AZ Rate Massachusetts

[billski]

Originally Posted by powderman

Berkshire East is a special place after a snowstorm.

def, def, def!
If I could only ski one place in Mass, BE is it!

[wa-loaf]

Originally Posted by powderman

If the bumps on 10th suck so much, why doesn't WaWa just groom 10th flat?

Well most of it is. The bumps are just a 100 yard section that takes up about 1/4 the width of the trail. I do like to hit them on the few occasions that they are good and even sometimes when they are not. It would be good for WA to seed a set on one of the intermediate trails to get folks to give them a shot. The ones on 10th are too steep for most folks to experiment with.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by wa-loaf

Well most of it is. The bumps are just a 100 yard section that takes up about 1/4 the width of the trail. I do like to hit them on the few occasions that they are good and even sometimes when they are not. It would be good for WA to seed a set on one of the intermediate trails to get folks to give them a shot. The ones on 10th are too steep for most folks to experiment with.

They don't do a great job taking care of them either, probably because no one cares and hence they hear no complaints about them. Wa caters to groomer cruisers and racers and park rats, mostly.

They have a knack for seeding them a few days before a nasty freeze thaw cycle. Or they'll blow freezing snow over them and just leave them, having groomed the rest of the trail. They also seed them less than naturally on the double fall line to skiers right, which unfortunately is the only line that is usually skied in because people can bail.

[Bostonian]

I have skied:

Wawa, Nashoba and Blue Hills... And oh yeah Boxboro hills when I will a wee lad too!

[Jonni]

Never skied anything in Mass. Little too far south for me...

[arik]

I agree that Berkshire East is really great, particularly when thee snow is good and base depth is adequate. The improvements they are making in the snowmaking should make it particularly great all the time.

[billski]

Originally Posted by arik

I agree that Berkshire East is really great, particularly when thee snow is good and base depth is adequate. The improvements they are making in the snowmaking should make it particularly great all the time.

No New England ski area defines "yankee frugal" better than Berkshire East!

[Zand]

Originally Posted by wa-loaf

They are not very well seeded and don't get much traffic, so they are pretty rough most of the time. They were plowed under a lot last year too.

I beg to differ... they get too much traffic from people who don't have half a clue what they're doing there. They really need a good patch on Hitchcock or Ralph's that lasts longer than the 10 day experiments they've been doing the past 5 years. 10th is just to steep to learn to ski bumps (and thats the only time one can use steep and Wawa in the same conversation).

Of course... if you mean lack of traffic that will actually ski them in nicely, then you are correct.

[davidhowland14]

thunderbolt anyone...?

[powderman]

Originally Posted by Zand

I beg to differ... they get too much traffic from people who don't have half a clue what they're doing there. They really need a good patch on Hitchcock or Ralph's that lasts longer than the 10 day experiments they've been doing the past 5 years. 10th is just to steep to learn to ski bumps (and thats the only time one can use steep and Wawa in the same conversation).

Of course... if you mean lack of traffic that will actually ski them in nicely, then you are correct.

I've never skiied at WaWa, but Piece of Cake looks like like it could be the learning bump run since it's so short. The beginner terrain park could be moved to Frannie's Folly since it's also so short. Hitchcock could be a groomed run. They also should replace the slow triple with a detachable t-bar.