Gear

Upcoming Gear Reviews

Summer was quite hard on my wallet from a gear perspective. But I am enjoying all of my new toys tremendously. I am itching to get these gear reviews written and posted. However, I need more time to take the full measure of these items in a wider variety of conditions before write ups can commence. So this is a teaser of what reviews I have simmering on the back burner here at TheSnowWay.com:

The Radiums were purchased last year and were previewed after my first tour so those will likely get the full review treatment first since I already have logged several days in them. You have already seen the Samsung TL-350 in action if you have been reading posts during the past two months (most notably my cycling posts). And to further wet your whistle for that review, I am attaching three samples of the high speed burst mode taken this past Saturday at Sunday River. These sequences were strictly shot for testing the burst mode. I made no effort on composition.

Full reviews of these products will be posted once I have had the opportunity to take their full measure.

Random

The List

Lists are helpful reminders detailing things you want to do but have not yet done. Sometimes the mindless pursuit of lists can become inane, especially when lists are arbitrary or contrary to stronger underlying desires. In outdoor pursuits, lists can drive us to explore new and interesting locales that might otherwise be completely off our radar. This pursuit of new and different experiences is central to my way of life.

With this in mind, I made a list of New England ski areas I have yet to ski. At one time, I thought it would be an interesting goal to ski every open ski area in New England. I have since realized that would be an arduous task; more of a chore than an enjoyable pursuit given the quantity of small feeder, family, and community areas.

So I arbitrarily set a vertical gain minimum of 1150 feet within New England. Why that number? Because no mountain below that threshold ignites my interest excepting Middlebury College Snow Bowl, Dartmouth Skiway, Whaleback, and Suicide Six, which I have included. All ski areas above that threshold spark my interest enough to ski at least once in my lifetime.

I have shamelessly omitted Jiminy Peak which claims 1150′ (but this site says 1140′). Not that it matters. Several Northeastern ski areas outside of New England are included. This list does not include backcountry destinations. I am looking forward to exploring some of these mountains this season.

New Hampshire

Vermont

Maine

New York

Quebec

  • Le Massif de Charlevoix
  • Le Massif du Sud
  • Orford
  • Owl’s Head — February 19, 2012
  • Sutton

The List

Country Store Series

Mallard Mart in Bethel, ME

Mallard Mart in Bethel, ME

Mallard Mart in Bethel, Maine is yet another departure from my normal Country Store commuting habits. Typically I plan my Country Store stops around the half way point during my drive home. But Mallard Mart is only fifteen minutes away from Sunday River.

The method to my madness is that I normally only ski Sunday River early season. My MO for early season at Sunday River is to get there early and leave at noon when the crowds show up. This means I am ready for lunch when I stop skiing. So I skip the on mountain food and instead opt for Mallard Mart pizza.

Which is the other reason I stop at Mallard Mart despite the lack of distance: the pizza is just that good. Well seasoned with excellent spices, the pizza is top notch for gas station fare and priced right. Big boy cans of soda are available along with an acceptable chip selection (Ruffles Sour Cream & Onion always appreciated rather than the standard Lays options). And when pizza is not your desire (wah?!), the Mallard Mart also makes subs and has some bakery options as well.

Craft beer selection is respectable with several respectable options. I picked up a sixer of “new to me” Frye’s Leap India Pale Ale from Sebago Brewing Company. I am always delighted to have a new local offering to sample. Frye’s Leap IPA is a fairly standard IPA offering which is very drinkable but nothing special.

Mallard Mart is TheSnowWay.com approved with excellent pizza along with all the other essentials. It is a ritualistic part of any Sunday River outing and something I actively look forward to while riding the lifts. The pizza makes for a great lunch while sitting at road stops on Route 2 for the construction that has been on going for as long as I can remember.

2010-2011 Season, October, Sunday River

Blow for Show, Open for Dough: Sunday River

T2 at Sunday River on Opening Day

I am not even going to go there (figuratively and literally). Okay, one quick jab is in order. Blow for show. Open for dough. Now let’s get to the report. 🙂

I arrived at the Barker Lodge shortly before the projected eight o’clock opening. A stiff breeze was blowing out of the north. The wind combined with cold temperatures to make the opening line up feel more like mid-winter than mid-October. Operations needed some extra time to prepare the unload ramp up top which would improve from treacherous to survivable as the work continued throughout the morning. I was soon aboard the first open chairlift in the country for what will undoubtedly be an epic 2010-2011 season.

Guns were blazing top to bottom on T2 and in select places on Upper Sunday Punch. Without automatic intermittent goggle wipers, occasional stops were required for visual clarity. Later in the morning I became proficient at manual goggle cleaning while skiing, sliding the back of my thumb across the lens on alternating pole plants.

Crowds were directly proportional to the number of snow guns blowing. As the snow making crew turned off the guns, more and more skiers and riders took their first turns of the season. Despite increasing volume throughout the morning, the mid-station of the Locke Triple was still ski on when I left shortly before noon. Due to the stealthy snipper like secrecy of Sunday River, I suspect most skiers and riders were caught unprepared for their Saturday opening. Sunday will likely be the busier day of the weekend.

Snow conditions were surprisingly delightful. Two groomed passes had been made without bulldozing any mounds. Surface conditions featured many bizarre irregular contours characteristic of recently blown snow that has not yet whaled. Due to a combination of freshly blown snow and good solar gain, the surface skied very well despite traffic levels being confined to one trail not yet skiable wall to wall. I did my best to ski in bump lines where they developed. And much to my delight, I felt that I was having to work my turns due to variable and constantly changing snow contours and terrain irregularities.

Today was a marvelous first day of lift serviced skiing. I feel physically stronger than any past opening day. I can thank a summer of road biking and the loss of more than twenty pounds for the conditioning. I skied for three hours straight and was never board despite being limited to only one trail. If crowds had not increased causing a sudden spike in chairlift slow downs due to downloading, I probably would have skied even longer.

Country Store Series

Country Store Series: Jiffy Mart — Quechee, VT

Quechee Jiffy Mart

The Quechee Jiffy Mart is the second to last service station prior to the I-89 Interstate junction with Route 4. This Shell gas station pushes the definition of Country Store but it has all the bases covered quite well and deserves attention for exceptional function despite the lack of true Country Store aesthetics or charm.

Pizza is franchised from Ramunto’s with a wide variety of reasonably priced large slices readily available. The pizza sports a thin crust and a sweet tasting sauce. Selection and availability are second to none in the gas station pizza business. If you would rather have a sandwich instead of a pizza (say it isn’t so!), Subway is also franchised in for your submarine needs. While these options do not offer a local flavor, they do provide reliable quality and availability.

Six packs of craft beer are available but in limited options including larger Vermont labels such as Long Trail, Otter Creek, and Magic Hat. This type of selection is bare minimum passing grade these days. Cans of soda are available (gotta have cans) but only in the new glutenous 16 ounce tall boy sizing. Rounding out the essentials is a really nice bakery section including muffins, donuts, and other such delights and of course your standard potato chip fair.

Clean, bright, and friendly, Quechee’s Jiffy Mart takes care of all the bases and excels in their pizza and bakery options despite lacking that true Country Store flair. Access is perfect right along Route 4 East and is a great last stop prior to jumping on the highway coming from Killington or Pico.

This is an essential near mid-point during my drives home via Route 4 as Enfield, Canaan, Grafton, and Danbury do not have Country Stores with pizza offerings. However, if you do decide to stop at a service station in Enfield to take a quick nap, you can expected to be woken up by all two of Enfield’s finest wondering if “you are okay” (and to ensure that you are not drunk). True story. From a small town.