polski
New member
A late kickoff to the ski season but a memorable one as I took my 12-yo son up to N VT to play in the new snow Fri and Sat.
Friday, Mad River Glen: We were in Single liftline by 8:10 a.m. to get roughly chairs #10-11. Well worth the effort to get there early; after our first run (Cat Bowl > Lower Antelope) we went to the repair shop to see the bootfitter for an adjustment on my son's new boots and the line for lift tickets ran down to Rte 17 ... I was fine with the holiday week mobs though, as a shareholder (great for MRG business) and because I definitely did not have my ski legs yet so long liftlines just helped us pace ourselves. Lots of excellent if mostly tracked-out snow after 18-20" fell Thursday. Lower Antelope and Gazelle Glades (which we hit twice) probably would have been runs of the day except for the surprise Moody's gave us - a short run but all fresh refill pow, funneled in by the wind. Crowd avoidance measures included early lunch in the Birdcage and some rides up the Practice Slope chair and one up Birdland to mix things up. With my thighs threatening to spontaneously combust, at 2:30 we called it an excellent day.
Saturday, Bolton: An unusual day as ski days go. We were in a hotel outside of Burlington so certainly in position to start at the opening bell but with no fresh snowfall overnight, instead we decided to sleep in (much needed), then go to the nearby gym for which we got passes from the hotel; the hot tub was just the ticket for my aching leg muscles. And since Bolton has night skiing until 8 we were in no rush. As it happened we also waited until it started snowing again - 2+" would fall while we were there, helping freshen things a little. Hit the mountain a little before 2, spent the remaining daylight hours on the Wilderness chair, lots of fun runs including ample low-angle glades. Then after 4 p.m. we moved over to the Vista Quad and hit that side of the mountain until about 6. Basically ski-on the whole time, and this time my legs actually seemed to get stronger as the day progressed. Runs of the day/evening: Spillway - steep, fairly long and full of soft bumps, so good our "last run" turned into three.
Friday, Mad River Glen: We were in Single liftline by 8:10 a.m. to get roughly chairs #10-11. Well worth the effort to get there early; after our first run (Cat Bowl > Lower Antelope) we went to the repair shop to see the bootfitter for an adjustment on my son's new boots and the line for lift tickets ran down to Rte 17 ... I was fine with the holiday week mobs though, as a shareholder (great for MRG business) and because I definitely did not have my ski legs yet so long liftlines just helped us pace ourselves. Lots of excellent if mostly tracked-out snow after 18-20" fell Thursday. Lower Antelope and Gazelle Glades (which we hit twice) probably would have been runs of the day except for the surprise Moody's gave us - a short run but all fresh refill pow, funneled in by the wind. Crowd avoidance measures included early lunch in the Birdcage and some rides up the Practice Slope chair and one up Birdland to mix things up. With my thighs threatening to spontaneously combust, at 2:30 we called it an excellent day.
Saturday, Bolton: An unusual day as ski days go. We were in a hotel outside of Burlington so certainly in position to start at the opening bell but with no fresh snowfall overnight, instead we decided to sleep in (much needed), then go to the nearby gym for which we got passes from the hotel; the hot tub was just the ticket for my aching leg muscles. And since Bolton has night skiing until 8 we were in no rush. As it happened we also waited until it started snowing again - 2+" would fall while we were there, helping freshen things a little. Hit the mountain a little before 2, spent the remaining daylight hours on the Wilderness chair, lots of fun runs including ample low-angle glades. Then after 4 p.m. we moved over to the Vista Quad and hit that side of the mountain until about 6. Basically ski-on the whole time, and this time my legs actually seemed to get stronger as the day progressed. Runs of the day/evening: Spillway - steep, fairly long and full of soft bumps, so good our "last run" turned into three.
