Hickory Ski Center 2/15/14

It is always a treat to ski Hickory. It is a rugged mountain with steep rocky trails and some very nice glades. It is totally reliant on mother nature. 14" of snow was welcome and it was fun tracking it up, even though there were plenty of rocks reaching for our skis at every turn.

The first few runs were the best





We ventured into the woods



but Hare remained the best skiing of the day.



After being dragged up the hill all day by our thighs and breaking through fresh powder and dodging rocks, we were quite weary but satisfied.

In this pick is E, Snowmonkey, Rochester Mark and Powderqueen

Hickory was awesome on Saturday!

Scotty... you been to Hickory before or was this your first?

Always fun to hear anything about Hickory, even more so from a first timer.

Photos are killer.

I skied Hickory like 30 years ago.  

Getting out of the truck in the morning my eyes welled up.  Over come with joy I think for doing something that felt just so right!  The way it used to be, the way it should be!  

Maybe 50-75 people there on a holiday Saturday after a foot plus dump.  Everyone friendly, everyone smiling!  Shared food around the fire place in the lodge at the end of day.  So cool.

I will for sure return.  For a little hill it did work my legs!   

ScottyJack wrote

 Getting out of the truck in the morning my eyes welled up.  Over come with joy I think for doing something that felt just so right!  The way it used to be, the way it should be!  

  For a little hill it did work my legs!  

That's so cool SJ! It's good to see the fondness people have for Hickory. I hope it does very well.

When I first moved up, '01, I used to hear people say stuff like....

" Hickory....Bring big legs! "

or after a challenging conditions day at Gore people would naturally be discussing the day. I often over heard this...

 " I was raised skiing Hickory so I can ski anything! ".

People used to tell of large car sized moguls and huge launches off man made ramps while riding the Poma and people on the slopes cheering them on, etc. Never heard anyone who didn't speak of it with great fondness.


Hickory ..... It's Hard !!!

ScottyJack wrote

I skied Hickory like 30 years ago.  

Getting out of the truck in the morning my eyes welled up.  Over come with joy I think for doing something that felt just so right!  The way it used to be, the way it should be!  

Maybe 50-75 people there on a holiday Saturday after a foot plus dump.  Everyone friendly, everyone smiling!  Shared food around the fire place in the lodge at the end of day.  So cool.

I will for sure return.  For a little hill it did work my legs!  

Saturday was soooo good! I convinced 6 Magic Mountain regulars to come see what I'd been talking up for the last 3 years. First time ever at Hickory for all of them. Here are some of the FB comments:

Ashley:
"The only photo I took. Last run down a blue, sun coming out just in time to set on us. What a phenomenal day, & a new mountain to love."


Lily: "Such a fun place!!!!! Thanks Jim for letting us in on the secret."

Jeff: "Sweet day!! I just bombed black line and the rocks didn't even phase me haha"

Matt: "I love that place!!"

They couldn't get over how "big" it skis for the vertical. "Rugged" and "raw" with great lines. Everyone agreed that I had not exaggerated about any part of the experience: the air you get on poma 2, the terrain, the vibe, even the monster subs from "The Meat Store of The North." And how, after poma 2 was running, there were essentially no lines all day on a "busy" day. And no one made to closing bell; legs were wrecked way before then.

I know exactly how ScottyJack feels. Hickory has and always will have a special place in my heart. And I consider myself incredibly lucky to be able to still enjoy it and share it with my friends.

1200' of vertical is substantial, especially when you are skiing natural snow with large boulders underneath on decent pitch. What makes it hard is that you don't get to sit and rest on the way up.

They sold just shy of 150 lift tickets on Saturday. We had to wait to get on either Poma until about lunch time when people got tired out and took breaks for lunch and straggled out in the afternoon. Waiting on the lift line was really no big deal because the energy there was high and there was a community feeling and lively conversations while waiting. There were a lot of sound effects by people getting launched by Poma 2. Poma 1 has a natural jump at mid-station.

Here's Rochester Mark and Kirby



and PDQ



We hung out around the fire until they closed up