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Berkshire East Pow Day

Tin

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Sure it was awesome everywhere today. Berkie had 6" down by 10am and it ripped until after noon. Probably ended up with 8-9". Catsup said they were dropping ropes so we went. Took double the time it should have but got onto Liftline, UMass, Blizzard Island, etc which were boot+ deep. GF's first real day out since spring of 2015 and she is addicted again. Epic Berkie!


berkie pow.jpgberkie 1.jpgberkie 2.jpg
 
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Zermatt

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When I drive south on I-91 what trails do I see? Looks like just one or two, but the trail map shows much more terrain.
 

bdfreetuna

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keep the faith
No idea what you see from I-91 I have never had that view. Probably Big Cheif, Flying Cloud, Exhibition and Competition. Those are the wider ones. Berkshire East is a real fun mountain and easily the most challenging / best terrain in Mass, I don't hesitate to go there on a pow day when I don't want to drive.
 

Zermatt

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Not sure it can be seen from 91.

Yep, you are totally right! I just checked a map. I always thought the place I was seeing was Berkshire East...there was a sign for Berkshire East and I could see a ski area so I just assumed they were the same.
 

Tin

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Yep, you are totally right! I just checked a map. I always thought the place I was seeing was Berkshire East...there was a sign for Berkshire East and I could see a ski area so I just assumed they were the same.


What place was it? I know you can see one small hill on the eastern side of 91 just south of the Greenfield exit. Berkie is well off 91 and it is a very low elevation and you cannot even see the windmill until the last second.
 

Zermatt

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What place was it? I know you can see one small hill on the eastern side of 91 just south of the Greenfield exit. Berkie is well off 91 and it is a very low elevation and you cannot even see the windmill until the last second.

Yep, that is the one I am talking about. Trees growing in the median of I-91 have actually made it harder to see. I'm trying to find the name now, but it doesn't show up on any "ski" maps.

Berkshire East looks pretty cool. How does it compare to Jiminy Peak?
 

Tin

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Berkshire East looks pretty cool. How does it compare to Jiminy Peak?

No comparison. Jiminy is polished and has its wide cord highway trails. Berkie is super steep and its trails have a lot of character. Also LOTS of woods to ski. There is no run out at Berkshire, steep to the last turn so it skis bigger. Jiminy does have the 6-pack which is great for quick laps but the SkyTrac at Berkshire does the job and on a day like yesterday it helps save the legs. If charging groomers are your thing I would also take Berkshire because of the pitch, rolls, and it takes a while to get scrapped down.
 
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You're seeing the trails from Eaglebrook private school in Deerfield. BE is way to far west and not visible from I-91.
 

The Sneak

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BE is like having your own private North Face at Mount Snow, basically.

Similar pitch, similar vert.

I heart BEast!


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Hado226

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When I drive south on I-91 what trails do I see? Looks like just one or two, but the trail map shows much more terrain.
That's the Eaglebrook School's private trails. Berkshire is a dozen miles west of 91

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snowmonkey

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No run-out is true at Platty too, never skied BEast, must give em a shot sometime.

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You'd really like it Corn. Out of all the places I've skied in New England since moving to central MA 3+ years ago, it's the one that reminds me the most of Greek Peak in terms of size and atmosphere. The terrain is more interesting, though. It's a great place; I really wish it was close enough to me to hit after work during the week, but it's almost 2 hours away. Charlemont and Shelburne Falls are great little towns, too. It's far enough out in the middle of nowhere that you'd want to spend a weekend there, and there are a number of little boutique-y type shops in Shelburne Falls, as well as some good little restaurants.
 

Cornhead

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You'd really like it Corn. Out of all the places I've skied in New England since moving to central MA 3+ years ago, it's the one that reminds me the most of Greek Peak in terms of size and atmosphere. The terrain is more interesting, though. It's a great place; I really wish it was close enough to me to hit after work during the week, but it's almost 2 hours away. Charlemont and Shelburne Falls are great little towns, too. It's far enough out in the middle of nowhere that you'd want to spend a weekend there, and there are a number of little boutique-y type shops in Shelburne Falls, as well as some good little restaurants.
Thanks snowmonkey, I'll try to work it into my travels sometime. McCauley is still on my list, after a dump I think I'll like it. They do get LES, just not as much as Snow Ridge.

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