Is Gunstock dismal or what?

fatlazyless · 02-25-2010, 02:01 PM

Not having anything better to do today, on a rainy-sleety-35-degree day here in beautifull Waterville Valley, NH, I took a look at the www.gunstock.com website, and was slightly surprised to see how bad the report is there.

February 25, 2010 Gunstock conditions as reported

19 out of 55 trails open which is 37%

Feb 17 ........ 6" snow
Feb 24 ........ 6' snow

Base 18-36"
......
That's pretty bad, just 19 out of 55 open on Feb 25.

Waterville has about 44 out of 52 open, which is hard to believe. It's probably a good idea to not trust ski area reports when conditions head south, especially just before a weekend, when most business occurs.

So, a big hats off to Gunstock, where conditions may be rotten, but at least their website seems to tell the truth and admit this.

tpabrad · 02-25-2010, 02:47 PM

I was just up in the region over the weekend into Tuesday. We went to Gunstock on Monday and conditions then, before the rain of course, were pretty good in my unknowing opinion. I would think the rain would have obliterated everything they had left. Between the warm temps and that, seems like an early ending to the season may be coming?

LakesRegionSpirit · 02-25-2010, 04:53 PM

I live just down the street from Gunstock. Couldn't tell what the conditions were today-couldn't see the mountain. Totally fogged in. For the second day in a row, they have cancelled the night time "throwdown" events.

fatlazyless · 02-25-2010, 05:14 PM

Choosing the catchy tagline "Is Gunstock dismal or what?" was a bad choice on my part, and if I were to post it again I think I'd pick something like "Skiing Gunstock" for a title. One has to admire Gunstock for their honesty in posting the number of closed trails as most ski areas would probably bury or hide that info and just keep on pumping some good news.

Here in Waterville, it's slushing heavy outside right now with white precipitate, a snow-rain mix, that's blowing sideways at times. Give 603 236-4404, the WV sno-phone, a call and what do you hear? You hear: "We've got ten inches of snow in the last two days!" ...oh well...gotta be an optimist to keep a ski area going what with this unusual winter weather.

So, three cheers for Gunstock for an honest report

and so what if operating with just 37% trails open is more than a little unusual for a February 25 NH ski report

!

Resident 2B · 02-25-2010, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Choosing the catchy tagline "Is Gunstock dismal or what?" was a bad choice on my part, and if I were to post it again I think I'd pick something like "Skiing Gunstock" for a title. One has to admire Gunstock for their honesty in posting the number of closed trails as most ski areas would probably bury or hide that info and just keep on pumping some good news.

Here in Waterville, it's slushing heavy outside right now with white precipitate, a snow-rain mix, that's blowing sideways at times. Give 603 236-4404, the WV sno-phone, a call and what do you hear? You hear: "We've got ten inches of snow in the last two days!" ...oh well...gotta be an optimist to keep a ski area going what with this unusual winter weather.

So, three cheers for Gunstock for an honest report

and so what if operating with just 37% trails open is more than a little unusual for a February 25 NH ski report

!

Nice, fair post FLL!

Gunstock is a resort that tells it like it is. Unfortunately, it may be worse in the morning than it was this afternoon.

R2B

4 for Boating · 02-25-2010, 06:27 PM

I think I saw at some point today that they closed two major lifts due to ice and such. So, not sure how well they faired with the conditions/rain but I think the minimal trials represent what's left when you close the HS Quad and Pistol lift. Should be interesting to see what the trail count is when/if they open those lifts back up again.

baygo · 02-25-2010, 07:07 PM

I went to gunstock.com and encountered what I refer to as online graffiti with extreme disregard for bandwidth management on the home page. I should have expected such because it seems every ski area has mistaken the internet for the television. One would think that web designers would learn from google's success.

tpabrad · 02-26-2010, 07:52 AM

Heres some interesting info, this morning it was 29 degrees at my house in Tampa, FL while it was a dismal 35 in Wolfeboro! Wow! Talk about backwards

Shore Driver · 02-26-2010, 01:04 PM

The webcam for WV looks like "The Day After Tomorrow" so clearly they recovered with snow after rain. In fact, they may have lost power because no one is there.

Hopefully Gunstock cashed in overnight was well.

fatlazyless · 02-26-2010, 07:52 PM

Last night's storm of rain, sleet, and high winds apparently switched to all wet snow overnight because this morning there was about six inches of very heavy wet snow, plus the WV electricity went out till about 5-pm today.

The WV ski area has a back-up generator and the main quad lift was the only lift running today and at half the regular speed, but hey it was running so that was good news. Fridays are a twofer, 2 /$67 day so you got one lift at half speed for a twofer-half price.....such a deal!

Just down Route 49 about ten miles at Exit 28 in Campton, the ground looks pretty much brown grass with no snow. Just five miles down Rt 49 from the valley, the ground is looking like almost no snow.

Could be that last night's snow was the heaviest and most durable snow cover so far this season, and who knows, maybe it will hang around till April 5, and really power up the cross country ski trails. Then again, maybe it will melt, and the tennis courts will be bloom'n

?

fatlazyless · 02-27-2010, 08:15 AM

I'm really regretting my choice of 'dismal' for a title here as a dopey choice on my part.....maybe I'm not the britest bulb on the tree sometimes....anyway....having just read CLA's post on the local weather....he mentioned that Randolph got about 39 inches of snow...and Wildcat Mt has a U-Tube video for yesterday's 9-dollar Friday and Wildcat is just down the road from Randolph....any chance someone could post a link here to the Wildcat U-Tube?

corollaman · 02-28-2010, 12:08 AM

might as well just stick a fork in it for this season....this season was a bust as far as I'm concerned. I was gonna actually go out and buy a used sled, but not now. Spending the money on a kayak and summer sports instead!

rick35 · 02-28-2010, 04:25 PM

Passed on Gunstock today thinking conditions might not be that great and went over to Sunapee. Conditions were fantastic with packed powder with several inches new since yesterday. They had a lot of snow this week while the rest of us further south and east were getting washed out. We liked it so much we may head back over next weekend.

gf2020 · 02-28-2010, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick35

Passed on Gunstock today thinking conditions might not be that great and went over to Sunapee. Conditions were fantastic with packed powder with several inches new since yesterday. They had a lot of snow this week while the rest of us further south and east were getting washed out.

Last time I checked Gunstock was north of Sunapee. Sunapee has about 400 feet more elevation than Gunstock, however.

I will be at Gunstock on Saturday the 6th with our Boy Scout troop.

rick35 · 02-28-2010, 09:02 PM

I was referring to where I live but you're right about Sunapee. We had some snow Friday but it was a washout before that. Lost power Thursday around midnight and didn't get it back until Saturday morning. Looked from the ski reports that there was more snow to the west. Even Crotched Mtn reported heavy snow. I think the elevation in that whole area from Jaffrey up through Sunapee contributed to why they got snow and the Nashua area didn't.

jmen24 · 03-01-2010, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gf2020

Last time I checked Gunstock was north of Sunapee. Sunapee has about 400 feet more elevation than Gunstock, however.

I will be at Gunstock on Saturday the 6th with our Boy Scout troop.

We get way more snow over here than at Gunstock. I grew up 15 minutes south of Gunstock (my parents still live there) and I am looking at Sunapee through my office window, about 15 minute drive from here.

Last weeks storms, New London received a little over 12" on Wednesday and Thursday's rainy day turned into another 5" of snow at home and in New London. Saturday morning left another 4" on the ground in Andover, NH just to the east of Sunapee and New London. I have about 14" of snow on the ground at my house in Andover as of this morning when I had to brush another half inch or so off the truck before leaving for work.

We do seem to be losing it as fast as we get it though, but it is trying in some spots. The snowmobiles were going all weekend at the end of the road where the trail crosses.

My father in law drove up from the Maine coast on Saturday and didn't bring boots because there was no snow at his house, boy was he suprised when he pulled in the driveway.

rick35 · 03-01-2010, 05:03 PM

Saw a guy towing a boat on Rte 93 on my way home from skiing Sunday. Got me thinging that I like boating more than skiing.

4 for Boating · 03-01-2010, 09:08 PM

We skied at Gunstock this past weekend and have to say the conditions were actually good. (Compared to that of the rest I suppose) No loss of power, no crowds to speak of and plenty of snow on the trials.

Having said that, the Sugarloaf area in Maine received over 5 feet of snow over the past few days. Outstanding skiing and I’m sure plenty of snow for snowmobiles.

I guess you need to be at the right place at the right time. The weather pattern is so strange this year.

SIKSUKR · 03-02-2010, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick35

Saw a guy towing a boat on Rte 93 on my way home from skiing Sunday. Got me thinging that I like boating more than skiing.

I think he got a flat cuz I saw a boat on the side of the southbound lane of 93 about 2:00.

02-25-2010, 02:01 PM	#1
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,528 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 296 Thanked 957 Times in 698 Posts	Is Gunstock dismal or what? Not having anything better to do today, on a rainy-sleety-35-degree day here in beautifull Waterville Valley, NH, I took a look at the www.gunstock.com website, and was slightly surprised to see how bad the report is there. February 25, 2010 Gunstock conditions as reported 19 out of 55 trails open which is 37% Feb 17 ........ 6" snow Feb 24 ........ 6' snow Base 18-36" ...... That's pretty bad, just 19 out of 55 open on Feb 25. Waterville has about 44 out of 52 open, which is hard to believe. It's probably a good idea to not trust ski area reports when conditions head south, especially just before a weekend, when most business occurs. So, a big hats off to Gunstock, where conditions may be rotten, but at least their website seems to tell the truth and admit this. __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

02-25-2010, 04:53 PM	#3
LakesRegionSpirit Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Gilford Posts: 188 Thanks: 7 Thanked 40 Times in 21 Posts	I live just down the street from Gunstock. Couldn't tell what the conditions were today-couldn't see the mountain. Totally fogged in. For the second day in a row, they have cancelled the night time "throwdown" events. __________________ __________________________________________ Lakes Region Spirit "Seeking the soul of the Lakes Region one story at a time" www.LakesRegionSpirit.com

02-25-2010, 05:14 PM	#4
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,528 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 296 Thanked 957 Times in 698 Posts	Choosing the catchy tagline "Is Gunstock dismal or what?" was a bad choice on my part, and if I were to post it again I think I'd pick something like "Skiing Gunstock" for a title. One has to admire Gunstock for their honesty in posting the number of closed trails as most ski areas would probably bury or hide that info and just keep on pumping some good news. Here in Waterville, it's slushing heavy outside right now with white precipitate, a snow-rain mix, that's blowing sideways at times. Give 603 236-4404, the WV sno-phone, a call and what do you hear? You hear: "We've got ten inches of snow in the last two days!" ...oh well...gotta be an optimist to keep a ski area going what with this unusual winter weather. So, three cheers for Gunstock for an honest report and so what if operating with just 37% trails open is more than a little unusual for a February 25 NH ski report! __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

02-25-2010, 07:07 PM	#7
baygo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 695 Thanks: 187 Thanked 531 Times in 227 Posts	ouch I went to gunstock.com and encountered what I refer to as online graffiti with extreme disregard for bandwidth management on the home page. I should have expected such because it seems every ski area has mistaken the internet for the television. One would think that web designers would learn from google's success.

02-26-2010, 07:52 PM	#10
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,528 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 296 Thanked 957 Times in 698 Posts	Last night's storm of rain, sleet, and high winds apparently switched to all wet snow overnight because this morning there was about six inches of very heavy wet snow, plus the WV electricity went out till about 5-pm today. The WV ski area has a back-up generator and the main quad lift was the only lift running today and at half the regular speed, but hey it was running so that was good news. Fridays are a twofer, 2 /$67 day so you got one lift at half speed for a twofer-half price.....such a deal! Just down Route 49 about ten miles at Exit 28 in Campton, the ground looks pretty much brown grass with no snow. Just five miles down Rt 49 from the valley, the ground is looking like almost no snow. Could be that last night's snow was the heaviest and most durable snow cover so far this season, and who knows, maybe it will hang around till April 5, and really power up the cross country ski trails. Then again, maybe it will melt, and the tennis courts will be bloom'n? __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake! Last edited by fatlazyless; 02-26-2010 at 08:38 PM.

02-25-2010, 02:47 PM	#2
tpabrad Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 58 Thanks: 5 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	I was just up in the region over the weekend into Tuesday. We went to Gunstock on Monday and conditions then, before the rain of course, were pretty good in my unknowing opinion. I would think the rain would have obliterated everything they had left. Between the warm temps and that, seems like an early ending to the season may be coming?

02-25-2010, 06:27 PM	#6
4 for Boating Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 210 Thanks: 1 Thanked 37 Times in 25 Posts	I think I saw at some point today that they closed two major lifts due to ice and such. So, not sure how well they faired with the conditions/rain but I think the minimal trials represent what's left when you close the HS Quad and Pistol lift. Should be interesting to see what the trail count is when/if they open those lifts back up again.

02-26-2010, 07:52 AM	#8
tpabrad Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 58 Thanks: 5 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Heres some interesting info, this morning it was 29 degrees at my house in Tampa, FL while it was a dismal 35 in Wolfeboro! Wow! Talk about backwards

02-26-2010, 01:04 PM	#9
Shore Driver Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Tolland CT Posts: 194 Thanks: 20 Thanked 31 Times in 25 Posts	The webcam for WV looks like "The Day After Tomorrow" so clearly they recovered with snow after rain. In fact, they may have lost power because no one is there. Hopefully Gunstock cashed in overnight was well.

02-27-2010, 08:15 AM	#11
fatlazyless Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 8,528 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 296 Thanked 957 Times in 698 Posts	I'm really regretting my choice of 'dismal' for a title here as a dopey choice on my part.....maybe I'm not the britest bulb on the tree sometimes....anyway....having just read CLA's post on the local weather....he mentioned that Randolph got about 39 inches of snow...and Wildcat Mt has a U-Tube video for yesterday's 9-dollar Friday and Wildcat is just down the road from Randolph....any chance someone could post a link here to the Wildcat U-Tube? __________________ ... down and out, liv'n that Walmart side of the lake!

02-28-2010, 12:08 AM	#12
corollaman Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Laconia NH Posts: 181 Thanks: 8 Thanked 10 Times in 9 Posts	might as well just stick a fork in it for this season....this season was a bust as far as I'm concerned. I was gonna actually go out and buy a used sled, but not now. Spending the money on a kayak and summer sports instead!

02-28-2010, 04:25 PM	#13
rick35 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bear Island/Merrimack Posts: 710 Thanks: 56 Thanked 170 Times in 104 Posts	Passed on Gunstock today thinking conditions might not be that great and went over to Sunapee. Conditions were fantastic with packed powder with several inches new since yesterday. They had a lot of snow this week while the rest of us further south and east were getting washed out. We liked it so much we may head back over next weekend.

02-28-2010, 09:02 PM	#15
rick35 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bear Island/Merrimack Posts: 710 Thanks: 56 Thanked 170 Times in 104 Posts	I was referring to where I live but you're right about Sunapee. We had some snow Friday but it was a washout before that. Lost power Thursday around midnight and didn't get it back until Saturday morning. Looked from the ski reports that there was more snow to the west. Even Crotched Mtn reported heavy snow. I think the elevation in that whole area from Jaffrey up through Sunapee contributed to why they got snow and the Nashua area didn't.

03-01-2010, 05:03 PM	#17
rick35 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bear Island/Merrimack Posts: 710 Thanks: 56 Thanked 170 Times in 104 Posts	Saw a guy towing a boat on Rte 93 on my way home from skiing Sunday. Got me thinging that I like boating more than skiing.

03-01-2010, 09:08 PM	#18
4 for Boating Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 210 Thanks: 1 Thanked 37 Times in 25 Posts	We skied at Gunstock this past weekend and have to say the conditions were actually good. (Compared to that of the rest I suppose) No loss of power, no crowds to speak of and plenty of snow on the trials. Having said that, the Sugarloaf area in Maine received over 5 feet of snow over the past few days. Outstanding skiing and I’m sure plenty of snow for snowmobiles. I guess you need to be at the right place at the right time. The weather pattern is so strange this year.