My/Your First Tree Run

[Grassi21]

I was going to write a trip report for my trip to Mt. Snow on 2/18 but I'm feeling tired and lazy. Besides the all-day snow, good company, and long lift lines, I took my first ever tree run. After skiing the Sunbrook area all morning I was feeling good. My buddies haven't skied with me since last year and were impressed with how I progressed. After lunch we started out on the North Face. We took River Run to the base area. My bud who has been skiing since 7 yrs old says he wants to take Fallen Timbers which I thought was a tree run. But now looking at the map it looks like a normal trail (not trees). Whatever it is he took me in the trees skier's left of Fallen Timbers. I had some nerves going but I was feeling good with my performance so far that day. I took a little spill, nothing bad. As I tried to right myself I planted my pole uphill of me. I've never skied an area in which I could jam my pole all the way to the ground below. It didn't take long before I looked at my bud and told him I had to bail. We start slowly picking our way skier's right to pop out of the trees. I was pretty POed since I knew in my head how I wanted to turn but my body wasn't cooperating due to nerves. I think the run we popped out on was Fallen Timbers. Its a steeper bump run than I'm used to. After struggling out of the woods I got tossed around in the the bumps a bit but made it down in one piece. I learned two things in the bumps. The first thing I learned was to be humble. I need to be skiing at a much higher level before I duck back into the woods. Despite scaring the S out of me, the second thing I learned was that the trees rock.

Anyone else care to share their first run through the trees?

 

[wa-loaf]

I've skied over there, the trees open up a bit more the further you get from the trail. They are pretty tough for a first run through the trees.

For easier trees for a first time (also my first time) at Stowe head skiers right off from the gonodola and hang up and right. Follow the tracks off into the woods and drop down anywhere that looks comfortable. It's a short run and not too steep. They also don't empty out on any bumps.:-o

Unrelated, but my inlaws live in Southbury.

 

[millerm277]

I think my first real tree run was Echo Woods at Killington....

 

[Grassi21]

I've skied over there, the trees open up a bit more the further you get from the trail. They are pretty tough for a first run through the trees.

For easier trees for a first time (also my first time) at Stowe head skiers right off from the gonodola and hang up and right. Follow the tracks off into the woods and drop down anywhere that looks comfortable. It's a short run and not too steep. They also don't empty out on any bumps.:-o

Unrelated, but my inlaws live in Southbury.

Great quiet town. We have been here less than a year.

 

[andyzee]

One of my first tree runs, in Killington, I made the mistake of taking my skis off during a blueberry break:

 

[bvibert]

My first time skiing in the trees was last Friday at Magic. It was a short, mellow shot of trees, but fun none the less. I managed to punch one of the tress on my last run through.

 

[MarkC]

I am pretty sure my first tree run was the circus trail at Plattekill.

 

[Birdman829]

Can't really remember. It was probably at Sugarloaf and I was probably 10-12 for my first real tree shot.

 

[takeahike46er]

My first run through the trees was Nosedive Glades at Stowe. It is a great, moderately pitched glade that was a perfect introduction. I've been hooked ever since.

 

[Rushski]

First run through trees (though pretty widely spaced) was at Okemo back in the mid-late 80s on Double Diamond or whatever it was called back then. I was just a teen and my friends and I couldn't believe how cool a trail it was. It was one of the very few trails of that time that had any trees to speak of in-bounds.

Correction - probably back in 84 or 85 when half of my hometown's early teen population were part of the ski club that went to Pat's Peak. Two out of the four years I was in it we had good snow years and we go out of bounds and trek far skier's right off Zephyr. It was pretty flat and not a lot of momentum, but was cool at that age.

 

[wintersyndrome]

Mt Snow "Dark side of the Moon" a buncha' years back

 

[Grassi21]

One of my first tree runs, in Killington, I made the mistake of taking my skis off during a blueberry break:

Blueberries on Hellgate = Bad
Blueberries in the trees = Really bad

 

[andyzee]

Blueberries on Hellgate = Bad
Blueberries in the trees = Really bad

That snow was so deep that I was not touching the ground. That fun tree run.

 

[Greg]

I think my first tree experience was dipping in and out of Dark Side of the Moon at Snow back in the 90's. A few years later I recall a run skier's left of Double Dipper at Killington. I hit Skidder a few times at Loon over the years. I believe the first top-to-bottom tree run I've done was East Glades at Beast a few years ago:

I also hit Blizzard Island that day which is a great low-angle glade:

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

i remember a great tree run out at Steamboat when i was 7....got off the untracked and sunk up to my chest in pow.....my brother had to come in and pull me out....been skiing trees for a looooong time.....love em.....