Mad River Valley, Vermont Appreciation Thread

[Mr MRG]

I don't consider it overmarketing.. :-D

Now, if you only allowed boarders..

Thanks for the vote of confidence.
I think this forum has sufficiently beaten that horse to death!

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Next to Stowe and Jay Peak..the Mad River Valley is the best in Vermont..

You've got a point with Stowe, but as for Jay...eh. It's maybe 1200-1400' of real vertical then a painfully flat runout. It's more wind-effected than any other mtn in VT. It's got the most snow for sure, but it markets the hell out of its trees, so many of the on and off map tree shots get pounded into treed mogul runs by 11:00 on a powder day. No thanks.

 

[KingM]

Yes it is true, but you have to buy your Mad Card and sign your kiddies up by October 15th!!!
Do it online at www.madriverglen.com

That's really a fantastic deal. If you had two kids and just took them those three times, your cost per person would be $13/day. Anything else would be gravy.

 

[tcharron]

Thanks for the vote of confidence.
I think this forum has sufficiently beaten that horse to death!

I'm still thinking on it. See, I have one son to ski with, and another which boards. Kinda hard to tell the 12 year old he has to stay home whilst dad goes to a cool ski area with the 8 year old.

BAH! Allow boarding and my minds made up! :-D

 

[WWF-VT]

Just bought a Mad Card and added both of my sons - sweet deal ! We are season pass holders at Sugarbush and this makes it very cost effective to ski with friends at MRG

 

[riverc0il]

You've got a point with Stowe, but as for Jay...eh. It's maybe 1200-1400' of real vertical then a painfully flat runout. It's more wind-effected than any other mtn in VT. It's got the most snow for sure, but it markets the hell out of its trees, so many of the on and off map tree shots get pounded into treed mogul runs by 11:00 on a powder day. No thanks.

How is 1200-1400 real vertical then a painfully flat runout different than sugarbush? Top to bottom is over rated, pods are where it is at.

Jay's main slopes may certainly be wind blown, but all that snow has to go somewhere... and that somewhere is not wind blown.

Not sure where you are skiing at Jay where you find moguls by 11am, but it isn't where I ski at Jay, that is for sure. Lots of off the map stuff never bumps up all season.

Might not be your cup of tea, which I can certainly respect. But it certainly offers up all that the mountain is known for. I thought it was hype for the longest time. I am a believer after last year.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

How is 1200-1400 real vertical then a painfully flat runout different than sugarbush?

Um, because at Sugarbush, it's 2100+ real vertical (depending on where you are), then a less than painful runout.

 

[riverc0il]

Sugarbush has a lot of pretty painful run outs. Don't know how you can link 2100 real vertical feet at the Bush. Even the Castlerock pod has a runout (the runout to get back to the Double I am talking about, let alone the runout back to the lodge). Bottom of north is pretty boring too. I would actually rank the runout from Castlerock Double back to the lodge as worse than the Jay runout down Kokamo. Bush is my definition of a pod mountain, definitely not a top to bottom place, IMO. Maybe FIS? Just can't see Bush as being defined by top to bottom 2100 vertical. No more than Jay is defined by its top to bottom vertical, that was my point. Not that Bush is not a big mountain.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Sugarbush has a lot of pretty painful run outs. Don't know how you can link 2100 real vertical feet at the Bush. Even the Castlerock pod has a runout (the runout to get back to the Double I am talking about, let alone the runout back to the lodge). Bottom of north is pretty boring too. I would actually rank the runout from Castlerock Double back to the lodge as worse than the Jay runout down Kokamo. Bush is my definition of a pod mountain, definitely not a top to bottom place, IMO. Maybe FIS? Just can't see Bush as being defined by top to bottom 2100 vertical. No more than Jay is defined by its top to bottom vertical, that was my point. Not that Bush is not a big mountain.

But the Bush does have continuous vertical..you can ski 2600 vert at north without unclicking and I think 2400 at South,,,pretty nice..just coasting on a runout is better than posting on the internet..lol

 

[riverc0il]

just coasting on a runout is better than posting on the internet..lol

That can be debated :lol: ;-) I think we did the "Continuous Vertical vs. Real Vertical" thread sometime in the past. I detest run outs. Sometimes to the point that I make a bigger deal of them than they really are even worth making about. Certainly more so than your average skier. Just such a let down going from steep and nasty to flat as a pancake, poleing along.

Any ways, where is the snow?

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Having good wax and a nice aerodynamic tuck makes run-outs alot better..and gets you back to the lift faster for more..Runouts never phase me...like tje ens of Lower FIS at the Bush...a little poling and skating is part of the experience...After getting mad steezy speed I like to coast a little as opposed to making a quick stop at a lift..yeah boy-e

 

[Mr MRG]

No Run Outs Here!

Ski Mad River Glen - The No Run Out Mountain!!!!
How about a thread about ski areas with the worst runouts in existence.
My nomination is Whitefish MT (formerly Big Mountain)!

 

[JD]

J from the beaver pond. SOOOO lame. Anything skier's left off the Freezer or tram.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Homestretch at Blue mountain..the bottom 2/3 of Camelback..

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Sugarbush has a lot of pretty painful run outs. Don't know how you can link 2100 real vertical feet at the Bush. Even the Castlerock pod has a runout (the runout to get back to the Double I am talking about, let alone the runout back to the lodge). Bottom of north is pretty boring too. I would actually rank the runout from Castlerock Double back to the lodge as worse than the Jay runout down Kokamo. Bush is my definition of a pod mountain, definitely not a top to bottom place, IMO. Maybe FIS? Just can't see Bush as being defined by top to bottom 2100 vertical. No more than Jay is defined by its top to bottom vertical, that was my point. Not that Bush is not a big mountain.

The Bush is most definitely a pod type mountain, but I want to take a second to clear up what I said. At Jay, try as you maay by cutting side hill through the woods or whatever other means you'd like, you are going to be able to eek out maybe 1400' of interesting vertical at best and you have a mandatory run-out of some 600' feet to the bottom before you can head back up.

Compare this to the Mad River Valley (the poster to whom I originally responded compared Jay to all of the MRV). MRG's vertical is a straight up 2000', no artificial flavors or colors. That's as real as it gets, right down to the cliff bands on the lower portion of Liftline. At SB Nord, you've got 2000' of legit, continuous vertical from the peak down to the base of the North Ridge HSQ. You can then either go down the miserable run-out to the bottom (few do) or remain on the better part of the hill all day. If you head into the Lower FIS area, that too is 2000' of continuous, legit vertical, before it flattens out (painfully, I might add).

At SB Sud, you've got a lot of options giving you more, and sometimes farmore, continuous vertical than Jay. Start with Castlerock, where the 1700' vertical is, in my mind, continuous right down to the lift. I'm not sure I can agree with the argument that any portion of Liftline qualifies as a run-out - it's just less steep than the top, but the fun continues right down to the bottom pitch. You could of course choose to take Troll Road, and that's a run-out for sure, but that's your choice - the mtn enables you to do otherwise if you want. Also, from the top of LP, you can hit Jester for about 850' vertical before a flat traverse to the VH pod which offers up an additional 1100' of legit vertical right down to the VH lodge. Or you can simply take Organgrinder, and the varous permutations on either wise, all the way down to where it starts to flatten out, about 2000' below the summit.

If you were to go completely off the radar, there are runs offering a solid 2200' or so of vertical before flattening out. That's 50% more juice than Jay has to offer, simply as a function of topography. Regardless, they are most certainly both fun and I have no illusions about my lack of BC knowledge at present day Jay - most of my old haunts have been brought onto the map. Point is, I'll take the MRV as a whole. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Greg]

Start with Castlerock, where the 1700' vertical is, in my mind, continuous right down to the lift. I'm not sure I can agree with the argument that any portion of Liftline qualifies as a run-out - it's just less steep than the top, but the fun continues right down to the bottom pitch.

I have to agree here. The only part of the CR pod that could be argued to have any sort of run out is possibly the last bit of Middle Earth which is really the Castlerock Connection which is labeled as an intermediate run. After ME, I appreciate the break, and like to scream down that last right hand bend. Cotillion is a great run and is an enjoyable way to finish off Rumble. I guess after that top 2/3 of pretty steep terrain on the CR pod, the lower 1/3 might seem flat in comparison, but I think there are still some interesting drops in there here and there so I don't consider it a run out.