Loon Mountain Resort on Saturday, January 20, 2024

		Loon Mountain Resort Saturday, January 20, 2024
		Submitted on January 21, 2024 by snowphoenix (137)
	Session	Full Day
	Ticket Type	Discount from Third Party
	Lift Lines	1 to 2 minutes
	Trail Conditions	90% open; Packed Powder, Variable Conditions
	Glades	Most were open with powder/packed powder over a firm base with some thin spots. Not as many exposed rocks as I feared.
	Moguls	Bumps formed on most of the natural terrain throughout the day, as well as on the sides of some of the steeper snowmaking trails. Generally pretty soft.
	Terrain Park(s)	Two parks open according to the mountain report
	Run of the Day	Mike's Way
	Food and Beverage	Did not partake
	Comments	Had the best day of my season so far at Loon yesterday. Patrol dropped ropes on roughly a dozen natural-snow trails and glades yesterday, making for great powder/packed powder conditions on those trails in the morning, although there was some ice underneath and thin cover in places. After a warm-up run off the Kanc 8, I headed to the East Basin double for some laps. Even on days like yesterday when Loon is sold out, this lift is always the least crowded while accessing some of my favorite terrain on the mountain. I almost never had to wait more than a few chairs for this lift. At around 11:00 I did some runs on the North Peak Express, which had a 1-2 minute wait. Sunset was decent while Flume and Walking Boss had a bit of ice but weren't awful. Walking Boss Woods was pretty nice. Afterwards I sampled the intermediate trails west of the gondola. Upper Speakeasy was very nice, Flying Fox and Upper Picked Rock were okay. Meanwhile the natural trails were starting to firm up a little bit as the crusty base under the newest snow started to break up into golf balls. I went into the Governor Adams lodge for lunch just after 1:00, but the building was completely packed. There wasn't even one free table, and some people were eating their lunch while sitting on the floor. I used the restroom, grabbed my packed lunch and headed back outside and ate my lunch on the lift. As a result I was able to ski more runs than I would have been able to otherwise, but at the cost of missing a chance to warm up that my toes would've appreciated! Soon after lunch, I took the Tote Road Quad over to South Peak. Conditions on the trails there were more icy than on most of the main mountain, despite lift lines being minimal. I also checked out the new beginner area and skied Wildwood, one of the new introductory glades there. I closed out my day with a few more runs off the Lincoln Express before finally heading back to the main mountain. It was a cold, cloudy day with a little snow falling in the late morning, but I kept myself reasonably warm by skiing plenty of moguls and steep terrain. All in all I managed a whopping 29 runs yesterday, a new record for me. Despite its crowds and relatively low elevation compared to other White Mountains ski areas, Loon is still quite enjoyable to ski when conditions are good!
	URL	https://snowjournal.com/discussion/4184/loon-1-20-24/
	Report Rating	3