Yesterday I headed up to Gore Mountain with one of my best friends, ski buddy, and LAX Bro, Phil. As with any trip to the Adirondacks, the day started out at Stewart's where we met up (and grabbed a quick donut and orange juice, of course).
We stepped onto the gondola shortly after 8:30 and headed right to the Straightbrook area. Chatty and Hawkeye skied great. There was supposed to be a bump contest on Hawkeye but the snow they had made on the trail hadn't been turned into moguls yet. I was pretty disappointed because this was the trail I learned to ski bumps on and can remember the days when it was a big deal for me to get down it without falling, but it skied great anyway.
This trip also saw two new trails enter my list this season. First was Topridge, a nice, long, steep, south-facing ride. Second was Echo, a trail over in the Burnt Ridge Area. I've only skied Echo once or twice before because it is almost never open in December which was the only time I skied Gore while in the Army. But this marathon run of pitch and views is a great addition to Gore's lineup.
The beer of the day was Davidson Brothers Brown. This beer from Glens Falls is a nice British brown ale with a malty taste and smooth mouth feel. There are few better beers to close out a ski day with.
No pictures from this trip. It was way to cold to take your gloves off to snap a shot of anything. Maybe next time.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Friday, January 9, 2015
Ski Day #20- Let's Get Some F!@#$% French Toast (Ski Butternut, MA)
Today I headed out Ski Butternut. I've never been there before, but I went because of an article in SKI Magazine that recommended hitting Joe's Diner in Lee, MA which is nearby. This was my first stop on the trip. A ski breakfast out in Colorado is eating a breakfast burrito while walking up to a lift, but a ski breakfast back east means diners, and this one did not disappoint. The french toast was big, creamy, and delicious. It's the perfect way to start out your day at Butternut (or Bousquet which is also nearby).
After filling up on toast frenchies it was time for some snow freshies. Butternut reported five inches of snow from the storm that swept through the night before (the most in the east), but it was more like six inches in many spots. Butternut is not very steep, but I was able to get in a few faceshots by making quick turns on Downspout.
Butternut is not overly large, so fresh lines were disappearing fast. As I was searching for some more fresh gnar I came up with a new song in my head. It is re-write of Steal My Girl by One Direction which I was listening to earlier in the day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpsKGvPjAgw). It goes:
Everybody want to steal my line,
Everybody want to shred that pow today,
Couple billion in the whole wide world,
Find another line cuz that one's mine today.
In summary, just another great New England ski day. French toast and fresh pow, what more in life do you need?
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
After filling up on toast frenchies it was time for some snow freshies. Butternut reported five inches of snow from the storm that swept through the night before (the most in the east), but it was more like six inches in many spots. Butternut is not very steep, but I was able to get in a few faceshots by making quick turns on Downspout.
Butternut is not overly large, so fresh lines were disappearing fast. As I was searching for some more fresh gnar I came up with a new song in my head. It is re-write of Steal My Girl by One Direction which I was listening to earlier in the day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpsKGvPjAgw). It goes:
Everybody want to steal my line,
Everybody want to shred that pow today,
Couple billion in the whole wide world,
Find another line cuz that one's mine today.
In summary, just another great New England ski day. French toast and fresh pow, what more in life do you need?
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
Could I be anymore of a foodie?
The view from the top of the Overbrook Triple.
Check out the old school lift towers, such a throwback.
This is the scene from The 40-Year-Old Virgin that inspired the title of today's post.
Butternut reminded me a lot of Monarch Mountain in Colorado. Same type of layout and same laid back vibe.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Ski Day #19- Oops, Somebody Left the Water Running (Mount Snow, VT)
Last Sunday I skied Mount Snow, Vermont's most southern big mountain. The day prior while I was skiing Stratton, it started to snow at about 3 PM. It snowed for about four hours until it turned to sleet at about 7 PM, then to rain sometime in the middle of the night.
As I walked up the lift just after 9 AM with rain drops pinging off my helmet I said to myself, "Oops, somebody left the water running." This quote is courtesy of Lewis Bodine, the side-kick of Brock Lovett in the movie Titanic and, along with Dusty from Twister, the greatest supporting role in a movie...ever.
The entire mountain was socked in with fog for the first few runs. As the day continued and the temperature got warmer, the rain shut off, the fog cleared out (a little), and we were left with great hero snow, corn so ripe that it made you smile with every turn. The best runs were on the north face. These runs are long with a steady, steep pitch.
For lunch, I took SKI Magazine's recommendation and headed to The Bullwheel, a restaurant and bar at the summit. The meat and cheese plate is the pick here. It comes with three cheeses, two types of sausage, mustard, cranberry spread, olives, and toast, most of it locally sourced. To wash it down, The Bullwheel has a number of craft beers on tap. I enjoyed a Harviestoun Ola Dubh, an old ale aged for 18 years. It is pretty potent, but definitely satisfying. For the faint of heart, try the Schneider Weisse Wheat Ale, a nice wheat ale that compliments the charcuterie very well.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
As I walked up the lift just after 9 AM with rain drops pinging off my helmet I said to myself, "Oops, somebody left the water running." This quote is courtesy of Lewis Bodine, the side-kick of Brock Lovett in the movie Titanic and, along with Dusty from Twister, the greatest supporting role in a movie...ever.
For lunch, I took SKI Magazine's recommendation and headed to The Bullwheel, a restaurant and bar at the summit. The meat and cheese plate is the pick here. It comes with three cheeses, two types of sausage, mustard, cranberry spread, olives, and toast, most of it locally sourced. To wash it down, The Bullwheel has a number of craft beers on tap. I enjoyed a Harviestoun Ola Dubh, an old ale aged for 18 years. It is pretty potent, but definitely satisfying. For the faint of heart, try the Schneider Weisse Wheat Ale, a nice wheat ale that compliments the charcuterie very well.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
There he is, Lewis Bodine.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Ski Day #18- That Dude Sucks (Stratton, VT)
On Saturday last week I headed over to Stratton, another place I hadn't skied in about 15 years. East coast shredders have a nickname for this place: Flatton. The mountain isn't that steep, however, it was a lot better than I remembered. There are some great tight, tree-lined trails; true New England classics. And with the luxurious ride in the new gondola cabins, Stratton has a lot to offer.
But the story of the day came while getting onto the URSA Express. As the group in front of us followed the chair ahead of them out, a little ripper, probably about five or six years old, fell down before getting out to the loading area. Rather than trying to help his son up, his father looked over at the liftie and said "Stop please!" The liftie didn't hear him and the chair came around and ran into the kid (he was OK, he did not get hurt). Seeing this, the liftie stopped the chair. Then the boy's father looked over and said in disgust "Does the word stop mean anything to you?" With this, I turned around the to the girls behind me that were laughing and said "This dude should be more concerned about helping his son up than telling the liftie how to do his job." Nothing is more irritating than a lift that stops while your sitting on it. This guy is clearly not a true shredder. A true shredder would have picked up his son by the back of his coat so that they could get to their run as soon as possible, not expect the liftie to hold up everyone else's shred. When the lift finally started back up and I got to the loading spot, I looked at the liftie, pointed at the guy would held us up and simply said "That dude sucks." The liftie gave out a big laugh and told his buddy working inside the lift shack. It was one of the funniest moments I've ever had on the hill.
One lunch suggestion is to check out Bar 802 in Stratton Village. This bar has six craft beers on tap and the best burger in town for $14. This may seem like a steep price for a burger, but when you consider you will pay the same thing for a frozen one in the baselodge, you may as well head to 802 where your burger will at least be made from fresh, grass-fed beef.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
But the story of the day came while getting onto the URSA Express. As the group in front of us followed the chair ahead of them out, a little ripper, probably about five or six years old, fell down before getting out to the loading area. Rather than trying to help his son up, his father looked over at the liftie and said "Stop please!" The liftie didn't hear him and the chair came around and ran into the kid (he was OK, he did not get hurt). Seeing this, the liftie stopped the chair. Then the boy's father looked over and said in disgust "Does the word stop mean anything to you?" With this, I turned around the to the girls behind me that were laughing and said "This dude should be more concerned about helping his son up than telling the liftie how to do his job." Nothing is more irritating than a lift that stops while your sitting on it. This guy is clearly not a true shredder. A true shredder would have picked up his son by the back of his coat so that they could get to their run as soon as possible, not expect the liftie to hold up everyone else's shred. When the lift finally started back up and I got to the loading spot, I looked at the liftie, pointed at the guy would held us up and simply said "That dude sucks." The liftie gave out a big laugh and told his buddy working inside the lift shack. It was one of the funniest moments I've ever had on the hill.
One lunch suggestion is to check out Bar 802 in Stratton Village. This bar has six craft beers on tap and the best burger in town for $14. This may seem like a steep price for a burger, but when you consider you will pay the same thing for a frozen one in the baselodge, you may as well head to 802 where your burger will at least be made from fresh, grass-fed beef.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
Here's a picture of Stratton taken the day before at Bromley.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Ski Day #17- Is That Jerry? (Bromley, VT)
On Friday last week I headed up to Bromley, a place I haven't skied in about 15 years. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the base lodge was the smell. This isn't a place that sold out and put in a gas fireplace, they're still burning real wood and it makes the lodge so inviting. But who hangs out in the lodge, I needed to shred.
I spent the entire morning hitting runs off of the Blue Ribbon Quad. The snow coverage was great, but there were a lot of whales that the groomers hadn't plowed out yet, so it was a little bit of a bumpy ride.
The afternoon was spent on the Sun Mountain Express. However, I did take one ride up the Sun Chairlift. The Sun Chairlift is an old-school double that shares lift towers with the Alpine Chairlift. This is a true throwback, you really don't see two chairs next to each other anymore. I rode this lift just for the enjoyment of getting to ride next to another chair, it's really a great experience if you ever get the chance.
The après spot at Bromley is the Wild Boar Tavern. This is a pretty great place with good Vermont craft brews on tap and live music. The day's band was Beyond Further, a Grateful Dead tribute band. Only two guitars and a bass, but these guys brought it with a great rendition of Mexicali Blues (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyaWbPRhJvE). Of note, the lead singer looks just like Jerry.
One lunch tip, get Rookie's Root Beer, a great root beer on tap from Burlington.
All around a great day, I can't wait to head back for the great vibe that Bromley offers.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
I spent the entire morning hitting runs off of the Blue Ribbon Quad. The snow coverage was great, but there were a lot of whales that the groomers hadn't plowed out yet, so it was a little bit of a bumpy ride.
The afternoon was spent on the Sun Mountain Express. However, I did take one ride up the Sun Chairlift. The Sun Chairlift is an old-school double that shares lift towers with the Alpine Chairlift. This is a true throwback, you really don't see two chairs next to each other anymore. I rode this lift just for the enjoyment of getting to ride next to another chair, it's really a great experience if you ever get the chance.
The après spot at Bromley is the Wild Boar Tavern. This is a pretty great place with good Vermont craft brews on tap and live music. The day's band was Beyond Further, a Grateful Dead tribute band. Only two guitars and a bass, but these guys brought it with a great rendition of Mexicali Blues (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyaWbPRhJvE). Of note, the lead singer looks just like Jerry.
One lunch tip, get Rookie's Root Beer, a great root beer on tap from Burlington.
All around a great day, I can't wait to head back for the great vibe that Bromley offers.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
This is a picture of Bromley that was taken the following day at Stratton.
This is a pretty cool sign that hangs up in the lodge over the fireplace.
Beyond Further. I think that's Jerry in the middle.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Ski Day #16- No Doubt We Crushed The Berkshires (Jiminy Peak, MA)
New Year's Day we headed out to Jiminy Peak. When growing up my family often skied with my grandfather and cousins on New Year's Day. My grandfather is no longer with us, but my father and sister Kendra met up with our cousin James to carry on the tradition.
The rain storm that swept through the east the week before really hit the Berkshires hard, there was not much natural snow. However, Jiminy is did a great job of making snow and had 33 trails for us to shred. The pick of the day was definitely Upper Fox into Lower Fox. This is a nicely pitched run with good man made snow for us to slide down.
One of the best moments of the day though didn't happen on the trails, it happened while getting onto the lift. While waiting in line, we heard the song Spiderwebs by No Doubt come on the speakers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZktNItwexo). While we were growing up, No Doubt was a favorite band of mine, my sisters, and my cousins. It was a nice moment getting to hear this with James while waiting to get on the lift.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
The rain storm that swept through the east the week before really hit the Berkshires hard, there was not much natural snow. However, Jiminy is did a great job of making snow and had 33 trails for us to shred. The pick of the day was definitely Upper Fox into Lower Fox. This is a nicely pitched run with good man made snow for us to slide down.
One of the best moments of the day though didn't happen on the trails, it happened while getting onto the lift. While waiting in line, we heard the song Spiderwebs by No Doubt come on the speakers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZktNItwexo). While we were growing up, No Doubt was a favorite band of mine, my sisters, and my cousins. It was a nice moment getting to hear this with James while waiting to get on the lift.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
Four great rippers: James, me, Kendra, and my father.
Starting out from the top.
Family, bluebird skies, and snow means big smiles.
The big wind turbine over to the left.
More wind turbines in the distance.
At the top of Jericho.
Look at these two great shredders.
Getting into the Flow State.
James gives the day a big thumbs up.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Ski Day #15- Catfish Are Jumpin', That Paddle Wheel Thumpin' (Gore Mountain, NY)
I couldn't think of a title for today's post, so I decided on a line from the song Black Water by the Doobie Brothers which I heard while getting on the Straightbrook Quad. They always play great music at that lift and as I was getting on I told the liftie, "Nice tunes man!"
Today was another bluebird day at Gore. The rain last week did have its effect, but the snowmakers were hard at work on Chatty and Lies making for great, soft turns. However, today was highlighted by something that my grandfather noticed a few years ago when Gore installed the Topridge Triple, a slow lift that was previously located at Whiteface. He made the observation that every time NYS makes an improvement to Gore or Whiteface, they do the job 80% (100% would have been to put in a high-speed quad). Once again today, typical NYS issues:
1. Gore added 22 new permanent tower guns on Topridge, one of their signature trails. However, these guns weren't on today and the trail was closed. If the addition of these guns is such a big deal, why is the trail not ready to be skied yet?
2. The Straightbrook Quad was down for maintenance in the morning. The only way to access the summit was on the High Peaks chair after taking Wood In. However, this trail was closed, so the lift was running and nobody could get to it. Myself and another skier pointed this out to the ski patrol nearby who had no idea the Straightbrook Quad was closed. I wonder how long this would have gone on had we not inquired. By the time we got to the summit, the Straightbrook Quad finally opened.
All in all though, a great day at Gore, just that typical 80% effort in some spots, but its still good enough to scratch that itch.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
Today was another bluebird day at Gore. The rain last week did have its effect, but the snowmakers were hard at work on Chatty and Lies making for great, soft turns. However, today was highlighted by something that my grandfather noticed a few years ago when Gore installed the Topridge Triple, a slow lift that was previously located at Whiteface. He made the observation that every time NYS makes an improvement to Gore or Whiteface, they do the job 80% (100% would have been to put in a high-speed quad). Once again today, typical NYS issues:
1. Gore added 22 new permanent tower guns on Topridge, one of their signature trails. However, these guns weren't on today and the trail was closed. If the addition of these guns is such a big deal, why is the trail not ready to be skied yet?
2. The Straightbrook Quad was down for maintenance in the morning. The only way to access the summit was on the High Peaks chair after taking Wood In. However, this trail was closed, so the lift was running and nobody could get to it. Myself and another skier pointed this out to the ski patrol nearby who had no idea the Straightbrook Quad was closed. I wonder how long this would have gone on had we not inquired. By the time we got to the summit, the Straightbrook Quad finally opened.
All in all though, a great day at Gore, just that typical 80% effort in some spots, but its still good enough to scratch that itch.
-Steve
"Born On Ice, Perfected In Powder"
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