snowmonster
New member
Date(s) Skied: March 16 & 17
Resort or Ski Area: Mad River Glen
Conditions: March 16 - hardpack, ice, crud, PP on Antelope; March 17 (After the St. Patrick's Day storm) - Powder
Trip Report:
What a difference a day makes! The original plan for this weekend was to ski MRG on Friday, spend the night at KingM's inn then move south to Killington/Pico on Saturday. I knew there was a storm on the way but I didn't expect this much snow!
Day 1: Got to MRG at about 11 am after a late start from Boston. Started off the Sunnyside Double -- Quacky to Porcupine then Quacky to Chipmunk. The conditions were formidable -- hard, icy, bare in spots. Every time I turned near an exposed rock, I kept trying to listen for my ski hitting it. My poor bases! Just about every trail had a "Thin Cover" sign.
I hit the Single Chair after a short break and conditions were better up there. Peeked down Catamount Bowl and the bumps looked absolutely solid. I was primed for less of a challenge so I took Antelope to Catamount. The first part of Antelope was groomed well and the snow was more or less packed powder. With no one up there, it was great just ramping up the speed on this trail. Did this to mid-station about a half-dozen times.
Going down the mountain, I hit Moody's (bumpy PP), to Canyon where the bumps were particularly hard and unforgiving, to Bunny to Rockefellers (icy bumps). Did one last run down the mountain but changed it up by hitting Beaver which, at the end of the day, was cruddy and looked like coral. I tried to ski it too cautiously and ended up double ejecting!
Though the conditions were not epic, on the plus side, there was hardly anyone there and I had the mountain to myself allowing for multiple runs off the Single.
Post Day1/Pre Day 2: At dinner, couples on both tables talked me and li'l snowmonster to ditch the trip to K and stay in the valley. In Boston, the snow was just supposed to be a couple of inches. Now, all these folks in VT were telling me to expect 20 inches! Made tentative plans to maybe stay in the Valley and headed to KingM's inn for the night. At about this time, the first flakes were falling. Woke up at around 2:30 just to have a look outside and more than a foot had fallen and it was still falling fast. No way were we leaving the MRV.
Day 2: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Not Irish but I think I bring their luck with me. Everytime this year that I hit the MRV, we get a massive snowstorm (V-Day then this). Hmmm, lemme arrange a trip there in April. After a great breakfast and getting an MRG voucher at the inn, we headed to MRG to see everything coated in powder. What a difference a day makes, really! Bulletproof one day, pow the next. No lines one day, monster lines on the Single the next.
Got on the Sunnyside and headed for Birdland. Quacky was way different today -- instead of hearing your skis scrape off the sides of the bumps there was just this unusual sound -- sounds like powder!
The terrain at Birdland is tame and is probably not for most advanced skiers. But, if it was powder you wanted and lots of runs, this was the place to be. No lines, no one there but a few little kids and their parents and lots of untracked snow. Worked on my non existent powder skills in the woods off Duck and did "la face plante grande" twice! Anyway, after a few more powder runs, I got the hang of it. Had a quick lunch at the Birdcage (never saw it open until today; they also have the "trough" in there) then headed for the Single.
Waited in line for about 20 minutes, got on then contemplated my existence while having a quiet moment on the Single. Hit Antelope again. It was also nice soft bumps now instead of being more of a race course the day before. Cut though Moody's again then saw some folks duck into Ferret. I followed them and had a great tree skiing experience surfing through powder (I'm starting to like this). Ended up on Upper and Lower Glades for more powder bumps. Ended the run on Waterfall where, due to exhaustion, I face planted again just as I was finishing up.
Did another run off the Sunnyside Double and my last lap on the Single before it's replaced. Tried to hit every trail I did the day before just to compare. Unbelievable. What had been ice the day before was now covered in powder. It was like skiing two different mountains in two days. Caution though that the iciness was still there just below the pow and if your ski dug or scraped deep enough, the ice bumps were still there to grab you.
I wanted to stay one more day since it was still snowing at 4:30 and couldn't get enough of the pow. But li'l snowmonster was feeling ill and so I reluctantly left the MRV. This ski day was definitely one for the books. Ranks up there with the AZ Burkeapaloza last V-Day.
To paraphrase MRG's sticker, when it's a pow day, ski it if you can!
KingM's inn: Just wanted to thank KingM for his and his wife's hospitality (terrific folks! just like all AZers.). Great place. Highly recommended. Location is key, rooms are very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was great (the homemade granola and coffee cake were excellent)! Special rates on MRG tickets too and that was more than appreciated. Definitely staying over again in the summer -- if not sooner!
Resort or Ski Area: Mad River Glen
Conditions: March 16 - hardpack, ice, crud, PP on Antelope; March 17 (After the St. Patrick's Day storm) - Powder
Trip Report:
What a difference a day makes! The original plan for this weekend was to ski MRG on Friday, spend the night at KingM's inn then move south to Killington/Pico on Saturday. I knew there was a storm on the way but I didn't expect this much snow!
Day 1: Got to MRG at about 11 am after a late start from Boston. Started off the Sunnyside Double -- Quacky to Porcupine then Quacky to Chipmunk. The conditions were formidable -- hard, icy, bare in spots. Every time I turned near an exposed rock, I kept trying to listen for my ski hitting it. My poor bases! Just about every trail had a "Thin Cover" sign.
I hit the Single Chair after a short break and conditions were better up there. Peeked down Catamount Bowl and the bumps looked absolutely solid. I was primed for less of a challenge so I took Antelope to Catamount. The first part of Antelope was groomed well and the snow was more or less packed powder. With no one up there, it was great just ramping up the speed on this trail. Did this to mid-station about a half-dozen times.
Going down the mountain, I hit Moody's (bumpy PP), to Canyon where the bumps were particularly hard and unforgiving, to Bunny to Rockefellers (icy bumps). Did one last run down the mountain but changed it up by hitting Beaver which, at the end of the day, was cruddy and looked like coral. I tried to ski it too cautiously and ended up double ejecting!
Though the conditions were not epic, on the plus side, there was hardly anyone there and I had the mountain to myself allowing for multiple runs off the Single.
Post Day1/Pre Day 2: At dinner, couples on both tables talked me and li'l snowmonster to ditch the trip to K and stay in the valley. In Boston, the snow was just supposed to be a couple of inches. Now, all these folks in VT were telling me to expect 20 inches! Made tentative plans to maybe stay in the Valley and headed to KingM's inn for the night. At about this time, the first flakes were falling. Woke up at around 2:30 just to have a look outside and more than a foot had fallen and it was still falling fast. No way were we leaving the MRV.
Day 2: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Not Irish but I think I bring their luck with me. Everytime this year that I hit the MRV, we get a massive snowstorm (V-Day then this). Hmmm, lemme arrange a trip there in April. After a great breakfast and getting an MRG voucher at the inn, we headed to MRG to see everything coated in powder. What a difference a day makes, really! Bulletproof one day, pow the next. No lines one day, monster lines on the Single the next.
Got on the Sunnyside and headed for Birdland. Quacky was way different today -- instead of hearing your skis scrape off the sides of the bumps there was just this unusual sound -- sounds like powder!
The terrain at Birdland is tame and is probably not for most advanced skiers. But, if it was powder you wanted and lots of runs, this was the place to be. No lines, no one there but a few little kids and their parents and lots of untracked snow. Worked on my non existent powder skills in the woods off Duck and did "la face plante grande" twice! Anyway, after a few more powder runs, I got the hang of it. Had a quick lunch at the Birdcage (never saw it open until today; they also have the "trough" in there) then headed for the Single.
Waited in line for about 20 minutes, got on then contemplated my existence while having a quiet moment on the Single. Hit Antelope again. It was also nice soft bumps now instead of being more of a race course the day before. Cut though Moody's again then saw some folks duck into Ferret. I followed them and had a great tree skiing experience surfing through powder (I'm starting to like this). Ended up on Upper and Lower Glades for more powder bumps. Ended the run on Waterfall where, due to exhaustion, I face planted again just as I was finishing up.
Did another run off the Sunnyside Double and my last lap on the Single before it's replaced. Tried to hit every trail I did the day before just to compare. Unbelievable. What had been ice the day before was now covered in powder. It was like skiing two different mountains in two days. Caution though that the iciness was still there just below the pow and if your ski dug or scraped deep enough, the ice bumps were still there to grab you.
I wanted to stay one more day since it was still snowing at 4:30 and couldn't get enough of the pow. But li'l snowmonster was feeling ill and so I reluctantly left the MRV. This ski day was definitely one for the books. Ranks up there with the AZ Burkeapaloza last V-Day.
To paraphrase MRG's sticker, when it's a pow day, ski it if you can!
KingM's inn: Just wanted to thank KingM for his and his wife's hospitality (terrific folks! just like all AZers.). Great place. Highly recommended. Location is key, rooms are very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was great (the homemade granola and coffee cake were excellent)! Special rates on MRG tickets too and that was more than appreciated. Definitely staying over again in the summer -- if not sooner!
