Middlebury Snowbowl- 3/14/2015

[catsup948]

3/14/2015
Middlebury Snowbowl
Refrozen Hardpack

Xwhaler, our friend Nate and I skied Middlebury for the first time Saturday. Skiing was not ideal as everything was just refrozen hardpack. The only trail that was really groomed was Allen, which skied very well. Everything else we skied was very challenging coral reef. Eventually we decided our best course of action was to ski in the woods. Woods were very hard but did provide a slightly better surface than the trails. They did seem to have a ton of coverage still. Xwhaler action shot.
I wish we could have hit Middlebury on a better day. The place has some great skiing. Classic cut trails with lots of character. On map glades were very impressive, steep in places, lots of features, very challenging, all hardwoods. They claim 500 acres of tree skiing and I bet that is legit. The mountain seems huge from the lift and skis way bigger then 1000 vertical. I hope I can hit it again with better snow conditions next year.

 

[Savemeasammy]

The liftline shot is a good one. I've never felt compelled to ski there based on my limited research of the place - and the fact that it is overshadowed by it's neighbors - but maybe I will change my mind!


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[ScottySkis]

In snowy belt?

 

[xwhaler]

What a wknd...glad we saw Middlebury even if conditions were sketchy.
Place has amazing potential and the locals up there have done a tremendous job clearing glades.
The few on map named glades are pruned very well and could ski well on limited base I think.
Bailey Falls lift was not worth it as no grooming made its highly variable after the thaw/freeze cycle. They had an inch of fresh come through late Friday afternoon which made the woods somewhat enjoyable as an edge could be set.

Will definitely be back in better conditions. Trail map is possibly the worst representation of available terrain I've seen in New England.
It skis way bigger than the little trail map would suggest----they should look to update that.

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm bummed I didn't get there on the Fox44 card. It was kind of the one place I wanted to ski the most on the card provided good conditions just because I've never been and have heard the trees are great.

I drove by their last Wednesday during my work travels and it definitely looks bigger than one might expect.

Not sure what road you took to and from there, but on my way back to the seacoast I took Bethel Mountain Road from downtown Rochester, VT. Really cool drive. 100 to 107 is probably faster, but not as scenic.

 

[Abominable]

Right at the top of that photo is the mid-station.

 

[xwhaler]

I'm bummed I didn't get there on the Fox44 card. It was kind of the one place I wanted to ski the most on the card provided good conditions just because I've never been and have heard the trees are great.

I drove by their last Wednesday during my work travels and it definitely looks bigger than one might expect.

Not sure what road you took to and from there, but on my way back to the seacoast I took Bethel Mountain Road from downtown Rochester, VT. Really cool drive. 100 to 107 is probably faster, but not as scenic.

We did take Bethel Mtn Road...through Rochester and on up to Middlebury. Very nice drive going through the gap---cool view of Pico to the South during one high point we went through.
Middlebury closes 3/29 on likely 100% open. Bailey Falls doesn't run during the week but Worth Mtn chair has plenty of terrain if anyone can make a last minute midweek trip.

 

[deadheadskier]

Does it not run all the time or just some midweek days?

The reason I ask is I looked to see if it was spinning last Wednesday and it was. I couldn't see anyone riding it, but I didn't stop to take a closer look either. Maybe just testing it?

 

[dlague]

I wanted to hit that last year with the fox 44 card but never made it. Our planned weekend combined Sugarbush with Middlebury but it r@!ned that weekend.

 

[xwhaler]

Does it not run all the time or just some midweek days?

The reason I ask is I looked to see if it was spinning last Wednesday and it was. I couldn't see anyone riding it, but I didn't stop to take a closer look either. Maybe just testing it?

Its confusing because some places I've seen that it never runs Monday/Tuesday, other things I've read suggest a wknd only operation.
It did run a random Monday in February, I see it is closed today.
Very much a locals vibe to it---I'd imagine its super empty midweek.
Lot of kids and a big racing heritage there....most ppl in the lodge were watching replays of the NCAA D1 ski championships.
Trails were virtually empty though conditions probably had a lot to do with it. It reminded me of Dartmouth Skiway but Middlebury seemed to ski much bigger.
To be fair though the 1 time I was at the Skiway only Winslow was open.