Date(s) Skied: February 9th, 2008
Resort or Ski Area: Mt. Abram
Conditions: Groomed Packed Powder, Broken Powder on the natural trails with the occasional knee deep shot. Mid 20's, no wind, few bits of sun and flurries starting on the last run.
Trip Report:
If there's one thing separate from my own enjoyment that makes me happy about having such a great snow year is knowing how much it means to the mom and pop ski areas. Knowing that they haven't had to spend nearly so much on snowmaking and the snow attracts more skiers than normal to help them survive.
I boarded the summit lift with every intention of taking a warm up run down Boris Badinov, but watching some tele skiers rip the trail under the lift that is ungroomed, Fractured Fairy Tales was the choice. Fractured certainly isn't Chute at MRG, but it's got a decent pitch and when ungroomed, certainly worthy of diamond status and a great lift line trail. Bumps were forming, but it was still very much broken powder piles to bash through. While resting for a moment a guy from the lift said, damn sweet isn't it? I could only nod with approval.
The next run was just a rip down Boris, which was groomed to perfection. I'm no where near where I want to be in terms of leg fitness, so I find that I have to alternate between bump/natural runs and then a groomer. It's rather frustrating getting a bit older as each year I'm having a more difficult time skiing myself into shape, especially when I'm only going two or three times a month. So, starting this week, it's back on the rowing machine three nights a week, so I can rally a bit for the end of the season. Next fall I won't make the same mistake, I hope. Working out is like pulling teeth with me. Skiing more will help to. I find that once February hits, I put aside work and family obligations much more to make sure I get in as much time on the hill as I can before the end of the year.
Anyways, back to the TR. Next ungroomed run was a link between a glade up top called The Zone into upper Zephyr (gladed) and lower Zephyr (no trees). These trails weren't skied nearly as much as elsewhere on the mountain and I found some nice knee deep shots towards the sides. The snow was incredible. Outside of untracked pow, it was as good as it gets.
Rocky's run and Lost Leader proved to be the same as Fractured Fairy tales, very good, but not quite as sweet as Zephyr. The bumps had more rythm, but the snow was much heavier. On one of my groomer runs I took Round About, which just like last time I was at Mt Abram, I had the Yes song stuck in my head. I never ski with tunes, but usually always have a song in my head while going. I kind of thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if all ski trails have song names? Back to Round About which stretches way off to the mountain's eastern flank. While out there I noticed some tracks heading back onto the trail coming from the direction of Rocky's. I looked up and saw some fairly steep woods and clearly someone or many has a little stash carved out in there. So....back up to Rocky's to find the entrance.
Sure enough at the top of rockies were ski tracks leading into the woods and an orange rope stretched for about fifteen feet. So apparently a not so secret stash, but I hadn't noticed the rope before. I ducked under and took a look. There was a pretty sweet six foot wide 'trail' heading off with perhaps three tracks down it. That said, even with all the snow, there was still quite a bit of pucker brush poking up through. Had there not been any, I probably would've charged it, but the brush coupled with my legs being jello said, nope you don't have it in you. Also, tomorrow is a day at Wildcat with friends and I don't want to be completely spent. So, skied down Rocky's for the final run.
The sight of the day was under the lift. Above Fractured is another 'trail' that is a short black run called 'The Cliff'. Appropriately, this trail has a small cliff at the bottom. You can bail out to skiers left and go around it, but if you really charge straight off of it, I bet the total drop would be eight, perhaps ten feet if you really hucked it. There was a guy telemarking and had his I assume son behind him. He went first and bailed out to the left and stopped below the cliff. His son couldn't have been much older than four. He was TINY, maybe as tall as my waist. This little knee biter in his helmet CHARGED straight off the cliff. You could tell that was his intention to as he definitely pushed off, looking for as much air as possible. This was no accident. He stuck the landing, then crashed while trying to dump speed. Major applause from the lift. I have a feeling he's going to be a future Meathead Films ski star.
Resort or Ski Area: Mt. Abram
Conditions: Groomed Packed Powder, Broken Powder on the natural trails with the occasional knee deep shot. Mid 20's, no wind, few bits of sun and flurries starting on the last run.
Trip Report:
If there's one thing separate from my own enjoyment that makes me happy about having such a great snow year is knowing how much it means to the mom and pop ski areas. Knowing that they haven't had to spend nearly so much on snowmaking and the snow attracts more skiers than normal to help them survive.
I boarded the summit lift with every intention of taking a warm up run down Boris Badinov, but watching some tele skiers rip the trail under the lift that is ungroomed, Fractured Fairy Tales was the choice. Fractured certainly isn't Chute at MRG, but it's got a decent pitch and when ungroomed, certainly worthy of diamond status and a great lift line trail. Bumps were forming, but it was still very much broken powder piles to bash through. While resting for a moment a guy from the lift said, damn sweet isn't it? I could only nod with approval.
The next run was just a rip down Boris, which was groomed to perfection. I'm no where near where I want to be in terms of leg fitness, so I find that I have to alternate between bump/natural runs and then a groomer. It's rather frustrating getting a bit older as each year I'm having a more difficult time skiing myself into shape, especially when I'm only going two or three times a month. So, starting this week, it's back on the rowing machine three nights a week, so I can rally a bit for the end of the season. Next fall I won't make the same mistake, I hope. Working out is like pulling teeth with me. Skiing more will help to. I find that once February hits, I put aside work and family obligations much more to make sure I get in as much time on the hill as I can before the end of the year.
Anyways, back to the TR. Next ungroomed run was a link between a glade up top called The Zone into upper Zephyr (gladed) and lower Zephyr (no trees). These trails weren't skied nearly as much as elsewhere on the mountain and I found some nice knee deep shots towards the sides. The snow was incredible. Outside of untracked pow, it was as good as it gets.
Rocky's run and Lost Leader proved to be the same as Fractured Fairy tales, very good, but not quite as sweet as Zephyr. The bumps had more rythm, but the snow was much heavier. On one of my groomer runs I took Round About, which just like last time I was at Mt Abram, I had the Yes song stuck in my head. I never ski with tunes, but usually always have a song in my head while going. I kind of thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if all ski trails have song names? Back to Round About which stretches way off to the mountain's eastern flank. While out there I noticed some tracks heading back onto the trail coming from the direction of Rocky's. I looked up and saw some fairly steep woods and clearly someone or many has a little stash carved out in there. So....back up to Rocky's to find the entrance.
Sure enough at the top of rockies were ski tracks leading into the woods and an orange rope stretched for about fifteen feet. So apparently a not so secret stash, but I hadn't noticed the rope before. I ducked under and took a look. There was a pretty sweet six foot wide 'trail' heading off with perhaps three tracks down it. That said, even with all the snow, there was still quite a bit of pucker brush poking up through. Had there not been any, I probably would've charged it, but the brush coupled with my legs being jello said, nope you don't have it in you. Also, tomorrow is a day at Wildcat with friends and I don't want to be completely spent. So, skied down Rocky's for the final run.
The sight of the day was under the lift. Above Fractured is another 'trail' that is a short black run called 'The Cliff'. Appropriately, this trail has a small cliff at the bottom. You can bail out to skiers left and go around it, but if you really charge straight off of it, I bet the total drop would be eight, perhaps ten feet if you really hucked it. There was a guy telemarking and had his I assume son behind him. He went first and bailed out to the left and stopped below the cliff. His son couldn't have been much older than four. He was TINY, maybe as tall as my waist. This little knee biter in his helmet CHARGED straight off the cliff. You could tell that was his intention to as he definitely pushed off, looking for as much air as possible. This was no accident. He stuck the landing, then crashed while trying to dump speed. Major applause from the lift. I have a feeling he's going to be a future Meathead Films ski star.
