Author: Steve

2001-2002 Season, March, Wildcat

Wildcat, NH

Original plans called for Skiing Wildcat on Thursday instead of Friday (Ladies Day, Yeah Baby!); one day after a significant snow fall blanketed northern locations of New Hampshire. However; due to high winds and the threat of lift holds, I opted to wait one day and venture up to The Cat on Friday instead. This was a wise decision as the Quad was on a Wind Hold on Thursday, and conditions were very poor. What I should have done, was skied Cannon or Bretton Woods Thursday where reports have been confirmed of up to a foot of powder in places on Thursday.

For the trip up, I awoke at or around 5AM and had the wheels turning at 5:30AM just before the first hint of sun light. Traveling up I-95 into NH, I could hardly contain my devilish grin as I passed people commuting to work while I was commuting to a day of skiing! The drive was uneventful and I arrived at Wildcat just after 8:00 A.M. Lifts opened at 9:00 A.M., so I relaxed and enjoyed a snack while awaiting vertical delight.

I was aboard the third chair of the Wildcat Express Quad. For the morning, a single cloud incessantly hovered over Mount Washington, as if Big George had some evil thoughts and was in a crappy mood. But the Mount Washington Valley would not allow it to take command as else where was sunny and blue skies. The first Quad up was a cold one though and windy too boot.

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2001-2002 Season, February, Jay Peak

Jay Peak, VT

Jay Peak is one of those New England mountains that has a dedicated and rabid following. They preach to any who will listen about how much snow and powder Jay receives and how great the glades are. If you are looking for big powder in the East and lots of Glades, then Jay Peak is definitely worth the trip! If glades and powder are not your thing, then Jay Peak doesn’t offer enough to justify the drive.

For this trip, I did not yet ski well in powder or glades. Skiers that love powder and glades must have been unhappy on the Monday I journeyed to distant Jay Peak. Jay Peak was groomed everywhere it seemed. Only a couple of choice bump trails were left alone by the groomers, much to my disappointment.

In the morning, I skied lookers right side of the mountain via the Tram and High Speed Quad. The snow was extremely fast, and the groomed snow had occasional thin cover/scrapped sections. Most trails on the right side drop into an extremely flat run out. A great place to practice a tuck for five minutes. Marked on the trail map as a blue square (perhaps because of the occasional patch of trees in the middle of the trail), this run out wore me out rather quickly. The entire bottom half of the mountain is very flat, which unfortunately makes for long flat run outs.

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2001-2002 Season, February, Lost Ski Area, Whaleback

Whaleback, NH

On my way to Jay Peak, I stopped by a ski area on I-89 that was no longer in operation. Whaleback stopped operations after it’s 2000-2001 ski season; however, the area was sold and reopened for the 2005-2006 Ski Season. The ski area is currently marketing itself towards the freestyle and park crowd.

I had never skied Whaleback; but looking at the mountain, I sure wish I had had the opportunity! Whaleback does have rather limited vertical, but they make excellent use of what little they do have! From the base area, a number of interesting runs are visible; including a couple of decently pitched and fairly narrow trails (including a sweet looking glade trail). The trails seem to have a decent pitch and are cut into natural fall lines. Although probably not the most challenging terrain, given the right conditions I am sure Whaleback offers tons of fun.

As far as their facilities, they are all in tact and surviving a winter of inactivity just fine. The blue double chairlift still looked to be in fine condition and none of the trails have grown in. In a matter of fact, several of the trails featured ski and snowmobile tracks! Had I some company, I would have gladly earned some turns myself!

2001-2002 Season, Cannon Mountain, February

Cannon Mountain, NH

Cannon once again offered up Two-Fers for the popular Super Bowl Sunday lift tickets. It was impossible for me to resist a day at Cannon for only $22. With the pre-game festivities not scheduled to begin on TV until 6 P.M., a full day of skiing was to be had; and not a second of the Super Bowl was to be missed.

The night before, I set my alarms a little earlier than usual because I needed to stop for gas and money. After getting to bed rather early (9 P.M.), I found myself tossing and turning for hours; unable to sleep a wink. Maybe it was the Pats in the Super Bowl, maybe it was anticipation of skiing Cannon, maybe I was trying to sleep after being awake less than nine hours… who knows! In any case, I abandoned sleeping around 3:30 A.M. and finished preparations.

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2001-2002 Season, Articles, Burke, January, Powder Day

The Burke Mountain Experience

Willoughby Quad
Willoughby Quad

Getting There

Many great things have been said about Burke; and the mountain has been on my list of places to visit since it’s re-opening. After several years of poor management and closings, Burke re-opened last season and remains one of Vermont’s best kept secrets.

I woke up early on Saturday morning around 4:50 A.M and quickly grabbed a bite to eat, packed the car, and had the wheels rolling by 5:20 A.M. The darkness at this early time seemed greater than normal even considering the time of the year. Gloomy clouds were promising socked in peaks and they delivered on their promise.

Having never driven to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, I opted to drive through the Franconia Notch on I-93 in New Hampshire instead of taking I-89. I believed this would be the faster and more interesting route and this proved to be a sound assumption. Although most of the peaks were socked in the clouds, I-93 through the Franconia Notch still remains one of my favorite drives even when the weather does not cooperate. Franconia Notch had a localized snow storm that made driving on the Parkway interesting. But the storm relented as I passed Cannon, as I looked longingly at Avalanche, Paulie’s Folly, and Zoomer.

Total mileage to Burke Mountain via this route from the New Hampshire boarder was 170 miles and took just under three hours. Upon reaching Burke Mountain, I by-passed the lower mountain Base Lodge and headed to the Mid-Burke Lodge which allowed quick access to the better terrain. The Lodge was populated with racers from both the Burke Mountain Academy and The New England Masters circuit along along with some locals.

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