Is ski season ending?

[JEEPONLY]

Originally Posted by BroadHopper

The millennials are not helping with the annual spring breaks in FL. The governor should shut down the beaches!

OK, Boomer?- Yeah, right!

[fatlazyless]

Looks like the federal gov just made the White Mountain National Forest free to visit during the coronavirus scare so's no more five dollar parking fee at the Depot Camp parking lot in the north end of Waterville Valley for cross country skiing as long as the scare is here.

In addition, the immediate nearby 70-kilometers of Waterville Valley Resort cross country trails have shut down for the season due to the coronavirus scare. Most all of these trails are located on Forest Service land so's it is now legal to use them without a $22-pass.

So, the reason the WV xc trail system was closed is the same reason why you can now ski there for free, only it will not be groomed or patrolled.

I wonder if this is also true for the downhill ski area which is 100% located on Forest Service land? I suspect that you can legally walk up the snow covered slopes and ski down without it being trespassing because it is Forest Service land and the ski area is not operating.

And on a side note, there is absolutely no where to spend money there, not even an outdoor pay phone, anymore. When was the last time you were at a 20-million dollar business with no where to spend money ...... all totally closed up? Could maybe be a good spot for a native american, indigenous peoples, gambling casino .... introducing the Tribe Sununu-shmoos native american people .... WV Casino ..... win big ..... ha-ha-ha ..... make-em heap big money ...... ugh!

[fatlazyless]

March 28 and there's still a few cross country skiers in WV hitting both the WV-70k trails, and the Forest Service 7-miles, multi use trails.

The changing message sign across from the golf course, en-route to Town Square now says 'We Have Fresh Air', a reference to the Waterville location surrounded by miles of treed mountains.

The Forest Service has removed the five dollar parking fee from Depot Camp p-lot, and locked up the p-lot solar powered, composting rest room shack in response to the corona virus.

Cross country ski conditions are pretty good but with no grooming what with the very few skiers using the center skating path, or two grooves on both sides of the trails. It snowed twice in the last week which helps to keep it freshened up.

The golf course is losing its snow cover fast, but just yards away on the wooded xc trails, the snow is hanging tough for now.

This time of year you can either go cross country skiing or go bicycling on the public paved roads including the 11-mile Rt 49 with its' three foot paved shoulders, unusual to central NH.

Jugtown, the local grocery and sandwich shop has new policies with regard to the public health safety and continues to serve the public with excellent sandwiches.

Are the public restrooms in the basement of Town Square still available ........ a good question ...... most likely YES, but I do not know for sure.

Ordinarily the down hill ski area would still be open for another week from now, and the little used cross country trails are still good to go with enough snow cover for now.

[fatlazyless]

Wowza - Wowza - Wowza

As of yesterday the Waterville Valley ski area road, just to the left of the entry to the Tripoli Rd has a police line-barricade/wood horses and orange rope line CLOSING the road up to the ski area, which had stopped operating all their lifts about ten days.

It has signs that say Closed to Unauthorized Vehicles. Never seen a similar road block closure here before so it's a first.

You can still find some pretty good cross country skiing/hiking, about one mile up the Tripoli Rd starting at the Depot Camp parking lot. The restrooms are boarded closed, and the five dollar parking fee, steel deposit box is wrapped with a trash bag and small sign, 'no fee' ..... so, it is free to park your car ..... and you got miles of mountain woods with snow covered trails, out there, also good for hiking and mountain biking with wide, smooth trails closed to motor vehicles.

The sky is blue, the sun is brite, the snow is hard, thick, strong, and brite white from recent small snow fall, the price is free ..... and the trails and woods are very empty of anyone ...... is time to hit those Forest Service multi-use, cross country ski trails.

Let's have a ski party ....... with 50' social distancing ...... hoo-yuh! ...... the state liquor store back at Exit 28 is open and wines have been marked down! ........ celebrate the Team Campton, state liquor store - xc ski trails ...... wowza-wowza-wowza! ..... am just kidding around here ...... but the trails are good to go for xc skiers, at this time.

[betterthanbacon]

Packing ski gear away on April 1st ??
I wish someone would pinch me and tell me it’s an April Fools Joke.

[fatlazyless]

April 18, 2020: the www.waterville.com/cams live shot is still working and shows what's left of the man-made snow with its water content and durability higher than most natural snow.

The snow is still somewhat there, and the people are all not present. The road to the ski area, Ski Area Road is closed to non-authorized vehicles and blocked with wooden horses, orange rope, and warning signs about one mile down the hill from the ski area.

What you see here will probably remain empty of any people until next Saturday Nov 21, 2020 ...... weather depending.

Waterville basically has no off-season, summer time use for the ski area so's it has no business up there to lose due to the coronavirus. Nothing ventured, nothing lost! If you walked around that there base area with four quarters in your pocket on July 4th, there would be no place and not even a vending machine or pay phone to spend it. A few years back, at least there was an outdoor pay phone, but not any more.

Seems like a strange business with maybe 20-million dollars invested into original purchase, and expansion and equipment and it is all closed from March 18 to November 21, this year.

Not such a good year?

Don't most ski mountains find some type of alternative, off-season use like holding yoga jamborees or something. Maybe an international tennis tournament ...... the Waterville Valley-Ford Taurus sedan, Tennis Open-2020 .... how's that sound!