When did Glade/tree skiing become a "big thing"

[Mikec13]

I started skiing in the 70s and skied up until the late 80s...I took most of the 90s off due to financial and location issues...when I started skiing the focus was on skiing fast, moguls and freestyle...when did glade/tree skiing become a big deal...I do not mean back country "earn your turns" type skiing but when did mtns start cutting out or opening up glade trails?

 

[SkiDork]

Maybe 10 years ago? Just guessing...

 

[riverc0il]

glade trails have been being cut for way more than 10 years. i remember glade trails being 'the big thing' back when i was a freshman in high school which was 13 years ago and they existed long before that too. i know resorts are starting to cut them fast and furious because most resorts have maxed out the amount of trails they could cut. they have either pushed their boundaries to the max, can't fit any more open swaths, or what not. so they thin out some woods to add to the trail count. both burke and killington recently put unnamed glades onto the map in recent years as an example.

i think glades become important to people when going fast, bumps, and all the other trails on the mountain get boring. most glade runs feel different everytime you ski them depending on your line. a lot more challenge too. though i think the 'big thing' right now are the parks, resorts definitely are not catoring to tree skiers other than to pad their stats with exception of those ski areas that are known for their trees. glade skiing outside of northern vermont is very unreliable due to suspect natural snow fall and the effect of the thaw cycles.

 

[SkiDork]

yes, they've been cut for more than 10 years.

But they weren't as popular as they are now. I think the tree skiing popularity boom has only been for around 10 years, maybe 15

I'm referring to official and more so unmarked tree skiing you see much more of these days.

 

[smootharc]

Snow Ridge in Turin, NY....

....had glades cut in the 1950's....purpose built tree skiing zones. Regrettably, management, in the liability 70's, started ignoring them, leaving only a few souls who even remember. Just follow the tracks....there still there....

 

[andyzee]

I haven't been skiing that long so I'm no expert here, but I think that Jay Peak may have had a lot to do with it. I found this story interesting: http://www.jaypeakresort.com/page.asp?intNodeID=16304

 

[thetrailboss]

It took off in the early-1990's at Jay Peak.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Tree skiing

It always existed out west due to the character of the terrain. Since we really don't get the deep snow base needed for truly "safe" (not getting tripped up by deadfall and roots) tree skiing, resorts have worked to thin out and clear some "glades" here in the east to make it safer and easier to experience "tree skiing." My sense is that it is something that has grown in about the last 10 to 15 years.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Jay Pk 1970

I remember my first trip to Jay when I was in college in the early 70's. I loved their gladed terrain. If I remember it was not all that steep but alot of fun as each trip thru was diferent.

 

[Mikec13]

Thanks...nice article on Jay Peak...TrailBoss I still want to get up there this year!

The comment about the Parks being the "big thing" now is probably true but given that I ski at Sugarbush I barely realize one exists

 

[JimG.]

I remember skiing glades and trees at Stowe when I was in college in the late 70's...and I remember hearing stories about the trees at Stowe when I was younger than that in the late 60's and early 70's.

Tree skiing has been around as long as ski areas have existed in the US, but the hype about skiing trees began about 10-15 years ago.

 

[Mikec13]

my recollection of the 70s and 80s skiing was that the non trail areas were always roped off and there were much much more roped off areas than there are now...now the only areas that are roped off are the marked trails that are deemd unsafe by the ski patrol (must be saving a lot of money on rope!)...it was very clearly understood that if you ducked a rope you were going to lose your ticket...I recall seeing very few people do it

 

[riverc0il]

perhaps a correlation exists in regards to when tree skiing got big and when ski resorts started making ultra wide 'mctrails', especially due to increased capacity of high speed lifts?

 

[Big Game]

maybe there is a correlation between shorter skis, and snow boards as well.

When I skied "back then", granted I sucked, but I wouldn't think of going into some narrow woods with my 210s.

 

[ctenidae]

I'm pretty sure Marc needs Glade and the hanging trees whenever he drops a "big thing."

Not sure how that relates to skiing, but it's there.

 

[marcski]

I agree that tree skiing has been around since the invention of skis and ski areas. I also agree that in the last 15 yrs or so, many of the ski areas in a marketing attempt have named and placed these gladed/wooded trails on their maps. But they were there for years before that..as were the people skiing them.

I used to take my 205's in the woods all the time. Its the skier not the skis.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Yea, I skied all thru the 70's on my 207 Rossi Strato's, seemed a fine length at the time. lol The trees at Jay seemed to be perfectly placed.

I bought some new skis a couple of years ago and the shop guy insisted I should be getting 160's. Geesh!...what was he thinking. I gave in and compromised by getting the 190's.

What can I say, old fart, old school and stubborn. Ski's work great. :lol:

The Bush started adding glades on the trail map late 90's.

 

[easterntreeskier]

Tree skiing or glade skiing definitely took off in the 90's. Before that, it was more of a local only thing. I personally think tree sking is the only thing that makes sking lift serviced eastern areas worthwhile! But that is my opinion....Jay did start very early, I think iin the late 80's, according to a conversation I had with a former Jay VP at the Eagle bar. Everglade was actually one of their early attempts. However, I must say that there is a Quebec area that really popularized glade (as opposed to tree) sking, Mont Sutton. Great snow, 40 min from Jay, provides a wonderful place to get introduced before attacking Jay, the 'Bush, and Mad River's gems!

In terms of gear, wide and short, I have skied K2s in the 198, Fischers at 193, Volkl at 178 but now my favorite is a mid fat Elan! Not so great on the ice but they have fabulous float, super fast edge to edge and rip crud and other assorted snow varieties.

I would be interested in hearing from other bark eaters.....

www.easterntreeskier.com

 

[goldsbar]

10-15 years ago sounds about right for the boom in "official" tree skiing. IIRC, Kmart had a couple of areas on the map in the early/mid 90's.

The whole park thing cracks me up. When I skied Sterling Forest, NY as a kid in the 80's the ski patrol would destroy anything even resembling a jump - even the odd mogul that used to form. Now I read about kids dying (rarely) from getting too much air off a manufactured table top jump and missing the landing.

 

[hiroto]

Kmart had a couple of areas on the map in the early/mid 90's.

Which one was the first? I vaguely remember that
Big Dipper was the only tree skiing they had at a
point. (If you don't count going through the
shrubbery on "the jug", which I loved. Is it
still there?)