WV Backcountry Article
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6 users
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Murphy
February 19, 2010
Member since 09/13/2004 🔗
618 posts
fishnski
February 19, 2010
Member since 03/27/2005 🔗
3,530 posts
MPC...bitterSweet..Thanks for posting that Murphy..but your kinda bumming me out Dude..
A lot of you all have read many posts here on DCSki about this mtn..especially from me, so now when you hear MPC being mentioned you know a little more about the mountain.
The threat of too many people using the mountain is one of the main reasons now that we only have a couple hunters & a hardy bushwhacker or 2 are using it...it is still private land so don't get too many ideas of hitting the slopes yourselves or for thinking that you will be granted access...it justs sits buried in Snow most of the winter & makes for a great view off my deck at my camp up there..view cry
tomimcmillar
February 19, 2010
Member since 11/21/2004 🔗
129 posts
Originally Posted By: fishnski
...it is still private land so don't get too many ideas of hitting the slopes yourselves or for thinking that you will be granted access...it justs sits buried in Snow most of the winter & makes for a great view off my deck at my camp up there..view cry


cough, cough....bulllllshit. hugggge expanses of glades, easily accessible on Nat'l Forest land.

Only thing holding folks back from skiing it is that you actually have to work for it. Cry all you want, already been up there twice this year, and will be going back for more.
Denis - DCSki Supporter 
February 19, 2010
Member since 07/12/2004 🔗
2,350 posts
I don't know how Robert finds time to ski there since every time I go to some distant corner of the Whitegrass/Canaan Valley backcountry on a powder day he is already there. He always gets to my powder before I do. frown
fishnski
February 19, 2010
Member since 03/27/2005 🔗
3,530 posts
There is a 19 square mile Plateau up there with all kinds of terrain spilling down its sides & folks keep talking about seeing or skiing MPC when they are seeing some side slope or they are actually on the other side Ect..
Bill Bright needed to buy parcels of Private Land all the way up to where another Private owner would not sell on the real summit & at the actual Ski Bowl sought after. There is 0 mention of Nat Forest that somehow would be donated or traded for the ski area so I'm not sure which area you have access to Tmillar.
Maybe someone can post a map showing the boundaries of Private Vs Public land.
There are only a handful of Folks that are bad enough to be able to get up that mountain & to actually ski down it...Ask David or the like how long it takes to hike up to it on a dry summer day let alone thru a 50" snow cover. So I Cough..cough.BSsss say not too likely a full ascent with a full descent..just a little side area that someone can get to with a nice little drop thru the trees that probably wouldn't have been within the ski areas boundary...now throw me some hate..won't be the 1st time.
fishnski
February 19, 2010
Member since 03/27/2005 🔗
3,530 posts
I've had a very hard & physical work week & I am leaving for a weekend of ALPINE Skiing..Excuse me but some of us are Gumped out at the end of a work week & don't feel like humping our [censored] all over a mountainside to EARN some runs..I love knowing that folks do it & love the reports & vids but its not for the masses.I went snowshoeing the last time I was up at Canaan & it was a lot of hard work...It was fun but thats what I do at work..hard work!
WV needs a great Alpine mountain...it wouldn't hurt any of you back country folks...there are tons of places for you all.
If WV is to stay Wild & wonderful then lets bring it back to its Wild State..bring back the Mountain Lions,Elk,Bison..& the Wolves...Make it some REAL back Country!...be back Mon.....
scottyb
February 19, 2010
Member since 12/26/2009 🔗
559 posts
Stay out of the ditch.
fishnski
February 21, 2010
Member since 03/27/2005 🔗
3,530 posts
"Stay out of the Ditch"...I just walked in with a Brand new pair of bad [censored] Alpine skis funded by that Ditch...Thanks for the Advice though B...I'll think about it..
David
February 21, 2010
Member since 06/28/2004 🔗
2,444 posts
What am I missing here?? The ditch??
fishnski
February 21, 2010
Member since 03/27/2005 🔗
3,530 posts
ScottyB thinks I work in a ditch since I said I have a hard Physical Job...He is advising me to "Get out of the ditch" so I have the energy to Back Country...
I'll be on the Deck of my Chalet facing MPC with my Binoculars watching him & Crew humping up a 300 vert hill to film a video..it should be as exciting as his others...

scottyb
February 22, 2010
Member since 12/26/2009 🔗
559 posts
Denis - DCSki Supporter 
February 22, 2010
Member since 07/12/2004 🔗
2,350 posts
Just call me Dude! cool cool cool cool cool
tomimcmillar
February 22, 2010
Member since 11/21/2004 🔗
129 posts
Originally Posted By: fishnski
There is a 19 square mile Plateau up there with all kinds of terrain spilling down its sides & folks keep talking about seeing or skiing MPC when they are seeing some side slope or they are actually on the other side Ect..
Bill Bright needed to buy parcels of Private Land all the way up to where another Private owner would not sell on the real summit & at the actual Ski Bowl sought after. There is 0 mention of Nat Forest that somehow would be donated or traded for the ski area so I'm not sure which area you have access to Tmillar.
Maybe someone can post a map showing the boundaries of Private Vs Public land.
There are only a handful of Folks that are bad enough to be able to get up that mountain & to actually ski down it...Ask David or the like how long it takes to hike up to it on a dry summer day let alone thru a 50" snow cover. So I Cough..cough.BSsss say not too likely a full ascent with a full descent..just a little side area that someone can get to with a nice little drop thru the trees that probably wouldn't have been within the ski areas boundary...now throw me some hate..won't be the 1st time.


well, if you wanna split hairs, yeah, I haven't actually reached the summit proper of MPC, only reached 4600' before turning back after a 5hr effort from the TH at 2400'. The basically flat and uninteresting to ski final 200 didn't look worth the extra hour's effort.

Proposed Area boundary or not, I stumbled onto about 1200ft of continous gladed bounty that's free game for anybody willing to make the effort. Unfortunately, I was dealing with that NewYear's collapsable/breakable crust that developed, so it was a 2hr survival on the descent. I will be back after it.

so, yeah sorry, the constant crying about not being able to ski MPC, it gets a bit nauseating...and to experience it in the wild state it is now, to put a resort anywhere near that treasure would be a travesty. Hard to bite my tongue on the subject after having been up there, ya know?

the boundary is pretty easy to figure out:

this just goes and goes and goes and goes....and now has another 3-5' of snow on it.
smile
fishnski
February 23, 2010
Member since 03/27/2005 🔗
3,530 posts
"There are only a handful of Dudes bad enough to get up that Mtn & Ski it"...What can I say?..I bow down to your greatness..Hope you don't get hurt one day because it would be a bitch getting out of there.

One mans trash is anothers treasure...I will keep saying it till your Queezy Stomach Heaves..Leaving the best Mountain WV has to offer for Alpine Skiing as a personal Hunting/ski poaching Ground for a few hardy daredevils that like to chance a face plant thru a tree is The Travisty (I prefer to rocket down cleared slopes getting a speed & G-force rush..I guess that is just my weakness)..The Ski area itself would just use a small corner of the Roaring plains sides & I can see tons of terrain coming down off that huge boulder that could be left wide open. & Its not as if there isn't endless other areas such as Brier patch,Pharris,Spruce Knob the Wilderness areas Otter Creek (there are 2 of the snowiest 4000'+ mountains there between Elkins & Harman) & the Sods & on & on & on for you all to get your Rocks off on..

Yeh,..MPC is a special place allright..We can Agree about that!!
fishnski
February 23, 2010
Member since 03/27/2005 🔗
3,530 posts
Quote by Dcski Columnist John Sherwood...Almost all the Roaring Plains,on top of the Allegheny Front between Dolly Sods & Haystack Knob is Nat Forest land. The Slopes below the Northwest end of the Roaring Plains above Bonner Mountain rd (MPC)....ARE PRIVATELY OWNED....

2 things to add...#1-add a few very rich folks with no trespassing signs outside their multi million dollar homes..#2..Take your chances being target practice for a mad Hunter/farm owner

Now is that the best way to use this Mtn??

tomimcmillar
February 23, 2010
Member since 11/21/2004 🔗
129 posts
Originally Posted By: fishnski


Now is that the best way to use this Mtn??



yeah, I guess that right there sums up our difference...I don't see the Mountain as a resource to be 'used' (exploited?) and which needs a prescription of manmade intrusion to do so. I see it as a shared resource to be 'experienced' as is, and hope that the following generations will be able to do the same, pure and simple...yeah, I'm a dirty hippy freeheeler like that. grin

Ski and Tell

Snowcat got your tongue?

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