NEW Mountain Creek Trail

[TropicTundR]

Anyone know what became of it?

It was suppose to be completed for 2012 and join South with Granite without having to take shuttle. I guess when we get our first REAL snowfall it might open.

 

[TropicTundR]

Nevermind!

Guess it will open again in 2013.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Creek#Trails

 

[Rob A]

From what I have heard, MC started to cut that trail but stopped at the point that the trail intersected with Southern Sojourn. From that point on, it was all uphill. Apparently, although I was told that this is just a "rumor" they are planning on installing a new lift from that point next season.

Therefore, you could ski from the top of South the the point where you cannot ski any further downhill on the newly cut trail, then take a lift to the top of Granite.

As far as this season goes, I'm not very optimistic about it. I bought a triple play and I'll try to choose 3 days where creek is 100% open and I can lap Pipeline and Devil's Bit all day, but another rumor has it that Pipeline may not open this year from a new pipeline (yes actual pipeline) installed on the trail. Additionally, it may also take awhile just to get Red Rock going, as Hurricane Irene opened up a huge crevasse on the trail.

 

[Newpylong]

Never been there but whats with the abandoned trails on Vernon Peak above what is now the trails with names ending with "Passes."? Looks like a top to bottom lift used to run over there?

 

[Rob A]

Never been there but whats with the abandoned trails on Vernon Peak above what is now the trails with names ending with "Passes."? Looks like a top to bottom lift used to run over there?

The Great Northern Area (as I call like to call it) used to have its own lift back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s when the resort was Vernon Valley (and eventually Vernon Valley Great Gorge). It was a double-double chair that brought you to 2 trails, Cream Puff and North Slope, which were very short and mostly flat (if not uphill) and they dumped you off about halfway down Great Northern and Kyber Pass, making for a very short run as compared to entering the Great Northern Area from the top of today's Cabriolet. This area had it's hayday in the early-mid 2000s when the "Tylenol Main Park" was in place for the park 'n pipe set. Many terrain park venturers that ride South and Bear Peak today still claim that the old park that used to be on all the Great Northern trails was vastly superior to today's setup. I was never a park type of skier, but I did ski through Great Northern while it was a park, and I must say the features that MC setup in their were quite impressive compared to the spread-out park at South and Bear the past few seasons. Furthermore, the boarders and twin tippers aren't a big fan on the long, flat sections that can be frequently found at South and Bear, whereas the Great Northern Area (and all of Vernon outside of Horizon) serves the park riders much better from the steeper pitch and shorter runs.

I'll still never understand the move from Vernon to South/Bear for the park 'n pipe set. It didn't seem to make sense for anyone from the parkies, to the racers, to the traditional skiers like myself. But back on topic, that chair you are referring too was mostly useless, and those 2 "trails" are absolutely not missed.

From skiernet's history page on Vernon Valley:
"Don't lament the loss of "North Peak" and the Cream Puff trail served by the white double-double. Cream Puff was a flat, pointless dogleg right that led to the flat portion of Great Northern. With plenty of poling followed by a brief run on Kyber Pass, skiers found themselves back at the Sugar Slope. Another trail, North Slope, also ran from the top of North Peak and connected about midway down Kyber Pass. It was on the left as you got off the chair, but it is unknown if this trail was ever open. North Slope was rated intermediate. The white chair was mostly a lame alternative for skiers who couldn't bear the long lines on the blue or yellow chairs."
http://skiernet.com/vernon-valley.html

 

[ERJ-145CA]

As far as this season goes, I'm not very optimistic about it. I bought a triple play and I'll try to choose 3 days where creek is 100% open and I can lap Pipeline and Devil's Bit all day, but another rumor has it that Pipeline may not open this year from a new pipeline (yes actual pipeline) installed on the trail.

As far as Pipeline goes, I drive past MC a lot going to the grocery store, etc. and Pipeline is super wide now, I mean very, very wide. It looks like it's going to be a right of way for something. I was thinking high tension power lines but it could be for an actual pipeline. If you follow the path of Pipeline down the hill and across route 94 the wide clear area appears to continue on the other side of the road which leads me to believe it might be some kind of non-skiing related infrastructure.

 

[bensonr2]

From what I have heard, MC started to cut that trail but stopped at the point that the trail intersected with Southern Sojourn.

When I pictured the trail as they had announced it I pictured where it would come and envisioned there being way too much flat and uphill for it to be feasible. But I figured they must know something I don't. If they really started cutting the trail and ran into issues that's almost unbelievable. You would think before you start cutting a trail you would study topography maps, survey the woods etc.

 

[Newpylong]

Thanks for all the info Rob, that was more than I expected, lol.

The Great Northern Area (as I call like to call it) used to have its own lift back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s when the resort was Vernon Valley (and eventually Vernon Valley Great Gorge). It was a double-double chair that brought you to 2 trails, Cream Puff and North Slope, which were very short and mostly flat (if not uphill) and they dumped you off about halfway down Great Northern and Kyber Pass, making for a very short run as compared to entering the Great Northern Area from the top of today's Cabriolet. This area had it's hayday in the early-mid 2000s when the "Tylenol Main Park" was in place for the park 'n pipe set. Many terrain park venturers that ride South and Bear Peak today still claim that the old park that used to be on all the Great Northern trails was vastly superior to today's setup. I was never a park type of skier, but I did ski through Great Northern while it was a park, and I must say the features that MC setup in their were quite impressive compared to the spread-out park at South and Bear the past few seasons. Furthermore, the boarders and twin tippers aren't a big fan on the long, flat sections that can be frequently found at South and Bear, whereas the Great Northern Area (and all of Vernon outside of Horizon) serves the park riders much better from the steeper pitch and shorter runs.

I'll still never understand the move from Vernon to South/Bear for the park 'n pipe set. It didn't seem to make sense for anyone from the parkies, to the racers, to the traditional skiers like myself. But back on topic, that chair you are referring too was mostly useless, and those 2 "trails" are absolutely not missed.

From skiernet's history page on Vernon Valley:
"Don't lament the loss of "North Peak" and the Cream Puff trail served by the white double-double. Cream Puff was a flat, pointless dogleg right that led to the flat portion of Great Northern. With plenty of poling followed by a brief run on Kyber Pass, skiers found themselves back at the Sugar Slope. Another trail, North Slope, also ran from the top of North Peak and connected about midway down Kyber Pass. It was on the left as you got off the chair, but it is unknown if this trail was ever open. North Slope was rated intermediate. The white chair was mostly a lame alternative for skiers who couldn't bear the long lines on the blue or yellow chairs."
http://skiernet.com/vernon-valley.html

 

[x10003q]

As far as Pipeline goes, I drive past MC a lot going to the grocery store, etc. and Pipeline is super wide now, I mean very, very wide. It looks like it's going to be a right of way for something. I was thinking high tension power lines but it could be for an actual pipeline. If you follow the path of Pipeline down the hill and across route 94 the wide clear area appears to continue on the other side of the road which leads me to believe it might be some kind of non-skiing related infrastructure.

There was a natural gas pipeline installed up the Hamburg Mnt before Great Gorge North and the Pipeline trail existed. I think they just expanded the size of the pipeline in anticipation of all the new natural gas coming in from NYS and PA. My Dad worked for the company that owned the pipline in the 1970s and we used to ski for free at GG. I do not know if the same company still owns the pipeline.