Mad River Glen, VT 2/24/00

[GregB]

<I>(Note from the Administrator: This report was originally posted on 2/25/00. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>Like the wicked witch of the west said, "I'm melting, melting, melting,..........." There were only around ten cars in the lot when we pulled in at 8:30. We booted up and headed up the single. The sign at the bottom and top of both lifts read, "Rotten snow in woods and sides of trails. Wood skiing is not recommended". Bare spots visibly plentiful on all the bump runs south of the mid-station but no ropes across them, not yet anyway. As Randy stated in his report, still good coverage from the summit to mid-station. I headed down C-Bowl to warm up. Soft corn moguls with a few bare spots in the troughs on the headwall. The groomed stuff to the mid-station was buttery soft but the right wax would have helped. Then I took Moody's to Canyon. Man, these bumps were tough. I was sinking in rotten moguls, floundering and flailing the whole way down. The poles and skies just sank to the bottom with little resistance. All the lower mountain bumps were lots work. Mandatory jump turns. My friend Jeff who mostly sticks to the groomers wanted to try the double so we headed up. He took the groomer and I headed for Slalom Hill. Rotten moguls everywhere. The single was the place to be. As I was going up the single I saw a tele guy coming down the bottom flat part of Liftline. He hit a mogul straight on and his skies stopped instantly but his body didn't. He did a perfect face plant. When he got up with a snow filled beard and smiled, everyone began laughing on the lift. I should have learned my lesson from Canyon but I wanted to do a Linx/Beaver so I headed down C-Bowl to Linx. Lower Antelope was roped. Linx had lots of stumps and little pine trees sticking through but the snow was better than Canyon. Lots of fun. Beaver had the soft rotten snow. I stayed on the upper mountain the rest of the day getting on the single at the mid-station. C-Bowl, Chute, Fall Line. C-Bowl, Chute, Fall Line. C-Bowl Chute, Fall Line. I even got Jeff to do C-Bowl a few times and he did pretty good. Legs are turning to rubber. Rain is pouring down and I am soaked to the bone. Going back to the bottom I noticed ropes had been put up on Linx, Liftline, Glade, and Lower Canyon. I am done. Corn is good but it's too early for this.