KillingtonZone.com

Day one.

I went to try out the new year round skiing at Powder Ridge in Middlefield, CT.


The slope is longer and steeper than I expected. Not that it's very long or very steep. The first third is sort of a light blue pitch and the lower part is middle green Snowshed pitch. I'd guess it's 500-700 feet long


Looking down.


The lift. A fairly standard magic carpet, about a 4 minute trip up.

The surface is most definitely not snow. I expected astro turf, or a scrub brush. It's more like strong thick pocket combs in a grid.

It takes some getting used to. It skis like very icy hardpack. That's on a slope. On the flat it's more like hard carpet. You can't skate or glide on it on the flat. On the hill with a lot of angulation you can get grip. but the grip is elusive. Ease off the pressure the slightest bit, or decrease the turn radius, and the grip lets go with an ice like slide. Once gone, it takes a while to get back. You need a good hardpack ski on this stuff.

I fell once, and it is no fun. They require full clothing, and I found out why. It's like a street sweeper running over your body. It hurts. Not just the impact on the near concrete like ground, but the brush surface is very coarse. As you slide to a stop it feels like your jeans are getting shredded. (They weren't) But my skin looks like I fell on corn snow on bare skin.

First time I skied in September. At least I think I skied. At $18 for 4 hours, it's the cheapest lift ticket out there.

Mister Moose wrote:Day one.

I went to try out the new year round skiing at Powder Ridge in Middlefield, CT.


The slope is longer and steeper than I expected. Not that it's very long or very steep. The first third is sort of a light blue pitch and the lower part is middle green Snowshed pitch. I'd guess it's 500-700 feet long


Looking down.


The lift. A fairly standard magic carpet, about a 4 minute trip up.

The surface is most definitely not snow. I expected astro turf, or a scrub brush. It's more like strong thick pocket combs in a grid.

It takes some getting used to. It skis like very icy hardpack. That's on a slope. On the flat it's more like hard carpet. You can't skate or glide on it on the flat. On the hill with a lot of angulation you can get grip. but the grip is elusive. Ease off the pressure the slightest bit, or decrease the turn radius, and the grip lets go with an ice like slide. Once gone, it takes a while to get back. You need a good hardpack ski on this stuff.

I fell once, and it is no fun. They require full clothing, and I found out why. It's like a street sweeper running over your body. It hurts. Not just the impact on the near concrete like ground, but the brush surface is very coarse. As you slide to a stop it feels like your jeans are getting shredded. (They weren't) But my skin looks like I fell on corn snow on bare skin.

First time I skied in September. At least I think I skied. At $18 for 4 hours, it's the cheapest lift ticket out there.

BUTT BUTT BUTT you didn't get a picture of YOU "skiing"? this was a historical moment...

Would you take this over frosted grass?

would you actually do this for 4 hours? I think after 3 or 4 runs it would get pretty boring

what was the apres scene like?

madhatter wrote:what was the apres scene like?

Warm PBR served in the parking lot.

Guy in Shorts would not like this report requiring long pants. Does he even own a pair of pants in the summer?

This was Thursday evening, 530 - 730. Very few people there.

Frosted grass if no rocks might be better. Obviously you can't ski frosted grass now, that's their whole point.

Another thing. This surface heats up your edges, so you can't take many repeated laps. When the edges get hot enough base material softens and erodes away, so you get grooves next to the edges. They have a soapy water trough to walk through at the top so you cool your skis and add lubrication to slide better.

Apres was the restaurant at the base called "Fire on the Mountain". They had a way bigger crowd than the hill did.

The boredom factor is there after several runs. There is a challenge to master the technique to carve on plastic, but I wasn't enthused. Maybe if you have skis that are optimized for the surface. Not sure what the ideal sidecut/length/construction is, but it's in the tortionally stiff quasi race category.

They have plans to extend it to the top of the run by next summer, and presumably run the chair to access it. They thought they'd have several water troughs on the way down.

Powder Puff does a better job with concerts.

I recommend grass skis for this surface.

Mister Moose wrote:This was Thursday evening, 530 - 730. Very few people there.

Frosted grass if no rocks might be better. Obviously you can't ski frosted grass now, that's their whole point.

Another thing. This surface heats up your edges, so you can't take many repeated laps. When the edges get hot enough base material softens and erodes away, so you get grooves next to the edges. They have a soapy water trough to walk through at the top so you cool your skis and add lubrication to slide better.

Apres was the restaurant at the base called "Fire on the Mountain". They had a way bigger crowd than the hill did.

The boredom factor is there after several runs. There is a challenge to master the technique to carve on plastic, but I wasn't enthused. Maybe if you have skis that are optimized for the surface. Not sure what the ideal sidecut/length/construction is, but it's in the tortionally stiff quasi race category.

They have plans to extend it to the top of the run by next summer, and presumably run the chair to access it. They thought they'd have several water troughs on the way down.

huge park opportunity...not necessarily big air but rail slides etc...

The product they are using here is pretty basic and on the low end of the price scale compared to other products:

https://www.365winterworld.com/365-technical-datas/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here's the high end snowflex product, which claims to edge well and uses a water spray to help glide.

http://www.snowflex.com/files/7314/1294 ... urrent.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I found this video of Mr. Mouse ripping it up on the fake snow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg7P-hAeBSY[/youtube]

The big question is: Does this count as a ski day?

Was there last Friday after golf, but it was closed.

If I had my boards I could of walked up and taken a run.

After 3 runs, I would of been done.

Would be fun with a big group and the bar maybe.