Least Favorite Trail

[riverc0il]

The Links at Cannon are terrible! There are bad trails that are avoidable and then there are critical junction trails you can't avoid. The Links are the latter. Hard to ski a full day at Cannon without skiing the links at least once (particularly if the Tram isn't running). It is unfortunate that the HSQ didn't just follow the old double lift line. The new cut destroyed some character of the trails and all we gained was being able to ski Middle Cannon or Bypass. Spookie accesses everything below these two trails. And who willfully wants to ski Bypass?

 

[thetrailboss]

Probably been said, but Deathspout at Sugarbush (Downspout). It's the only way down early season and gets way too much traffic. Icy in one hour or so. Ugh.

 

[thetrailboss]

Pretty much any trail at Middlebury Snow Bowl.

Why say that? In a good season the 'Bowl has some good old school terrain and never a crowd.

 

[steamboat1]

Why say that? In a good season the 'Bowl has some good old school terrain and never a crowd.

Well maybe I spent far, far to much time there in my youth.

 

[kickstand]

There are bad trails that are avoidable and then there are critical junction trails you can't avoid.

Like ClusterF*** Corner at Sunday River....

For those of you not familiar with it, it is where T2, Upper Sunday Punch and Ecstasy all come together and filter into Middle Sunday Punch, Monday Mourning and Cascades, arguably 6 of the 10-15 most popular/high-traffic trails on the mountain. It gets skied off by about 10am. It is truly a place where people of all abilities come together, for better or worse.

 

[SIKSKIER]

The Links at Cannon are terrible! There are bad trails that are avoidable and then there are critical junction trails you can't avoid. The Links are the latter. Hard to ski a full day at Cannon without skiing the links at least once (particularly if the Tram isn't running). It is unfortunate that the HSQ didn't just follow the old double lift line. The new cut destroyed some character of the trails and all we gained was being able to ski Middle Cannon or Bypass. Spookie accesses everything below these two trails. And who willfully wants to ski Bypass?

Dead spot on Steve.Couldn't have said it better.Totally changed the way the Tramway side skied forever.The old Middle Cannon has no resemblence to the current one and the old Big link is totally trashed now.Upper Cannon ends so much earlier than it used to.I find I don't ski that side as much because the abrupt end to the flow of the run at the detach unload.Don't get me started on Profile.And no,I will not call it Cannonball.

 

[Watatic Skier]

Like ClusterF*** Corner at Sunday River....

For those of you not familiar with it, it is where T2, Upper Sunday Punch and Ecstasy all come together and filter into Middle Sunday Punch, Monday Mourning and Cascades, arguably 6 of the 10-15 most popular/high-traffic trails on the mountain. It gets skied off by about 10am. It is truly a place where people of all abilities come together, for better or worse.

I really hate that junction, however it doesn't even compare to the junction above the Spruce Triple. Loads of people coming down from the Chondola, Lazy River, and pretty much everything to the west all funneling down onto Tourist trap.

 

[deadheadskier]

Tourist Trap is definitely equally as bad. Maybe not conditions wise, but crowd wise for sure. Where it's probably worse is there is a far greater percentage of novice skiers who probably intended to stay over more on South Ridge proper, but get stuck in the cross hairs of people speeding for Barker.

 

[deadheadskier]

Not a lot of Okemo skiers here, but I'll throw my vote in for Lower Arrow. Damn nasty funnel trail.

 

[drjeff]

The Viper Pit at K. Always had me skiing defensively through that area, and then breathing a big sigh of relief when I emerged, hopefully unscathed onto either Bear Claw or Wildfire depending on where I was headed. Now that i've gone through there with my kids a few times, my collision anxiety has been tripled as the masses go barreling through there often with reckless abandon

 

[bigbog]

AHH..HA...Ditto ceo and dhs,
Two trails definitely out of the box...ie devised on Friday afternoons after lunches with too many brews....

 

[kickstand]

I really hate that junction, however it doesn't even compare to the junction above the Spruce Triple. Loads of people coming down from the Chondola, Lazy River, and pretty much everything to the west all funneling down onto Tourist trap.

I had to look at a map to see exactly where you talking about. Was wondering where there was a junction above the Spruce Triple......but, yes, that whole area kind of blows, especially from where Lazy River meets American Express. From that point down is like skiing thru a mine field.

 

[soposkier]

I really hate that junction, however it doesn't even compare to the junction above the Spruce Triple. Loads of people coming down from the Chondola, Lazy River, and pretty much everything to the west all funneling down onto Tourist trap.

I enjoy the challenge of skiing the icy luge track that forms in the maze that is set up to slow people down.

Speaking of clusterf**k corners, at Ragged the intersection where Headwall finishes can be scary if people are standing in the wrong spots.

 

[MadMadWorld]

The Alta Chutes in Jackson.

Dont get me wrong, just like any trail with a foot of fresh, its awesome, but everyone and their Mom seems to think its AOK to set a traverse line across all of them. Completely ruins the runs unless you are lucky and get early ups on the tram.

I have skied JH only once in my life and I was shocked to see all those traverse ruts at such a skiers mountain. Great choice for ugly expert terrain

 

[ceo]

The reason they ran the Peabody Quad up to the Links (or so I conjecture) was so there were two more trails for all that extra traffic to go down. Retaining the alignment of the old chair would have resulted in huge traffic on Ravine and Spookie.

 

[riverc0il]

I realize the reason, ceo. Ideally, they just need to cut a less steep route down to Middle Ravine and it would solve the problem. They really only gained one more trail by ending the Peabody where it ends currently (Middle Cannon -- Bypass was originally not an option thought that has changed but who actually wants to ski Bypass? It is worse than the Links). They could have widened Spookie for increased traffic with the old position and also added a new liftline trail (well, at least officially) as the line would have been cut substantially wider. They also could have better utilized Lower Hard. There are ways that they could have made the old lift line work just fine if not better than the current design.

 

[SkiFanE]

American Express or Risky Business at the River. First, you gotta take the longest slowest chairlift where you have three trails down mid season, and one traverse trail. AE and RB are decent runs, but... down near the bottom of those runs, it gets scraped and icy early in the day. A lot of crossing traffic, and people always coming to a stop due to crossing traffic. I doubt they could keep the lower sections of those trails kin decent shape even if they groomed 3 times a day and blew snow there every night. It just is a tough area to keep good, too much of a bunch up area.

Wow...Risky is probably my favorite, most reliable trail at SR. I ski 50-70 days there and from beginning to end of season it always has something for me. The top has my favorite pit stop (he he), then I usually stay right the entire run...the part under the chair lift (below Lazy River) is usually SO nice...they don't groom it often and it bumps up nicely. Of course..if you are a middle of the trail/groomer skier...well you're missing the fun and getting stuck in the icy chutes - time to start taking the bumps

Yup..the cluster fuck junction/corners/intersections at SR are worst. The lowest part of Amex can bump up nicely...just have to wait for an opening to avoid the masses before the chair.

 

[bigbog]

With a little mental-physical_adjustment correcting my subtle-banking stance...paying big dividends everywhere...near the end of last season I'm going to get some satisfaction in skiing Jungle Road in the cold, late afternoon, under control 100%...8)

 

[J'Hams]

Roper's Road at Wachusett.
Flat and out of the way--dumb.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Double Dipper at killington. Not for what the trail is so much as for what they could've done instead of paving a superhighway down the canyon.

Good call.

My least favorite at Killington is Mouse Trap. The whole right side of the trail (going down) is shrubs and sticks coming up through the snow, even if it's relatively deep. They need to take a hedge trimmer to that sh*t. And so many trails funnel into Mouse Trap, it's hard to avoid. It's hard to carve or catch a good edge on a field of sticks.