Mount Snow 4/13/2008

severine · Apr 13, 2008, 4:52 PM

Date Skied: 04/13/08 10 am to 12:30pm
Resort: Mount Snow
Conditions: 38* at the base, sleeting/flurrying, windy, top 1/3 covered in fog, spring snow/ice/slush with little bits of nice groomed areas (very little bits), full side-to-side snow coverage, no lift lines!
Trip Report: After hemming and hawwing for the last couple of days over whether or not I should go today, I decided at about 10:30PM last night to make the trek - alone. Haven't skied anywhere other than Sundown or Mohawk without somebody at least on the mountain with me. Headed out at about 6:50AM (ran late)... grabbed breakfast at D&D and decided to forego filling up and see how far I could make it in my gas-guzzler on a tank that already had 50 miles on it. Made it all the way to to Exit 2 off of 91 in VT.

Sun was shining when I left T-town, but by the time I hit halfway through Mass, the sky clouded over. I was met with intermittent drizzle/flurries on the drive over Rt 9 to Rt 100. Arrived at the base of Mt. Snow around 9:40AM to a sort of sleety flurrying.

At the base, only the Grand Summit Express Quad and Launch Pad learning area triple were running. Took the quad to the top and went down Deer Run for my first run. Feet were very unhappy. Also had some issues adjusting to my new skis (Roxy Joyrider). Ended up in the backseat a lot.

Found some deer poo on the side of Deer Run (how authentic!

). Took slow me 45 min to get back to the bottom between the skis, boots, and freakouts due to being afraid of falling. <<SIGH>> Quad back to the top. Tried Long John. Ended up having to actually stop at one point, take my skis off, and sit in the woods because my feet were so unhappy.

Continued on Long John and met back up with Deer Run around where The Vermonster branches off. Deer Run>Cooper's Junction. Cooper's Junction was a mess. Lots of piles of very spring-like snow that was giving me one heck of a time today. Next ride up, I decided it was time for a blue run. First thought of Canyon, but changed my mind and went with South Bowl. South Bowl was AWESOME. The snow was more like -SNOW- than piles of cement, even scratchy in some spots. I had a blast, making some nice big arcs on the mostly deserted trail. But one of the times I stopped to survey the trail ahead, I started to psyche myself out. And not long after, I took a bad fall. Twisted my left leg, binding didn't release on that ski and I fell hard. Panicked because of that being my rehabbing knee. I couldn't find my groove the rest of the way down. Cut across Sundance to Meadow. The snow on Meadow started changing back to the spring stuff. By the time I followed an offshoot back to Deer Run, I was starting to get cranky and pissed off. Feet hurt, couldn't buckle boots down because of that, which meant more work trying to control the skis I wasn't used to. Hurt my knee (and hip joint!). I was about ready to take my skis off and walk by the time I got to Cooper's Junction. Then some punk shouted down to me from the lift - "FALL!!!!" He watched me as he rode up, eagerly awaiting me to do his bidding.

I had enough.

3 hrs in the car and I managed to psyche myself out in 3 runs.

Hobbled back to the car, debooted and dropped off my skis, and decided to go chill in the lodge for a couple of hours. Might as well enjoy the peace and quiet if I wasn't going to ski. I headed home at 2PM, pulled into the driveway just before 5PM and found I was home alone. The peace and quiet continues.

So yeah, that was my $59 3-run day. Was it worth 6 hrs in the car? Not so sure. I clearly have a lot of work to do on this fear of falling.

GrilledSteezeSandwich · Apr 13, 2008, 5:15 PM

Yikes!!!!!!!!...it's all mental...and you need better boots or A-basin is going to be Hell..

BeanoNYC · Apr 13, 2008, 5:51 PM

Sorry you had a crummy time. We need to introduce you to the Mowhawk trail before your next trip up. It's a bit faster than taking route 9 from 91.

skijay · Apr 13, 2008, 7:14 PM

The Colraine / Mohawk Trail shortcut is great. It is also a more fuel efficient route than climbing on Rt 9. The best part is the Shelburne Coffee Roasters which is open on my way back.

New England. Skiing with 60 degree son Saturday and today she gets the return to winter weather.

BeanoNYC · Apr 13, 2008, 7:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skijay

The best part is the Shelburne Coffee Roasters which is open on my way back.

I love that place! I always look forward to some coffee and a brownie from there.

vcunning · Apr 13, 2008, 7:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by severine

Found some deer poo on the side of Deer Run (how authentic!

).

Actually, it's Moose Poo. From the Mount Snow Blog on 4/13:

We've got a new mascot. Ski Patrol stumbled upon a moose wandering up Milky Way on Sunbrook yesterday. It mosied around on Long John for a little while before heading down the Carinthia face.

It reappeared this morning on Snowdance. Ski Patroller Schuster says the moose is drawn to the groomed-out trails of Mount Snow because the deep, soft snow in the woods is annoying to walk through. It's a lot easier to walk on packed snow, right? But I think he's hanging out on the slopes because he's jealous - jealous of the sick Spring skiing and riding, and here we are in mid-April.

Moose, if I had a snowboard built for hooves, I'd hook you up, buddy.

Ski Patrol would like to remind everyone that if you see our new mascot, please do not approach him. Keep a safe distance and let nature do its thing.

**ALLSKIING** · Apr 13, 2008, 7:49 PM

Carrie, Its no fun to ski when your feet are killing you the entire time. That should be your first thing to fix. Sounds like you should take the time and go see a good bootfitter, they can do a ton of things to make them better. Once your feet are better you can work on skiing again. The spring/corn snow takes some time to get used to....You really just need to put in the miles. Don't stress out about it, skiing is all about having fun...right...As far as falling, just go down don't fight it, thats when you get hurt. Again don't ski again until you see a bootfitter, take the time have them fix it the right way.

ckofer · Apr 13, 2008, 8:20 PM

Hey there,

Sorry it wasn't as fun as you had hoped-but you did complete the mission! I hope you find a way to get comfortable feet. Don't be discouraged.

severine · Apr 13, 2008, 8:23 PM

I would love to go see the bootfitters at Alpine Haus (where I bought the boots) and get more work done... but they closed for the season today. We have plans to finish working out the bugs next season (they have a 1 yr fit guarantee-if they can't get the boots right, they will replace them with another pair of boots). It was just bad timing for breaking in new boots. When I bought them,I wasn't planning on going on any real trips this season and figured I'd break them in next season. At this point, I've decided to bring my old boots to ABasin. They're a bit big, but right now, I'd rather have that than be dealing with breaking in these boots while 2000 miles away from home.

I'll have to check out this shortcut for next time! Definitely would like to go back to Mt. Snow. But not during spring conditions. It's tricky to begin with, and this is only the 2nd spring I've skied. Add the knee to the equation and it's just not adding up to a good gamble right now.

I kind of wondered if the poo was moose or deer. But not being a poo expert...

2knees · Apr 13, 2008, 8:28 PM

the boot thing you gotta get worked out. Its sucks skiing when your feet are killing you. As far as the injury/falling thing, as tough as it sounds, you gotta just block it out. Skiing alone doesnt help that as its just you and your thoughts. If you're like me, you start to dwell on the worst case and then you're screwed. But in reality, you are more likely to hurt yourself if you start skiing NOT to hurt yourself rather then just letting your ability take over. Glad you got out, and i hope you kick some ass at ABasin.

Apr 13, 2008, 4:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
severine Arapahoe Basin Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: CT Posts: 2,867	Mount Snow 4/13/2008 Date Skied: 04/13/08 10 am to 12:30pm Resort: Mount Snow Conditions: 38* at the base, sleeting/flurrying, windy, top 1/3 covered in fog, spring snow/ice/slush with little bits of nice groomed areas (very little bits), full side-to-side snow coverage, no lift lines! Trip Report: After hemming and hawwing for the last couple of days over whether or not I should go today, I decided at about 10:30PM last night to make the trek - alone. Haven't skied anywhere other than Sundown or Mohawk without somebody at least on the mountain with me. Headed out at about 6:50AM (ran late)... grabbed breakfast at D&D and decided to forego filling up and see how far I could make it in my gas-guzzler on a tank that already had 50 miles on it. Made it all the way to to Exit 2 off of 91 in VT. Sun was shining when I left T-town, but by the time I hit halfway through Mass, the sky clouded over. I was met with intermittent drizzle/flurries on the drive over Rt 9 to Rt 100. Arrived at the base of Mt. Snow around 9:40AM to a sort of sleety flurrying. At the base, only the Grand Summit Express Quad and Launch Pad learning area triple were running. Took the quad to the top and went down Deer Run for my first run. Feet were very unhappy. Also had some issues adjusting to my new skis (Roxy Joyrider). Ended up in the backseat a lot. Found some deer poo on the side of Deer Run (how authentic! ). Took slow me 45 min to get back to the bottom between the skis, boots, and freakouts due to being afraid of falling. <<SIGH>> Quad back to the top. Tried Long John. Ended up having to actually stop at one point, take my skis off, and sit in the woods because my feet were so unhappy. Continued on Long John and met back up with Deer Run around where The Vermonster branches off. Deer Run>Cooper's Junction. Cooper's Junction was a mess. Lots of piles of very spring-like snow that was giving me one heck of a time today. Next ride up, I decided it was time for a blue run. First thought of Canyon, but changed my mind and went with South Bowl. South Bowl was AWESOME. The snow was more like -SNOW- than piles of cement, even scratchy in some spots. I had a blast, making some nice big arcs on the mostly deserted trail. But one of the times I stopped to survey the trail ahead, I started to psyche myself out. And not long after, I took a bad fall. Twisted my left leg, binding didn't release on that ski and I fell hard. Panicked because of that being my rehabbing knee. I couldn't find my groove the rest of the way down. Cut across Sundance to Meadow. The snow on Meadow started changing back to the spring stuff. By the time I followed an offshoot back to Deer Run, I was starting to get cranky and pissed off. Feet hurt, couldn't buckle boots down because of that, which meant more work trying to control the skis I wasn't used to. Hurt my knee (and hip joint!). I was about ready to take my skis off and walk by the time I got to Cooper's Junction. Then some punk shouted down to me from the lift - "FALL!!!!" He watched me as he rode up, eagerly awaiting me to do his bidding. I had enough. 3 hrs in the car and I managed to psyche myself out in 3 runs. Hobbled back to the car, debooted and dropped off my skis, and decided to go chill in the lodge for a couple of hours. Might as well enjoy the peace and quiet if I wasn't going to ski. I headed home at 2PM, pulled into the driveway just before 5PM and found I was home alone. The peace and quiet continues. So yeah, that was my $59 3-run day. Was it worth 6 hrs in the car? Not so sure. I clearly have a lot of work to do on this fear of falling. __________________ Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. ~ Dr. Seuss 2007-2008 ~ 20 2005-2006 ~ 2 2004 ~ 18 It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere. ~Agnes Repplier

Apr 13, 2008, 7:49 PM	#7 (permalink)
ALLSKIING The Glen Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Mattituck, NY Posts: 4,180	Carrie, Its no fun to ski when your feet are killing you the entire time. That should be your first thing to fix. Sounds like you should take the time and go see a good bootfitter, they can do a ton of things to make them better. Once your feet are better you can work on skiing again. The spring/corn snow takes some time to get used to....You really just need to put in the miles. Don't stress out about it, skiing is all about having fun...right...As far as falling, just go down don't fight it, thats when you get hurt. Again don't ski again until you see a bootfitter, take the time have them fix it the right way. __________________ Dave 35 days 07/08 Season

Apr 13, 2008, 8:20 PM	#8 (permalink)
ckofer Hampton Beach, water's great Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Strafford, New Hampshire Posts: 2,176	Hey there, Sorry it wasn't as fun as you had hoped-but you did complete the mission! I hope you find a way to get comfortable feet. Don't be discouraged. __________________ ------ Chris K http://myspace.com/chickenjam The Ski Cheap Or Die Calendar Project -If you have anything that you think should be on the calendar, pm me! Never wrestle with a pig: You both get all dirty, and the pig likes it.

Apr 13, 2008, 8:23 PM	#9 (permalink)
severine Arapahoe Basin Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: CT Posts: 2,867	I would love to go see the bootfitters at Alpine Haus (where I bought the boots) and get more work done... but they closed for the season today. We have plans to finish working out the bugs next season (they have a 1 yr fit guarantee-if they can't get the boots right, they will replace them with another pair of boots). It was just bad timing for breaking in new boots. When I bought them,I wasn't planning on going on any real trips this season and figured I'd break them in next season. At this point, I've decided to bring my old boots to ABasin. They're a bit big, but right now, I'd rather have that than be dealing with breaking in these boots while 2000 miles away from home. I'll have to check out this shortcut for next time! Definitely would like to go back to Mt. Snow. But not during spring conditions. It's tricky to begin with, and this is only the 2nd spring I've skied. Add the knee to the equation and it's just not adding up to a good gamble right now. I kind of wondered if the poo was moose or deer. But not being a poo expert... __________________ Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. ~ Dr. Seuss 2007-2008 ~ 20 2005-2006 ~ 2 2004 ~ 18 It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere. ~Agnes Repplier

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Apr 13, 2008, 5:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
GrilledSteezeSandwich Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 5,395	Yikes!!!!!!!!...it's all mental...and you need better boots or A-basin is going to be Hell..

Apr 13, 2008, 5:51 PM	#3 (permalink)
BeanoNYC Let's get down to brass tacks. How much for the ape? Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Rockaway Park, NY Posts: 3,854	Sorry you had a crummy time. We need to introduce you to the Mowhawk trail before your next trip up. It's a bit faster than taking route 9 from 91.

Apr 13, 2008, 7:14 PM	#4 (permalink)
skijay Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: CT Avatar: T-bar @ Mont Shefford Posts: 684	The Colraine / Mohawk Trail shortcut is great. It is also a more fuel efficient route than climbing on Rt 9. The best part is the Shelburne Coffee Roasters which is open on my way back. New England. Skiing with 60 degree son Saturday and today she gets the return to winter weather.

Apr 13, 2008, 8:28 PM	#10 (permalink)
2knees The big pig @ Forrest Park Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,728	the boot thing you gotta get worked out. Its sucks skiing when your feet are killing you. As far as the injury/falling thing, as tough as it sounds, you gotta just block it out. Skiing alone doesnt help that as its just you and your thoughts. If you're like me, you start to dwell on the worst case and then you're screwed. But in reality, you are more likely to hurt yourself if you start skiing NOT to hurt yourself rather then just letting your ability take over. Glad you got out, and i hope you kick some ass at ABasin.