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!