jamesdeluxe
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2020
After yesterday’s surprise dump, it went bluebird today and Owl’s Head was a great place to cruise on near-perfect packed powder while being distracted by stunning views of 24-mile-long Lake Memphrémagog, with Jay Peak and Mont Orford off in the distance:
It doesn’t look like much from the trail map, but OH’s 1,780 feet of vertical are a lot more fun and varied than I’d remembered from my first visit there six years ago. Of course, it helps when you’re getting shown around by a bunch of people who really love the mountain’s unpretentious we’re-just-here-for-the-skiing vibe. If you’re looking for anything other than that, you’re in the wrong place.
With the exception of some high-speed lifts, very little seems to have changed there since the 1980s. Since it was $15 Tuesday, a lot of locals were rocking long boards with dangerous-looking bindings. For the most part, it’s all about high-speed cruising there.
There are also a bunch of short, fun glades scattered throughout the mountain.
Looking out over Jay Peak across the valley:
Marketing Manager Ken Rourke-Frew told us about local legend Bob Richardson, who, in addition to laying out the trails for Owl’s Head, Mont Glen, and Mont Echo in the Eastern Townships, also had a big hand in the design of Blackcomb in British Colombia. He’s allegedly buried right behind that rock.
After lunch, they arranged something interesting for us, a 1.5-hour group lesson with James Carrier, a guy who’s only been skiing ten years — same length of time as me, except he’s a lot better. Looking and sounding a lot like actor Dennis Hopper, James had a really effective way of giving feedback and inspiring us to finish our turns, quiet our upper bodies, use our poles correctly, and, in my case, stop moving my shoulders like I was in a boxing ring.
It doesn’t look like much from the trail map, but OH’s 1,780 feet of vertical are a lot more fun and varied than I’d remembered from my first visit there six years ago. Of course, it helps when you’re getting shown around by a bunch of people who really love the mountain’s unpretentious we’re-just-here-for-the-skiing vibe. If you’re looking for anything other than that, you’re in the wrong place.
With the exception of some high-speed lifts, very little seems to have changed there since the 1980s. Since it was $15 Tuesday, a lot of locals were rocking long boards with dangerous-looking bindings. For the most part, it’s all about high-speed cruising there.
There are also a bunch of short, fun glades scattered throughout the mountain.
Looking out over Jay Peak across the valley:
Marketing Manager Ken Rourke-Frew told us about local legend Bob Richardson, who, in addition to laying out the trails for Owl’s Head, Mont Glen, and Mont Echo in the Eastern Townships, also had a big hand in the design of Blackcomb in British Colombia. He’s allegedly buried right behind that rock.
After lunch, they arranged something interesting for us, a 1.5-hour group lesson with James Carrier, a guy who’s only been skiing ten years — same length of time as me, except he’s a lot better. Looking and sounding a lot like actor Dennis Hopper, James had a really effective way of giving feedback and inspiring us to finish our turns, quiet our upper bodies, use our poles correctly, and, in my case, stop moving my shoulders like I was in a boxing ring.
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