Mad River Glen, VT 2014-03-17

[admafw]

Day 2 of 6, St. Patricks Day - $17 lift ticket specials at both MRG (must be wearing green) and Mt. Ellen - plan A is for MRG and if I show up and the place is packed then plan B is Mt. Ellen. Got to the hill around 9:30 having taken the ferry across from Plattsburgh and the parking lot was maybe 25% full. I guess people are starting to get sick of skiing wearing masks in single digit temperatures? The small crowds meant ski on lifts (both the single & double) all day long.

The snow conditions were excellent with even the steeper terrain (on piste) having good coverage. I'm always impressed by this place and the people that ski here, and this day was no exception. (I love the shallow water/no diving sticker above the trough in the mens washroom - and I love the fact that the place has enough quirkiness that they leave the sticker in place with pride!) Good eats (mmm - potato cheddar ale soup)/ good beer (Switchback Ale) at the pub for lunch, bluebird sky, no lines and moguls, moguls, moguls. What's not to love.

Next 2 days at Killington - the plan is to ski the groomed steeps and go easy on the moguls to give the knees a bit of a break...

 

[Marc_C]

...at the pub for lunch, bluebird sky, no lines and moguls, moguls, moguls. What's not to love.

Moguls, moguls, moguls?

...the plan is to ski the groomed steeps and go easy on the moguls to give the knees a bit of a break...

See? Even you realize that that they're abusive leftovers from hundreds of others!
:-D

I always get a laugh when the MRG faithful tout the "natural conditions" where every black diamond is unmercifully bumped up - about as far from natural that you can get!

Glad you had a good time. MRG is where I first learned to alpine ski.

 

[Admin]

Good eats (mmm - potato cheddar ale soup)/ good beer (Switchback Ale) at the pub for lunch, bluebird sky, no lines and moguls, moguls, moguls. What's not to love?

The moguls. Out of that list, pretty much just the moguls.

 

[admafw]

...at the pub for lunch, bluebird sky, no lines and moguls, moguls, moguls. What's not to love.

Moguls, moguls, moguls?

...the plan is to ski the groomed steeps and go easy on the moguls to give the knees a bit of a break...

See? Even you realize that that they're abusive leftovers from hundreds of others!
:-D

I always get a laugh when the MRG faithful tout the "natural conditions" where every black diamond is unmercifully bumped up - about as far from natural that you can get!

Glad you had a good time. MRG is where I first learned to alpine ski.

Marc_C

I disagree regarding moguls being far from natural. In truth, the only "unnatural" part is the cut trail itself which confines the paths that the skiers can take down the hill, which in turn causes the moguls to be formed. The moguls are just there on a steep ungroomed run much like the winter weather has occasional single digit cold snaps. I ski "man-made" mogul setups in Ontario and they're way icier and harder on the spine and knees than what I skied at MRG. That's not to say that it wouldn't be nice to have a long steep groomed top to bottom black available at MRG, but knowing the nature of the place it would be easier to cut a new trail than suggest that one of the existing blacks get groomed out. But I also realize that no matter how much fun I have letting the skis rip on a long steep run of fresh corduroy, there's no way that I would consider this a "natural" snow condition versus a "pleasant" or "desireable" snow condition.

As for giving the knees a break, it's more a result of spending my "home" ski days on 300' local hills. Over the past 15 years of ski trips, when suddenly confronted by places with prolonged steeps and 7-10 times the vertical, after the first couple of days you're starting to "feel the burn" in the legs. The moguls just force you to realize that a little quicker as they work the legs harder. (As does wet deep new snow.) Add to that a knee brace and no ACL in the left knee and realistically I need to pace myself if I'm going to ski hard for 6 days.

Adam

 

[Marc_C]

I disagree regarding moguls being far from natural.

Sorry. I've never seen 2 or 3 feet of new snow at Alta or anywhere else naturally fall into moguls. Always seems perfectly smooth until a bunch of skiers ski the slope.

In truth, the only "unnatural" part is the cut trail itself which confines the paths that the skiers can take down the hill, which in turn causes the moguls to be formed.

And the explanation for all the bumps in the woods that aren't a cut trail? If they're being formed by skiers, then they're quite unnatural.

And in case it isn't obvious.... :stir:

 

[Patrick]

I love the shallow water/no diving sticker above the trough in the mens washroom - and I love the fact that the place has enough quirkiness that they leave the sticker in place with pride!

The previous sticker was removed when they painted the washroom recently. It didn't take too long before someone added a new sticker. :mrgreen:

There was also something written on the wall behind the trough.. "Quad Urinal Single Chair"

I was there during Ontario's March Break the week before. Just in time for the storm. I was happy to see that we weren't the only Ontario skiers that day.

PS. There will be a TR eventually...I'm just a bot overwhelmed these days.