Author Archives: Harvey44
Killington is Awesome
I hadn’t been to Killington in a decade and some things hadn’t changed. Yea the access road was deserted and there was only one lift running, but the mountain still somehow seemed huge to me.
Some things had changed. I’ve done some skiing in the last ten years and I was ready to take on Killington’s expert terrain. Superstar, the storied trail was looking good from a distance and even better up close.
I met Riverc0il at the base of the quad at 9:30. Superstar’s bumps were a bit of a gut check for me, skiing after a six-week layoff.
North Creek Ski Bowl Night Skiing
Ski Day 28: I left work yesterday at 3pm and headed north on 87. All week I watched a persistent uplevel disturbance that was producing a steady diet of light snow at higher elevations.
As I approached the Catskill and the Adirondacks, both ranges were shrouded in light snowshowers. I pulled into the North Creek Ski Bowl Base Area at 7:30 and headed into the lodge to boot up.
I had the place almost to myself. I wasn’t sure how many runs I could get in, so I saved a little time by dressing lightly.
What is an Expert Skier?
I started skiing in 1989 at age 30 and early on I wanted to be an expert. I wasn’t sure what defined an expert other than some vague idea about being able to “ski anything.” What is an expert?
I recently skied with my six-year-old for the first time on a black rated trail. Gore’s Sagamore is essentially a long blue trail with two black pitches. Skiing it doesn’t make my daughter an expert. She’s an advanced beginner who skied expert terrain. Expert status is about how you get down not what you get down.
I did a little research and found a definition:
“Expert skiers are adept at handling varied terrain and different snow conditions. The terrain may include steeps, trees, and moguls, or a combination of the three. Snow conditions might include hard pack, ice, crud, or powder, as well as groomed or ungroomed snow.
Expert skiing requires quick adjustments to speed, turn radius, and balance to maintain control at all times.”
Skiing The Mad River Valley… With Help
I don’t really know much about skiing in Vermont. I know that the Green Mountain spine produces magic snow out of thin air, and the farther north you go, the greater the magic. But my ability to find the best skiing anywhere outside of New York is limited.
That’s not to say that I haven’t had some great times skiing on the other side of Lake Champlain. It seems every time I’ve made the trip, the combination of magic snow and great guides have made my ski days great.
My most recent trip into Vermont was into the Mad River Valley — over the lake, across the farmland and through the gauntlet — the App Gap. At Sugarbush last Sunday and at Mad River Glen on Monday, I was incredibly fortunate to be guided down the trails and through the trees by skiers who really know the terrain.