Date(s) Skied: January 9, 2006
Resort or Ski Area: Burke Mountain, VT
Conditions: 3-4" of new Powder, Crud.
Trip Report: I awoke this morning and saw that it was starting to snow. A part of me wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but another part of me knew that there was powder probably to be had up north at Burke. Besides that I had arranged to meet my Uncle and long-time Burke skier, TD for some afternoon turns.
The drive north was not almost a carbon-copy of last week--some flurries down here, sleet mixing in, and just about 15 mins from Burke the mix turned to snow. Heavy snow. Leaving Lyndon, it intensified and I was happy to be following the State Snowplow all the way to the access road. The new snowtires paid for themselves today because the access road to MidBurke was kind of slushy and slick, but I made it up to find an almost empty lodge and parking lot, lots of fresh powder, and mild temps
I stepped into my bindings and headed up to the summit taking my first run down Carriage Road and Lower Powderhorn to the Dippers. I'm so glad that Carriage Road has been left untouched by recent developers--a true classic with some nice bends and narrow turns that today held snow quite well. Powder on the sides and crud in the middle. My skis were able to drive through it and I was Lower Powderhorn was in fantastic shape--best so far this season. Nice cover.
My next run was down the Upper Dipper to Big Dipper seeing that recent snowmaking had opened it and that the groomers had ironed it out the night before. As I came to the first lip I could see it was edge-to-edge powder--sweet. I can remember my first turns down it ever in 1999 after its construction. It is big, wide, steep, and yet retains a Burke feel to it thanks to the birches that line it, complex pitches, incredible views, and a fun ride. Today was no exception.
Next run was down Willoughby to Lower Fox's and Lower Warrens, the latter two being largely untracked while Willoughby had some crud on it. Excellent.
As I rode up the lift, the snow had intensified even more making visibility tough. I decided to stick to the east side and hit East Bowl, which had been groomed this past weekend as well. The first run was my warm up--I had a hard time seeing the bumps and getting into the rhythm. The truth was that the bowl had received much new snow that was covering the groomed base. I was able to find some great powder and some nice rolls to bounce off of.
At this point, I decided to throw on the rock skis and go hard on some of the steeper natural snow runs.
First run was down a wonderfully covered Wilderness to Powderhorn and then down Dipper Doodle. I got into a good rhythm on Wilderness before finding some more good snow on Powderhorn. Upper Dipper Doodle was the same powder covered icy bumps, which was manageable, but the exit was very, very thin :x
Next I decided to hit Upper Fox's Folly to the Ledges Headwall. With the wind now whipping, the snow was beginning to drift and visibility was cut even lower. Upper Fox's was skiing the best it has all season and I was able to find the powder, but the drifted sections were tougher and threw me off. I cut onto Bear Den and looked down the main headwall section--only a few obstacles and very little undergrowth. The snow was largely untracked. It had been a few years since I had been on this run and it was another favorite of mine because it could almost always provide an andrenaline rush thanks to the steep headwall pitch, a double-fall line, and some usually deep drifted snow on skier's right that I would play in. I was delighted to see that the snow was drifting right into my favorite line I smiled at every turn and felt the fall line pull me down faster and faster. It was great to be home. At the bottom, I shot through the birches and hit the latter section of Fox's Folly, which was powder and bumps, before cutting over to the bumps on McHarg's Cutoff. My legs were burning.
Next run was my spin down Doug's Drop to Mountain Marsh. Upper Doug's was not bad--the cliff onto Toll Road was covered, but the entrance from Toll Road to Doug's was very thin :x . I was able to pick my way down Doug's, which was in typical form--bumps, ice, rock, and some powder, crud, and drifted snow here and there. Mountain Marsh, on the other hand, was largely untracked. I also found good pow on Little Dipper, which has been largely abandoned by Burke's snowmakers or trail maintenance folks :-?
Now it was 12:30 and I was faced with the choice of which run would be the last before lunch. I wanted to hit the Ledges again, but it was still pretty windy. I also wanted to hit the East Bowl again. After unloading, I found myself drawn back to the East Bowl and this time I had better rhythm and found better lines and snow. What a great morning.
Skiing with a Burke Expert
As I was finishing my lunch, I saw my Uncle pull into the parking lot and go into the Bear Den Lounge to boot up.
Though I have been skiing Burke for my entire skiing career, and today I consider myself to be a decent skier, there once was a time when I was intimidated by much of the mountain because of a bad first-time descent of an icy Willoughby. For the better part of a season or so I only skied the easy Toll Road down the mountain. That was until my Uncle found out about this.
One day around 1993 or so I rode up with him and my aunt on the lift.
"So where have you skied?" He asked me.
"Toll Road."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, I haven't tried anything else really. Had a bad day on Willoughby."
"Well, there are many other trails here. Let me show you what Burke is all about."
For the next hour or so, he took me down Carriage Road, Powderhorn, and East Bowl which opened my eyes to what I had been missing. It only took a couple runs, but it helped solidify my interest in skiing and Burke. If it hadn't been for him, I probably would not be skiing today.
Today, thirteen or so years later, I found myself riding up the lift with him and discussing everything from Burke to ski helmets and googles. Appropriately enough our first run was down the first one he had shown me back then--Carriage Road. It was just as nice as earlier in the day. The wind had not affected it at all (hence one of the beauties of narrow trails ). We headed down the Dippers to the base, both of us ripping a bit faster than that day in 1993. I was hitting some nice powder bumps on the side while he was screaming down the middle of the trail in good form.
"I'm a bit stiff, getting old," he said, but he could have fooled me because he was really cranking some nice turns.
Next run was down the Dippers with him leading the way. We dropped into Lower Powderhorn and found it to be in great shape still. "Great cover, best yet this season," he said. And he should know. Uncle TD was a Burke passholder who often racked up 45-60 days at Burke each season and knew much about its history making for interesting conversations.
I digress. Back to the skiing. We opted for a nice run down Willoughby to find it holding up well with crud and powder. Lower Willoughby skied very well.
I managed to talk him into his first East Bowl run of the season and he was not disappointed. I also showed him the memorial for the skier who died on that trail last season. The bumps and snow were just as good as that morning.
"I hope that they don't destroy this special trail, it is my favorite," I said.
"I doubt they will--it is part of what makes this place what it is," he replied as we skated on the lower runout.
At 3pm we decided to do one more run and hit Powderhorn. At this point it was clear that we had received about 3-4 inches of new snow and it was still coming down hard. Pulling up to one of the landmark knolls, I asked him about the granite bench that sat underneath it. The front of it read, "TONY SIMPSON, 1964-2003." He explained how he knew Tony well and of his death from cancer. "This was one of his favorite meeting spots," my Uncle told me. "He was a really nice guy." After reflecting on this, we headed back to the bottom and into the Lodge for a beer and more discussion.
As we sat in the lounge, Uncle TD recognized many of the folks who came in and chatted with them. We talked more about Burke's past and about skiing and boating.
"This isn't just a place to ski, it is a really special place to me and a lot of people. I come here and to ski with people I know. It's a community up here--a real tight knit community. You don't find that at many other places," he said, and as we parted and I drove home, I realized that this was why I make that drive to Burke. Indeed, the further I get away from Burke the more I want to return for its nice "skier" runs and for its people. :beer: to a great season thus far and the hope that Burke is not ruined anytime soon.
The snow had lessened and there were times of icy pellets, but it did not rain.
Resort or Ski Area: Burke Mountain, VT
Conditions: 3-4" of new Powder, Crud.
Trip Report: I awoke this morning and saw that it was starting to snow. A part of me wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but another part of me knew that there was powder probably to be had up north at Burke. Besides that I had arranged to meet my Uncle and long-time Burke skier, TD for some afternoon turns.
The drive north was not almost a carbon-copy of last week--some flurries down here, sleet mixing in, and just about 15 mins from Burke the mix turned to snow. Heavy snow. Leaving Lyndon, it intensified and I was happy to be following the State Snowplow all the way to the access road. The new snowtires paid for themselves today because the access road to MidBurke was kind of slushy and slick, but I made it up to find an almost empty lodge and parking lot, lots of fresh powder, and mild temps
I stepped into my bindings and headed up to the summit taking my first run down Carriage Road and Lower Powderhorn to the Dippers. I'm so glad that Carriage Road has been left untouched by recent developers--a true classic with some nice bends and narrow turns that today held snow quite well. Powder on the sides and crud in the middle. My skis were able to drive through it and I was
Lower Powderhorn was in fantastic shape--best so far this season. Nice cover. My next run was down the Upper Dipper to Big Dipper seeing that recent snowmaking had opened it and that the groomers had ironed it out the night before. As I came to the first lip I could see it was edge-to-edge powder--sweet. I can remember my first turns down it ever in 1999 after its construction. It is big, wide, steep, and yet retains a Burke feel to it thanks to the birches that line it, complex pitches, incredible views, and a fun ride. Today was no exception.
Next run was down Willoughby to Lower Fox's and Lower Warrens, the latter two being largely untracked while Willoughby had some crud on it. Excellent.
As I rode up the lift, the snow had intensified even more making visibility tough. I decided to stick to the east side and hit East Bowl, which had been groomed this past weekend as well. The first run was my warm up--I had a hard time seeing the bumps and getting into the rhythm. The truth was that the bowl had received much new snow that was covering the groomed base. I was able to find some great powder and some nice rolls to bounce off of.
At this point, I decided to throw on the rock skis and go hard on some of the steeper natural snow runs.
First run was down a wonderfully covered Wilderness to Powderhorn and then down Dipper Doodle. I got into a good rhythm on Wilderness before finding some more good snow on Powderhorn. Upper Dipper Doodle was the same powder covered icy bumps, which was manageable, but the exit was very, very thin :x
Next I decided to hit Upper Fox's Folly to the Ledges Headwall. With the wind now whipping, the snow was beginning to drift and visibility was cut even lower. Upper Fox's was skiing the best it has all season and I was able to find the powder, but the drifted sections were tougher and threw me off. I cut onto Bear Den and looked down the main headwall section--only a few obstacles and very little undergrowth. The snow was largely untracked. It had been a few years since I had been on this run and it was another favorite of mine because it could almost always provide an andrenaline rush thanks to the steep headwall pitch, a double-fall line, and some usually deep drifted snow on skier's right that I would play in. I was delighted to see that the snow was drifting right into my favorite line
I smiled at every turn and felt the fall line pull me down faster and faster. It was great to be home. At the bottom, I shot through the birches and hit the latter section of Fox's Folly, which was powder and bumps, before cutting over to the bumps on McHarg's Cutoff. My legs were burning. Next run was my spin down Doug's Drop to Mountain Marsh. Upper Doug's was not bad--the cliff onto Toll Road was covered, but the entrance from Toll Road to Doug's was very thin :x . I was able to pick my way down Doug's, which was in typical form--bumps, ice, rock, and some powder, crud, and drifted snow here and there. Mountain Marsh, on the other hand, was largely untracked. I also found good pow on Little Dipper, which has been largely abandoned by Burke's snowmakers or trail maintenance folks :-?
Now it was 12:30 and I was faced with the choice of which run would be the last before lunch. I wanted to hit the Ledges again, but it was still pretty windy. I also wanted to hit the East Bowl again. After unloading, I found myself drawn back to the East Bowl and this time I had better rhythm and found better lines and snow. What a great morning.
Skiing with a Burke Expert
As I was finishing my lunch, I saw my Uncle pull into the parking lot and go into the Bear Den Lounge to boot up.
Though I have been skiing Burke for my entire skiing career, and today I consider myself to be a decent skier, there once was a time when I was intimidated by much of the mountain because of a bad first-time descent of an icy Willoughby. For the better part of a season or so I only skied the easy Toll Road down the mountain. That was until my Uncle found out about this.
One day around 1993 or so I rode up with him and my aunt on the lift.
"So where have you skied?" He asked me.
"Toll Road."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, I haven't tried anything else really. Had a bad day on Willoughby."
"Well, there are many other trails here. Let me show you what Burke is all about."
For the next hour or so, he took me down Carriage Road, Powderhorn, and East Bowl which opened my eyes to what I had been missing. It only took a couple runs, but it helped solidify my interest in skiing and Burke. If it hadn't been for him, I probably would not be skiing today.
Today, thirteen or so years later, I found myself riding up the lift with him and discussing everything from Burke to ski helmets and googles. Appropriately enough our first run was down the first one he had shown me back then--Carriage Road. It was just as nice as earlier in the day. The wind had not affected it at all (hence one of the beauties of narrow trails
). We headed down the Dippers to the base, both of us ripping a bit faster than that day in 1993. I was hitting some nice powder bumps on the side while he was screaming down the middle of the trail in good form. "I'm a bit stiff, getting old," he said, but he could have fooled me because he was really cranking some nice turns.
Next run was down the Dippers with him leading the way. We dropped into Lower Powderhorn and found it to be in great shape still. "Great cover, best yet this season," he said. And he should know. Uncle TD was a Burke passholder who often racked up 45-60 days at Burke each season and knew much about its history making for interesting conversations.
I digress. Back to the skiing. We opted for a nice run down Willoughby to find it holding up well with crud and powder. Lower Willoughby skied very well.
I managed to talk him into his first East Bowl run of the season and he was not disappointed. I also showed him the memorial for the skier who died on that trail last season. The bumps and snow were just as good as that morning.
"I hope that they don't destroy this special trail, it is my favorite," I said.
"I doubt they will--it is part of what makes this place what it is," he replied as we skated on the lower runout.
At 3pm we decided to do one more run and hit Powderhorn. At this point it was clear that we had received about 3-4 inches of new snow and it was still coming down hard. Pulling up to one of the landmark knolls, I asked him about the granite bench that sat underneath it. The front of it read, "TONY SIMPSON, 1964-2003." He explained how he knew Tony well and of his death from cancer. "This was one of his favorite meeting spots," my Uncle told me. "He was a really nice guy." After reflecting on this, we headed back to the bottom and into the Lodge for a beer and more discussion.
As we sat in the lounge, Uncle TD recognized many of the folks who came in and chatted with them. We talked more about Burke's past and about skiing and boating.
"This isn't just a place to ski, it is a really special place to me and a lot of people. I come here and to ski with people I know. It's a community up here--a real tight knit community. You don't find that at many other places," he said, and as we parted and I drove home, I realized that this was why I make that drive to Burke. Indeed, the further I get away from Burke the more I want to return for its nice "skier" runs and for its people. :beer: to a great season thus far and the hope that Burke is not ruined anytime soon.
The snow had lessened and there were times of icy pellets, but it did not rain.
