East Coast
 

It's often said that it's easier to ski from East to West than in the
opposite direction. Except in Fundyland where they're just 6000 years
old, the Appalachians are an ancient range. During one time in their
illustrious history, they actually rivaled the Himalayas in size. Time
and elements have reduced their stature. Mountain erosion has graced
the East coast with dark rich soil. As a result, all eastern skiing is
below a dense tree line. In most places, the skier goes off-piste only
on deer trails or on steep rocky terrain.

The Gulf Stream pushes warm Caribbean waters north; in turn they pull
cold Canadian air south. Warm and cold air masses fight for supremacy.
Heavy snows form along those fronts. One area can be inundated with
fine powder while a few miles away another received sleet or rain.
Temperatures fluctuate throughout the region. A warm February can give
way to an icy cold March. Fluctuations can occur in hours. A tepid
morning can yield to an icy afternoon. Fresh powder will drift on the
ice; the skier adjusts quickly. A yellowish tint is marks boilerplate
while white indicates fresh powder. Corn snow can be a seasonal
predicament but it might not be seen until spring. One never knows.

Conditions vary from top to bottom and side to side. Dense eastern
forests casts shadows throughout the day. Parts of a trail can be
characterized by ice or packed powder depending upon sun exposure.
Serious skiers know their local area inside and out. A line that feels
one way in the morning can feel completely different in the afternoon.

Westies tend to thumb their collective noses up at the East. Their
uniformly fine seasonal powder is perhaps a two-week phenomenon on the
other side of the continent. Their high altitudes poke mountaintops
above the tree line; no need for chain saws avant-ski. Most noticeably,
they spend very little time on boilerplate. For East coasters, a trip
to the Rockies is nothing short of a treat. In the west, we become far
less concerned about conditions and far more in tune with terrain. We
carry skills honed under adverse conditions into that glorious western
snow. The techniques we honed in crud serve us well in powder. East
coast conditions may leave a lot to be desired, but they've allowed us
to develop better than we might have in the Rockies.

It should perhaps be noted that skiing in the Western portion of the country
isn't limited to the Rockies.

lal_truckee wrote:

Nor does it reach its zenith in the Rockies.
Furthur West, Young Man. Go Furthur West.

Ya but if you go too far west you might as well ski the east. The first
mountain ranges along the west coast get the wettest of snowfalls. It
gets drier as you move east over the 4 corner states.

sjjohnston wrote:
It should perhaps be noted that skiing in the Western portion of the country
isn't limited to the Rockies.

Nor does it reach its zenith in the Rockies.
Furthur West, Young Man. Go Furthur West.

"miles" wrote in message
news:oGSQd.12183$Tt.420@fed1read05...
lal_truckee wrote:

Nor does it reach its zenith in the Rockies.
Furthur West, Young Man. Go Furthur West.

Ya but if you go too far west you might as well ski the east. The first
mountain ranges along the west coast get the wettest of snowfalls. It
gets drier as you move east over the 4 corner states.