Berkshire East 1/18/14

Given that conditions were likely marginal in most of the larger resorts and crowds big I decided to head to Berkshire East. I always have a good time there and crowds are rarely an issue. Conditions were groomed granular but surprisingly good. Some ice patches here and there but considering recent weather I couldn't complain. It snowed all morning, not major accumulations but it definitely freshened things up and coated the trees to remind you winter has not gone away. Temps were mild and very little wind.

I have attached a picture from the top of Flying Cloud. When I got there the view of the valley was mostly brown so a few hours made a difference. I mentioned low crowds, the lift in the picture was operating. The main lift had a small line but no more than a few minutes. The lift in this picture is basically the secondary summit lift . I took the picture around 11:45-noon. This lift was ski on from when they turned it on until I left around 1:30.

Looks awesome! I had such a good time at Crotched last Saturday, I've definitely got the BEAST in my sights for a visit this season! I just love these smaller hills.

CM is fun. It is similar to BEast in that has a strong local following and is big with families. Both tend to get passed up by too many people on the way to bigger resorts. However, while everything at CM is new and fast Beast is more of a throwback. If you like glades you owe yourself a visit after a big storm. The East Glades are well worth a trip.

Berkshire East was very good on Saturday and even better on Sunday. Saturday afternoon exposed some icy trails, Sunday that wasn't the case.