Mad River Glen, VT: 2/26/12

Ski Day 22: I finally did it. After at least FIVE YEARS of saying, "I've got to ski Mad River, I drove over there and did it.  I think we picked a good day too.

The drive on the New York side is a little crazy making.  There are are a lot of directions, and also some detours. Once I saw THE BRIDGE, I knew I'd make my meeting with River at 8:15 outside the Basebox.



I like the bridge and I think it's a great thing that the state REALIZED the importance of it, and fixed it fast.



The other notable thing about the trip to Mad was the road through Appalachian Gap.  I probably should have been terrified of it, as it was snow covered and only lightly sanded. But the LAST time I was on that road, I drove through that gap in freezing rain, so today didn't seem too insane.  But it was.


The Road to Mad



OK. So the snow. Mad had a string of three days with 6, 8 and then 10 inches.  This morning was the ten inch day and we arrived early and had two runs off the single before the line got long. River figured that we should blast one single run out real quick, head back to the top and take a longer route for the second.

What we saw from the lift on the way up got us jazzed...







I'm not sure what we did our first run. (River?)  It was probably in our top three runs of the day. But our second run, out to the 20th hole, was the most memorable run of my season to date.



It's a long tree shot, and while it was all in sweet condition there were a few hundred feet where we were probably 3rd and 4th through.  I have to admit I was humming the "Road to Shambala."


The 20th

After that we hit the double alternating between low angle trees I could handle, and steep stuff where I did my best. By the afternoon the steepest pitches were very tough to turn on.  Later in the day, the lift lines died down, and we came back to the single for a final run. When we got to the top, River took a sharp right and I followed. We sidestepped our way up and along the ridge.  

River says... "We can take Paradise. It has a bunch of really tight turns and then a frozen waterfall. But after that the snow could be really nice."

I agreed and down we went.  I was tough entrance, with a great reward.


Paradise

If nothing else this season, I skied Mad, and on a powder day.  Can't beat that.

Looks like you got it at the right time!

So incredibly jealous. If this next storm pattern pans out I'm going to try to make it there Friday.

So that's where you were today. Good choice! Looks pretty sweet.

Nice. Glad you got the goods. It helps to have a top tour guide.

Harv! Sorry we couldn't connect. I tried calling you but service was lacking. I saw you and River from the lift, tried yelling but you were too far.

Definitely an awesome day.
(It's not only waist deep because Condor is short!)

Such a great shot.

We were in the bar late day, and saw you guys in line for the single. Your coat is the most distinctive ...

By the time we saw you you were just about to load.

I'm SURE you have more pics right?  

PDQ - that's why I was out of action Sat night. Basically posted my TR and sacked. Up at 5am.

Sweet, that road, 17, is something else, I drove it today also. I didn't ski MRG, I was on my way to my lodging at Sugarbush. There were cars parked 1/4 mile up and down 17 at MRG. I wish I had decided to head to VT instead of Whiteface. They got ten inches, but the lifts weren't spinning in the morning. I got a raincheck good through next season. I was going to hit one of the smaller places in the area, but my GPS wasn't aware of them. I ended up further south than I had intended. I looked at West, they didn't get snow, looked pretty anemic. I didn't even see anyone coming down the few open trails. I decided to head to VT. I'll be skiing Sugarbush Monday and Tuesday. I may even hit MRG, I've never been, but today was the third time I've driven by it. Wish I were there today. Did anyone ski Whiteface today?

So jealous! Glad you got the goods!
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Enjoy the rush!!!  I've had MRG at the top of my radar for years.  This season I finally believed I had a right to be there.  Went 1/31/12, it was an awesome day!  I'm not at the level of you guys but I made sure I hit the trees and I took about 3-4 runs off the single.  I figure that I can say I can ski it.  

Glad to hear that you made it there, it's definitely one for the books!

Still can't believe Harvey getting this great powder day his first time at MRG. Such an unexpected surprise that yesterday was my best day of the year. I expected a few inches and we skied many lines that were almost two feet deep. Then add in blowing and drifting....

A few shots:
http://www.thesnowway.com/2012/02/26/mrg-boot-to-knee-deep-is-boot-to-knee-deep

Looks like an awesome day.  I'm like you - been saying "gotta ski MRG" for a few years now.  This looks like a great week to do it.  Who knows, maybe we'll have a March that'll make up for the winter we've had?