Date(s) Skied: Friday, March 6th, 2009
Resort or Ski Area: Stowe
Conditions: Sahweet Ass First of the Season Corn
Trip Report:
Looking at the forecast for the past couple days, I have admit I had perhaps the lowest expectations for a day on the slopes since the first day of the season. Got into town last night around 10:30, met some friends and the Matterhorn and proceeded to get pretty banged up. So, late start this morning just solo as my buddy bailed. Got to the mountain at 10, booted up in the lower Gondi lot and headed up to the Gondola. When I got off the Gondi, the snow was petrified cord, hard as a rock and impossible to get an edge in. Crap. This cord remained frozen solid the whole day, even at 3:15 it didn't look like it had been skied on, it was that solid. Things very quickly turned for the better. As I got down 100 vert or so to the bottom of the big turn in Perry Merrill, it changed to frozen granular, then another maybe 50 vert and it was perfect buttery corn snow. Total hero snow.
I bombed Perry Merrill, then headed up the Quad to check out some woods. Again top 150 vert was frozen solid, but quickly turned to perfect corn. The woods were all SICK, just perfect corn snow that you could fly on. Bumps on Goat, National and Chin Clip were outstanding, though as is customary at Stowe, somewhat eraticly spaced in places. Did about 7 runs and headed over to Spruce to check out the new lodge. I really dig the Over Easy lift, so much better than the shuttle. Had lunch in the Spruce Camp Lodge, which is easily the nicest lodge facility I've ever been in. Great food, but the Turkey Panini and Gingerale came to $16
:lol:. Oh well, better than pay ten for utter crap as in found in most lodges. It was damn good.
Did a couple runs off Big Spruce then headed back over to the Mansfield side for a few more runs. I hit all of my favorite woods and it was outstanding. The only thing better would be six plus inches of pow. At 3:30 my legs were toast and I called it a day. I've had a couple of good powder days at Tenney and some great days at Cannon and Wildcat, but this was easily my best day of the season due the combination of skiing the best terrain in the east as perfect corn snow as you could ever hope for.
My only complaint for the day is not having my powder boards as they would've made pushing around the soft corn a bit easier than my 78 waist B2s. I left them at home looking at the forecast and figuring I wouldn't need them. Moral of the story, you never know until you go...always be prepared.
Crappy cell phone pics will follow when I get home on Sunday night as I don't have the cord to upload them to my lap top.
Hopefully tomorrow I luck out with the temperatures again and have another sweet day over at Smuggs.
Resort or Ski Area: Stowe
Conditions: Sahweet Ass First of the Season Corn
Trip Report:
Looking at the forecast for the past couple days, I have admit I had perhaps the lowest expectations for a day on the slopes since the first day of the season. Got into town last night around 10:30, met some friends and the Matterhorn and proceeded to get pretty banged up. So, late start this morning just solo as my buddy bailed. Got to the mountain at 10, booted up in the lower Gondi lot and headed up to the Gondola. When I got off the Gondi, the snow was petrified cord, hard as a rock and impossible to get an edge in. Crap. This cord remained frozen solid the whole day, even at 3:15 it didn't look like it had been skied on, it was that solid. Things very quickly turned for the better. As I got down 100 vert or so to the bottom of the big turn in Perry Merrill, it changed to frozen granular, then another maybe 50 vert and it was perfect buttery corn snow. Total hero snow.
I bombed Perry Merrill, then headed up the Quad to check out some woods. Again top 150 vert was frozen solid, but quickly turned to perfect corn. The woods were all SICK, just perfect corn snow that you could fly on. Bumps on Goat, National and Chin Clip were outstanding, though as is customary at Stowe, somewhat eraticly spaced in places. Did about 7 runs and headed over to Spruce to check out the new lodge. I really dig the Over Easy lift, so much better than the shuttle. Had lunch in the Spruce Camp Lodge, which is easily the nicest lodge facility I've ever been in. Great food, but the Turkey Panini and Gingerale came to $16
:lol:. Oh well, better than pay ten for utter crap as in found in most lodges. It was damn good. Did a couple runs off Big Spruce then headed back over to the Mansfield side for a few more runs. I hit all of my favorite woods and it was outstanding. The only thing better would be six plus inches of pow. At 3:30 my legs were toast and I called it a day. I've had a couple of good powder days at Tenney and some great days at Cannon and Wildcat, but this was easily my best day of the season due the combination of skiing the best terrain in the east as perfect corn snow as you could ever hope for.
My only complaint for the day is not having my powder boards as they would've made pushing around the soft corn a bit easier than my 78 waist B2s. I left them at home looking at the forecast and figuring I wouldn't need them. Moral of the story, you never know until you go...always be prepared.
Crappy cell phone pics will follow when I get home on Sunday night as I don't have the cord to upload them to my lap top.
Hopefully tomorrow I luck out with the temperatures again and have another sweet day over at Smuggs.
