Berkshire East - January 2, 2004

[Joshua B]

January 2, 2004
Berkshire East, Charlemont, MA
Mild Night

Skied from 4:30 - 9:30 PM
Mild, foggy night
Variable conditions including powder on hardpack, some powder, loose granular, loose granular on hardpack, and hardpack/ice

From the top of the triple there were 3 ways down--Big Chief, Upper & Lower Competition, and Outback. From the new quad there were two ways down--Exhibition and Snowdance/Wardance. The Top Notch double and the handle tow areas were open for beginners.

The new quad is and excellent lift, with good loading and unloading stations. It goes up the right of Exhibition, where the old lift went up the left of the slope. Instead of stopping at the top of Exhibition, it cuts through a new trail called Upper Exhibition. This section was closed and unlit, so it was neat to see the quad emerging out of the dark fog as it rose up toward the unloading station.

The best trails were Exhibition and Lower Competition because the ice had been broken up beautifully. It's amazing to think that years ago, most small and mid-sized ski areas didn't break up the ice like they do now. These trails had beautiful powder and granular, and most of the time you didn't hit the hardpack below.

Hello to Dustin, Angela, and Jeremy.