Someone posted earlier that they believed the season here is a washout when MLK weekend rolls around and there is little to no base and no cold weather forecasted for the next 8 days. Looking at the weather for Mercersburg, PA, it looks like they'll have marginal snow making opportunities the next few days and then more lousy warm weather. And the piece de resistance, 70 degree high for next thursday! Man I hope they're wrong...

I'm banking on Feb. being a great month in Pa. I've only been out 1 time this year, and the temp was 4 degrees at Cambelback. This is nuts.

I think 7 Springs will recover first, but Snowshoe will be a close second. I'm hoping 7 Springs will recover by Monday of MLK--the least crowded ski day of the long weekend. The alternative is VT for inauguraton weekend. Stowe is gettting some decent snow right now. I checked Tahoe and UT last night but kind of got scared off with the prices. Yes, it is cheap to fly there but lodging is big bucks because most of the cheap stuff has been booked by snow hungry East Coasters like us. I had dinner with a friend who is flying out to Tahoe for MLK. Her family owns a place there--lucky her... I spent most of the dinner begging for her to invite myself and my wife to visit but to no avail. Her family already has 6 guests invited. I said I would sleep on the floor, wash dishes, cook, but she still said no.

I think it will be. My long experience with Roundtop tells me that any effort to 'rebuild' after MLK will be halfhearted. so while they will make snow, it will be the bare minimum to get them to there target close date then they'll throw in the towel. IMO, RT will do what they need to do to prevent having to rebate passholders and thats it.

Hey John,

Curious what you've found for airfare rates into Reno?
I'm in the same boat, VT or Tahoe. Looking at late Feb/early March.

VT involves lodging and lift tickets, plus drive cost.

Tahoe involves a plane ticket to Reno & crashing on a buddy's couch.

Just beginning to figure the budgets for either trip...

T

Check Jet Blue(175-200rt) to Sacramento .. doesnt get you to Reno but its 2+ hours over the hill from South Lake Tahoe. I guess is depends where your buddy's couch is located. If it's located North Lake area, try U-nitwit, flys to Reno fairly cheap (250-300rt range). Jet Blue is non-stop from Dulles, United is out of BWI and has at least 1 stop. We have flown both to Tahoe area and prefer Jet Blue.

I'm thinking very seriously about Utah in Inauguration week. I have several critical meetings scheduled that week. Well, you know that the big shots, who don't keep their own calendars, will reschedule and bail, but not until the last minute. You also know that the workplace will be half deserted on T, W, and especially F of that week. I have a free flight coming on SW and can get any open seat on any flight right up to the last minute.

I checked on a few flights last night. You can fly to Burlington from Dulles on FLYI for $140. It was even cheaper into Albany.

I also found some flights w/ stop overs from Dulles to Salt Lake on Delta in the $290 range which isn't actually cheap, but have you seen the daily pictures from Alta? There is a brand new Best Western in Sandy where you can stay for $75/nt (two full beds) with a great continental breakfast (waffles, bagels, fruit, yogurt, etc.) We stayed there last year and had four people in the room so it was pretty cheap. It also had a pool and hot tub. Sandy is only a 30+ min drive to Snowbird/Alta. You might even be able to get a local bus/shuttle from Sandy to the Bird/Alta.

Locally, I think Snowshoe will recover before 7 Springs. The Shoe was making snow last night, while 7 Springs hadn't made any. Which sucks because I was hoping to go to the Springs on Sunday. It does look promising for some cold weather to return towards the end of next week, which gives me hope for my four day trip to the Shoe the inauguration weekend.

Denis:
Before you head to Utah Inaguration Week, pre-book your lodging if you plan to stay in Park City or nearby. Sundance Film Festival starts 01/20 and the place turns into a madhouse.

Denis,

If you do make it out to Utah during MLK/Inaugaration week, send me a PM. That goes for any other DCSki Poster. I'm in Utah (SLC) from the 15-22.

One of the few heads-up things I've done this winter was to book a cheap flight to SLC back in early December. I knew MLK was a guarenteed day off and Inaugaration Day was a likely day off. (I'm a contractor so I wouldn't get paid if the Fed Gov closed.) Fortunately for me, I got my name down early on the leave calendar, avoiding any meetings and beating some of my co-workers to the punch. I don't think much work will get done that week.

Actually, 7springs conditions page says they made some snow with ground guns. That doesn't sound as encouraging as it should for some reason.

I was surprised to see that 7 Springs did not make any snow last night. It seems like they had a good 4-5 hours of temps in the 26-27 degree range. That should have been enough time to pump out 5-6 inches and try to hold on until things (hopefully) cool off late next week.

I know in the past I've seen a good-size stash of snow sort of above Alpine Heights, visible from towards the top of the 6-pack lift. Maybe they've done that again this season and they're harvesting that snow to distribute over the trails?

My friend claims that the drive from Sacramento is not very pleasant in inclement weather--more mountain passes to cross. Also, there's more traffic coming from this direction. However, the Jet Blue flight is one of the better deals and direct as well--albeit a red eye flight.

Independence Air offers a cheap flight to Burlington from IAD. However, for two people, driving is a lot more economical (no air fares and no rental car fees).

I'm personally leaning towards VT because of cost. Stowe got 8 inches last night and opened up more terrain. They have 29 trails open, including Liftline, and powder conditions. However, who knows what it will be like in two weeks.

PS Thanks Snowcone on the tip about UT. I want to avoid crowds, so UT is now out for me.