Then Slidebrook or Walts Woods or even Eden is where you'll find that - the other places that are steeper - well, been skiing them for years but their names tend to escape me - I'm sure others can add those that have long lines with less traversing. They just get skied out very quickly for that same reason.
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What is the most challenging glade trail here in the East coast?
- Thread starter Tonyr
- Start date
I completely agree. Most of the terrain that I find fun is challenging, but the converse is often not true. Super tight glades where it's hard to link up turns, or steep icy glades with luge tracks can each be extremely difficult, but generally aren't fun to me. I prefer flow too. I want to be able to safely link together a bunch of turns. I've found that many of the tight, steep glades in the East are really fun right after a storm (but less challenging), but become less fun very quickly as they get tracked out (though they become more challenging).
To me at least, both skiing in the East and West presents many challenges, but the challenge out West is generally a lot more fun. It might look cooler in a TGR video to see someone making jump turns down a steep couloir, but I would argue that it's probably almost as challenging to make turns down an extremely tight, steep glade here in the East after it's been tracked out and it's icy/a luge track.
KustyTheKlown
Well-known member
kitchen wall is not immediately skier's right of the gondola line. its further right. its the area between the forerunner pod and the gondola pod. you'll notice that the trail map has the yellow boundary line a bit above rim rock and cliff trail - that is the kitchen wall.
the woods to skier's right of the gondola (basically between perry merrill and cliff trail) are essentially too tight to ski. i've gone in there and had a bad time.
bdfreetuna
New member
Kitchen wall is not really hard though unless it's icy, it's mainly a scenic traverse and then after the traverse it's very similar to Valhalla at Jay but not as long.
There's many more difficult things at Stowe, among them Tomba's chute, which has both a steep luge track up top and an actual steep chute at the bottom which requires jump turns or at least very high level skiing. Don't suggest attempting on icy or bad snow days. The bottom chute is similar in difficulty to Pump House at Jay IMO, although not lasting as long. My photo absolutely does not do it justice.
top-ish
middle luge track
bottom chute aka Big Tomba
There's many more difficult things at Stowe, among them Tomba's chute, which has both a steep luge track up top and an actual steep chute at the bottom which requires jump turns or at least very high level skiing. Don't suggest attempting on icy or bad snow days. The bottom chute is similar in difficulty to Pump House at Jay IMO, although not lasting as long. My photo absolutely does not do it justice.
top-ish
middle luge track
bottom chute aka Big Tomba
bdfreetuna
New member
Here's one at Cannon. Something off the summit. Not "Wicked Haaarrd" which is definitely harder and steeper but I didn't take a photo.
(and yes that line was as good as it looks)
View attachment 25471
(and yes that line was as good as it looks)
View attachment 25471
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WWF-VT
Well-known member
This guys makes Exterminator Woods at Mt Ellen look easy....
I wish I could ski tight glades that well...
Edd
Well-known member
Me too. Those conditions are nice but I think fear alone would screw me. I’d go for much sharper turns to slow me down.
Definitely not his first time in there...knew all the turns.
That guy in the video is multiple time D1 All American skier. He got down in under 2 minutes which is pretty incredible.
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Keelhauled
Active member
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Sometimes I think I'm a good skier, and then I see videos like that to bring me down to earth.
ss20
Well-known member
The thing with skiing I've found, compared to other sports, is the talent gap is still huuuuge at the top. A fantastic recreational mogul skier is going to get absolutely destroyed by someone who does it at the professional level. At both a technical perspective and a laymen's perspective. Most of my ski days that I'm skiing in the trees I won't get passed by anyone the whole day (in the woods). Time to time though I'll be ripping through and someone will fly by me and they seem to just be "dancing" through on skis. And kicking my ass. Not by a little...by a lot.
Bowling...for example, has a narrow gap where the best guy on the local league will average 220 and the pros average 230-240. Or get a really built, and skilled high school football player. They might be able to throw it to within a few yards of what the pros can do.
abc
Well-known member
How in the world does he manage NOT to pick up a whole lot of speed with almost no turning at all???
Newpylong
Well-known member
Not my idea of fun tree skiing lol.
KustyTheKlown
Well-known member
he's constantly slightly turning and pivoting on his heels/tails.
Smellytele
Well-known member
Maybe bowling but the skills at high school football nowhere near a pro.
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kingslug
Well-known member
I suck at trees..which suck because now I'm a regular at Stowe. I didn't start skiing trees until around 10 years ago and that was out west. I tried to hang with a local at Stowe but he scared the hell out of me..ala The Kitchen Wall..the trees in there weren't too bad but the traverse was sick..if you fall off the side your toast. I just can't get through tight trees without picking up too much speed ..then I fell like I'm going to hit one eventually. But I keep trying as the best conditions at Stowe are usually in the trees. Just hate going in there alone.
The sickest line I have ever seen is Octopus Garden at MRG..you can see it from the chair and I think Krusty skied it the day I was wandering around there.
The sickest line I have ever seen is Octopus Garden at MRG..you can see it from the chair and I think Krusty skied it the day I was wandering around there.
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bdfreetuna
New member
looks like some untracked champaign powder too, not really much harder than skiing in a straight line once you get the hang of it..
its amazing how speed can be controlled by knees flexing, absorbing bump/turn and how one 'stands up' just after the pole plant.
you hit a turn and allow speed absorbtion by 'bending z knees' - the more bent, the more speed control.
and in the trees, as KtK mentioned, the flat foot/heel is important in that technique. control of speed in trees is far more important than open terrain/trails - go as fast as you like, but you better be able to change course very quickly or stop very quickly.
I swear I go much faster in trees since helmets came on the scene in the early 90's. probably the same with seatbelts . . . .
Seriously, if you're too stressed to enjoy yourself in the trees, either pick less grade or practice practice practice.
I just love stuff that pushes me and gives me some stomach willies. . ..
you hit a turn and allow speed absorbtion by 'bending z knees' - the more bent, the more speed control.
and in the trees, as KtK mentioned, the flat foot/heel is important in that technique. control of speed in trees is far more important than open terrain/trails - go as fast as you like, but you better be able to change course very quickly or stop very quickly.
I swear I go much faster in trees since helmets came on the scene in the early 90's. probably the same with seatbelts . . . .
Seriously, if you're too stressed to enjoy yourself in the trees, either pick less grade or practice practice practice.
I just love stuff that pushes me and gives me some stomach willies. . ..
abc
Well-known member
As I got older, I lost the stomach for such...
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