Liberty thread
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cousinvinny
January 24, 2023
Member since 01/17/2023 🔗
1 posts
Has anyone been to Liberty recently?  Is it worth going for a half day intermediate (blue/black) ski excursion or just not enough manmade snow to be worth it?  In looking at the whitetail threads on the forum, conditions there seem, um, grassy and not snowy.
chuck_wow
January 25, 2023 (edited January 25, 2023)
Member since 01/14/2023 🔗
54 posts

I was there last Wed. It was super warm and slushy. Felt like half the mountain wasn't open. As a reference point Dipsy Doodle, the gentle cat track that connects all the backside trails was closed with no open in sight. Conditions worsened as the day progressed. Not sure they've had snowmaking opportunities in past week. I really love Ski Liberty and I hope they can catch a break.

Let me add: that awesome bar at Liberty next to ticket windows (I forget the name) now closes at 5pm or 8pm depending on day of week and crowd size. Learned this after I paid for mug club. I asked if they'd change hours once there was more of the mountain open and more crowd and they said no.

Seems a lot like Liberty  is now focusing more on corporate events and golf than they are on snowsports. Sign of the times?

Edit to add: Liberty was in much better shape for snow than Whitetail as of last week. Much better. But still lame.

AaronS
January 25, 2023
Member since 01/25/2023 🔗
2 posts

We ski Liberty almost every Wed and were their tonight.

Positives: they had about an inch of new snow on the ground and you could see they were blowing snow whenever they could.  If they get a few more days of snowmaking it looks like they should be able to get Upper Ultra opened.  The bumps on lower eastwind look like they are holding up great and were a blast to ski tonight even with the rain and super saturated snow.  They are doing WAY better than Whitetail (haven't been to Whitetail this year but I've read the thread here and it looks ROUGH).

Cons: Unless they get a sustained stretch of cold weather it looks like they are pretty far away from being fully opened.  A lot of the slopes they DO have open are narrower than in years past and this is a clearly rough winter for Liberty.

Overall though I'd still highly recommend if the goal is blue / black.  The blues on the backside are in decent shape and are all open aside from strata and sidewinder.  Also if you like bumps lower eastwind is great (watch the grooming report though).

All that said if you can spare the longer drive / in the budget I'll put in a plug for Timberline.  100% open (errr, aside from the drop -- but sure it will open this weekend), more vertical and snow quality is just about guaranteed to be better and they don't get the crowds of a Seven Springs.  (maybe I shouldn't say anything)

Took some quick pics tonight as well.

Looking down blue streak.

1674705311_jguidoulupoj.jpg

Looking up lower eastwind

1674705334_gudemlrcdcfn.jpg

From the lodge (this sorta makes it look like more is open than really is -- a lot of the white stuff is only 1in deep)

1674705344_xkkrignnsjnm.jpg

zag33
January 27, 2023
Member since 01/28/2019 🔗
20 posts

Not trying to be fussy @chuck_wow but this typo would confuse many especially in the current partially open conditions. 

Dipsy Doodle is a front side run that starts at top of the chairlift and has a cut-through with only one lower backside run, Whitney's Way, right above the race shack and then wraps around to the front base area. 

I think you may have meant Sidewinder was closed, as it has been all season so far. 

Liberty's backside has only had one upper run/drop in open all year so far, Upper Heavenly, leading to the 4 northern lower runs. 

chuck_wow wrote:

I was there last Wed. It was super warm and slushy. Felt like half the mountain wasn't open. As a reference point Dipsy Doodle, the gentle cat track that connects all the backside trails was closed with no open in sight. Conditions worsened as the day progressed. Not sure they've had snowmaking opportunities in past week. I really love Ski Liberty and I hope they can catch a break.

Let me add: that awesome bar at Liberty next to ticket windows (I forget the name) now closes at 5pm or 8pm depending on day of week and crowd size. Learned this after I paid for mug club. I asked if they'd change hours once there was more of the mountain open and more crowd and they said no.

Seems a lot like Liberty  is now focusing more on corporate events and golf than they are on snowsports. Sign of the times?

Edit to add: Liberty was in much better shape for snow than Whitetail as of last week. Much better. But still lame.

zag33
January 27, 2023
Member since 01/28/2019 🔗
20 posts

Totally agree it's a crime that the Slopeside bar: McKee's closes hours before the slopes do. Prior to Vail that bar closed when the slopes closed and many of my friends and I are very unhappy at the reduced hours. It's appears to be a lame attempt at pushing the business towards the miserable hotel bar by people that don't understand ski culture. 

If you don't like it, be sure to make those comments to the surveys they send you. If no one complains, Vail doesn't care. 

zag33
January 27, 2023
Member since 01/28/2019 🔗
20 posts

Grr, phone post issues. 

The blues open at liberty are decent for current weather limitations. 

Only one short black open at Liberty, Blue Streak but it dumps you into the long lines of the front side Alpine chair lift line. 

cousinvinny wrote:

Has anyone been to Liberty recently?  Is it worth going for a half day intermediate (blue/black) ski excursion or just not enough manmade snow to be worth it?  In looking at the whitetail threads on the forum, conditions there seem, um, grassy and not snowy.
chuck_wow
January 28, 2023
Member since 01/14/2023 🔗
54 posts
You are correct. Sidewinder is the gentle road that starts to skiers right and bisects a few of the black runs. Was not open when I was there last week and appeared to be far from opening.
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