2006-2007 Season, Mad River Glen, March

Spring Skiing at Mad River Glen

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Ski it while you can. It is hard to believe that just two weeks ago to the day I was skiing any line on the mountain I wanted with a foot of fresh for the taking. Everything on the mountain was open just two weeks ago, and I mean everything as in pick your line through the trees. Today? Not so much. Generally, I do not set myself up for disappointment this late in the season, but after such an epic March, I had expected slightly better coverage considering all the recent snow. But warmer temperatures and rain took their toll this past week and a half leaving not much snow, especially on the lower mountain.

Temperatures were very cold last night which made for a late start today. My morning routine consisted of taking a lap, then relaxing in front of the Basebox for twenty minutes. Repeat. Moguls in the sun on the upper mountain such as Quacky and Cat Bowl were ready by late morning, but nothing really corned up well until noon time. Many trails required some side stepping or grass skiing depending on the pitch. I did a few killer grass skiing sections with style.

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2006-2007 Season, March, Saddleback

Sunny Day at Saddleback

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Sledhaulingmedic and I made our annual pilgrimage to Saddleback in Maine this fine Sunday afternoon. A brilliant blue sky with occasional puffy white clouds and very comfortable temperatures were enjoyed throughout the day. I donned a fleece and windbreaker for the Spring like temperatures that climbed into the forties. Generally, snow conditions never truly softened up despite some excellent corn being harvested on some lower mountain trails.

While Saddleback accurately reported 1-2″ of fresh snow over night, they downplayed the NCP they received prior to the change over. Snow surfaces were firm and many trails scheduled to open never had the rope dropped including Muleskinner, Upper Intimidator Glades, and Nightmare Glades. Just as well that the Glades were roped, but I was sad not to ski Muleskinner. Ropes dropped late on Supervisor,and Upper Tight Line to mixed results on firm surfaces.

We found the lower mountain slopes in better condition than most upper mountain trails, so we hammered the lower mountain in the morning after finding firm conditions up top. The lower mountain was slow to soften up but eventually we found the goods on the southern aspects.

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2006-2007 Season, March, Powder Day, Stowe

Stowe, VT

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.

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Articles, Gear

Volkl Mantra Demo Review

On March 21st, I visited Stowe, VT and experienced a long desired demo with the Volkl Mantra (177cm). Sporting a Radius of 20.3 and a sidecut of 130/94/113, the Mantra is billed as ideal one ski quiver for those that enjoy front side and back side skiing. My opinion is that the Mantra compromises too much to be an East Coast quiver of one. Ironically, I found the ski was more akin to a wider Supersport in having excellent carving ability while lacking in the powder and tight turns required of East Coast tree skiers.

Prefacing my full review are my personal preferences, physical specifications, current quiver, and testing conditions. I stand tall at 6’1″ and tip the scales at 210 pounds. My build is athletic but not bulky and despite my size I prefer finesse to power although I am an ex-college racer that at one time preferred brute force. My favorite terrain includes all natural snow terrain but most specifically New England tree and glade skiing with a preference towards powder. I have the ability to carve serious arcs when powder is scarce and I can bash bumps with the best of them. My current ski quiver includes the Dynastar Legend 8000, Dynastar Intuitiv Big, and Volkl P50 Motion. Testing conditions included a bit of everything including groomers, wind blown hard pack, bumps, soft natural snow, powder, trees, etc.

I really wanted to like this ski. It is one helluva ski. It really is. And even though it was not the right ski for me, I recognized instantly the skis’ power and prowess. It is an interesting feeling being both amazed yet disinterested in a ski at the same time.

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2006-2007 Season, Jay Peak, March, Powder Day

Best Day of the Season at Jay Peak!!

Epic. Spectacular. Sensational. Best Day of the Season.

Originally, the plan for the weekend called for two days at Mad River Glen. Yesterday’s storm was good but less than I had expected at The Glen. Assuming Jay over reported Sunday’s snow totals, I considered both areas about even in Saturday snowfall. Sunday morning I opted to ski which ever ski area had a better report (with interpretation for the usual Jay Hype and artificial snow total inflation). Jay reported in with about double the snowfall that Mad River posted and I was feeling the Jay vibe. Great call on my part as we scored minimum knee deep untracked on almost every run today at Jay.

Met up with Dan after a few runs off the Jet Chair and we tore up the trees all day long. Halfway through a tree shot that I thought was not worth trying, we were skiing “only” boot to knee deep slightly tracked, and I turned to Dan and said “this is acceptable.” I had to laugh at such a statement considering any other day that shot would have been sublime.

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