Mt. Mansfield, VT backcountry 2/19/00

[JimB]

<I>(Note from the Administrator: This report was originally posted on 2/20/00. Due to our move to new servers, the date and time attributed to this post is incorrect.)</I> <BR> <BR>Denis and I arrived at Underhill about 10:15 or so with only 5 cars in the lot. One of them must have been Jumpin' Jimmy's but we were none the wiser. A couple of guys were ready to head up and we let 'em know we were taking the lazy man's route by driving around to Stowe and heading up the quad. They seemed a tad non-plused but they ended up beating us up by a wide margin as I knew they would. The snow ended frustratingly early but gave way to an upper 20s bluebird day with sun so intense with both sported a healthy glow by the time it was complete. <BR> <BR>The Stowe base was a mob scene but after a hike over from the Spruce lot we headed up the quad, took a brief hydration stop at the Octagon and glided over to the Toll Road. We debated about attempting to skin or post hole Upper Nosedive, the most direct route, but our choice of the Toll road yielded surreal views under the Nose backlit by intense sunshine. Denis would later comment the similarities of that sublime sight to the views in Yosemite he had seen last week. <BR> <BR>My introduction to the world of skinning up was not perfect, but once I ironed out a couple issues with the Alpine Trekkers, I found the sensation to be very natural, not at all unstable, and an excellent way to cover some serious ground. Yes, snake skins do not glide one bit, but neither do they slip downhill. Def. an easy way for those of us still in training heels to access the world beyond the lift-served. <BR> <BR>At the entrance to Teardrop we met our two friends from the parking lot who explained they had not only beat us up, but had climbed and skied lower TD and then skinned the whole thing! They were happy to chat with us about BC skiing and then they headed off for a tour on the summit ridge. We were glad to have our energy with us though as the challenging double fall line and sometimes thick freshies of Teardrop demanded precise technique and some dynamic unweighting. As Jimmy reported the glades below the CCC road were only partially tracked and made for some tight but sweet turns. The run ended just soon enough for us to make it back to Stowe at 3:30 and head up the Quad. <BR> <BR>The entrance to Bruce looked well-used but the trail did not disappoint. The trail is a classic, not to be missed, with twists, turns, a couple steeps, and perfect snow all the way down. There are even a few points where the big birches and evergreens on the sides can be sampled. Many, many boarders had been down before us but the lines were still perfect through the minature bumps that had formed. Denis' graceful teles gave us some great photo opps as we descended slowly, savoring each turn. The late afternoon sun had put a mini-crust on the untracked and a big swooping turn in the uncut snow was often all you needed to scrub any built up speed. The Bruce seems to go on and on and the flats coming out go by quickly. <BR> <BR>We saw no one our entire descent, though some fresh black bear tracks right on the Burt Trail kept our interest up. Not knowing the correct exit to the Matterhorn we opted for the touring center and caught the bus back up at about 5:20. The lodge at the quad base was hopping as we transformed ourselves back into civilians after spending the day in VT lift/leg-served BC heaven. Jimmy was right, our exhaustion wouldn't have allowed another adventure even if the daylight had allowed. <BR> <BR>Bagging another classic trail adds another chapter to a dream season, but I'll gladly share another Bruce run whenever the opportunity presents itself. Let's hope there plenty o' snow in April....