Bolton Valley 3/3/16

[medfordmike]

I had never been to Bolton prior to today and it has been on my list for awhile. In the fall I purchased a voucher to make sure I crossed it off my list. I have been waiting for an opportunity to use it when most of the mountain would be open and with the season looking like it is drawing ever closer to an end I decided to use it no later than today or tomorrow. Their trail count had been stuck around 15 for the longest time. So I was surprised when their trail count jumped from yesterday morning's report of 14 to 46 today (their record high for the season). I guess 2-4 inches of snow and ice can do a lot in a season like this :smile:.

It was 10 degrees when I started and it never really warmed up. Slight breeze at the top but blue skies and sunny which for me overrides low temperatures most days. Really clear and the view from the summit was fantastic. While I was doubtful with their trail count the groomers were really nice. Hard Luck was my favorite of the day. Very little if any ice and coverage was full on all groomers. The natural trails as you might expect were more variable. Cobrass was nice with the occasional patch of solid ice that could easily be skied around. Vista Glad was very good. Vermont 200 was great except for the large drop in the middle. The top was glacial with only a small area to the side with snow that was pretty scraped off. That was a one and done for me. That being said the rest of the trail had really nice snow on it. Some of the smaller trails leaned towards dust on crust but they were usually the flatter trails so easy to navigate.

I enjoyed Bolton. The layout of the trails reminded me a bit of Birdland at MRG the way they split and reconnected in relatively short distances. I was surprised at how small the main lodge area is. There was nobody there today but unless the other lodge is open I could see it getting really tight on a weekend. Without Timberline or Wilderness open it felt a little small (but still a lot of fun) after a few hours. I definitely would like to go back when both are open to get a better sense of the place.

Great coverage at base and on beginner trails.

Vista Glade trail.


Cobrass

Shot looking up Vista quad.

 

[xwhaler]

Nice report. Timberline is my favorite of the 3 peaks there as it has less of a run out to contend with. Wilderness up high is nice as well.
Bolton is under rated for sure. Anyone of any ability level can have a blast there when the snow is good.

 

[jaysunn]

What is the MT, I should say snow covered peak in the background, in the 3rd picture down? Mansfield?

EDIT: The place looks great in your pics by the way.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Go back when it's wide open and packed powder or powder for sure. It gets way better than that. BV has some of the best trails and tree runs... Preacher, Devils Playground, Lots Boyz/Lost Girlz, Adam's Solitude .. sounds like you didn't get a chance to hit the good stuff. I probably wouldn't either in dust on crust conditions.

 

[dlague]

Go back when it's wide open and packed powder or powder for sure. It gets way better than that. BV has some of the best trails and tree runs... Preacher, Devils Playground, Lots Boyz/Lost Girlz, Adam's Solitude .. sounds like you didn't get a chance to hit the good stuff. I probably wouldn't either in dust on crust conditions.

+1 this not so much. We go there at least once per season and opted to go elsewhere because of those trails. While there are many other options. Open trails have often been limited. Look forward to close to a normal winter there.


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[bigbog]

nice pics medfordmike..

 

[billski]

another resort that skis well when it's full open. A friend of mine skied there three weeks ago and swore she'd never go back with a handful of trails open. Must have been all closed due to ice?

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I had a good time there on limited terrain last Sunday, but I also have no problem ducking ropes and skiing thin cover trees, and was happy to hike from vista to wilderness

 

[medfordmike]

What is the MT, I should say snow covered peak in the background, in the 3rd picture down? Mansfield?

EDIT: The place looks great in your pics by the way.

I don't know the area well but I believe the mountain with the snow on it is Mansfield. Stowe and Bolton are pretty close together as the crow flies.

 

[medfordmike]

another resort that skis well when it's full open. A friend of mine skied there three weeks ago and swore she'd never go back with a handful of trails open. Must have been all closed due to ice?

Since I was trying to time the use of my voucher I signed up to get their snow report emailed to me daily. They remind me of Pico. They can and do make snow and the quality of it and the grooming seems very respectable. But the quantity and number of trails they can make it on at any one time or at all is not great. I don't believe they run Wilderness even if conditions allow outside of F-Su either. So if you hit them wrong your choices are limited. There was definitely ice on the natural trails under a few inches of snow. Without those few inches I bet much could not be opened earlier. I would definitely go back though and liked what they had. The trees looked like so much fun. I too though would not go back for a handful of trails given the time and distance to get there. With Stowe so close it is hard to justify a few short trails strung together if your gonna make the trip up that way.

 

[SkiRay]

We love Bolton Valley. It's been a couple of years since we have been there - we were hoping to make a few places this year - Bolton being one of them. A great mountain. The coverage looks amazing actually. Hoping for a spring snow storm.