Hello fellow Mid Atlantic skiers - just finished up my trip to New England so I thought I'd post my report. Thanks to all those that helped me out in my "Trip Advice" thread from last week.
I followed the weather reports all week and decided to drive up to Mt. Snow early Thursday morning (I was staying with a friend in SW CT). The back roads were a little risky, especially in my FWD Civic but I made it to the Big Bears Lodge OK (props to the poster that recommended it). At this point a fine, powdery snow was falling throughout the valley. This persisted throughout the day and ended up being some of the coldest falling snow I have ever seen (I believe temps were in the single digits to lower teens with moderate winds, especially at the top). There was definitely some packed powder to begin with but things quickly piled up during the day. I really enjoyed skiing on the North Face, especially in the morning before some ice was exposed. The trees looked beautiful but there wasn't enough coverage yet for glades runs. I was able to find some hidden gems toward the afternoon hours and ended up with a few fresh lines through knee-deep powder - my first time experiencing that! Mt. Snow was a cool place - definitely a little more upscale than your basic mountain but I thought they did a good job of not being too resort-y.
On Friday morning I made the decision to drive about an hour south to Berkshire East. I have a friend that skis there often and he was kind enough to give me a hefty discount on an all-day ticket. The roads were once again in rough shape but with slow driving and plenty of engine braking I made it there fine. B'East is in an incredibely beautiful part of the state - I would certainly consider visiting during other times of the year. The area is a total throwback with steep, narrow trails and an old-fashioned New England feel. There were so few people there that on the vast majority of our runs we had the slopes to ourselves. Fresh lines in shin-deep powder were a common occurance. Fortunately there was very little ice as the winds didn't hit the main face of the mountain very hard. The groomers were out on the highways so there was an opportunity to ski fresh cord as well. Just as with Mt. Snow the trees weren't quite ready yet but it was still an awesome time. All in all I'd highly recommend it, espcially on a blue-bird powder day!
And one shot of me on a turn...
Nice report and pics. Looks like you timed it just right!!
Wow - very nice. I really need to get to New England one day.
