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Date(s) Skied: 12/18/03, 9:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Resort or Ski Area: Jiminy Peak, Hancock, Massachusetts
Conditions: Packed Powder, Powder, Loose Granular, Cloudy and Breezy, ~25 degrees
Trip Report: Well, I [finally] made the first turns of the season today ay Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Massachusetts. They were claiming 4" and I was a bit skeptical on the drive up. Got to the mountain about 9:30 and was pleased to find an actual 3-4" at the base! The wind wasn't too bad; it wasn't bitterly cold; looked to be a fine first day out.
Got ready to hop on the Berkshire Express 6 passenger lift. It's normally a great lift and gets you to the top of Jiminy's 1,140 ft of vertical in 5 minutes. Seems as though they were having problems today with the chairs icing as they detached. This was causing some major spacing problems. No matter; I'm patient, and even waiting to get on the lift is better than working.
Took the first run of the season down Upper Fox and was pleasantly surprised with 4" of untouched power on the right side. The Foxes would prove to be the run of the day.
The next run was down North Glade which was in decent shape, but groomed throughout. Despite the probably 2" of rain yesterday, the mountain was in great shape! The changeover to snow definitely helped. Next run was Whitetail. Again decent shape, but it's always notoriously scratchy due to all the manmade they pile up on it. Found a nice powder stash on the left and enjoyed cord most of the rest of the way. Next run was Wild Turkey (one of my favs). Also consistent and more powder stashes on the right. Took a look up Jericho (probably Jiminy's steepest) which looked particularly ominous with the thin cover. A few more weeks needed there. I then took another run down the Foxes which was getting cut up nicely. Then I made the trek over to Cutter which like Whitetail was slick and fast. Another great Jiminy diamond. I then took a mellow run down Azalea Path (some great powder), West Way and Grand Slam among another run or two down the Foxes. At around 12:15 they closed the Berk Express and opened the Triple. So I rode that up for one final run down the Foxes.
All in all, a great half day at my "home" mountain (less than a 2 hour drive from Northwest Connecticut). No complaints except for the problems with the six. Lots of stops and some waiting to get on. There were no lines, but the lags on the six probably cost me 4 to 5 runs I could've made if the thing was running consistently. Oh, and I busted a buckle while getting undressed. I'll save that for another thread. Pulled out of the lot at 1 PM and got home before 3. A great first day out! Oh and based on the snow pack already in the Berkshires, it's looking to be a great season, despite these intermittent rain events.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGES
Resort or Ski Area: Jiminy Peak, Hancock, Massachusetts
Conditions: Packed Powder, Powder, Loose Granular, Cloudy and Breezy, ~25 degrees
Trip Report: Well, I [finally] made the first turns of the season today ay Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Massachusetts. They were claiming 4" and I was a bit skeptical on the drive up. Got to the mountain about 9:30 and was pleased to find an actual 3-4" at the base! The wind wasn't too bad; it wasn't bitterly cold; looked to be a fine first day out.
Got ready to hop on the Berkshire Express 6 passenger lift. It's normally a great lift and gets you to the top of Jiminy's 1,140 ft of vertical in 5 minutes. Seems as though they were having problems today with the chairs icing as they detached. This was causing some major spacing problems. No matter; I'm patient, and even waiting to get on the lift is better than working.
Took the first run of the season down Upper Fox and was pleasantly surprised with 4" of untouched power on the right side. The Foxes would prove to be the run of the day.The next run was down North Glade which was in decent shape, but groomed throughout. Despite the probably 2" of rain yesterday, the mountain was in great shape! The changeover to snow definitely helped. Next run was Whitetail. Again decent shape, but it's always notoriously scratchy due to all the manmade they pile up on it. Found a nice powder stash on the left and enjoyed cord most of the rest of the way. Next run was Wild Turkey (one of my favs). Also consistent and more powder stashes on the right. Took a look up Jericho (probably Jiminy's steepest) which looked particularly ominous with the thin cover. A few more weeks needed there. I then took another run down the Foxes which was getting cut up nicely. Then I made the trek over to Cutter which like Whitetail was slick and fast. Another great Jiminy diamond. I then took a mellow run down Azalea Path (some great powder), West Way and Grand Slam among another run or two down the Foxes. At around 12:15 they closed the Berk Express and opened the Triple. So I rode that up for one final run down the Foxes.
All in all, a great half day at my "home" mountain (less than a 2 hour drive from Northwest Connecticut). No complaints except for the problems with the six. Lots of stops and some waiting to get on. There were no lines, but the lags on the six probably cost me 4 to 5 runs I could've made if the thing was running consistently. Oh, and I busted a buckle while getting undressed. I'll save that for another thread. Pulled out of the lot at 1 PM and got home before 3. A great first day out! Oh and based on the snow pack already in the Berkshires, it's looking to be a great season, despite these intermittent rain events.
CLICK HERE FOR IMAGES
