Brownski
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2020
The thing I never have enough of is time. That's especially true during ski season. Even in a year like this, when weather has enforced harsh limits on the northeast's skiers, what really holds me back is time.
Last Saturday, I spent the morning at an athletic event with my older son, quality bonding time to be sure but not skiing. I spent that afternoon waiting for new laundry machines to be delivered, feeling sick that I was letting the weekend slip away. It was all made worse by the knowledge that I already had plane tickets for a quick trip to Florida next weekend to visit my parents. Finally, around five thirty or six, my obligations were satisfied and I hit the road, Champlain ski card in hand.
Intent on squeezing two weeks of skiing into one day, I headed for the best place I could think of for such a challenge, Mad River Glen. I think I parked around ten pm, got my things in order in the bed of my truck and crawled inside my sleeping bag. A couple of amused parking guys wished me good morning as I crawled out around seven and got my coffee thermos from the cab. It was gonna be a good day.
I was booted up and ready to go before the ticket office was ready to punch my card or the lifts were turning. In fact I noticed everybody seemed to be moving slow. A conversation with one of the workers explained why. The night before MRG had celebrated the co-op's twentieth anniversary. Apparently it was a pretty good party. I don't think any of the lifties or patrollers gathering at the bottom on the single chair were actually impaired, just a little quiet maybe.
I waited patiently and pumped one of the patrollers for Intel. Of course he said I should of been there two days ago. Somebody always says that. But he gave me some good insights too. Fall Line and Paradise were an unholy mess. Catamount Bowl, Chute and Canyon were kind of okay but Beaver was rough. I spent the whole morning skiing the named trails under the single and his advice was spot on. I got first chair but it didn't really matter. A couple people had skinned up ahead of us but there were no freshies to be had.
Things were just the way you would expect them to be this year at a mostly natural place like MRG, lots of rock, some thin spots, bumps everywhere. It was awesome. In between, the rough patches there was lots of good snow. As the day wore on, if warmed up-a lot- and I started stripping layers. First my neck gaiter went in my backpack, then the goggles got switched out for sunglasses. I lapped the single all morning without encountering any significant lines; the narrow cruisers, Antelope, Catamount and Bunny, were as much fun as the bumps.
Lynx was closed but I worked my way back under the lift to check out Beaver. It was tough and rough, challenging skiing. I kept scanning the trails below me and saying to myself "well, over here it's more dirt then rock so that'll be ok."
It was overcast most of the day with just a few bits of sunshine now and then. The snow softened up early on and stayed good all day. Overall, I would say it was "spring like". I'm getting tired if saying that but this whole winter has been spring like.
Around lunch the single started getting a line and I started wearing myself out so I headed over to the "civilized "side of the mountain and skied there the rest of my day. There wasn't much civilized about Patnther or Gazelle. It was as gnarly as the stuff under the single but the glades below were in nice shape. I had water and granola bars in my pack so I didn't have to stop for lunch.
That turned out to be good because one of the guys I rode the lift with told me it was supposed to rain around three. I kept at it as long as my legs would let me, alternating between some of the thinned out trees under Sunnyside Chair and whatever cruisers were open over there.
Once I started crossing my tips like I always do when I'm spent, I packed it in. I grabbed six bucks worth of stickers, dragged my ass back to my car and started the long drive home completely satisfied.
Last Saturday, I spent the morning at an athletic event with my older son, quality bonding time to be sure but not skiing. I spent that afternoon waiting for new laundry machines to be delivered, feeling sick that I was letting the weekend slip away. It was all made worse by the knowledge that I already had plane tickets for a quick trip to Florida next weekend to visit my parents. Finally, around five thirty or six, my obligations were satisfied and I hit the road, Champlain ski card in hand.
Intent on squeezing two weeks of skiing into one day, I headed for the best place I could think of for such a challenge, Mad River Glen. I think I parked around ten pm, got my things in order in the bed of my truck and crawled inside my sleeping bag. A couple of amused parking guys wished me good morning as I crawled out around seven and got my coffee thermos from the cab. It was gonna be a good day.
I was booted up and ready to go before the ticket office was ready to punch my card or the lifts were turning. In fact I noticed everybody seemed to be moving slow. A conversation with one of the workers explained why. The night before MRG had celebrated the co-op's twentieth anniversary. Apparently it was a pretty good party. I don't think any of the lifties or patrollers gathering at the bottom on the single chair were actually impaired, just a little quiet maybe.
I waited patiently and pumped one of the patrollers for Intel. Of course he said I should of been there two days ago. Somebody always says that. But he gave me some good insights too. Fall Line and Paradise were an unholy mess. Catamount Bowl, Chute and Canyon were kind of okay but Beaver was rough. I spent the whole morning skiing the named trails under the single and his advice was spot on. I got first chair but it didn't really matter. A couple people had skinned up ahead of us but there were no freshies to be had.
Things were just the way you would expect them to be this year at a mostly natural place like MRG, lots of rock, some thin spots, bumps everywhere. It was awesome. In between, the rough patches there was lots of good snow. As the day wore on, if warmed up-a lot- and I started stripping layers. First my neck gaiter went in my backpack, then the goggles got switched out for sunglasses. I lapped the single all morning without encountering any significant lines; the narrow cruisers, Antelope, Catamount and Bunny, were as much fun as the bumps.
Lynx was closed but I worked my way back under the lift to check out Beaver. It was tough and rough, challenging skiing. I kept scanning the trails below me and saying to myself "well, over here it's more dirt then rock so that'll be ok."
It was overcast most of the day with just a few bits of sunshine now and then. The snow softened up early on and stayed good all day. Overall, I would say it was "spring like". I'm getting tired if saying that but this whole winter has been spring like.
Around lunch the single started getting a line and I started wearing myself out so I headed over to the "civilized "side of the mountain and skied there the rest of my day. There wasn't much civilized about Patnther or Gazelle. It was as gnarly as the stuff under the single but the glades below were in nice shape. I had water and granola bars in my pack so I didn't have to stop for lunch.
That turned out to be good because one of the guys I rode the lift with told me it was supposed to rain around three. I kept at it as long as my legs would let me, alternating between some of the thinned out trees under Sunnyside Chair and whatever cruisers were open over there.
Once I started crossing my tips like I always do when I'm spent, I packed it in. I grabbed six bucks worth of stickers, dragged my ass back to my car and started the long drive home completely satisfied.
