Covid: Return from the Edge

Yesterday, I finally got out of covid quarantine, and I went for a ride on my mountain bike. I did my longer loop that includes a swing though the old AT&T Pole Farm, an historical international communications hub that was active from 1927 until 1975.

On my ride, I decided that I’d have to write my story down. It’s clearly off topic, and while I am the home page police, I’m also the biggest offender of my own home page rules. My sister’s passing comes to mind. It was only peripherally related to skiing, but it was huge in my life.


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Gore Mountain: A Big Step Forward

I skied Gore two days this holiday week and — all things considered — the mountain was in pretty good shape. During the week before Christmas significant rainfall wiped out the thin natural base leaving everything very firm.

first chair

It was great to see Gore’s snowmaking firepower on display. There were issues with the gondola both days, leading to lines that left me uncomfortable. I was grateful for the AE2 and ended up riding it exclusively in the morning.

The two days I skied were before the debut of the new Lift 6, so the gondola was the only route to the top. Both days I took it only once, to access Topridge and the summit. At one point on Tuesday I considered booting it from the saddle to the top of Bear. I’ve certainly done crazier things in my days.

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The Old Schaefer Trail: Gore’s Secrets

Mountains hold secrets that can only be discovered through close exploration. That’s especially true for mountains as large as the Gore Massif, with its multiple peaks and valleys. After all, this is the place that Verplanck Colvin called “a very remarkable mountain.” It took him two attempts to reach the summit with his crew to survey the area.

view of Gore Mountain east side

The new normal seems to have exponentially increased the numbers of those hiking to the mountain summit and using the mountain’s hike and bike trails. Most visitors to the mountain in winter use the ski trails to zip down the corduroy slopes, hardly noticing the beauty of the frozen landscape along the way.

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