We traded the January meltdown of the Mid-A for the Vermont meltdown. The Crazies are in Vermont. We skied Mt. Ellen today, Sugarbush's cheap alternative. We knew what to expect after the weekend washout. Our son followed us up. He got a $43 Mt. Ellen only ticket and off the three of us went to enjoy ice, hard cord, groomer granular, hard sugar cookies and... what, what's this?? Last night's few inch snowfall is kicked to the side? Loose, dry snow! Vermont power! In other words, just like home. "Shoulda been he-a last week." the locals are saying. I'm loving my Head SS iTitans.These things actually make skiing eastern's finest shiny hardpack fun. Work the whole ski and this baby carves. With nary a rocker, the tips engage as if Picard himself had ordered it so. You got to make a conscious move to disengage, no intuitive steering like with a rocker but they will scarve and skid and even soften up the sugar cookies. A great ice coast carver. Tomorrow wife and I head to Sugarbush proper. Son is going to Stowe.

Heah-uh. Correct pronunciation.
 

Just can't get a Yinzer to speak Yankee...  ;)

That's what I said the locals said.

Killington started making snow Sunday afternoon so we have had some nice runs yesturday to go along with some crunchy ones I tried to add a picture but could not figure how to add one to this page 🎿 it's looking like a snow globe out there now!

I can get tickets for $90 if anyone is around

Mrs. Crazie and I stormed Lincoln Peak today. The ceiling was at about mid-mountain when we arrived this morning so we lapped the Gate House Quad to start. The original Mascara Mountain was wearing its groomed trails fairly well. Oh, you can tell that there was a washout a few days ago, some brown and gray here and there along with some grooming cat litter about. Coverage was the best on Slowpoke, Sleeper, and Hotshot. Off of these were short black diamonds Sleeper Chutes and Waterfalls neither of which were. We made our way to the Bravo Quad for longer blue square cruising, happy to have the slopes empty. You gotta love midweek skiing, so liberating. There have been few moguls spotted but we are keeping to the groomed, "Thaa's beechnut out thaa." That's what a fellow from Maine called ice. Why I gamely asked. 'You can read the gum rap-pah frozen in the ground.' (Was I close JohnL?) After lunch we went back to the Gate House Quad then up North Lynx and cruised Birch Run down to Slowpoke for about a 1600 vertical drop but that ended our day. Weary muscles and slowing response time said tomorrow is another, better day. 

So it will be back to the 'Bush in the morning and maybe check out the terrain off of Heaven's Gate. I'm hoping the forecast of 2" to 4" comes true.

More snow is in the forecast for Thursday, we might just get stuck here until Friday.

 

More snow is in the forecast for Thursday, we might just get stuck here until Friday.

Awww!

 

Laurel Hill Crazie wrote:

So it will be back to the 'Bush in the morning and maybe check out the terrain off of Heaven's Gate. I'm hoping the forecast of 2" to 4" comes true.

More snow is in the forecast for Thursday, we might just get stuck here until Friday.

If you get 8-10" look for some great tree skiing off skiers left of Paradise. To access go right off the Heaven's Gate and follow tracks into the trees (don't drop down Paradise trail). @Swoop and I got the goods there last March.  For tamer glades check out Eden and stuff off Downspout.  FYI entrances & exits for many un-named tree runs are marked with an siimple orange? marker; you can jump in and come back out while the Mrs stays on-piste if that's of interest.  Organgrinder is one my favs, we had fun on Stein (steep bumps typically) also but that was early tracks after 16".

Short video of our adventures in the Bush

Way to bring it back alive BONSKI!!!

Eden looks like paradise   ---  also like a much steeper and longer version of some of T-line and whitegrass  glades

kemperski wrote:

Eden looks like paradise   ---  also like a much steeper and longer version of some of T-line and whitegrass  glades

I think it's equal in steepness, maybe a little longer.  I need to go back and study further.

I've poked around some tree runs here in past trips, mostly on skier's left side of the lower mountain. Eden looks like fun. I don't think I bagged that one. The current cover here is thin. I'll tread cautiously into the trees. I'm just getting to know the mountain. We skied here on our first ever "big ski vacation of a lifetime." I only skied local until I hit my 20s. My wife just a year shy of her 20th when I met her, she's from Rockville and never skied. We were married in 1981 and she moved to set up house with me in the Steel City. I was by that time 7 years employed in the specialty steel industry, high alloy and electrical steels. Well, the domestic steel industry nearly died that decade. I was laid off, she couldn't find a job. So, what was the responsible thing to do? Why, plan what we thought could be a "once in a lifetime" ski vacation to Killington, of course. We took a side trip to Sugarbush. Flash thirty five years ahead and courtesy the Mountain Collective pass, I rediscovered Sugarbush. The next year I bought real cheap preseason tickets and now this year I’m here via Ikon. So I’m just beginning to know my way around.

We returned to Sugarbush proper today and found a few inches of natural to smooth and vary the day's glide. There were ungroomed whales with bumps on the side on Organgrinder reminiscent of a certain trail at Timberline, Siggi's Ripcord was the only double D open off of Heaven's Gate. It was steep with proto bumps forming at the sides and hard pack machine-made suitable for shaving sno-cones across the middle. Nice snow could be found if you keep a tight line. Eden was too thin to ski with confidence, need about a foot or so to cover the deadfall. My legs are shot. Tonight through tomorrow promises significant snowfall. It's official, we're snowed in.

 

kemperski wrote:

Eden looks like paradise   ---  also like a much steeper and longer version of some of T-line and whitegrass  glades

What Paradise? Either one is a lot steeper though.

Eden is a nice relatively low angle glade that has been cleared quite a bit. It is between two blues. CB or Old Dominion are much steeper, actually. 

I meant that the trees looked excellent,  not specifically comparing to any other run named Paradise ... but now I'm curious what Paradise do you mean?  Anyway, I'd hit it.

 

LHC, it sounds like there is a lot better snow up there than I would have expected, I thought this crappy weather pattern was extending into the northeast.

Paradise at Sugarbush or Paradise at Mad River Glen. My bad - I thought you were referring to one of those two. Paradise at MRG May be the most famous trail in NE.

The first part on Bonz's vid is off of Paradise at SB. Some challenging tight lines there in spots.

I just did a little Caltopo tour of some of the great trees at T-line, when I think how good and close by that resource is it reminds me again how much I want it to reopen.

 

Anyway skiing every run named Paradise would be a good collector project  (would Paradice at Massanutten count?)

edit --I just remembered-- Paradise at Red Mountain in BC has some spectacular tree runs

kemperski wrote:

Anyway skiing every run named Paradise would be a good collector project  (would Paradice at Massanutten count?)

Not really.  The original spelling as "ParaDice" was to honor C. Dice Hammer, who was the Charlottesville partner who help create Great Eastern.  That's the company that managed to put Mnut on stable financial footing after a bankruptcy back in the 1980s.

It's my favorite run at Mnut, when it can get open.

@Crazie just a footnote to point out that you and the Mrs are in rare company being ones to ski SB the last day owned by the Smith family and first day owned by Alterra. Interesting historical point.

Beautiful powder day today to finish off the trip 7 inches and still coming down quite well! You guys must be digging the Bush today I hope! Have fun❄️ Before the bottom drops out tomorrow 🥶 cold

Thursday powder day arrived on mountain at Mt. Ellen around 9. We skied freshies for the first hour or so then hacked up the choppy leftovers. Legs died a weary, blissful death around 2. Bumping on Bravo after lunch left me running on empty but I managed a few more runs off the North Ridge while my son poked around some trees. I was too weary to seek wood, next time with fresher legs. I took the last run down to the lodge but my son stayed, being 40 years younger, the brat bagged FIS twice without me. Sitting in the White Horse Lodge, ski lodge circa 1965, big fireplace common room, fresh baked cookies. Life is good. Everybody is gratefully dead tired. Homeward bound tomorrow.

Way to finish with a FLURRY!