Burke: Chasing Winter

Last week winter seemed to be winding down, with above-freezing temps forecast clear up to Canada before St. Patrick’s Day. Desperate to extend winter, I had my sights on a storm forecast to dump nearly a foot of new snow across northern Vermont. After considering my options, I locked onto a hill I’d overlooked in 20 years of skiing Vermont: Burke.

Sherburne Express

I’d read the online commentary: steep, funky, heavily gladed, classic New England twisty with high-quality snow well-preserved by cold temps and a lack of crowds. But to get there you have to drive past some big-name ski areas, most with equal or greater vertical drop, skiable acreage and average annual snowfall.

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Killington: Big and Better

Killington is the mountain I know best in Vermont. In college, I would spend five days riding there during College Fest and those times have left a lasting impression on me.

Killington

I was excited to get back this year and check out what’s new, especially the Snowdon Six Express and the Woodward Peace Park. Our plan was set: Alex the skier, Alex the snowboarder, Dave, Ally and Henry joined forces to share a place on the Killington access road just four minutes from the base.

I like to head to the Ramshead Lodge 20 minutes before the lifts spin to find a prime parking spot. I take the Ramshead lift up and either take a couple warm-up laps under the chair or just send it over to the K1 or Snowdon Six.

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Return to Smugglers Notch

I love New York. I love the ski history, the vast wilderness and the assortment of old-school ski hills. I also dig the proximity to Vermont and all that Green Mountain snow.

Vermont farm

Northern Vermont is something else. The East is challenging for skiers, as conditions can quickly go from pow to crunch.  But NoVT often escapes this fate, and even when it’s afflicted, it recovers more quickly than any other other part of the northeast.

Then there is Smugglers Notch.  For me the place has everything: old school vibe, Hall lifts, excellent tree skiing and 300 inches of snow. I haven’t been to every ski area north of I-89, but of those I have skied, I really dig Smuggs.

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