Originally, I took Wednesday through Friday off to utilize a Ski Club deal on cheap skiing at Stowe. Based on the weather forecast, I bailed on pre-purchasing the three day ticket and went for the single ticket on Wednesdayonly. Essentially, including the Ski Club membership and discounted lift ticket, I paid full price but it was a worth while gamble. If this had been excellent conditions, I would have been skiing three days at Stowe for only $39 per day (which would have included the cost of club membership). Things do not go as planned sometimes.

I used this opportunity to demo the Volkl Mantra in a 177cm at the Pinnacle Ski Shop on the Mountain Access Road. Suffice to say, the Volkl Mantra is one helluva ski. But not the ski I was looking for and I am glad I demoed the ski before I pulled the trigger.

I had expected better conditions today considering all the recent snow but I forgot to take into consideration the high wind earlier this week. Many of the groomers were hard pack with occasional wind blown boiler plate. This is where the Volkl Mantra really wowed me. These skis have Volkl’s typical groomer chewer technology and the last time I rode a ski that ate up hard pack like this was the Volkl Six Stars. The Mantra sure was not at the Six Star level, but was able to really rip the groomers with similar style. This performance enhancement was a harbinger of my verdict on the skis as they compromise too much as a one ski quiver with their stiff, beefy, and damp groomer-ripper esque style.

Of particular nastiness was the upper section of Gondolier heading down to Chin Clip and Hayride. Some sections of Nose Dive were not very enjoyable. Wind blown hard pack and temperatures never got warm enough to soften things up on many trails, though they came close. Some trails were softer and more enjoyable, but for the most part, I was even more happy to get into the woods than normal.

This was my second trip to Stowe for lift serviced and my first trip with enough base to enjoy the entire mountain. Despite not having the insider scoop on Stowe, I have learned what signs to look for when searching for the goods. Suffice to say, my heavenly appetite for boot deep occasionally untracked snow was met! I ventured into other shots on the mountain but nothing matched up to the goods I discovered early which I should have just kept hammering. Most woods were well tracked out and packed down… but I can still consider today a powder day in many ways, so I am happy.

I have been horribly sick and tired all week, so despite blue bird skies with amazing visibility and obvious lines staring me in the face, I opted not to ascend the ridge to sample the more accessible lines. A sign at the Cliff House warned of Avi danger as well, which I decided to take under consideration. This was an unfortunate miss on something I had been wanting to try for a while.

Overall, today was mint but a struggle due to fighting with the skis and my suspect health. Couldn’t fully enjoy the day to my satisfaction, but I had a lot of fun doing some exploring and finding many choice lines. Boot deep powder on a few woods runs was mint and really made the day. Nice to know I made a wise choice holding off on pulling the trigger on a pair of skis that just did not gel with my style. No pictures despite the Blue Bird, I was just not in the mood for photo taking today.