Date(s) Skied: March 5-6, 2005
Resort or Ski Area: Burke Mountain Resort
Conditions: Sat: Packed Powder, Powder, incredible Blue Skies. Sunday: Powder, fresh powder, and snow.
Trip Report: I had been looking forward to my homecoming to Burke Mountain, where in January 1990 my addiction...err...ski career began on the Carter Country Trail in front of the lower lodge. I've been to Burke many times and with many different folks, but Saturday's visit ranks as one of the top days spent on the slopes of the old "Northern Star."
We pulled into the MidBurke Lodge at 8:20 or so to find that we were one of a handful of folks who got up for an early start. We met Bob R and riverc0il inside the lodge. "I was car number five...thought I was in the staff lot or something," Bob said to me. "This is a typical early morning crowd," I said, motioning to the handful of locals who were in the lodge. One of those locals, my Uncle Tim, stopped by and gave us some good suggestions for the morning. "The sun is shining on the Dippers and there is fresh grooming. Real fresh. I'd go there first."
So we took his advice and headed out...me, Ms. Trailboss, Bob, and riverc0il, along with some of riverc0il's friends. We pulled into the lift corral at 8:45 and found a group of 25 folks drooling at the sight of fresh grooming and empty slopes. (Burke now has pushed their weekend opening time back to 9am from 8:30am). Within minutes of our arrival, the rope dropped and we began our first ride to the summit. I pointed out the area landmarks--Sugarbush in the south, Camel's Hump, Mansfield, Jay, Willoughby Gap, and Bald Mountain. At the top, we regrouped and headed down Carriage Road to the Dipper Race Trail. Both were freshly groomed and I hooted as I ripped some large turns on the Dippers. "Nothing wrong with that," said Burke first timer Bob.
For the second run we headed down Upper and Lower Willoughby with me screaming for joy. "Wow that was incredible," Bob said as we rode up the lift at 9:45 to see still fresh grooming on Lower Fox's and Lower Bear Den.
As the mini-tour guide, I wanted to be sure to show Bob one of Burke's signature trails: The East Bowl. Beginning as narrow opening, barely a groomer width ride and after a hike up the Toll Road, East Bowl requires a slug up and along a catwalk before coming to the famous Bob's View, which features a panorama of the Presidential Range and the Northern most Whites. From here the trail is a roller coaster ride down over boulders and through narrow openings and interesting pitches along the resort's parameter. At one time this trail was considered a green circle (!) because of the runouts at the top and bottom, but later it was changed to a blue square due to the bumps and rolls. "They say it's an intermediate run, but it can be downright hairy when it's bumpy," said riverc0il's friend Mike. Today we found it groomed (and it had been groomed to perfection on Sunday). Bob, riverc0il, and I zoomed down the trail, rolling off of the rocks like pinballs and tucking the bottom runout (a must).
After a brief stop in the lodge, we headed back up for a run down Upper Bear Den to Willoughby and then down Lower Bear Den to Lower Fox's. At this point, almost 10:30, we still had some fresh grooming. At the bottom, we were all grinning. "What a mountain--every turn gets faster and faster!" Bob exclaimed.
From here I took Bob and Ms. Trailboss down Powderhorn to Dipper Doodle while riverc0il and his buddies hit some more glades. We also hit Shoot to Willoughby and then East Bowl before taking lunch.
After relaxing in the lodge and having lunch, I met Charlie Schuessler, who had a big grin on his face. "I tried to get a hold of you yesterday...got here a bit late this morning, but have been ripping it up. What a mountain!"
At this time, my sister and her boyfriend also showed up and we all headed to the summit for a run down the Dippers (Bob, Ms. Trailboss and Trailboss' sister) while the riverc0il, Charlie, and I hit Sasqwatch and Throbulator glades interuppted only by Wilderness and Powderhorn. "Wow, that is sweet," Charlie said as we watched riverc0il make some short, sweet turns in the snow choked woods.
The balance of the afternoon was spent with Charlie and riverc0il hitting almost every major glade (and coming out with the biggest 's I've seen) while I showed Bob and Ms. Trailboss some more great runs on Burke's rollicking trails. riverc0il, Charlie, and I did attack Doug's Drop, which was in great shape with some big bumps. Later we did a nice easy run down Toll Road to Mountain Marsh and Trailboss' favorite glade, Marshland, which was covered very well. This glade has some nice hits and is hidden from other areas. Bob R joined us on this tree run and admitted that it was good (though he preferred trails for his signature big turns :wink: ). After a photo run on the Dippers, Bob and Ms. Trailboss wrapped things up by taking two runs off of the historic Mountain Poma, which was the first lift installed on Burke in 1953. It was shortened in the sixties and then renovated and extended to its present length (with an elbow in the line at midstation). We ripped some turns on Warren's and Lower Fox's before Ms. Trailboss and Bob headed to the pub. I took one more run down Carriage Road and headed inside for a well-deserved beer.
Charlie and riverc0il joined us after some few last tree runs on Jungle, Birches, Caveman, and Dixiland. We sat, talked, had some beers, and viewed pics of the day before Ms. Schuessler snapped a couple pics of the AZ boys :beer: . We were all smiles...great day, great weather, great company, great snow. For those who didn't join, you missed a real gem. :wink:
Some quotations from the day:
"Welcome to my home." --Trailboss
"He's like a kid in a candy shop." --Bob referring to Trailboss. :wink:
"Raise the bar at the lucky tree." --Trailboss
"Wow. Great grooming. Nice wide open trails." --Bob
"I love this place. I'll be back. " --Charlie.
"I have such a hard time driving by Cannon, but this was worth it today." --riverc0il
(Pointing to ten people in the corral): "This is a Burke crowd." --Trailboss
"Crowd's gettin' too big. I'm headin' home." --Burke Season Pass holder's response to a five minute wait for the quad.
"This is a mountain where each turn is faster than the one before." --Bob R referring to the fall line trails of Dipper, Willoughby, Lower Fox's and Lower Bear Den.
"I missed the turn...you skied too fast for me!" --Ms. Trailboss, who gets props for keeping up with us
--riverc0il and Charlie, our resident woodsmen.
As for Sunday we took advantage of the $15 afternoon ticket special and hit our favorite runs including East Bowl (3 runs for Trailboss ), Willoughby, Dippers, Powderhorn, Dipper Doodle, and Warren's Way. NOBODY was there for the couple inches of fresh powder on top of groomed sweetness!
Resort or Ski Area: Burke Mountain Resort
Conditions: Sat: Packed Powder, Powder, incredible Blue Skies. Sunday: Powder, fresh powder, and snow.
Trip Report: I had been looking forward to my homecoming to Burke Mountain, where in January 1990 my addiction...err...ski career began on the Carter Country Trail in front of the lower lodge. I've been to Burke many times and with many different folks, but Saturday's visit ranks as one of the top days spent on the slopes of the old "Northern Star."
We pulled into the MidBurke Lodge at 8:20 or so to find that we were one of a handful of folks who got up for an early start. We met Bob R and riverc0il inside the lodge. "I was car number five...thought I was in the staff lot or something," Bob said to me. "This is a typical early morning crowd," I said, motioning to the handful of locals who were in the lodge. One of those locals, my Uncle Tim, stopped by and gave us some good suggestions for the morning. "The sun is shining on the Dippers and there is fresh grooming. Real fresh. I'd go there first."
So we took his advice and headed out...me, Ms. Trailboss, Bob, and riverc0il, along with some of riverc0il's friends. We pulled into the lift corral at 8:45 and found a group of 25 folks drooling at the sight of fresh grooming and empty slopes. (Burke now has pushed their weekend opening time back to 9am from 8:30am). Within minutes of our arrival, the rope dropped and we began our first ride to the summit. I pointed out the area landmarks--Sugarbush in the south, Camel's Hump, Mansfield, Jay, Willoughby Gap, and Bald Mountain. At the top, we regrouped and headed down Carriage Road to the Dipper Race Trail. Both were freshly groomed and I hooted as I ripped some large turns on the Dippers. "Nothing wrong with that," said Burke first timer Bob.
For the second run we headed down Upper and Lower Willoughby with me screaming for joy. "Wow that was incredible," Bob said as we rode up the lift at 9:45 to see still fresh grooming on Lower Fox's and Lower Bear Den.
As the mini-tour guide, I wanted to be sure to show Bob one of Burke's signature trails: The East Bowl. Beginning as narrow opening, barely a groomer width ride and after a hike up the Toll Road, East Bowl requires a slug up and along a catwalk before coming to the famous Bob's View, which features a panorama of the Presidential Range and the Northern most Whites. From here the trail is a roller coaster ride down over boulders and through narrow openings and interesting pitches along the resort's parameter. At one time this trail was considered a green circle (!) because of the runouts at the top and bottom, but later it was changed to a blue square due to the bumps and rolls. "They say it's an intermediate run, but it can be downright hairy when it's bumpy," said riverc0il's friend Mike. Today we found it groomed (and it had been groomed to perfection on Sunday). Bob, riverc0il, and I zoomed down the trail, rolling off of the rocks like pinballs and tucking the bottom runout (a must).
After a brief stop in the lodge, we headed back up for a run down Upper Bear Den to Willoughby and then down Lower Bear Den to Lower Fox's. At this point, almost 10:30, we still had some fresh grooming. At the bottom, we were all grinning. "What a mountain--every turn gets faster and faster!" Bob exclaimed.
From here I took Bob and Ms. Trailboss down Powderhorn to Dipper Doodle while riverc0il and his buddies hit some more glades. We also hit Shoot to Willoughby and then East Bowl before taking lunch.
After relaxing in the lodge and having lunch, I met Charlie Schuessler, who had a big grin on his face. "I tried to get a hold of you yesterday...got here a bit late this morning, but have been ripping it up. What a mountain!"
At this time, my sister and her boyfriend also showed up and we all headed to the summit for a run down the Dippers (Bob, Ms. Trailboss and Trailboss' sister) while the riverc0il, Charlie, and I hit Sasqwatch and Throbulator glades interuppted only by Wilderness and Powderhorn. "Wow, that is sweet," Charlie said as we watched riverc0il make some short, sweet turns in the snow choked woods. The balance of the afternoon was spent with Charlie and riverc0il hitting almost every major glade (and coming out with the biggest
's I've seen) while I showed Bob and Ms. Trailboss some more great runs on Burke's rollicking trails. riverc0il, Charlie, and I did attack Doug's Drop, which was in great shape with some big bumps. Later we did a nice easy run down Toll Road to Mountain Marsh and Trailboss' favorite glade, Marshland, which was covered very well. This glade has some nice hits and is hidden from other areas. Bob R joined us on this tree run and admitted that it was good (though he preferred trails for his signature big turns :wink: ). After a photo run on the Dippers, Bob and Ms. Trailboss wrapped things up by taking two runs off of the historic Mountain Poma, which was the first lift installed on Burke in 1953. It was shortened in the sixties and then renovated and extended to its present length (with an elbow in the line at midstation). We ripped some turns on Warren's and Lower Fox's before Ms. Trailboss and Bob headed to the pub. I took one more run down Carriage Road and headed inside for a well-deserved beer. Charlie and riverc0il joined us after some few last tree runs on Jungle, Birches, Caveman, and Dixiland. We sat, talked, had some beers, and viewed pics of the day before Ms. Schuessler snapped a couple pics of the AZ boys :beer: . We were all smiles...great day, great weather, great company, great snow. For those who didn't join, you missed a real gem. :wink:
Some quotations from the day:
"Welcome to my home." --Trailboss
"He's like a kid in a candy shop." --Bob referring to Trailboss. :wink:
"Raise the bar at the lucky tree." --Trailboss
"Wow. Great grooming. Nice wide open trails." --Bob
"I love this place. I'll be back.
" --Charlie."I have such a hard time driving by Cannon, but this was worth it today." --riverc0il
(Pointing to ten people in the corral): "This is a Burke crowd." --Trailboss
"Crowd's gettin' too big. I'm headin' home." --Burke Season Pass holder's response to a five minute wait for the quad.
"This is a mountain where each turn is faster than the one before." --Bob R referring to the fall line trails of Dipper, Willoughby, Lower Fox's and Lower Bear Den.
"I missed the turn...you skied too fast for me!" --Ms. Trailboss, who gets props for keeping up with us
--riverc0il and Charlie, our resident woodsmen. As for Sunday we took advantage of the $15 afternoon ticket special and hit our favorite runs including East Bowl (3 runs for Trailboss
), Willoughby, Dippers, Powderhorn, Dipper Doodle, and Warren's Way. NOBODY was there for the couple inches of fresh powder on top of groomed sweetness! 
