burke, VT: 12.20.03

burke, VT
12.20.03

xposted to FTO

wait wait... did i just type 12.20.03 in the subject line? the sickest december ever continues and i pointed my vehicle towards burke mountain in VT figuring they'd have the second best snow in new england this weekend, bested only by jay. i was not disappointed with the snow nor my wise decision.

all trails were open except big dipper (blowing snow) and warren's way (racing). cover was incredible for december after only one week of operation. the woods were incredible, the natural snow trails were great... just awesome snow quality. i just wish i was in mid-season form!!! much sucking of wind and burning thighs were had!

arrived at 9:30am and warmed up on some cruisers which all had excellent groomed snow. willoughby earned best snow on a groomed trail honors, just awesome.

after warming up, hit wilderness to lews leap with awesome snow! light powdery snow over a solid base! awesome small bump action and a quality steep. doug's drop hadn't formed quality bumps yet, but quality snow. lower dugs also featured natural snow and some nice small fluffy bumps.

fox's folly was up next under the quad which kicked my butt. snow was variable between powdah, tracked fresh, and occasional scraped. found two guys i know from an online forum riding the lift up while skiing down! small world!

we hooked up for some epic trips into the woods. sasqwatch was first up and is simply a wooded play ground! like seriously, it's a hall of mirrors with so many different lines to cut up. then dixieland which must have clocked in around 1200' vert feet non-stop of killer trees and bumps.

after lunch at the mid-burke, to the other side of the mountain we went for back to back runs down jungle/birches (mislabeled on the slope or map?). incredible! cover was perfect with light fluff! nicely spaced trees for my newbie tree skiing lack of skills. twice my skiing companions called out for me "hello mr. tree!"

back to the other side for cave man, featuring excellent snow and some geological treats. the only natural snow trail to feature incomplete cover, but still an awesome trail! then throbulator which had the least touched snow on the mountain, with occasional pockets of fresh.

for last run, we spotted an unmarked tree stash just before doug's drop which was tight and unforgiving despite the good cover. then back to lew's leap for my run of the day. finally hit my stride and got the legs going for the last run and my run of the day! pssssssah!!

only thing that stunk about today's snow was it was TOO good! i was sucking wind and not properly conditioned, so desipte the great snow... i was too busy sucking wind to be able to truly enjoy it! don't get me wrong... it was excellent snow and excellent skiing!! but i longed to be able to ski it like superman such as i might in a month or two.

two more converts to the awesome skiing at burke as my skiing companions made their first turns there today. it was a wikked pissah day of skiing!

Glad you had such a perfect day Steve. I've been looking at Burke's web site too and noticed the great percentage of open terrain. Obviously no lines all day right? Did you ride the poma at all?

It's amazing how your endurance improves so dramatically after only a few times out, huh? Nice that the only complaint was your conditioning! Sounds like a great day...

never a line at burke! even on a saturday, the quad was ski on from open till close. didn't get a chance to ride the poma as there was a race, so the poma kinda gets integrated into the race activities. actually, to date i've yet to ride the poma on any of my half dozen or so trips to burke. definitely gotta try it some day soon.

Driving Time

How long does it take to get there from Boston?

Steve, nice report.

I have never been to Burke, but it is on my "to ski" list now. Actually have also been reading good things about it elsewhere.

I have a sugestion for those going there. P&H Truckstop in Wells River Vermont has the best homemade bread and PIE in the whole world. P&H is a truck stop off Rt91 about 15 miles prior to St. Johnsbury. The french toast there with their homemade bread is a gift from God.

I usually stay up there at the Wells River Motel when I ride my motorcycle up there in the spring, summer and fall. It is the nicest little motel and is $65 a night. Tell Diane that "Steve the motorcycle guy" sent you and you'll get "red carpet" treatment. It's a great place to stay as it is at the corner of Rt 91 and 302, which will take you over to Loon or Bretton Woods too.

I think I'll head up after X-mas for a day or two and ski Burke! :idea:

I love Burke! It is awesome! I think you will like it too. The Quad is SLOOOOOOOOOW, but the lack of line more than makes up for this.

Scalce, burke is about 3 hours drive from boston at around 70 MPH. it's a lot closer than people think at only 45-50 minutes drive further north than cannon. it's a straight shot up 93 till 93 turns into 91, then another 10 minutes highway and 10 minutes though town. really worth the drive!

in regards to the slow quad, it's not too much slower than most fixed grips, but it is accessing about 1800 vert feet in one lift. if you have good companions to chat with, it's not as long as it seems. if you're by yourself (as i often am), the locals are VERY friendly and chair coversations make the long ride seem too short.

also, if you're pounding the mountain top to bottom on the expert terrain or in the trees, you might just need that extra rest!