Burke Mountain: Pond Skimming, A Barbecue, and Another Marathon Day

[thetrailboss]

Date: March 24, 2007

2006 Trip Report #: 47! New TB record!!!

Resort: Burke Mountain

Conditions: SC

Weather: Bluebird skies giving way to clouds in the PM, highs in the 40’s.

Another marathon day…similar to the one I had a month or so ago. This time I skied from 8-4. Longest day this season….

Got there early to ski with the Dawn Patrol, who were holding off a bit because of the firm surfaces. We got on the quad at 8:05 and then headed down Dippers.

The original trailboss was nice enough to invite me to his annual Spring Cookout at the mountain. It was slated for later in the day, but the first run was dedicated to drop off some of the needed supplies. We made off to the undisclosed location and hid the requisite Heineken Mini-Keg. It was a bit tough to dig through the frozen crust, but we managed to get it in there. In the process, we did not find Jimmy Hoffa or any WMD’s (not to get too political ). The original trailboss was pleased to see that we had plenty of wood for a fire and later in the morning we noted that a grill magically appeared at the site.

Back to the skiing. Dippers was groomed, but a bit firm. Despite that, everyone seemed to get an edge pretty well. Next run was down Carriage Road to the Dippers. Similar conditions…needed some more sun to work its magic. So we decided to do a run down the Shoot to the Meadows to Willoughby, which was firm as well.

At this point, I split from the Dawn Patrol to meet up with some folks who were newbies to Burke. Two of the boys were in my Scout troop and were interested in doing the Snowsports Merit Badge with me. So I stopped by MidBurke, got my Arnold Schwarzenegger skis (Head’s are Austrian), and headed down to Sherburne expecting softer snow. After meeting up with my friends, we headed up the HSQ to start the skills for the badge.

First run was down a very firm Binney Lane. None of us lost our fillings, but it was a close one. Dashney Mile was not much softer either, but the boys were able to do the needed maneuvers on their snowboards.

We made a beeline for the summit. I showed my friends the view, including a clear view down to Sugarbush and up into Canada. I fielded some questions about the mountain and the Willoughby Gap. Then it was down Carriage Road to Dippers. Tom, one of the fathers, was at the terrain and views. The snow was beginning to soften, which was more reason to

On the next run, I convinced the crew to do the mandatory East Bowl run. You aren’t a Burke skier unless you have (a) ridden the Poma, and (b) skied the East Bowl. So we huffed it out there…four skiers and two snowboarders. I waited at Bob’s View for the rest of the crew and pointed out the incredible White Mountain Panorama to Mitchell, the youngest of the group, and later everyone else. Then we feasted on some great spring corn snow. Oddly enough, the trail exposed to the sun was soft and awesome, but as soon as you crossed the shadow line, it was crust. No middle ground. There were a few more thin spots than yesterday, but it was all good. The snowboarders did a great job handling the runouts too.

By now it was 11am and I had an appointment with the original trailboss and his crew. So I bid farewell to the folks. I went to my car and loaded up my backpack with some brews, a chocolate/peanut butter pie my mother made, and some chips and salsa. I decided to hike up to the Poma and then hike up to the Toll Road to get to the undisclosed location On my way up to the Poma, I spoke with nekgirl, who did not bust me for having a backpack in the “no backpack area.” She was too busy getting ready for the Pond Skim. I then saddled a poma and headed up. A two minute hike got me to the Toll Road and then down to the location.

The place was packed. Skis and boards parked on the side of the trail, Danny and Carl grilling, and the original trailboss and his wife doing a great job hosting. I’d say there were probably 20 folks there, mainly Burke skiers and riders.

“Hey Mikey—hope you have some beer in that backpack!” Said Danny, who was making some mean sausage and grilled onions and green peppers.

“The mini-keg was a disappointment.” Said the original trailboss, so I opened up the bag and promptly satisfied his need before going over and offering one to the chef.

“Where do you want this brew?” I asked.
“Geesh, like you have to ask! Uncapped and in my hand!” Carl said as the place erupted into laughter!

At their urging, I returned with a plate and enjoyed a burger (cooked well, Carl) and some of Danny’s grilled sausage. Great food, great times.

“I did not know that I had this many friends,” said the original trailboss.
“They must be yours....I don’t have friends.” Replied Danny jokingly.

A lot of fun. It was yet another great treat for this season at Burke. It ended too soon. We headed down to the Pond Skimming at about 12:45 or so. I decided to take a run on the Poma before the festivities. Upper Warren’s Way was a bit firm still, but the lower part softened up as you went down.

I stayed for the first round of the Pond Skim and watched from_the_nek do his best…great costume! There were 60 participants and maybe a 1,000 or so spectators. Didn’t seem like much…until you tried to get into MidBurke lodge afterwards

I stayed for the first round and then took a few runs. Coincidentally, I was able to easily rendezvous with the scouts. We skied Bear Den Ledges, which was great corn. I then did a run down East Bowl before taking a final run with the Scouts down Camper’s Carry and Willougby, before they headed to the terrain park. My final run, at a little before 4pm, was down Upper Fox’s to Warren’s Way, which was much softer. I paused and looked at the incredible view before charging down the fall line….hoping that there would be at least one more day at Burke this season for me. It is coming to a close all too soon.

[thetrailboss]

Footage from the Pond Skim: