Category: Mad River Glen

2010-2011 Season, April, Mad River Glen

Mad River Glen: All Options on the Table

Tree Skiing at Mad River Glen

Today featured a little bit of everything from powder to packed powder, scraped bumps to corn bumps, variable snow to mank. Things got started in incredible fashion with untracked powder in the trees–almost deep enough for Powder Day status. After my first run, I changed skis to my powder boards. Trees were excellent with great coverage and occasional untracked lines yielding four inches or more of somewhat fluffy snow up high. The trails were well covered with many liftline cliffs (including Birdcage) open; amazing coverage for April 2nd.

Tree Skiing at Mad River Glen

As the morning progressed, the air got warmer down low and stayed cooler up high. The mank level slowly worked its way up the mountain. By late day, trees off the Sunnyside were too manky for my tastes. So I abandoned the woods for a top to bottom down Chute to Liftline. After hitting Cannon on Friday, my legs were failing to deliver a back-to-back bell-to-bell performance. I bailed to the ladies tee on the Liftline cliffs and opted to call it a day before I hurt myself.

2010-2011 Season, January, Mad River Glen, Powder Day

Cautious Exuberance at Mad River Glen

Lynx: Second Run of the Day

My calves were still throbbing from Thursday’s powder romp. So I cured them–Hair of the Dog style–by dropping into FallDice to Glade for a warm up run. My previous pain suddenly seemed so much less than my current state of agony. It worked! The light powder was exquisite and I yelled my approval loudly. The shock eventually numbed the pain but my performance and stamina were severely taxed. On the next run, I found delicious chopped up powder with occasional untracked on Upper Antelope to Lynx to Beaver.

Tree lines of all varieties and elevations were safely skiable using cautious exuberance. More of the former is safer but more of the latter is a heck of a lot more fun. Almost everything was in play from upper elevation tight softwood corridors to low angle thwack jungles. Mid-mountain birch options skied the best and retained the most untracked lines. My third run selection was stupendous: barely tracked to untracked to single tracked. I returned to this location on my fifth and final run to claim second tracks and close my eights. Untracked snow depth varied depending upon the last time each line were hit. Anything from a few inches to knee deep. Hell yea.

(more…)

2009-2010 Season, Mad River Glen, March

More Spring Bump Skiing Mad-ness

With my legs still burning from skiing Smuggs the day before, I continued my mad dash to use the rest of my prepaid vouchers today at Mad River Glen. The faithful were out in force today to enjoy the last of this long week full of perfect spring skiing days. Despite the sun disappearing shortly after lunch time and being replaced by clouds and a mild breeze, the snow was stellar and well corned in places though just a tad mushy occasionally as well. Lines were long for the Single but tolerable, especially considering the shaky status of my legs by mid-day.

(more…)

2009-2010 Season, December, Mad River Glen, Powder Day

Opening Day of the Season at MRG Powder Style

After a November to forget, it seems like a December to Remember has finally commenced. Thanks to significant Lake Effect snow bands reaching all the way into Vermont and across New England, Mad River Glen was able to open this weekend unexpectedly. With Jay Peak having lift issues and my ski bud Nhski going to Mad River Glen, it was a total no brainer!

Due to the unexpected opening, Mad River Glen had advertised a 10am opening but actually had us on the lift by 9:30am. Seeing the mountain covered in powder and without moguls was stunning, a sight rarely seen at Mad River Glen except during the very early season. Tracks from turn earners blanketed the mountain from the past two days and this morning. But there was more than enough to go around. And the silky smooth lake effect powder was a sublime treat.

(more…)

2007-2008 Season, April, Mad River Glen

Great Spring Bump Skiing at Mad River Glen

Steve Launches the Tower 10 Cliffs (Photo Credit: eatskisleep / Micky O'Brien)
Steve Launches the Tower 10 Cliffs (Photo Credit: eatskisleep / Micky O’Brien)

This was definitely a morning to sleep in (oops) as thing were quite firm out of the starting gate. But things got really good later in the day. Really really good. I arrived at the mountain at quarter past nine and ascended the Single feeling a chill in the air and could barely see two chairs in front of me due to fog. The Triple Crown Bump Competition was being held today and they wanted it on Chute. To break up the frozen crust, they were encouraging the bump comp folks to lap Chute. Despite the crusty snow, Mad River went with Chute and looked to have a solid event despite lack luster turn out.

My first run was down frozen groomer tracks on Upper Antelope and then around to Bunny for a top to bottom frozen groomer tracks quad burner. My skis haven’t been tuned in about a year at this point and the edges were no match for the frozen snow. I slid my way down to the Basebox and awaited the arrival of my partners.

After hanging out for half an hour, I chatted with the guys and we all headed back out for a run down Chute which had been cut up by the bump competition skiers. Better than Upper Antelope but a far cry from spring skiing. Down on Canyon, the bumps were actually surprisingly sweet with especially nice lines in the middle elevations of the trail. We hit the double chair for two more runs down Canyon to Waterfall which got better every run due to lower elevations warming up and traffic being focused on Canyon as the lower mountain bump run of choice.

(more…)