hardline
New member
Stowe to Stratton: Ice, driving, and some damn fine medow skipping.
Stowe 03/01/09
So we got a late start to stowe on saturday so we baged going to burlington and went stright to stowe. we made it in 5 hours and got to the sun and ski at 10. after trying to got some sushi at the horn we end up at the sunset getting food. got to bed early.
after i took care of the car shit we where parking up at midway at 9:30. the notch was looking like spring in the notch
but it was pretty cold up at the top of the gondi. we did a run down perry. it was golf balls. went back up and did a run under the gondi and it was slightly better. for the third we went back up and took cliff trail over to the quad side. cliff was actually pretty good but there where to many people on it to really open it up. we got down to the quad and found this.
waited in line for 20 min then did lord/sunrise run. hardpack. so came back down and i made the call to spend the rest of the day over at spruce.
lapped the sunny spruce like 5 or 6 times and as long as you stayed in the sun it was almost a spring day. went over to sensation quad and did 4 laps over there. there was ice but it was in spots were you where flat on your base so no worries.
went in to the spruce lodge to get some beers. hung out till 2:30 then went out and did two more laps on the sunny then took the transfer lift back over to mansfield. for shits and giggles we took the handle tow up to the top of the mini park so we could slide over to the midway lot. went to the horn got some sushi then got on the road to stratton
Stratton 03/02/09
it took us 2.5 hours to get down to stratton from stowe. i booked the room over the phone to use my discount from my mountain creek pass. i got the prefered double that goes for 200 for 120. we check-in and and i start drinking while carri goes and soaks in the hot tub. around 10 we decide we want some food. well there is no where on the mountain to get food after 10. so we hop in the car and head down to 7/11. sandwiches and beer in hand we get back to the inn. i pass out and get up at 7. i decided that driving home after riding and thru the storm was a bad idea so i called the reservation line and got them to give me the same room for 70. i wasn't in any hurry to get to the mountain because it just started snowing. so went back to sleep till 10.
went to get my tix used my season pass and got two one day passes for 40. carri used her 10k tix.
It was a full on graybird day. it was really cold so we just spent the morning doing gondi laps. the key to the day was follow the wind. the wind was blowing all the snow over into the snowbowl. the left side of the trails where getting a foot to 2 in places. i spent the majority of the day scouting woods for tomorrow. we basically would take two runs go in and have a beer and repeat. called it quits at 3 and went to grizzly's and got this
drank there till 5 then went back to the inn and drank some more and took a nap till 9 them went to the door and got the steak special. came back and went to sleep.
o snaped a pic of the village for those who want to know what it looks like
Stratton 03/03/09
i was on the hill at 9 and first run was through some unmarked woods i had found yesterday.
took those down to upper slalom glade and into dancing bear woods then through the woods over to moonbeam woods. i was finding a min of a foot to drifts of 3 feet. there was deffinatly some crusty spots but if you knew what you where doing not an issue. carri was waiting at the bottom of the gondi for me so i was telling her that i think i found a way to get from the moonbeam woods
to cabing fever and to stay close. sure enough its totally possible. it wasa bit of a slog as no one had done it so i had to put in a short traverse. carri was having problems with all the sapplings
so i show here the proper tech for bark busting. never heard another complaint. on a pesonal note i was the first time since i blew my acl out that i have full on charged thru sapplings and brush. it felt damn good. i was pretty siked that i found a way top to bottom in the woods.we did this run like 7 more times and headed into grizzly's for a beer.
carri said she would be cool with riding the chairs so headed over to the kidderbrook. we droped right into test pilot.
it would be a really nice glade but it was hella blown off for the first half the bottom half was nice but needs another foot or two. there is also flat spot in the middle
so keep your speed up. got down to the sunrise express
took that up and sunbeam. the top 100ft was gnarly but the rest was dope. we where bombing down that and there is creek you have to be carfull of.carri evidently got stuck in it i took this line across it.
the next lap we came in from the side on downeaster. much better. i actually found myself whoopin.
the close you rode to the creek the deeper the snow. the next run i drop in to the woods from gentle ben. even better big open glades and not a single track.
we did that like 5 more times and decided it was time for a beer so we poped into the sunbowl lodge for a beer. carri ran into two friend from south jerz. so we all had a beer then they followed us around for a few laps. one of theguys after the first run was asking how i was able to go so fast and thru the tight trees with out getting hit. i told him first you need to treat the sapplings like slalom gates and not to look at the trees but the spaces between them. i also told him that it was in exploring mode not guide mode so it would probally be best if he didn't follow me. we did laps there till 3 then took the long ass traverse back to the gondi because the shooting star was not running anymore. we did a last lap down the woods on the gondi side. in my new woods run over by moon beam i got deep. 4 or 5 turns thigh deep. we heading back in to grizzly's for a beer and some food.
as surprised as i am i had a really good time at stratton. there are some really fun woods there. i actually had more fun in the woods at stratton than i have at mt snow. couple that with the fact i get $20 lift tix and i can get a room for $40. looks like i may actually start spending more time there.
Stowe 03/01/09
So we got a late start to stowe on saturday so we baged going to burlington and went stright to stowe. we made it in 5 hours and got to the sun and ski at 10. after trying to got some sushi at the horn we end up at the sunset getting food. got to bed early.
after i took care of the car shit we where parking up at midway at 9:30. the notch was looking like spring in the notch
but it was pretty cold up at the top of the gondi. we did a run down perry. it was golf balls. went back up and did a run under the gondi and it was slightly better. for the third we went back up and took cliff trail over to the quad side. cliff was actually pretty good but there where to many people on it to really open it up. we got down to the quad and found this.
waited in line for 20 min then did lord/sunrise run. hardpack. so came back down and i made the call to spend the rest of the day over at spruce.
lapped the sunny spruce like 5 or 6 times and as long as you stayed in the sun it was almost a spring day. went over to sensation quad and did 4 laps over there. there was ice but it was in spots were you where flat on your base so no worries.
went in to the spruce lodge to get some beers. hung out till 2:30 then went out and did two more laps on the sunny then took the transfer lift back over to mansfield. for shits and giggles we took the handle tow up to the top of the mini park so we could slide over to the midway lot. went to the horn got some sushi then got on the road to stratton
Stratton 03/02/09
it took us 2.5 hours to get down to stratton from stowe. i booked the room over the phone to use my discount from my mountain creek pass. i got the prefered double that goes for 200 for 120. we check-in and and i start drinking while carri goes and soaks in the hot tub. around 10 we decide we want some food. well there is no where on the mountain to get food after 10. so we hop in the car and head down to 7/11. sandwiches and beer in hand we get back to the inn. i pass out and get up at 7. i decided that driving home after riding and thru the storm was a bad idea so i called the reservation line and got them to give me the same room for 70. i wasn't in any hurry to get to the mountain because it just started snowing. so went back to sleep till 10.
went to get my tix used my season pass and got two one day passes for 40. carri used her 10k tix.
It was a full on graybird day. it was really cold so we just spent the morning doing gondi laps. the key to the day was follow the wind. the wind was blowing all the snow over into the snowbowl. the left side of the trails where getting a foot to 2 in places. i spent the majority of the day scouting woods for tomorrow. we basically would take two runs go in and have a beer and repeat. called it quits at 3 and went to grizzly's and got this
drank there till 5 then went back to the inn and drank some more and took a nap till 9 them went to the door and got the steak special. came back and went to sleep.
o snaped a pic of the village for those who want to know what it looks like
Stratton 03/03/09
i was on the hill at 9 and first run was through some unmarked woods i had found yesterday.
took those down to upper slalom glade and into dancing bear woods then through the woods over to moonbeam woods. i was finding a min of a foot to drifts of 3 feet. there was deffinatly some crusty spots but if you knew what you where doing not an issue. carri was waiting at the bottom of the gondi for me so i was telling her that i think i found a way to get from the moonbeam woods
to cabing fever and to stay close. sure enough its totally possible. it wasa bit of a slog as no one had done it so i had to put in a short traverse. carri was having problems with all the sapplings
so i show here the proper tech for bark busting. never heard another complaint. on a pesonal note i was the first time since i blew my acl out that i have full on charged thru sapplings and brush. it felt damn good. i was pretty siked that i found a way top to bottom in the woods.we did this run like 7 more times and headed into grizzly's for a beer.
carri said she would be cool with riding the chairs so headed over to the kidderbrook. we droped right into test pilot.
it would be a really nice glade but it was hella blown off for the first half the bottom half was nice but needs another foot or two. there is also flat spot in the middle
so keep your speed up. got down to the sunrise express
took that up and sunbeam. the top 100ft was gnarly but the rest was dope. we where bombing down that and there is creek you have to be carfull of.carri evidently got stuck in it i took this line across it.
the next lap we came in from the side on downeaster. much better. i actually found myself whoopin.
the close you rode to the creek the deeper the snow. the next run i drop in to the woods from gentle ben. even better big open glades and not a single track.
we did that like 5 more times and decided it was time for a beer so we poped into the sunbowl lodge for a beer. carri ran into two friend from south jerz. so we all had a beer then they followed us around for a few laps. one of theguys after the first run was asking how i was able to go so fast and thru the tight trees with out getting hit. i told him first you need to treat the sapplings like slalom gates and not to look at the trees but the spaces between them. i also told him that it was in exploring mode not guide mode so it would probally be best if he didn't follow me. we did laps there till 3 then took the long ass traverse back to the gondi because the shooting star was not running anymore. we did a last lap down the woods on the gondi side. in my new woods run over by moon beam i got deep. 4 or 5 turns thigh deep. we heading back in to grizzly's for a beer and some food.
as surprised as i am i had a really good time at stratton. there are some really fun woods there. i actually had more fun in the woods at stratton than i have at mt snow. couple that with the fact i get $20 lift tix and i can get a room for $40. looks like i may actually start spending more time there.
