BackLoafRiver
New member
Got up bright and early (5:00 a.m.) to head up north. Wanted to be sure to catch first chair. Despite still being in some pain, the drive was nice. Snowpack is looking pretty healthy up in Kingfield.
Was in line for the superquad at 8:10 a.m. Was the only one there for a good 10 minutes. Then the crowd started. By 8:25, it was packed but, the lifties let us up early. In talking with some locals, Saturday was a total disaster. Apparently wind was howling at the top. A lot of exposed trails had what was a nice cover blown off to reveal rocks. And a lot of it. You could see where people had been skiing down Skidder and Sheer Boom (the quad liftline) on Friday. Its amazing what the wind did. I guess they couldn't open the quad for 2 hours. Bummer for them.
Got first tracks down Tote Road. I forgot how long a cruiser that bad boy is. Fun stuff. The snow was in great shape and FAST. (side note, I brought out the Mantra's for the day and man was I impressed. More to come in the gear forum later) The trail was empty for a few minutes.
On the second lap, I was told the best snow on the mountain was on Haywire, which you can access off tote. Once I got to the cutoff, I saw an immediate difference. The snow (mostly natural) was very soft, hadn't been hit by the wind yet, and was totally bumped up. I snapped some shots I will upload tonight. Not sure they came out great but, figured you bump hounds might like one or two. I am not one for moguls so, I managed to get through without killing myself, and headed back to the lift.
Because of all the wind scower, not much was open. It was a few hundred people lapping the same 4 or 5 trails. They claimed 23 open but, I say shenanigans. There were a few open that had "thin cover" but, I wouldn't have tried it unless I had a death wish and some rock skis. Between racer training (which was happening on all 3 of the major trails open), Maine Handicap Ski Training, and never-ever's skiing on stuff way over their ability, by 10 a.m. it was a total cluster. I would say by 11:30, stuff had been slicked up pretty badly. The plus side, by 10:45, there wasn't a soul in sight. You could run laps on the Super quad all afternoon and never wait to get on.
Overall, a pretty great day. I didn't do much picture taking (as I was solo on this trip up) but I will post what I have when I get back to the house tonight. The skiing was great, it felt so good getting back up there and made me itch for better snow and more trips! For those of you who haven't been up, I hope you get a chance to make it in March for the Summit. So many great trails and a wonderful vibe!
Was in line for the superquad at 8:10 a.m. Was the only one there for a good 10 minutes. Then the crowd started. By 8:25, it was packed but, the lifties let us up early. In talking with some locals, Saturday was a total disaster. Apparently wind was howling at the top. A lot of exposed trails had what was a nice cover blown off to reveal rocks. And a lot of it. You could see where people had been skiing down Skidder and Sheer Boom (the quad liftline) on Friday. Its amazing what the wind did. I guess they couldn't open the quad for 2 hours. Bummer for them.
Got first tracks down Tote Road. I forgot how long a cruiser that bad boy is. Fun stuff. The snow was in great shape and FAST. (side note, I brought out the Mantra's for the day and man was I impressed. More to come in the gear forum later) The trail was empty for a few minutes.
On the second lap, I was told the best snow on the mountain was on Haywire, which you can access off tote. Once I got to the cutoff, I saw an immediate difference. The snow (mostly natural) was very soft, hadn't been hit by the wind yet, and was totally bumped up. I snapped some shots I will upload tonight. Not sure they came out great but, figured you bump hounds might like one or two. I am not one for moguls so, I managed to get through without killing myself, and headed back to the lift.
Because of all the wind scower, not much was open. It was a few hundred people lapping the same 4 or 5 trails. They claimed 23 open but, I say shenanigans. There were a few open that had "thin cover" but, I wouldn't have tried it unless I had a death wish and some rock skis. Between racer training (which was happening on all 3 of the major trails open), Maine Handicap Ski Training, and never-ever's skiing on stuff way over their ability, by 10 a.m. it was a total cluster. I would say by 11:30, stuff had been slicked up pretty badly. The plus side, by 10:45, there wasn't a soul in sight. You could run laps on the Super quad all afternoon and never wait to get on.
Overall, a pretty great day. I didn't do much picture taking (as I was solo on this trip up) but I will post what I have when I get back to the house tonight. The skiing was great, it felt so good getting back up there and made me itch for better snow and more trips! For those of you who haven't been up, I hope you get a chance to make it in March for the Summit. So many great trails and a wonderful vibe!
