emmaurice2
Member
Date(s) Skied: 2/7/2012
Resort or Ski Area: Ski Butternut, Great Barrington, MA
Conditions: Machine-groomed, loose granular, hardpack
Trip Report:
I had read a lot of so-so reviews of Butternut, but wanted to find out for myself, and after working 16 hours yesterday thought I deserved a morning ski session.
I arrived at the mountain just as the lifts opened, there were a surprising number of cars in the lot. Fifteen minutes later I had my ticket ($25, not bad), and was getting on the lift. Thinking, "Geez, I haven't seen these kind of lift poles in forever."
And then about half way up I was thinking, "God, I hope this cable doesn't snap."
Despite the trepidation, the lift got me to the top of the mountain, albeit at a leisurely pace. I'm finding that I actually appreciate the longer lift rides, particularly after I've been skiing for a few hours.
I wasn't sure how the snow conditions would be with the recent warm day cold night cycle we've been having but I was pleasantly surprised. The groomers here do a top-notch job. The snow quality felt more like groomed natural snow than man-made. There weren't a lot of people skiing, so I was able to find untouched corduroy for the whole morning. There were a few spots where the ice was showing through, but it was mostly at extreme trail edges and in the middle of the "steep" sections.
I wasn't challenged by anything at Butternut except a VERY brief journey into this:
I'm not a good mogul skier but can manage in the right conditions: these were not the right conditions. The tops looked like they had decent snow, but beneath a seemingly nice surface were solid, bullet proof, blue ice humps with glaciers in between.
I stuck to the groomers. I did manage to find a few places to catch a wee bit of air with enough speed, so I had my fun. The trails were, for the most part, empty so I felt safe to let out the speed. I'd definitely come back for another morning session, but there's not enough to keep me entertained for a full day. I did find myself thinking that there could be so much potential here for steeper trails and even some nice glades, but I think that they are on state land, so that might inhibit or prohibit expansion (?).
I snapped a few more pics from the lift. I needed to do something to pass the time.
Resort or Ski Area: Ski Butternut, Great Barrington, MA
Conditions: Machine-groomed, loose granular, hardpack
Trip Report:
I had read a lot of so-so reviews of Butternut, but wanted to find out for myself, and after working 16 hours yesterday thought I deserved a morning ski session.
I arrived at the mountain just as the lifts opened, there were a surprising number of cars in the lot. Fifteen minutes later I had my ticket ($25, not bad), and was getting on the lift. Thinking, "Geez, I haven't seen these kind of lift poles in forever."
And then about half way up I was thinking, "God, I hope this cable doesn't snap."
Despite the trepidation, the lift got me to the top of the mountain, albeit at a leisurely pace. I'm finding that I actually appreciate the longer lift rides, particularly after I've been skiing for a few hours.
I wasn't sure how the snow conditions would be with the recent warm day cold night cycle we've been having but I was pleasantly surprised. The groomers here do a top-notch job. The snow quality felt more like groomed natural snow than man-made. There weren't a lot of people skiing, so I was able to find untouched corduroy for the whole morning. There were a few spots where the ice was showing through, but it was mostly at extreme trail edges and in the middle of the "steep" sections.
I wasn't challenged by anything at Butternut except a VERY brief journey into this:
I'm not a good mogul skier but can manage in the right conditions: these were not the right conditions. The tops looked like they had decent snow, but beneath a seemingly nice surface were solid, bullet proof, blue ice humps with glaciers in between.
I stuck to the groomers. I did manage to find a few places to catch a wee bit of air with enough speed, so I had my fun. The trails were, for the most part, empty so I felt safe to let out the speed. I'd definitely come back for another morning session, but there's not enough to keep me entertained for a full day. I did find myself thinking that there could be so much potential here for steeper trails and even some nice glades, but I think that they are on state land, so that might inhibit or prohibit expansion (?).
I snapped a few more pics from the lift. I needed to do something to pass the time.
