if you ventured to other parts of the mountain, you might have had a whole trail to yourself. We skied hard until 2:30 and only quit due to their hungry little bellies. Pray for snow this weekend!

Josef Jung and the Silver Streaks...

Today, Josef started off by saying - everybody walks differently so everybody skis differently. Equipment and clinics help to make skiing easier and more fun. We all had an enjoyable time following his turns and listening to his common sense suggestions. A great ski day. Important notice on the Nordic skiing - we didn't get as much snow as we had hoped thus far so it looks like the Nordic program will start after the Holidays. And since it will be the first day of cross-country skiing, we'll be postponing the clinics as well by one week. So the clinics will be on the 12th and the 19th. Tomorrow we will be entertaining the reporter from the Concord Monitor who will be here with her video person so wear your best duds. Later we will have our apres-ski party at Village Condominium at 3pm so please bring something to share. See you then.
Terry

World Cup was rippin yesterday!

Hello fans of Waterville Valley. I went skiing yesterday morning and I pleasantly surprised to find World Cup open. It was incredible! Totally groomed and hardly skied. The lower part of Tippy was a little scratchy, but the upper party is still holding up very well. We have scattered snow showers in the forecast and looking out my window right now... it looks like the Valley is getting some snow. We need it, but the groomed runs are still very nice. I could have skied Sel's Choice to World Cup all day long... if I didn't have a million things to do I would have! It really helps having a well tuned ski to make your ski day the most enjoyable when skiing the groomers. It's all about flexing the ski and setting the edge, and you have to have an edge in order to set it. I'll be heading up at some point today... you'll probably find me on World Cup for as long as I can get away with it. Purple jacket... gray pants. See you out there!

Skiing with Peter Weber

Attached is a photo of the group who skied with Peter Weber yesterday - he gave us many tips on ski equipment and an efficient way to make good turns. Tomorrow a reporter is coming from the Concord Monitor who will be interviewing and taking some photos. And don't forget that we'll have a Holiday apres-ski party tomorrow (Wednesday) at 3PM at Village Condominium Rec Room - please bring a little something to share.
Terry

Nordic Passholder Party & Silver Streaks Update

Yesterday morning would best be described as "sparkling". The snow truly glistened in the sun - skiing was spectacular. Don't want to say more because people who missed will be too bummed. However, here is something you won't miss if you're a Nordic Pass holder. The Nordic Center is having their annual Nordic Passholder party on Dec 29th from 6-8 and they need your RSVP by Dec 26th. They do not have all e-mail address and could not notify everyone directly. Hope you're enjoying you weekend (or getting work done so you can enjoy the empty slopes mid-week). See you soon.

Upcoming Silver Streaks Events

Blue skies, cool temps and snow guns blasting away make for terrific conditions and getting better by the day! It's great to see more and more members coming to the Mountain to begin another great year. Welcome to one and all.
A few notes of interest....
Monday, our Director of Snowsports, Pete Weber will be skiing with the Silver Streaks. Come join him at 10:30 at the Main Quad!
Wednesday, a reporter from the Concord Monitor will be joining us to do an article on the Silver Streaks. She'll be bringing her own photographer too so it would be great if we could have a large group to ski and talk with her. Our Holiday Apres Ski party will be held at the Village Condos rec room starting at 3pm. Village Condominium is the first left after Tecumsh Road as you drive towards Town Square. Please bring appetizers and/or beverages to share.

In reference to the Patriots winning Tuesday program: the price of lift tickets will equal the opposing team's losing but you must download the special coupon by logging onto the Waterville.com or the WBZ website. This great promotion will not be valid over the Holiday week: on Tuesday, 12/28.


Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend!
Terry & Deb

Silver Streaks

Hi, We're so excited - started on Monday with a great surface on most of the upper trails but with a stiff wind and brisk temperatures. We finished the week with a beautiful blue sky day of skiing - attached is a photo of 16 or more of us on top of High Country. I took the photo with my cell phone so may not have gotten everyone in the photo - next time I'll bring my camera. We skied as a group for a couple of runs and had great fun. Now here's comes some new deals for Silver Streaks. Starting Monday, you can have breakfast with your Mad River coffee - the cafeteria is offering a breakfast (eggs,bacon,toast) for $3.50. Stick around after morning skiing for a cup of the soup-of-the-day for $4.50 (usual fare is $6.75). The soups will last you all afternoon - trust me, they're good. Just show your Silver Streak ID at check-out. Also, the Coyote Grill is offering their Monday evening Silver Streak special - $10 entrees and a special price on house wine. No reservations needed but just bring your card. Also, did you know you can get a labor card at the ski shop for tuning for $120 that's worth $150 in tunings. More discounts in the shop - just stop by to check them out. There will be a demo day for Streaks as soon as the shop gets their demos. Attached also is our calendar which is constantly being updated. Please note our 25th Anniversary Banquet on January 19th. This will be a special celebration of our 25 years - we hope to have everyone there including some Silver Streaks that may not be skiing now but were here at the beginning. This is just the start of a very exciting year - enough said - have a great weekend - see you Monday.

Colins Run on 12/9/2010

Greetings!
I have never taken my flip camera skiing so I thought I would give it a shot. My son Colin and I played hookie yesterday afternoon after his doctors appointment. I usually get out there in the morning and I'm done by noon. The snow conditions were beautiful in the afternoon but BOY was it cold at the top of the mountain. We had to warm up in the Schwendi Hutte and I ran into Geoff Oulette who was training at High Country with the Plymouth State and New Hampton race teams. He said it was bitter bitter cold at the top and the wind was pretty intense at times. It was super cold, but nothing a hot chocolate couldn't cure. We took about 4 runs, started out going Upper Bobby's to the lower part of Tyler and down to the last part of Old Tecumseh. This run that I videoed of Colin was from White Caps to Terry's Trail to Lower Tyler to Lower Old Tecumseh. Colin is in BBTS this year for the first time... and I'm amazed how much more confident he is on his skiis and it's only been 2 weekends! Other BBTS Dads have told me that he'll be out skiing me by the end of the year, and I believe it. One of the reasons I wanted to put him in the program was so he could get great instruction from coaches with experience teaching kids. I can ski, but I can't teach skiing. I'm really looking forward to more days of fun on the slopes with my son... who can now keep up and loves to ski! These new flip cameras will make it very easy to monitor his progress throughout the season.

Rippin mid-week...

Hello from Waterville,
I took a couple of runs yesterday to get the rust out and the skiing was phenomenal. Definitely in soft powder on both sides of Tyler and High Country. It was so good I had to bust up there again this morning after the resort association meeting to hit it again. Mid-week is where it's at. I think everyone should take a health day off of work and hit the slopes a few times during the Winter. The first runs in the morning where the guns have been blowing fresh powder over a perfectly groomed surface is just.....buttah!

Almost time to ski!

Guess what? Waterville will open for skiing and riding on Friday!

For those of you that live here in New England, you know that we don't have regular storm and weather patterns here on the east. The only thing that you can expect is a constant state of change. Our original plan was to open on the 20th; but mother nature had her say in that...

Since then, we've been able to blow a ton of snow from High Country all the way down to The Pasture! We're getting a little rain right now, but we're still pushing forward and staying positive. I have my skis waxed and ready to put turns in on Friday and you should too!

And I quote; "According to Rob Batchelder, Waterville's Mountain Manager, thanks to the past weekend of snowmaking at the summit, Waterville Valley will be opening on Friday, Nov. 26 as planned. Skiing and riding will be on High Country's Ruthie's Run and Scramble trails with service by the High Country Double Chairlift. The White Peak Quad will open for access to the summit at 8:00 am. The Schwendi Hutte and Base Lodge restaurants will be open plus Sport Thoma Retail and Repair Shops. Daily lift tickets will be $29 for adults, $20 for teens and college students and $15 for juniors. "

See you soon!
Patrick Bradley, Media Coordinator

Fantastic! Yup- that sums it up for the day and season! The whole family headed to the mountain for a couple of hours and we ended up staying for 5 hours!! After only 3 runs, sunny skies, warm temps, and all the happy people; we decided that Easter dinner could be put in the freezer. The snow held up all day and we ended our season with phenomenal spring skiing conditions. There is still plenty of snow on Gema, White Caps, Terry's Trail, Old Tecumseh, World Cup, and more to enjoy a full day of making turns. Get up there while you can!

Summer skiing

Today was not spring skiing, it was summer skiing. It was so much fun, I have skied in the summer in other parts of the country and world and it was not as hot as it was today. People were skiing in all sorts of outfits, bikinis to shirtless and shorts. Today was also the absolute best day you could have the pond skimming contest so there were even people out there in costumes for that. It was quite fun watching people trying to get across the pond and even more fun watching the people fall into the water. I am sure even with the hot temperatures that the water was very cold. I could not imagine what the boot s of the people that fell in were like. I am sure that anyone that fell in, their skiing was over for the day. There is still plenty of snow left on the mountain and if you can get out tomorrow you should. Looks like it is going to be another great day tomorrow.

Sunshine and Snow

I have come to accept that I can only ski on the weekends but I have to admit that this year the weekends have been great. It seems like every time I come to Waterville it is either sunny or snowing, even when everyone else is getting rain. Today was no exception. It was 60 degrees and sunny. The snow that WV got at the end of last weekend and beginning of the week was noticeable. Great coverage and classic spring skiing. These are the days that you wait for all season. The snow is soft and the bumps are forgiving.
The whole week I was wondering if the snow would be good at the mountain because I basically have green grass at my house. Well my question was answered today. There is plenty of snow and if the weather pattern stays like this I will be able to work on that goofy goggle tan that everyone in my office makes fun of me for. Looking forward to tomorrow and some more hero snow.

Gagnon Tops the Stacked Women’s GS Field at 2010 Nor Am Cup Finals

The women wrapped up their first event of the 2010 Nor Am Cup Finals as Marie-Michele Gagnon won the Giant Slalom Overall and Julia Ford won the Giant Slalom Juniors under sunny blue skies in Waterville Valley, NH. Following Gagnon in the overall awards were Olympian Sarah Schleper and Megan McJames- winning second and third respectively.

Abby Fucigna, 2009 Waterville Valley Academy graduate, placed 3rd in the Juniors division. Fucigna started as a Mitey Mite in the BBTS Ski Club and then transitioned into Waterville Valley Academy, the BBTS full time academic and snowsports training program. “ My GS has come a long way since last year,” said Fucigna, “I felt good, aggressive and clean after the first run...during the second run I hit a cross rut which slowed me down a bit, but that’s ski racing!” Even with that bobble, Fucigna’s total time for runs one and two was fast enough to give her 19th overall. “ There’s a lot more pressure to be able to put two solid, clean runs together. Because if you don’t, just like today, you get bumped back due to the stacked field of competition.”

The women return to the hill on Thursday with the men for Slalom, the final event of the 2010 Nor Am Cup Finals. For final results from the women’s GS and all the results from this week’s competition, please go HERE .

Abigail Fucigna grew up skiing at WV and BBTS

Abigail Fucigna placed 19th overall and 3rd in the junior division

The women's overall GS podium

Nor Am Cup Finals Underway at Waterville Valley

The sun shined and skies were blue for the start of the Nor Am Cup finals on Tuesday morning, a far cry from Monday’s rain, snow and ice mix. The precipitation created sloppy snow conditions on the mountain, making a very grueling preparation for the event, which dragged on to the late hours of Monday night. Waterville Valley Academy coaches hosed down the runs in hopes to harden the snow for optimum racing. Their hard work paid off as day one of the series went as scheduled and

WVBBTS CEO and Executive Director, Peter Stokloza deemed it a success “the snow was good, the sun was out and the skiing was extraordinary- it can’t get any better than this.”

After narrowly missing his spot to the Olympics, local racer Warner Nickerson of Gilford, NH finished 2nd in the final Nor Am GS of the season. Nickerson grew up skiing at Gunstock Mountain and has spent the last month training all over New England. “I had a great first run…today was the first day I skied in my new Carbon Fiber Dodge Boots and they helped me get a better feel for the snow and my turns.” After the first run, Nickerson found himself in the lead. The course workers were able to salt the snow for the second run, leaving a firm race course for the top 60 skiers. “ The snow was much better [the second run]…I was 6 tenths ahead after first run and I toned it down a bit during my second run, which cost me my lead, but I am very happy with my result,” added Nickerson.

For complete results from Tuesday's Men's GS, please go here -HERE

Chris Frank, USA

Jon Olsson, Sweden

Mid-way down the GS course

The NOR AM men's GS overall.

1st - Tommy Ford (center)

2nd - Warner Nickerson (left)

3rd - Jan Hudec (right)

The NOR AM Cup men's GS overall

Junior Olympics @ WV

This week Waterville welcomes the best freestyle athletes from across the country as they compete in the US Freestyle Junior Olympics. Be sure to head up and catch all the action, 'cause these kids rip!! Wednesday is superpipe ( Exhibition ), Thursday is slopestyle (Exhibition ), Friday is moguls ( True Grit ), Saturday is aerials ( Lower Sel's ) and Sunday is dual moguls ( True Grit ). Although I am an old, washed up, has been park rat, who really enjoys his slopestyle competitions, I am really looking forward to watching the dual moguls. There's nothing quite like watching two moguls skiers race each other down the bump course on Grit, huckin' backies with big x-ups. It will be entertaining, so don't miss out!

Good Day Sunshine!

Weekends like this - you just wish would never end! There was the blazing sunshine, the blue blue sky, and the soft but not slushy snow. Yet my daughters would have spent all day on the trolley. I mention the trolley because we unloaded, found a parking spot, and as soon as I hit the lock button, the trolley was literally right there to bring us back to the base. Basically riding in the back of a truck without a seatbelt is like "girls gone wild" for my daughters. But, for mom, I was psyched! All geared up and as our routine dictates, the girls headed to the Meadows chair. We swung over to Quadzilla to watch the Burton AM Series while being drenched by mother sunshine. We saw some great riders from afar and some homegrown locals like Danny Gerrity. We skied the trees and the soft bumps all over the mountain. And of course, we hit the Schwendi Hutte for some sweet treats of M & M brownies and cinnamon rolls before heading home. The snow was fantastic all day from top to bottom. Guess what was waiting for us at the bottom to drop us off at the car ? - this mother's friend of the day, the trolley!!

Sun and Snow

I can make this post very short. Today was awesome, great snow from the past few storms and a sunny blue sky. The mountain offered every thing you could want today. The north side of the mountain offered great snow that resembled mid season skiing because it was cooler and had more of a powdery feel to it. The sunny side was just that. It was sunny and warm with warmer, spring like, snow. It was great if you like to ski bumps because most trails had great lines by the end of the day. The sunny side was also great for those of you that want to work on a goggle tan.
If you were not able to get out today I would suggest getting to the mountain tomorrow because it looks like it may be a repeat of today.

See you on the mountain.

Bluebird

Today was a picture perfect day here at Waterville Valley! Full on Bluebird with amazing spring skiing conditions! Everyone is out with Spring Fever enjoying the great skiing and riding along with The Burton Demo tour that has just arrived with lots of cool things to check out.
Tomorrow's forecast is calling for an even warmer day, so get out and enjoy the sun and great skiing! Don't forget the sunblock, my cheeks are nice and red tonight!

Soft & Sunny

Thanks to the 46 inches of snow we've gotten on the mountain this past week, I had some of the best skiing this season Tuesday morning! Everyone kept saying how half way up the mountain road the snow accumulations were so much higher than down on the valley floor. I believed it to an extent, knowing that the higher elevations typically get more snow anyway. Then, Tuesday morning I finally got to see it for myself...they weren't kidding or exaggerating at all! Love it!!
The sun was shining all morning which made for so many soft, smooth turns on both the groomers and un-groomed terrain. Every turn was a good turn. I didn't find myself staying towards the edges as the morning went on because no matter where my skis took me I would have a soft cruiser run on this sunny Tuesday with all the new snow!
Looks like we should have some great spring skiing ahead of us! Get out and enjoy it!

WV White Out Super Post

My internet service was finally restored Sunday night, just in time for me to share my shots and thoughts from this amazing 4 day storm that hit WV.

It was a different world up there. In Campton, barely any snow, but 1/2 way up the access road, BAM! 2 feet. So here are some shots of my friends playing in the white out up in WV. It should be a great spring for skiing and riding!!!!

Chris needs a goggle wipe!

Poster boy finds a nice pillow line. Sorry about the hack job in PS.

Nice hands Skinny B

Mike lays into it.

Showing off for the weekend crowd

Surfer dude

No Rain at WV, all snow!

I flew back to New England on Wednesday night from a business trip early in the week. I was expecting to fly right into snow and be excited for the weekend, but I was in for a shock. It was raining. I decided that was not too bad because I was hearing about this big storm that was going to hit on Thursday night into Friday. Once again, instead of snow it was rain and a very powerful wind storm.
After clearing the debris from the storm and heading to work on Friday I received a picture message on my phone from a friend that was at Waterville. I could not believe what I was seeing. Waterville got all snow while everyone else was underwater.
On my drive up I was thinking there is no way WV got that much snow based on what I was seeing. That changed as soon as I started driving up the access road. They did get that much snow plus some. More snow fell overnight and it was snowing on and off all through the day. I was at the mountain early today to get some early runs and take advantage of the new snow. The trails were great and the trees were even better. I was skiing with some friends and we were so excited about the new snow and the conditions that we skied hard all morning. We were skiing all the lifts and trails we could including first chair on high country once it opened. Skiers left up there was great.
So for all of New England that received rain, I need to let you know that Waterville did not. My suggestion is for you to take a trip to the mountain. If you are like me you don’t have power anyway so I can not think of anything better to do. Hope to see you on the mountain tomorrow.

White Winter Wonderland In WV

Just wanted to drop a quick note about the weather conditions up here in WV.

My morning drive into the valley this morning was interesting and depressing as I left Campton, where all my beautiful snow that fell Wednesday, seemed to be gone. But, I arrived in WV to see plenty of white!!! It seems the rain/snow line stayed well outside the valley and as I write this, the flakes are starting to fly again.

So get ready for the weekend!!! The conditions should be amazing!

It's a Nice Day For a White....

It's a nice day for a White Wednesdaaaay!! YEAH, the snow is here! One of the best feelings is to wake up on your day off, look out the window and see the snow dumping down. Quick breakfast and coffee to go, and off to the hill for some fresh pow pow runs. The thought of where to even begin when I get off the lift kept racing through my head. I started off by going over to sunny side. Perfect! Fresh tracks down Ciao and right on to the triple with no line. The morning continued with runs down Gema, True Grit, and Lower Bobby's. With there being no lines on the triple the entire morning, I think I had the lifties convinced I was going to be there all day! Even the lift rides up were fun, watching everyone coming down smiling, laughing, and being completely stoked, made for a great scene on the mountain today! And what an awesome day it was. My thighs had that great burn feeling when you have all that snow...and hopefully more snow to come with the next storm in line!! See you out there!!!

Sunny day

I can not get enough of these sunny weekend days at the mountain. The only thing better is when it snows. I was skiing with a group today so in the morning we split our time between sunny side and the north side of the mountain. We had absolutely no complaints about the snow quality; the trails were in great condition.
I did not take as many runs today as I usually do because I also wanted to spend time watching two of the events that were going on. The first I wanted to see was the Red Bull Snake run. The set up for this event was great, as a spectator I was able to see just about the whole course from the top of the run. As soon as they made the event a jam format and started to send the competitors in rapid fire it became very interesting. I did not see the finals but the awards looked awesome.
The other event I took time to watch on the other side of the mountain was the PSU Regional Race. Today was the slalom race and was fun to watch. I come from a racing background so I can appreciate the technical aspects of slalom racing plus it did not hurt that the finish line was just sitting in the sun.
All in all it was a great day and I am looking forward to another day on the mountain. See you out there.

Looking for the weekend

I just got back from a week long trip to Tahoe and while I was out there I was able to catch some of the Olympic games. I would like to also state my congratulations to Hannah and inspired run in the mogul competition.
I am looking forward to this short work week and getting back on the slopes. I am very interested in a lot of the events that will be at WV this weekend, the Red Bull Snake Run, superpipe competition and the PSU regionals. Back in the day I was a racer so it will great to watch that but I do think the Red Bull snake run intrigues me the most. I hope this storm in the forecast gives us some snow and allows this weekend warrior the chance at new snow. Only four more days of work left in the week, I hope to see you on the mountain.

HK Wins Gold

Just have to share my excitement with the blog-o-sphere... WVBBTS Alum Hannah Kearney diced the Olympic mogul course winning the first gold medal for USA!

If you've been skiing at WV over the past 15 years, maybe you say her rippin' the bumps on True Grit, pig tails flapping and knees stuck together like they were wrapped in duct tape.

Big shout out to all of her coaches from her years at WVBBTS.... Nick Preston, Erik Gronberg, Dan Starke, Rob Day, Nick L. , Mac Daddy and so many more ( that's all I know at least ).

We are all so proud of you HK... congrats on this amazing achievement!!! GO USA!!!!!

Terrain Park Crew Interviews v.3

Now fans of Waterville's Terrain Parks can access more information than they'll ever need about the crew that makes the wheels spin in and around Exhibition. Talking about big bad Exhibition, it would merely be a bunny trail without the masterful mind of Terrain Park Manager, Luke Mathison. Luke took some time from his hectic day of building rails and others features to answer some untold buzz-worthy questions.

Waterville Valley: Hi Luke.
Luke Mathison: Hello Waterville Valley.

WV: How long have you been working at WV?
LM: Going on three years now.

WV: Where are you from?
LM: Born and raised right here in the Live Free Or Die state.

WV: What’s on your Ipod right now?
LM: A ton of songs I skip through to get to the ten I listen to.
WV: How do you eat your Oreo’s?
LM: Straight dunking.
WV: What color is your tooth brush?
LM: Blue and white. It’s an Oral-B. Its electric.
WV: Who is better? Tom or Jerry?
LM: I like the mouse. He messes that cat up daily.
WV: If you were a WWF wrestler who would you be?
LM: Don’t know any wrestlers from this time frame, when I was a kid I liked Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
WV: If your refrigerator was running where would it go?
LM: To the artic so it wouldn’t have to work as hard.
WV: If you were a Zookeeper, and the prairie dogs got out, how would you get them back?
LM: A dog whistle and a couple stray cats.
WV: If the moon was made out of cheese, what kind of food would you make with it?
LM: Cheese Puffs.

WV: Tell me a joke…
LM: 2 olives were in a bar, Olive 1 fell off his stool, Olive 2 asked if he was okay and Olive 1 said… OL-IVE!!!
WV: Would you rather go big or go home?
LM: At this point I would rather go surf.
WV: Thanks Luke. Always a pleasure.
LM: We'll see you skiing and riding at Waterville Valley.

Sunny Day In Exhibition

So I haven't been up on the hill in awhile and Tuesday was the perfect day to make my return!

It was warm, sunny and an excellent day to shoot some photos in the park. I'm glad I went too! If the stars align, Tuesday tends to be an amazing day to shoot due to the fact that the WVA students haven't been on snow for a day and they're itching to throw down. So below are some images from shooting for a few hours. The park is in prime shape right now and proof was in the Transworld Staff Photographers who flew out to shoot with Bill Enos and his crew of WVA riders! I was pumped for Bill and the kids, but jealous at the amount of cool gear the photographers had. Keep your eye out for that article and I'll see you on the hill.

Terrain Park Crew Interviews v.2

Now fans of the Waterville Terrain Park can access more information than they'll ever need about the crew that makes the wheels spin in Exhibition. Twenty-ten brings a few new additions to the crew including James Thomas who possesses a bright background of snowboarding and videography; no doubt he will fit right in. Onward with the interview...

Waterville Valley: Hi James.
James Thomas: Yes, Hello WV.

WV: How long have you been working at WV?
JT: I think less than a month now.

WV: Where are you from?
JT: Wilmington, Delaware and then Duxbury, MA.

WV: What’s on your Ipod right now?
JT: I’m not using my Ipod right now. It's in my living room.
WV: How do you eat your Oreo’s?
JT: I usually take one to two bites, then chew it so I can taste it. Then I swallow.
WV: What color is your tooth brush?
JT: I actually think it's pink.
WV: Who is better? Tom or Jerry?
JT: Tom. I like cats a lot.
WV: If you were a WWF wrestler who would you be?
JT: Mistress Belmont.
WV: If your refrigerator was running where would it go?
JT: Probably a YMCA or a Gold's gym or something – those places have decent treadmills these days.
WV: If you got season tickets to the WNBA, would you go to every game?
JT: I just googled WNBA. Didn't know that kind of stuff went down. Those are some big feet.
WV: If you were a Zookeeper, and the prairie dogs got out, how would you get them back?
JT: A hammer. Just kidding. Probably a net. Or a hammer.
WV: If the moon was made out of cheese, what kind of food would you make with it?
JT: Mike O'Brien's dream milkshake. Look him up on Facebook. Kid loves cheese more than most people love their children.
WV: Would you rather go big or go home?
JT: I can't think of something funny so I'll flip a Quarter. Home.
WV: Thanks James. See you out there riding.
JT: Sure will, bye for now.

Rollin..Rollin...Rollin....

First off I'd like to thank the snow makers and groomers! The conditions were great, every turn you took the snow was so soft! I'll be the first to admit, I was a little weary about going out Wednesday afternoon, but to my surprise, the snow was Amazing. My favorite run of the day was cruising down Tippecanoe. It was loaded with rollers the entire way down, which made it great for getting some speed and air time! Want some more fun rollers? Go check out Psyched, Chute and Valley Run. Also, make sure to check out all the great deals and events going on and Get Out Here!

Sunny day

I am not sure what is going on this year but it seems like we are getting a lot more sunny days than we usually do. Today was another example of that. Sure it was cold out but it has to be cold for the snow to be at its best, and it was. I was actually very surprised that the conditions we as soft as they were. With the rain last week I thought I would be skiing on the normal right coast hard pack. Right off the lift I noticed that I was wrong. As always, for my first run I gravitate to Sunnyside. My plan was to ski either True Grit, Gema or Ciao. Just by chance I decided to ski Gema. Besides getting out of bed it was the best decision I made all day. The left side of that trail was unbelievable. It was soft snow the whole way down. Needless to say I skied that trail about 5 more times before I ventured off to other parts of the mountain. That led me to Tippecanoe where the snow guns were blasting dry snow all over the trail. Once again I was not disappointed with my choice.
I skied the Northside for awhile before making my way back to Sunnyside and when I did I met up with some people that just arrived for some half day skiing. They asked if I knew any good trails, and I replied that if they were comfortable with a diamond trail they should follow me over to Gema. They did and when I saw them at the bottom they thanked me for the suggestion.
It was another sunny day with great snow conditions and if you were not able to get out and play at the mountain today due to the cold or other reasons I suggest you try to get out tomorrow. See you one the mountain.

Terrain Park Crew Interviews

Now fans of the Waterville Terrain Park can access more information than they'll ever need about the crew that makes the wheels spin in the park. Leading the way is the man, the myth, and the legend in the Valley, Dave Hardman. Without further ado let us get to know Dave a little better...

Waterville Valley: Howdy, Dave.
Dave Hardman: Hello.

WV: How long have you been working at WV?
DH: Ask someone in Human Resources.

WV: Where are you from?
DH: A couple places this side of the Mississippi.

WV: What’s on your Ipod right now?
DH: Some killer soul mix, big thanks to Mikey G. on that one.
WV: How do you eat your Oreo’s?
DH: Bite/Milk/Bite/Milk and so on...
WV: What color is your tooth brush?
DH: Blue, I think…
WV: Who is better? Tom or Jerry?
DH: The dog.
WV: If you were a WWF wrestler who would you be?
DH: Tugboat.
WV: If your refrigerator was running where would it go?
DH: Shopping for me bro.
WV: If you got season tickets to the WNBA, would you go to every game?
DH: Scalp 'em.
WV: If you were a Zookeeper, and the prairie dogs got out, how would you get them back?
DH: Criss Angel.
WV: If the moon was made out of cheese, what kind of food would you make with it?
DH: A single Cheez-It.
WV: Would you Eskimo kiss an Eskimo?
DH: This won't come back to haunt me if I say yes, will it?
WV: Tell me a joke…
DH: A guy walks into a Dr.’s office says, “I’m a teepee I’m a wigwam, I’m a teepee I’m a wigwam, what’s my problem Doc?” He responds, “You're too tents.”
WV: Would you rather go big or go home?
DH: Just have fun kids.
WV: Thanks Dave for your time, this interview is over.
DH: Thanks, see you in the park.

Fresh Air and Flurries

One of my favorite parts of my job in the winter is chaperoning the WV Elementary School's P.E. skiing class. Every Wednesday we go up to the mountain, meet the class, figure out groups and ski for a couple of hours with the kids. Lately I've been with the advanced group. These kids have so much fun and know how to have a good time, no matter the day! Today was great! We got the chance to play around and have some fun in Little Slammer.
What could better than getting out of the office for a couple of hours and getting some fresh air? There were flurries in the air and it looks like some snow in the future for Thursday night!

Good Friends, Good Skiing, Good Times!

What a great day! The sun was shining all morning, competitions and races were happening and great friends were together. Some days all I want to do is get out there, ski as hard as I can and take as many runs as possible. Not today though! Every run we took there was a familiar face to say hello to or join us for a bit. That's the nicest part about being able to get out there on a weekend, it can be as easy or hard as you make it and completely stress free!
The trails were in great condition all morning....the early skier gets the good snow! We mostly stuck to Sunny Side. It was nice and warm on the lift, we could watch the mogul Comp. and the snow was soft. Gema was a personal favorite today! I can always seem to find some great snow on the edges no matter what the day is! Have a great week and THINK SNOW!!!

What a weekend

This was another fantastic weekend of skiing. Saturday was once again warm and sunny and Sunday was sunny in the morning but clouds moved in during the afternoon. We have been spoiled these last two weekends and the snow has just been fantastic.
On Saturday I spent the majority of the time skiing sunny side. It was great because even when we were resting our legs on the triple chairlift we were able to watch the bump competition. The kids were incredible. I love skiing the bumps but these kids were throwing flips with no issues during the competition. I think if I ever tried to do what they did I would end up in the hospital.
Once again Lower Bobby’s was my run of choice because of the conditions and the fact that no one was on the trail all day. Lets all hope for another weekend like this next week. See you on the slopes.

OMG- what a beautiful day to be on the hill! The temps were perfect, the snow was fluffy, the sun was shining, the skies were blue, and everyone was happy! ...including my 2 daughters and therefore so was mom. Today we headed up Quadzilla , watching skiers and boarders launching themselves in the Exhibition Park, and straight to the glades off of Valley Run. The kids love these glades particularly because of the dips at the entrance. The glades are perfect for all ages, especially the little ones without poles. I always try to be the first one out to in order to get a glimpse of the kids hitting the jump at the end with the hugest of smiles. From there we decided to go check out the bump event on True Grit. The kids thought that it was awesome to watch the skiers "dance down the bumps to the rhythm of the music". After a few trips up Sunnyside Triple, we decided to head to the Schwendi Hutte for hot chocolate, their yummy toffee topped brownies, and the fantastic view. From there we headed down Oblivion. Even at the end of the day, there was still lots of fluff. Now my girls were on a mission... to find some tree to ski. We found the ones that all kids love off of Lower Stillness (skier's right)...tight,winding, and full of kids. We ended up at the Meadows chair and the kids were psyched to ditch mom. They love this chair not only because they can ride it alone and feel independent, but because now there is a small terrain park on Leroy's Loop. Once again a couple of hours skiing ended up being a full day of fun and exploration!

Bumps 'n Jumps in the Sun

It was one of those days at WV today! The skiing was spectacular, there were events all over the mtn. and L. Mathison opened the triple line in Exhibition. So here are some shots from today....get up here and enjoy winter!

Tomorrow is looking good

Looks like we are going to get another great day of skiing tomorrow. I may get a late start to the day due to some chores that I need to get done in the morning but as soon as I get to the mountain I am sure I will play where the sun is on sunny side. Hope to see you on the mountain tomorrow.

New Snow = Soft Turns

We woke up to 4" of fresh on Monday morning! Certainly a nice way to end a great MLK weekend! I think Rachel summed it up best as we walked back to the car, "this was my best day skiing this year!"

We weren't the luck ones to ring the bell at 8am, nor did we get first chair, but we did get the chance to make some turns down True Grit, which was buttery smooth and definitely my favorite trail of the day. Big shout out to Ryan for adding us into the daily video, that's a first for me at WV!

It's crazy how fast the year is flying by. Make sure you make the most out of every opportunity to ski or snowboard, even if it's only for a few runs, because before you know it April will be here.

Sunny Day

Today was another great day of skiing. The sun was shining and the temperatures were relatively warm for mid January. I spent most of the morning over on the Northside double because there was no one on the trails or the lift.
Around lunch time we decided that sunny side had been in the sun long enough and we made our way over there. We were not disappointed. All of the trails over there were great however Lower Bobby’s was by far the most fun. Bobby’s had an ungroomed surface that was a lot of fun to ski. I cannot wait until we get hit with a storm because Lower Bobby’s is fun. It is also just as good when it is bumped up.
I hope everyone enjoyed today as much as I did. See you on the mountain.

Long weekend fever

Well there is a long weekend coming up and I am pretty sure I am going to spend most of that time skiing. Primarily because I can not think of anything else that I want to do. Sure there is taking out the trash, shoveling the snow off the roof and putting the rest of the holiday decorations away but those are just not as fun. Sure, if I could take the snow blower on the roof that would make that chore fun. I really do not want to hear that anyone has done that or is thinking about doing that.
I am looking forward to the skiing and the ability to lounge around the house from the moment I get home until I wake up again the next day to ski. I may get some night snow shoeing in this weekend as well but until then I have 9 more hours of work which includes 4 meetings, one web presentation and about 100 emails. I think I can make it and if not, you will see me at WV Friday afternoon.

Getting your Bum out of bed on a cold & lazy Sunday....

All week I was so excited to have Saturday and Sunday off. Working over at the Recreation Dept., it is pretty unusual this time of year to have those two days off. Plans to go skiing on Saturday fell through, so Sunday it was! While watching the weather channel the night before, they talked about sub-zero temps and an arctic blast. This was making my decision about getting up early pretty tough. This seems to be the story whenever my days off fall this winter....very funny mother nature!!! When I had talked to a couple of friends on Saturday, We left it that we would catch up in the morning...keep in mind I've been car-less the past week, so making plans has been a little tougher than usual! I go to bed Saturday night and set the alarm for 7:30 hoping to get up there early, try and beat some crowds and be back in time for my boyfriend to take the car to his job! Wellll....I let the dog out first thing and came back inside an absolute icicle...to my relief, about 20 minutes later...Rach and Jeremy called and said they were headed up around 10:30 if i wanted a ride...YESSS! It warmed up a tad and we were on our way out! Believe it or not, True Grit sticks out in my mind after all the runs we took...I hit no ice and seemed to find some real nice snow off the skiers right, which made the crazy morning and fighting the desire to be lazy on a Sunday morning all worth it!! While on the lift, this was said, "Even if we only get a few runs in, it's a much better day than a day with no skiing at all." You make the best of what you have, get in some good runs and laugh with good friends! Get out there and ski...at least for a little bit....no matter what the weather may be :)

Butch's Banter

Charlie opened the lifts at Waterville Valley with me last Sunday by officially ringing the bell. That got me thinking that we could be like the NY Stock Exchange and invite guests to ring the bell all season. Of course we'll be opening the lifts and our days are a lot more fun! So, if you'd get a kick out of ringing the bell, just come see me. Did I mention that I like Reece's peanut butter cups?
See you in the front row!

1st day out with the kids

Finally, my daughters and I hit the slopes. There was nothing, not even zero degree temps, that were going to keep us from out first day out. We bundled up and as I had left the itinerary up to the girls ( ages 8 & 6), we headed straight to the Meadows chair. Took 4- 5 runs there and by the time we left, the girls were lapping me on Stemtation and Leroy's Loop. My daughters had a blast riding the chair by themselves with the littlest one getting friendly assistance from the lift attendants. After a snack, hot chocolate, and a thawing of the toes, we headed straight for Quadzilla! With mom in tow, we hit all the whoop-di-doos, the kid's adventure area for a little tree skiing, and skied the bumps forming on skiers' left of Valley Run. From there, they decided on ( yes- you know it!)the J bar. Up and down they went as happy as could be and as fast as they could go! What was only going to be 1 hour or 2 max ended up to be 4 hours! What a fantastic start to the year!

Skiing and a wedding

I decided to get a couple of hours of skiing in prior to a wedding I have to attend a 4pm. It was cold so I did dress properly to avoid any wind burn or red face. I am pretty sure that would not go over well in the pictures. I was able to ski a majority of the mountain but I settled one route that had the best snow and skied that about 5 times. From the top of the White Peak Quad I would ski Upper Bobby’s to Psyched to lower White Caps. The consistency of the snow on those trails was great. I was doing top to bottom runs without stopping on those trails to get a good work out so I could stay warm.
Around lunch time I decided to call it a day so I could make it home in time to change into the suit and go to the wedding. It was a great day.

Perfect Timing

I was excited to see 2 things when I arrived in the valley at 6:30am on Monday morning.

One, the guns were blowing all over the place, Psyched, Exhibition, Periphery, and Tyler.

Two, there was a winch cat on True Grit!

Now I love an un-groomed trail, good old man made bumps and challenging turns from your first to your last. But there's nothing like fresh corduroy, especially when it's deep, soft and perfect corduroy.

So, I was lucky enough to sneak in a few runs with my good friend and WV poster boy, and man

did I time it right. Patrol dropped the rope on Grit at 11am, and we enjoyed the amazing corduroy! So make sure you take a few runs down Grit this week, and if you still want your bumps, just scoot over to skiers left, where you'll find plenty of them!

Dropping over the True Grit headwall.

WV Poster Boy on his tele-skis!

Vacation week ends, But the good times are still rolling

Working all week during the holidays was a great time for all, from the lifties { i thought we did a great job } trying to get everyone on the lifts in a timely manner, to the skiers plowing snow from top to bottom. This was my first real "busy" time working here and i gotta say it was amazing. Everyone i talked to was having a great time. It snowed most of the days which added to the ambiance of an already exciting time on the mountain. Though vacation week ended for many of us, it's not the end to the great times awaiting skiers who trek to WatervilleValley. Its the beginning of a new year and of new memories that will not soon be forgotten. I know i cant wait till my next day off {which is tomorrow} so i can go and experience first hand what I've been hearing about all week. See you in the lift lines or on the mountain.

Happy New Year

It has been a great start to the New Year so far. It seems like it has not stopped snowing and there is more to come for tomorrow.
Today I spent most of my time on True Grit. The snow was great and ungroomed which added that extra level of fun.
I am sure that most people like me, are waiting to see what is going to happen with this storm tonight. I do know one thing; there are no friends on a powder day. Get as many runs in as you can, as early as possible. You can always meet your friends in the lodge at noon after your legs are so sore you wonder how you are going to walk up the stairs when you get home.

With all that said I would like to personally thank el Nino for a great beginning to 2010. Keep it comming.