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Bolton Valley

Greg

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Never been. Considering for Sunday if the storm looks like it will deliver there. Any thoughts on the place? Terrain preference is ungroomed/natural trails and trees. How's BV for that?
 

kbroderick

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Never been. Considering for Sunday if the storm looks like it will deliver there. Any thoughts on the place? Terrain preference is ungroomed/natural trails and trees. How's BV for that?

Pretty damn good. I haven't skied there in a bunch of years, but if the snow is good in the woods, there's a lot of fun to be had there (and they get at least as much snow as anyone south of Jay). There's not a lot of super-gnar, but there's a ton of trees that are between low-angle and moderately steep and a fair bit of ungroomed terrain.
 

bdfreetuna

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Bolton has a bit of a run out and slow lifts but top notch tree skiing nonetheless.

Unfortunately as I have their snow report already open, none of the "good stuff" is currently open. I expect it will be soon, but I'm also not going to head over there until Cobrass/Preacher/Playground are open (at a minimum). Also a lot of the best tree skiing there is on the lower "Timberline" mountain, which isn't open yet.

I'd save your first time for a *real* powder day with 100% open terrain on a week day (you'll ride the lift yourself all day). The thing about Bolton is once they're set up for the winter you get a lot of deep powder in the trees. But until that point occurs (soon but not yet it seems), they can be pretty slow to expand their terrain.
 

kbroderick

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Bolton has a bit of a run out and slow lifts but top notch tree skiing nonetheless.

Unfortunately as I have their snow report already open, none of the "good stuff" is currently open. I expect it will be soon, but I'm also not going to head over there until Cobrass/Preacher/Playground are open (at a minimum). Also a lot of the best tree skiing there is on the lower "Timberline" mountain, which isn't open yet.

I'd save your first time for a *real* powder day with 100% open terrain on a week day (you'll ride the lift yourself all day). The thing about Bolton is once they're set up for the winter you get a lot of deep powder in the trees. But until that point occurs (soon but not yet it seems), they can be pretty slow to expand their terrain.

I'd concur about 75% with that. I'd argue that the best first day at Bolton is a day or two after a powder day, so you can poke around and explore without the pressure of wanting to get first tracks (or of others wanting to get first tracks), but otherwise I concur, especially about having Cobrass, Preacher & Playground or Timberline open. Without those two things open, the tree-skiing options are a lot more limited; you could probably still find some good low-angle skiing if you wanted to poke around, but I wouldn't be as excited to lap the current trail menu.
 

Zand

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Looks like the sweet spot will be NH/Maine from this one. I was originally planning on the Bush but now thinking SR or Loon.
 

Zand

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you have a full ikon? i would be very nervous about crowds at sr and loon.

Wont be out till Monday and Tuesday so won't be there for Saturday hell (wouldn't touch loon with a 10 foot pole). Skied SR on Presidents Day last year and it was surprisingly uncrowded if you stayed away from the Chondy (which I would anyway even with no crowd). Barker and Jordan had maybe 5 minute waits, everything else ski on.
 

bdfreetuna

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Well, Preacher is open which means Playground is too. Timberline lift is also opening this weekend. It does look like a little more snow might let them open most of the remaining terrain.

If you end up going don't overlook Cobrass Woods. It's got a small entrance and easy to miss but once you're in there it's a very cool zone with a couple wooded bowls and short chutes. Good place to find some untracked pow. When you get to the exit keep skiing across the trail into the more woods (easy but fun).
 

sledride

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How's BV looking for tomorrow? Trying to decide between there and Black Mtn.
 
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