medfordmike
Member
I had never been to Bolton prior to today and it has been on my list for awhile. In the fall I purchased a voucher to make sure I crossed it off my list. I have been waiting for an opportunity to use it when most of the mountain would be open and with the season looking like it is drawing ever closer to an end I decided to use it no later than today or tomorrow. Their trail count had been stuck around 15 for the longest time. So I was surprised when their trail count jumped from yesterday morning's report of 14 to 46 today (their record high for the season). I guess 2-4 inches of snow and ice can do a lot in a season like this :smile:.
It was 10 degrees when I started and it never really warmed up. Slight breeze at the top but blue skies and sunny which for me overrides low temperatures most days. Really clear and the view from the summit was fantastic. While I was doubtful with their trail count the groomers were really nice. Hard Luck was my favorite of the day. Very little if any ice and coverage was full on all groomers. The natural trails as you might expect were more variable. Cobrass was nice with the occasional patch of solid ice that could easily be skied around. Vista Glad was very good. Vermont 200 was great except for the large drop in the middle. The top was glacial with only a small area to the side with snow that was pretty scraped off. That was a one and done for me. That being said the rest of the trail had really nice snow on it. Some of the smaller trails leaned towards dust on crust but they were usually the flatter trails so easy to navigate.
I enjoyed Bolton. The layout of the trails reminded me a bit of Birdland at MRG the way they split and reconnected in relatively short distances. I was surprised at how small the main lodge area is. There was nobody there today but unless the other lodge is open I could see it getting really tight on a weekend. Without Timberline or Wilderness open it felt a little small (but still a lot of fun) after a few hours. I definitely would like to go back when both are open to get a better sense of the place.
Great coverage at base and on beginner trails.
Vista Glade trail.
Cobrass
Shot looking up Vista quad.
It was 10 degrees when I started and it never really warmed up. Slight breeze at the top but blue skies and sunny which for me overrides low temperatures most days. Really clear and the view from the summit was fantastic. While I was doubtful with their trail count the groomers were really nice. Hard Luck was my favorite of the day. Very little if any ice and coverage was full on all groomers. The natural trails as you might expect were more variable. Cobrass was nice with the occasional patch of solid ice that could easily be skied around. Vista Glad was very good. Vermont 200 was great except for the large drop in the middle. The top was glacial with only a small area to the side with snow that was pretty scraped off. That was a one and done for me. That being said the rest of the trail had really nice snow on it. Some of the smaller trails leaned towards dust on crust but they were usually the flatter trails so easy to navigate.
I enjoyed Bolton. The layout of the trails reminded me a bit of Birdland at MRG the way they split and reconnected in relatively short distances. I was surprised at how small the main lodge area is. There was nobody there today but unless the other lodge is open I could see it getting really tight on a weekend. Without Timberline or Wilderness open it felt a little small (but still a lot of fun) after a few hours. I definitely would like to go back when both are open to get a better sense of the place.
Great coverage at base and on beginner trails.
Vista Glade trail.
Cobrass
Shot looking up Vista quad.
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