New England 2023 New England Gathering Report and Pics

[Tony S]

With @Sandy_NYC after shredding a luge line through the trees like a dozen turns long.

Love this pic. Two cats with canaries. And yes, that luge line was a hoot. Dark Wizard.

 

[graham418]

It was great to meet all of you, and put faces to names. Cara and I had a great time and will see you again next year!!

 

[James]

I appreciate the acknowledgment of my true identity. Feeling very seen right now.


MRI results today: MCL and posterior meniscus damage consistent with sprain. ACL and PCL intact. Bone edema at the tibial plateau which they think is the source of the pain and excessive swelling. Timeline to walking pain-free 6-12 weeks with PT. Timeline to full function (i.e., bending past 90 degrees) is pain tolerance-dependent. Crutches can be ditched as soon as weight bearing is manageable.

Sorry to hear that. Damn.
We missed you at Saddleback. You didn’t miss much at Sugarloaf.

 

[Sandy_NYC]

The Remnant at the bottom of TightLine on Monday.


A lot of people had already taken off, and most of the rest were planning to soon since they had long drives home. I planned to break the drive over two days, and Elise lives fairly close, so we skied till the end. That leads to complaint #12; the lower lift was supposed to close at 4:50 (spring hours, late start, late finish) but we skied up at 4:48 and the lift was already closed!

what a classic @mdf complaint. Good for you! and Elise.

 

[Jenny]

Hope he's ok - John right.

Those were the good old days.

Yes, Jon. And he has a new knee now.

 

[zircon]

Sorry to hear that. Damn.
We missed you at Saddleback. You didn’t miss much at Sugarloaf.

Honestly, so long as it doesn’t drag out into a more complex ordeal, a better outcome than their initial idea which was a cartilage fracture. Ortho’s email to answer “when can I run?” basically amounts to “when it doesn’t hurt or you don’t care that it hurts.”

Saddleback looks like it was amazing. Going to try and make it there next season gathering or no. Love all the pictures and videos especially watching you spear a bump and eat it. So relatable and humanizing Sounds like everyone had a great time!

 

[KevinF]

Moved several posts regarding next year's destination to a new thread to keep this one focused on the 2023 trip report.

 

[Tony S]

Moved several posts regarding next year's destination to a new thread to keep this one focused on the 2023 trip report.

THANK YOU !!!

 

[James]

That leads to complaint #12; the lower lift was supposed to close at 4:50 (spring hours, late start, late finish) but we skied up at 4:48 and the lift was already closed!

That’s more like #19. As I recall, #12 had to do with lift gate and loading ramp entry. Failure to occasionally level or rake them out, remove bumps and hills. It makes it really tough for kids without poles. **

#13 was entry gates not always beeping. Since you often have to lean over to set it off, you don’t see the gates. The beep lets you know.
#13a was really for the manufacturer. We can’t put rfid reader on both sides of the entry space??

** Same for “old people”

“It’s old people who complain about things not being made anymore”
-like what?
“All sorts of things, all the time. Ski models. It’s always someone old. I’m too young to have things disappear.”
-Well, they don’t make the Stockli Laser AX in yellow anymore. You’re old enough to complain about that.
“Hmmm”
> conversation with @Sandy_NYC in the lodge

 

[TheArchitect]

Parmachenee Belle is probably used on Parmachenee Lake. Apparently that gets it’s name from the daughter of Mettaluk, a Native American Chief in the area.


Thanks to everyone at the NEG who stopped to take pics while skiing. It is an effort, esp when you’re having fun. The plus side is you can rest from mogul skiing while doing so.

A few more pics.
View attachment 198649
@aveski with his smooth technique.

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@KevinF with both skis on the right side of the tree. Important!

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@Tony S on the Volkl Blaze

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@AlanR and Jen. Note to Alan, when you’re in all black and grey, chances are high someone else will look just like you. In fact, is this really you?

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@MarkP leaving the Sasquatch tree behind.

View attachment 198639
@mdf pointing them down on Governor?

View attachment 198642
The woods somewhere. Lower Casablanca maybe. Saddleback has woods most places in the East can only dream about. Even the tight ones you can usually link turns through. It helps to be short and small sometimes.

View attachment 198650
With @Sandy_NYC after shredding a luge line through the trees like a dozen turns long.

View attachment 198648
The man in rust, KevinF, going into the next line.

View attachment 198647
Alan or another dude in black. Some nice blue sky though. We had a large range of conditions. On Friday we were standing on the traverse above Tightline, the wind is howling, it’s foggy, we’re getting pelted by ice pellets, and the steep drop in is ice. Jen yells out, “Supposedly we do this for fun!”

View attachment 198640 Saddleback is a special place to ski if you like woods and the snow cooperates. When you can see, there are fabulous views. We had a great three days there, despite the lodge being smoking or less smoking. (#1 on the List)

Saddleback is a special place to ski if you like woods and the snow cooperates. When you can see, there are fabulous views. We had a great three days there, despite the lodge being smoking or less smoking. (#1 on the List)

Be careful, @James or you may be guilty of saying something nice about skiing in Maine

 

[Sandy_NYC]

** Same for “old people”

“It’s old people who complain about things not being made anymore”
-like what?
“All sorts of things, all the time. Ski models. It’s always someone old. I’m too young to have things disappear.”
-Well, they don’t make the Stockli Laser AX in yellow anymore. You’re old enough to complain about that.
“Hmmm”
> conversation with @Sandy_NYC in the lodge

I spent a few weeks out in Mammoth and Tahoe with @KingGrump, Mamie, @mdf, and @Near Nyquist and others back in 2021. When I talked to my friends at home, they asked me how things are going, skiing and spending all my time with older people. I said, "I've never heard the phrase 'they don't make them any more' as much as I have during this trip." So of course I told them this and gave them grief about it. We laughed every time someone said that phrase (yes it comes up quite often) for the rest of the trip. Shows your age!

 

[aveski]

I skied Friday, Sunday and Monday on my Elan Wingman 86 CTI, 172 cm. They seemed to go where I wanted to, most of the time.

 

[Dean]

half the group took a left going up the wrong trail.

Were they following @mdf by any chance?

 

[aveski]

I had a great time skiing with everyone on Friday, Sunday and Monday. I didn't ski at the Loaf on Saturday because I felt the conditions might be kinda solid and not in a good way. "The Ministry of Bad Ideas" didn't really have any, although Parmachenee Belle on Friday morning was really firm.
Pictures from Monday.
@James



@Sandy_NYC

@mdf

 

[James]

Shows your age!

How about “I don’t remember” ?

Wait, what were we talking about??

 

[Dean]

Great pics - gives agood sense of the area and how many good skiers there are there!

 

[Tony S]

I skied Friday, Sunday and Monday on my Elan Wingman 86 CTI, 172 cm. They seemed to go where I wanted to, most of the time.

Elan makes really nice skis for smaller folks like us. And the prices are very sane.

 

[aveski]

And a few more.
@mdf

@DebbieSue

Elise, from the Loaf
@

 

[aveski]

Just scenery.

 

[AlanR]

I skied Friday, Sunday and Monday on my Elan Wingman 86 CTI, 172 cm. They seemed to go where I wanted to, most of the time.

I follow @aveski's approach also. Skied all three days on my 10 year-old Volkl Mantras. Mainly because I'm cheap, but I do love those skis, and they seem to see me through most conditions pretty well. They're a great all-round ski for New Englanders.