jamesdeluxe
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2020
I decided that today was the day to head up the road to the former Great Gorge -- I wish they'd kept that name instead of the generic Mountain Creek. Only 40 minutes from my house and 47 miles from Manhattan, it’s certainly convenient. You’ll never confuse conditions in northern NJ with those in northern VT right now. Completely dependent on snowmaking, especially this winter, they’ve got coverage on all the trails, but the all-night rain from last Thursday, followed by really cold temps this week turned everything rock hard.
I started at Vernon Peak. Half of it is a terrain park, and you have to pay an extra fee to access it. You take one of those Cabriolet lifts (like at The Canyons) and there are boarders and snowbladers everywhere. The remaining trails are boring and featureless. Granite Peak doesn’t have any parks, but the trails aren’t any more interesting. Both Vernon and Granite Peaks are kind of what I would expect skiing in West Virginia or North Carolina to be like: snowguns everywhere, generic trails, rock-hard base, jester hat crowd, etc.
By mid-afternoon, I was ready to cut my losses and pack it in, but at 3 pm, South and Bear Peaks opened so I went over. If I understand correctly, this is where the original Great Gorge was located, and at least here, the trails are kinda interesting in that they wind intriguingly through the woods, bushes, rocks, and a flowing creek/hence the ski area's name. Also, there are some well-placed flats that deter boarders. Two HSQs allow you to rack up vertical quickly. Also, conditions on South and Bear Peak were actually decent, especially compared to the unpleasantness on the other two hills.
It was surprising that the sun was still shining at 5:30 pm. They turned on the lights a few minutes later. There was no one over here, so I had the place to myself. If I ever go back to MC, I’ll just spend a few hours doing laps on South/Bear and forget the rest.
I’m sure MC gets a fair amount of NYCers, but its main market is NJ, and there is a big pent-up demand for something close by. Hidden Valley benefits from that because MC absorbs most of the hordes.
I started at Vernon Peak. Half of it is a terrain park, and you have to pay an extra fee to access it. You take one of those Cabriolet lifts (like at The Canyons) and there are boarders and snowbladers everywhere. The remaining trails are boring and featureless. Granite Peak doesn’t have any parks, but the trails aren’t any more interesting. Both Vernon and Granite Peaks are kind of what I would expect skiing in West Virginia or North Carolina to be like: snowguns everywhere, generic trails, rock-hard base, jester hat crowd, etc.
By mid-afternoon, I was ready to cut my losses and pack it in, but at 3 pm, South and Bear Peaks opened so I went over. If I understand correctly, this is where the original Great Gorge was located, and at least here, the trails are kinda interesting in that they wind intriguingly through the woods, bushes, rocks, and a flowing creek/hence the ski area's name. Also, there are some well-placed flats that deter boarders. Two HSQs allow you to rack up vertical quickly. Also, conditions on South and Bear Peak were actually decent, especially compared to the unpleasantness on the other two hills.
It was surprising that the sun was still shining at 5:30 pm. They turned on the lights a few minutes later. There was no one over here, so I had the place to myself. If I ever go back to MC, I’ll just spend a few hours doing laps on South/Bear and forget the rest.
I’m sure MC gets a fair amount of NYCers, but its main market is NJ, and there is a big pent-up demand for something close by. Hidden Valley benefits from that because MC absorbs most of the hordes.
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