- Joined
- Jul 15, 2020
Ski Day 21: Zelda agreed to handle Neve's lesson at Gore today so I was able to attend Hickory's Telefest ... IF I could find my own ride down to Warrensburg. Jeff Palka of The Gear Source in North Creek, was running a Tele demo and agreed to let me tag along. We wound our way down the back way through Thurman... .
...and arrived around 8 am. We unloaded the truck, and got Jeff set up. We weren't the only shop selling gear. The colorful "Ski Till I Die" boys were there, (not to be confused with the Ski to Die Club) ...
I made my way over to Poma 1. It seemed to be manned, but no one was in line. I asked the liftie if he was ready to go. He popped his head into the shed flicked a switch, and came back out and said... "I am now." I stepped up, took the "stick" and got launched into the days adventure.
Poma 1 serves Hickory's gentler lower mountain terrain, below it's mid-station, but gets steeper above that point. From either of Poma 1's unloading spots you can access Poma 2 which serves the summit. I made my way over to Poma 2 to check out the summit.
Top of Poma 2
I was solo to start, so I stayed on the trails. I hit Winfall first, the steepest trail on the hill.
Winfall
Everything at the top of Hickory is rated black except Ridge Run, which winds along the eastern shoulder of the mountain. The blue trail had nice corduroy maybe three passes wide...
... and skier's right was left all natural.
Ridge Run
I went into the woods, checking out Paul's Peril. Hard for me to say how much snow Hickory has had this season, but it seemed that depths in the woods were equivalent to depths at Gore. Paul's Peril had good coverage over most of the run, and it's really long. I don't think many of the "on the map" tree shots at Gore extend as far. The pitch was perfect for my skills, and I lapped it at least 4 times.
Paul's Peril
Hickory's weekend operating schedule and low skier traffic, keep the snow really soft. Even in trafficked areas, any kind of a fall left a hole at least a foot deep.
Liftlines, normally the bane of lift-served skiers, are a nice break at Hickory. They provide time to socialize, and rest. This was the longest line I found all day, at the bottom of Poma 2.
From the top of Poma 2, at skier's far left, you come to an interesting grouping of signs. A "Ski Area Boundary Sign" is accompanied by a rope with a sign that implores you to poach.
In the afternoon, you could see an intense squall approaching from the northwest. The wind picked up and a small blizzard came through that lasted maybe 20 minutes.
Ike in "Disconnect"
Rope Tow Bunny Hill
When we got back to the base, the snow stopped and the sun came back out.
Top Notch
I closed out the day by convincing Jeff to abandon his demo and ski.
He led me to the backside and showed me lines he was dreaming about skiing with more snow.
The Southside
Eventually we came back towards skier's right and made our way down to the snowmobile trail that leads back to the Lodge.
Today's 4th Annual Telefestival was my first time skiing at Hickory and I didn't know exactly what to expect. What I found underfoot was soft snow, well-formed bumps and great terrain. The refrozen precip from last Saturday night was evident, but manageable and almost unnoticeable after a few tracks had been made on a line.
I know the pictures and captions above don't come close to capturing the magic I felt today. There were probably two or three hundred skiers on the hill, but there were no strangers. Everyone spoke to each other like they were old friends. Lifties, who spent the day getting whacked in the arm with flying Poma sticks, really seemed to be having fun. There were eager volunteers helping out in every possible way. And smiles reflected the genuine love that everyone had for our sport and Hickory Ski Center.
Take the time to Ski Hickory. If you really love to ski, you'll love this mountain.
...and arrived around 8 am. We unloaded the truck, and got Jeff set up. We weren't the only shop selling gear. The colorful "Ski Till I Die" boys were there, (not to be confused with the Ski to Die Club) ...
I made my way over to Poma 1. It seemed to be manned, but no one was in line. I asked the liftie if he was ready to go. He popped his head into the shed flicked a switch, and came back out and said... "I am now." I stepped up, took the "stick" and got launched into the days adventure.
Poma 1 serves Hickory's gentler lower mountain terrain, below it's mid-station, but gets steeper above that point. From either of Poma 1's unloading spots you can access Poma 2 which serves the summit. I made my way over to Poma 2 to check out the summit.
Top of Poma 2
I was solo to start, so I stayed on the trails. I hit Winfall first, the steepest trail on the hill.
Winfall
Everything at the top of Hickory is rated black except Ridge Run, which winds along the eastern shoulder of the mountain. The blue trail had nice corduroy maybe three passes wide...
... and skier's right was left all natural.
Ridge Run
I went into the woods, checking out Paul's Peril. Hard for me to say how much snow Hickory has had this season, but it seemed that depths in the woods were equivalent to depths at Gore. Paul's Peril had good coverage over most of the run, and it's really long. I don't think many of the "on the map" tree shots at Gore extend as far. The pitch was perfect for my skills, and I lapped it at least 4 times.
Paul's Peril
Hickory's weekend operating schedule and low skier traffic, keep the snow really soft. Even in trafficked areas, any kind of a fall left a hole at least a foot deep.
Liftlines, normally the bane of lift-served skiers, are a nice break at Hickory. They provide time to socialize, and rest. This was the longest line I found all day, at the bottom of Poma 2.
From the top of Poma 2, at skier's far left, you come to an interesting grouping of signs. A "Ski Area Boundary Sign" is accompanied by a rope with a sign that implores you to poach.
In the afternoon, you could see an intense squall approaching from the northwest. The wind picked up and a small blizzard came through that lasted maybe 20 minutes.
Ike in "Disconnect"
Rope Tow Bunny Hill
When we got back to the base, the snow stopped and the sun came back out.
Top Notch
I closed out the day by convincing Jeff to abandon his demo and ski.
He led me to the backside and showed me lines he was dreaming about skiing with more snow.
The Southside
Eventually we came back towards skier's right and made our way down to the snowmobile trail that leads back to the Lodge.
Today's 4th Annual Telefestival was my first time skiing at Hickory and I didn't know exactly what to expect. What I found underfoot was soft snow, well-formed bumps and great terrain. The refrozen precip from last Saturday night was evident, but manageable and almost unnoticeable after a few tracks had been made on a line.
I know the pictures and captions above don't come close to capturing the magic I felt today. There were probably two or three hundred skiers on the hill, but there were no strangers. Everyone spoke to each other like they were old friends. Lifties, who spent the day getting whacked in the arm with flying Poma sticks, really seemed to be having fun. There were eager volunteers helping out in every possible way. And smiles reflected the genuine love that everyone had for our sport and Hickory Ski Center.
Take the time to Ski Hickory. If you really love to ski, you'll love this mountain.
