Berkshire East Gathering - 3/19/04

**Greg** · Mar 19, 2004, 9:19 PM

Date(s) Skied: Friday, 3/19/04, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Resort or Ski Area: Berkshire East, Charlemont, Massachusetts

Conditions: Heavy, dense powder. No crowds. Variable weather - everything from light snow to sun to heavy snow squalls. No wind. ~30*F

Trip Report: Was aiming to meet ChileMass, CM's friend Rob, and skijay between 8:30 and 9:00. I showed up around 9:00 and wound up parking right next to skijay. There was less than 20 cars in the lot when I arrived! Went into the lodge and was asked by Rob if I was Greg. Greeted both Rob and ChileMass. We also met Beast's Jeremy Clark while getting lift tickets. Got dressed and ready to go.

Rob and CM loaded the triple and skijay and I followed for what would probably be a 30 minute lift ride! They were having some trouble with a sensor on it. First run was down Flying Cloud which had some nice powder. Jeremy had mentioned they haven't groomed at all. The skiing was great. We noticed a groomer coming up and took advantage oh his track for the rest of the run. We then headed over to the double that they started as an alternative to the triple but found out it wasn't going to be ready for 15 minutes. We huffed it over to the quad for a few nice short powder runs on Exhibition and War Dance. We then crossed over to Competition to find the triple was back in action. We rode it for the rest of the day.

Took a number of runs before lunch on Big Chief, Flying Cloud, Competition, Minnie Dole, and even Outback. The conditions overall were excellent. Lots of powder, although somewhat heavy and thick. Some of the steeper runs showed some scratchy, yet very edgeable base in the middles. We took a break for lunch and a beer at 12:45 and took a few more runs in the afternoon. skijay and I took an extra run down Big Chief at the end of a great day at the Beast. Run of the day was Flying Cloud. Nice powder skiier's right and a bit of groomed center/skier's left. The mountain proabably will do nicely with some grooming as the powder on the mountain is getting really heavy and dense. I bet they're grooming right now for the weekend.

The weather was weird today. A mix of everything - light snow, sun, squalls and any combination of the three. Not an ounce of wind though with warm temps made for great skiing.

We bid farewell to skijay and I enjoyed a final brew with ChileMass and Rob. All three of you guys are really cool and I had a lot of fun today. If anyone has the chance to ski with any of these guys, take the opportunity. I think we may have even convinced Rob to sign up here!

I decided to take 8A South to 8 South home. It's a nice ride through the Berkshires and let me avoid Springfield, Hartford and Waterbury traffic. I got home in just over two hours. I'll use that route from now on. All in all, a great day!

HERE are a bunch of pix. And skijay caught a few short videos inadvertantly (camera was in video mode by mistake). They're short (like 2 second) clips:

Video 1 (Rob zooming by and Greg skiing)
Video 2 (Quick clip of ChileMass sking)

Thanks again guys for the wonderful company! I really enjoyed myself.

Joshua B · Mar 19, 2004, 9:37 PM

Sorry to hear about the lift issue, but judging by your pictures, the conditions were stupendous! So Greg, what do you think of Berkshire East's terrain...specifically the challenge?

Great photos and I see great skiing form in the 2nd vid with ChileMass.

I'll be skiing Berkshire East tomorrow. I hope some powder is left.

**Greg** · Mar 19, 2004, 9:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua B

Greg, what do you think of Berkshire East's terrain...specifically the challenge?

Oh...I love the terrain and the overall feel of the mountain. It's not my first time there. The 2+ hours drive through Waterbury, Hartford, and Springfield is what has kept me from going there more often. Those cities can really slow down the return trip. I suspect I'll visit more often after finding that Route 8/8A route.

severine · Mar 20, 2004, 6:21 AM

Great report! Wish I could have gone with you guys, but I would have just held you back anyway.

Maybe next year...

ChileMass · Mar 20, 2004, 9:03 AM

We had a great time. The snow was terrific and the weather was perfect - when it wasn't snowing hard, the sun would come out and it was warm and beautiful! Really had a lot of fun skiing with Greg, skijay and of course my old pal Rob. Berkshire East is a great "throw-back" kind of hill, Greg says they like to think of themselves as Mad River Glen south. Couldn't beat the crowds (30 cars in lot total all day) or the price (free - thanks Greg). It will be tough to get back to the slopes again this season, so if this was my last, it wasn't a bad way to end.

Greg - looking forward to AZ hikes this summer......

skijay · Mar 20, 2004, 3:40 PM

It was an awesome day of skiing at the Beast! It was great to ski with all of you. The conditions were like my trip to Mont Shefford in February. Skiing at Butternut today was the complete opposite of the Beast.

When I was at the Beast in February most of the trails I skied were not open due to ice. I was impressed with the challenging terrain on Friday. We did have the lift problem in the morning and it is very rare to see an owner of a ski area out working the lifts.

**Greg** · Mar 22, 2004, 9:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skijay

..and it is very rare to see an owner of a ski area out working the lifts.

That was pretty cool, eh? I saw a good article on that guy somewhere, but I can't find it now...

Joshua B · Mar 22, 2004, 9:57 AM

You're probably speaking about the Global Over 50 Ski Club newsletter with the profile on Roy Schaefer.

http://www.go50.org/client_data/news...mer%202003.pdf

They could have used a more flattering photo!

**Greg** · Mar 22, 2004, 10:04 AM

That was it. Thanks Josh!

threecy · Mar 22, 2004, 10:16 PM

The best trails at Berkshire East are the ones that only open with natural snow, ie not too much this season, Jug, Tomahawk, Liftline, Beast, Grizzly...

Mar 19, 2004, 9:19 PM	#1 (permalink)
Greg Nassahegan, CT: 9/20 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Thomaston, CT Posts: 21,160	Berkshire East Gathering - 3/19/04 Date(s) Skied: Friday, 3/19/04, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Resort or Ski Area: Berkshire East, Charlemont, Massachusetts Conditions: Heavy, dense powder. No crowds. Variable weather - everything from light snow to sun to heavy snow squalls. No wind. ~30F Trip Report:* Was aiming to meet ChileMass, CM's friend Rob, and skijay between 8:30 and 9:00. I showed up around 9:00 and wound up parking right next to skijay. There was less than 20 cars in the lot when I arrived! Went into the lodge and was asked by Rob if I was Greg. Greeted both Rob and ChileMass. We also met Beast's Jeremy Clark while getting lift tickets. Got dressed and ready to go. Rob and CM loaded the triple and skijay and I followed for what would probably be a 30 minute lift ride! They were having some trouble with a sensor on it. First run was down Flying Cloud which had some nice powder. Jeremy had mentioned they haven't groomed at all. The skiing was great. We noticed a groomer coming up and took advantage oh his track for the rest of the run. We then headed over to the double that they started as an alternative to the triple but found out it wasn't going to be ready for 15 minutes. We huffed it over to the quad for a few nice short powder runs on Exhibition and War Dance. We then crossed over to Competition to find the triple was back in action. We rode it for the rest of the day. Took a number of runs before lunch on Big Chief, Flying Cloud, Competition, Minnie Dole, and even Outback. The conditions overall were excellent. Lots of powder, although somewhat heavy and thick. Some of the steeper runs showed some scratchy, yet very edgeable base in the middles. We took a break for lunch and a beer at 12:45 and took a few more runs in the afternoon. skijay and I took an extra run down Big Chief at the end of a great day at the Beast. Run of the day was Flying Cloud. Nice powder skiier's right and a bit of groomed center/skier's left. The mountain proabably will do nicely with some grooming as the powder on the mountain is getting really heavy and dense. I bet they're grooming right now for the weekend. The weather was weird today. A mix of everything - light snow, sun, squalls and any combination of the three. Not an ounce of wind though with warm temps made for great skiing. We bid farewell to skijay and I enjoyed a final brew with ChileMass and Rob. All three of you guys are really cool and I had a lot of fun today. If anyone has the chance to ski with any of these guys, take the opportunity. I think we may have even convinced Rob to sign up here! I decided to take 8A South to 8 South home. It's a nice ride through the Berkshires and let me avoid Springfield, Hartford and Waterbury traffic. I got home in just over two hours. I'll use that route from now on. All in all, a great day! HERE are a bunch of pix. And skijay caught a few short videos inadvertantly (camera was in video mode by mistake). They're short (like 2 second) clips: Video 1 (Rob zooming by and Greg skiing) Video 2 (Quick clip of ChileMass sking) Thanks again guys for the wonderful company! I really enjoyed myself. __________________ Greg 2007-08, 2006-07, 2005-06, 2004-05 Life's too short for warm up runs.

Mar 20, 2004, 6:21 AM	#4 (permalink)
severine Cannon Mtn 10/11/2008 Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: CT Posts: 4,428	Great report! Wish I could have gone with you guys, but I would have just held you back anyway. Maybe next year... __________________ Carrie 2007-2008 ~ 20 2005-2006 ~ 2 2004 ~ 17 It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere. ~ Agnes Repplier Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. ~ Lance Armstrong

Mar 22, 2004, 10:04 AM	#9 (permalink)
Greg Nassahegan, CT: 9/20 Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Thomaston, CT Posts: 21,160	That was it. Thanks Josh! __________________ Greg 2007-08, 2006-07, 2005-06, 2004-05 Life's too short for warm up runs.

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Mar 19, 2004, 9:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
Joshua B Mad River Glen Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Hudson, MA Posts: 917	Sorry to hear about the lift issue, but judging by your pictures, the conditions were stupendous! So Greg, what do you think of Berkshire East's terrain...specifically the challenge? Great photos and I see great skiing form in the 2nd vid with ChileMass. I'll be skiing Berkshire East tomorrow. I hope some powder is left.

Mar 20, 2004, 9:03 AM	#5 (permalink)
ChileMass In the Whites Aug 2008 Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: East/Central MA Posts: 2,286	We had a great time. The snow was terrific and the weather was perfect - when it wasn't snowing hard, the sun would come out and it was warm and beautiful! Really had a lot of fun skiing with Greg, skijay and of course my old pal Rob. Berkshire East is a great "throw-back" kind of hill, Greg says they like to think of themselves as Mad River Glen south. Couldn't beat the crowds (30 cars in lot total all day) or the price (free - thanks Greg). It will be tough to get back to the slopes again this season, so if this was my last, it wasn't a bad way to end. Greg - looking forward to AZ hikes this summer......

Mar 20, 2004, 3:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
skijay Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: CT Avatar: T-bar @ Mont Shefford Posts: 689	It was an awesome day of skiing at the Beast! It was great to ski with all of you. The conditions were like my trip to Mont Shefford in February. Skiing at Butternut today was the complete opposite of the Beast. When I was at the Beast in February most of the trails I skied were not open due to ice. I was impressed with the challenging terrain on Friday. We did have the lift problem in the morning and it is very rare to see an owner of a ski area out working the lifts.

Mar 22, 2004, 9:57 AM	#8 (permalink)
Joshua B Mad River Glen Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Hudson, MA Posts: 917	You're probably speaking about the Global Over 50 Ski Club newsletter with the profile on Roy Schaefer. http://www.go50.org/client_data/news...mer%202003.pdf They could have used a more flattering photo!

Mar 22, 2004, 10:16 PM	#10 (permalink)
threecy Mt. Monadnock, NH Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Tamworth, NH Posts: 891	The best trails at Berkshire East are the ones that only open with natural snow, ie not too much this season, Jug, Tomahawk, Liftline, Beast, Grizzly...