Just got back from 4 days at the Bush

with the lady. I thought of posting this in the trip reports, but I really wanted to comment here on the mogul situation at Mt. Ellen (which I'll do at the end of the post).

Overall, the weather was beautiful (though the daily highs did get high enough that I was looking at them with only a half smile) and the apres scene was surprisingly active at Lincoln Sunday and Monday.

But by far the biggest mistake I made was skiing 3 days at Lincoln and only 1 at Mt. Ellen. Should have done it the other way around. Castlerock was as fun as I remember it, but the lines got long at times. What I experienced today at Mt. Ellen (for $17 bucks!) was amazing. Bumps everywhere!

The lady was loving the low angle bumps on Which Way and Lookin' Good. FIS was a little funky, though some ripper came down as I was finishing way skiers left on a line I totally didn't see (he then proceeded to bend over and yack once he got down...). Exterminator and Bravo skied nicely, but the run of the day, by far, was Cliffs. Lines were sweet, snow was just right, so. much. fun.

My biggest disappointment was, by far, my conditioning, as it really kept me from skiing as long as I wanted to and as aggressively as I would have liked. Frankly, I was embarrassed. But we had such a fun trip and day, I just wanted all those AZers out there to know that BMM and co. are doing a great job over there.

Man I wish Sugarbush was closer! The most complete mountain in the east, imho.

jaywbigred said:

with the lady. I thought of posting this in the trip reports, but I really wanted to comment here on the mogul situation at Mt. Ellen (which I'll do at the end of the post).

Overall, the weather was beautiful (though the daily highs did get high enough that I was looking at them with only a half smile) and the apres scene was surprisingly active at Lincoln Sunday and Monday.

But by far the biggest mistake I made was skiing 3 days at Lincoln and only 1 at Mt. Ellen. Should have done it the other way around. Castlerock was as fun as I remember it, but the lines got long at times. What I experienced today at Mt. Ellen (for $17 bucks!) was amazing. Bumps everywhere!

The lady was loving the low angle bumps on Which Way and Lookin' Good. FIS was a little funky, though some ripper came down as I was finishing way skiers left on a line I totally didn't see (he then proceeded to bend over and yack once he got down...). Exterminator and Bravo skied nicely, but the run of the day, by far, was Cliffs. Lines were sweet, snow was just right, so. much. fun.

My biggest disappointment was, by far, my conditioning, as it really kept me from skiing as long as I wanted to and as aggressively as I would have liked. Frankly, I was embarrassed. But we had such a fun trip and day, I just wanted all those AZers out there to know that BMM and co. are doing a great job over there.

Man I wish Sugarbush was closer! The most complete mountain in the east, imho.

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Glad to hear you had a good time at Mount Ellen. I am biased with Ellen because it was the first of the "Sugarbushes" I skied ten years ago, and its imposing profile, with FIS on the summit, really made an impression on me at a young age when I saw the advertisements for the place (from about 1992-1996 or so Mount Ellen was pushed because it had the only HSQ, better snowmaking, a longer season, more vert, etc.)

That said, in 2002-2003 when I was a senior in college, I found myself spending literally every day at Ellen. I would start there...easy parking, nice lodge, good lifts, good terrain variety. I'd ride SBX over to South and find the terrain skied off, even early, and long lines. I'd always say, "why did I come here?" That said, South, if you get there midweek or early, has the goods. Castlerock is great. As is Heaven's Gate. But Ellen is just a different experience altogether. The Summit area is truly unique and offers a skiing experience that I have not really seen elsewhere in VT. Only comparison: maybe the trails off the summit of Sugarloaf (not the snowfields). The views are amazing. The terrain variety is great. Lots of good stuff and as I always say, "North" is always darker, colder, snowier, and emptier than Lincoln Peak. Lifts are great.

This season Mount Ellen has been really buzzing IMHO. Good crowds and good vibe. Good bumps and still great grooming. Snowmaking was good I'd say...rough start, but midseason was good. Facilities are still good...but the Lodge is getting tired as is NRX.

Biggest gripe is that Ellen is underutilized in early and late season. It gets more snow and holds it longer. The lift configuration and infrastructure were intentionally designed for early and late season skiing. That goes back to when it was built in 1963-1964: it was advertised then as the place for a long season. To not use it that way is a real waste, especially since GMX was reinstalled in 2002. That said, the crew made a business decision and, regrettably, condo owners aren't going to drive to ski when there is terrain in their backyard. But they are doing cat skiing @ Ellen this spring.

So glad you hit it...and enjoyed it...now you know why I will probably be an Ellen Plus passholder.

thetrailboss said:

But they are doing cat skiing @ Ellen this spring.

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Really cat skiing on the east coast???

TheBEast said:

Really cat skiing on the east coast???

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times 2..I've always liked Lincoln Peak better..it just seems so much wider with more runs..but for me no day at Sugarbush is complete without skiing Castlerock..

Over the years on powder days I'll ski South 75% of the time. On hard snow days or spring days, I've skied North 75% of the time....better cruising terrain, better bumps.

Can't say I like one side more than the other, though I have skied North more. Best thing about Sugarbush is that it has both.

Skiing, yayaya...- but what about the hockey?! Did you find the Montreal/Devils hockey game??

TheBEast said:

Really cat skiing on the east coast???

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Yep.

thetrailboss said:

Yep.

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WOW! Inbounds cat skiing with a guide......so who is the target audience here? Would be interesting to see how many trips they actually book. So you need a guide to ski within ski area boundaries??? Just kinda weird if you ask me.

TheBEast said:

WOW! Inbounds cat skiing with a guide......so who is the target audience here? Would be interesting to see how many trips they actually book. So you need a guide to ski within ski area boundaries??? Just kinda weird if you ask me.

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They probably make you go with a guide so he can inspect the conditions first for liability reasons.

St. Bear said:

They probably make you go with a guide so he can inspect the conditions first for liability reasons.

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That's what I was thinking. I can just see it now "Okay guys we're coming up on a water bar, make sure you jump the open water!"

St. Bear said:

They probably make you go with a guide so he can inspect the conditions first for liability reasons.

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+ 1. Remember that the ski area (Mount Ellen) is closed at that time and there is no ski patrol. The guide = ski patrol.

Mellon was awesome yesterday despite the crowds. Even the woods were skiing great. The lodge and parking lot was crowded but there were no liftlines.

FIS from yesterday

TheBEast said:

WOW! Inbounds cat skiing with a guide......so who is the target audience here? Would be interesting to see how many trips they actually book. So you need a guide to ski within ski area boundaries??? Just kinda weird if you ask me.

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The Cat takes you up before the lifts open. A Guide is very helpful for folks who are not familiar with the terrain. Perhaps that is not an issue at Berkshire East.

noski said:

Skiing, yayaya...- but what about the hockey?! Did you find the Montreal/Devils hockey game??

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Oh yes, got to see it and then some! I sent you a PM about this, thanks for all your help btw!

We wound up at the new Den, (Ake's Den now, I believe?), and they put the game on for us on a nice big Sony flat screen that had a great picture. We took the 121 Bus to-and-from Sugar Lodge, using a phone call each time. No one else on it! Like having a taxi! Many beers were enjoyed, as were the mac and cheese appetizer and the burgers. Def. a good place to drink some adult beverages, watch a game and have some bar food!

Jaywbigred... thanks for that post. We've tried hard this year to offer something that nearly every other resort is ignoring entirely, and it has been working. 99% of the feedback I have heard has been strikingly positive, especially as it relates to the availability of learning terrain, such as the half&half intermediate runs, Lookin' Good and Which Way. We also had some low angle bumps on lower North Star earlier in the season, but they have gone by the wayside in the midst of some difficult conditions.

I think the best indicator of the success of the Mt. Ellen philosophy is the sheer number of families and recreational skiers in the lower angle bumps. It was truly amazing to see how much fun was being had, bouncing around in the moguls. It is a nice reminder to those folks that moguls don't have to be scary, intimidating, or impossible. In fact, they can be lots of fun when learned properly, starting on easier terrain. But even beyond just the easier trails, Cliffs and Exterminator have been quite the hit. Last weekend and the weekend before, I would estimate that there were well over 100 people on Cliffs at multiple points throughout the day. All ages, all abilities. In fact, there was one point on Saturday the 7th that I couldn't even ski a line more than 4 or 5 turns because of the sheer number of people skiing the trail (probably pushing 200 -- no joke). Normally, you might consider this a bad thing. But considering all of the other moguls on the hill, it didn't bother me. I was just glad to see them all enjoying the bumps.

I think we've also started to garner the old Killington mogul crowd. I've skied with quite a few of the diehards from the old days of Outer Limits and Wildfire bumps. They love what we have to offer at Mt. Ellen. We truly have had the best moguls in the east this season, with beautiful lines on Cliffs, Tumbler, Encore, Bravo, Exterminator, Which Way, Semi-Tough, and Lookin' Good. And of course, there's Black Diamond, FIS, and Hammerhead for the more adventurous bumpers. Since the demise of Killington's moguls, I would challenge anyone to find a big mountain in the east with as many moguls, as good lines, or as much variety in mogul terrain as we have at Mt. Ellen.

Glad you had a good time. We should take some runs next season.

You're probably right on Mt. Ellen BMM. I'd imagine the only other place that could be in the argument would be Sugarloaf.

deadheadskier said:

You're probably right on Mt. Ellen BMM. I'd imagine the only other place that could be in the argument would be Sugarloaf.

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I haven't been there, so I can't comment. I've got to get up there sometime. Looks like a pretty cool hill.

The only thing I'll say, however, is that if Sugarloaf is still operating under the same basic premise it did under ASC, their focus is grooming. Not saying they don't have good bumps, but ASC bred cruising mountains, even Killington! Hopefully they've tempered their grooming craze under new ownership.

Even during the ASC days, Loaf was nothing like the rest of their mountains.

US Skidder
Winters Way
Bubblecuffer
Ripsaw
Misery Whip

pretty much always have/had bumps, along with numerous other trails on any given day. I've skied there on spring days where it seems like 30% of the place is all bumps.

You'd love it.

Hoping to score some spring bumps at Sugarbush, but I doubt I'll get there before Mount Ellen shuts down. Any word on how late they want to go at Lincoln Peak? Same late season approach, i.e. Ripcord, OG, VH Traverse and Stein's/Coffee Run, Spring Fling?

still wish that spring was held at North. It's honestly the best set up in the east to go late. Keep all three lifts going as long as it's skiable to the GMX base. Then keep the Northridge and Summit lift going, finish with the summit. Glen House also offering a great spring deck spot.

I get the real estate thing, but from a skiing perspective, there's no greater no brainer for late season skiing in the east that I've seen.