Latest skiing conditions information as supplied by SnoCountry Mountain Reports as of Wednesday, Nov 22 2006. Alpine Skiing/Riding conditions are subject to change due to weather, skier traffic and other factors. Be aware of changing conditions.
NortheastCONNECTICUT
Mohawk Mountain - Plan to Open 11/25
Mt Southington - Plan to Open 12/09
Woodbury - Tue 10:41p packed powder machine groomed 10 - 20 base 2 trails, 13% open, 2 lifts
MAINE
Big Rock - Plan to Open 12/09
Black Mountain - Plan to Open 12/26
Lost Valley - Plan to Open 12/15
Mt Abram - Plan to Open 12/16
Saddleback - Plan to Open 12/16
Shawnee Peak - Plan to Open 12/16
Sugarloaf/USA - Tue 6:57a variable machine groomed 4 - 20 base 3 trails, 3 miles, 21 acres, 2% open, 1 lift
Sunday River - Tue 5:23p variable 6 - 24 base 3 trails, 1 mile , 9 acres, 2% open, 2 lifts Nov 22: 7 trails, 2 lifts,
MASSACHUSETTS
Blandford - Plan to Open 12/16
Catamount - Plan to Open 12/01
Jiminy Peak - Plan to Open 11/24 w/ 7 trails, 3 lifts
Pine Ridge - Plan to Open 12/15
Ski Butternut - Plan to Open 12/01
Wachusett - Plan to Open 11/25
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Attitash - Plan to Open 11/24
Bretton Woods - Plan to Open 11/24
Cog Railway Ski Trains - Plan to Open 11/24
Cranmore - Plan to Open 12/09
Granite Gorge - Plan to Open 11/25 w/ tubing and a terrain park
Gunstock - Plan to Open 12/08
King Pine - Plan to Open 12/16
Loon Mountain - Plan to Open 11/24
Mount Sunapee - Plan to Open 12/01
Ragged Mountain - Plan to Open 12/02
Waterville Valley - Plan to Open 12/02
Whaleback - Plan to Open 12/16
Wildcat - Plan to Open 12/01 w/ 2 lifts, 3 trails
NEW JERSEY
Campgaw Mtn - Plan to Open 12/16
NEW YORK
Belleayre - Plan to Open 11/24
Bristol Mountain - Plan to Open 12/01
Gore Mountain - Plan to Open 11/24
Greek Peak - Plan to Open 12/02
Holiday Mountain - Plan to Open 12/18
Labrador Mountain - Plan to Open 12/01
Mt Peter - Plan to Open 12/02
Plattekill - Plan to Open 12/09
Snow Ridge - Plan to Open 11/24
Swain - Plan to Open 11/24
Titus Mountain - Plan to Open 11/24
Toggenburg - Plan to Open 12/01
Whiteface - Plan to Open 11/24
RHODE ISLAND
Yawgoo Valley - Plan to Open 12/01
VERMONT
Bolton Valley - Plan to Open 11/24
Bromley Mountain - Plan to Open 12/02
Burke Mountain - Plan to Open 12/09
Jay Peak - Plan to Open 11/25
Killington - Plan to Open 11/23 w/ t2b on K-1 gondola
Mount Snow - Plan to Open 11/23
Okemo Mountain - Plan to Open 11/23
Pico - Plan to Open 12/15
Smugglers' Notch - Plan to Open 11/24
Stowe - Plan to Open 11/24
Stratton Mountain - Plan to Open 11/24
Sugarbush - Plan to Open 11/23
Latest Cross Country Skiing ConditionsNortheastMAINE
Bethel Inn XC Plan to Open 12/15
MASSACHUSETTS
Canterbury Farm XC Plan to Open 12/15
Northfield Mtn XC Plan to Open 12/15
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Jackson XC Plan to Open 12/10
Windblown XC Plan to Open 12/03
NEW YORK
Fahnestock Winter Park XC Plan to Open 12/01
Lapland Lake XC Plan to Open 11/24
Mohonk Mt House XC Plan to Open 12/15
Oak Hill Farms XC Plan to Open 12/17
Salmon Hills XC Plan to Open 11/25
VERMONT
Craftsbury Outdoor Center XC Plan to Open 12/15
Trapp Family Lodge XC Plan to Open 12/01
Snow Condition Definitions & Terms
This glossary of terms is used by all ski areas when they report to SCR. The code allows for communication with skiers in a universal language.
NOTE: The standard abbreviations next to each definition reflect the way ski reports are communicated in print (newspapers).
New Snow: Natural snowfall which has fallen in the past 24 hours or continuously for more than one day. An average accumulation from summit to base is reported.
Average Base Depth: An average of the high and low amounts of snow over the entire ski area. Machine made and natural snow amounts are combined.
Primary Surface Condition: The type of snow condition which covers at least 70 percent of the terrain open to skiers.
Secondary Surface Condition: The next most prevalent snow conditions, covering at least 20% of the skiing terrain open to skiers.
Powder-PDR: Cold, new, loose, fluffy, flaky and dry snow which has not been compacted.
Packed Powder-PP: Powder snow, either natural or machine made, that has been packed down by skier traffic or grooming machines. The snow is no longer fluffy, but is not so extremely compacted that it is hard.
Hard Pack-HP: When natural or machine made snow becomes very firmly packed. The snow has never melted and re-crystallized, but it's been tightly compressed through grooming and continuous wind exposure. You can plant a pole in hard packed snow, but it takes more effort than packed powder.
Machine Groomed Snow-MGS: Loose granular snow that has been repeatedly groomed by power tillers so that the texture is halfway between LSGR & PP. Some of the snow is granular & has been so pulverized that the crystals are like powder sugar. It's neither LSGR or PP.
Wet Snow-WETSN: Powder or packed powder snow that has become moist due to a thaw or rainfall, or snow which was moist when it fell.
Wet packed Snow-WPS: Natural or machine made snow that has been previously packed and becomes wet usually because of rainfall.
Loose Granular-LSGR: This surface results after powder or packed powder thaws, then refreezes and recrystalizes, or from an accumulation of sleet. This is also created by machine grooming of frozen or icy snow.
Frozen Granular-FRGR: This is undoubtedly the most misunderstood surface condition in ski reporting. It is defined as a hard surface of old snow formed by granules freezing together after rain or warm temperatures. Frozen granular will support a ski pole stuck into its surface while ice will chip away and not support a pole.
Wet Granular-WETGR: Loose or frozen granular snow which becomes wet after rainfall or high temperatures.
Icy-ICE: Not to be confused with frozen granular, ice is a hard, glazed surface created either by freezing rain, ground water seeping up into the snow and freezing or by the rapid freezing of snow saturated with water from rain or melting. Ice will chip away and not support a ski pole when stuck into it.
Variable Conditions-VC: When no primary surface (70%) can be determined, variable conditions describe a range of surfaces that a skier may encounter. Parts of trails can be Loose Granular, partly Packed Powder, and parts Frozen Granular, for example.
Corn Snow-CORN: Usually found in the spring, Corn Snow is characterized by large, loose granules during the day, which freeze together at night, then warm up again and loosen during the day.
Spring Conditions-SC: This is the spring version of Variable Conditions. It is used when no one surface can describe 70% or more of the terrain open for skiers.
Windblown Snow-WBLN: Powder or granular snow which has been blown by wind into forming a base.
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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane Society
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
Great news, Kyzer and Cali found a home for Christmas already! Still looking for a new friend for the holidays? There are plenty of dogs and cats and small animals at Berkshire Humane who would love to go home with you.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.
Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.
Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.
"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.
The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.
"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."
The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.
"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.
The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.
"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."
Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.
"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."
The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.
"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.
Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, and a little bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.
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A 700-square-foot outdoor water attraction is planned for the 2.1-acre park at 30 John Street. City officials hope to have it operational by summertime.
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Jewish Federation of the Berkshires President Arlene Schiff opened the festivities with a recognition of the victims of Sunday's mass shooting in Australia and praise for a hero who helped stop the killing.
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