Is there glade skiing at Belleayre?

Glade Runner wrote

What is that supposed to mean?  Have you been to Plattekill?

IMO there would only be a handful of true "double black" trails on the EC and I doubt if Platekill has one. Not hating on the place because Greek (i think) has one too and it embarrassing.

I've already stated I haven't skied there.

I wouldn't get too focused on the labeling. It's a little silly imo. If it's got a good pitch and there is pow than sweet! Out west at places like Jackson a true double diamond is something that in inverse conditions will make ya think, maybe even in it's prime. You think about the possible serious injuries that can happen from being off line. I can't think of anything on the east coast that does that unless it's boiler plate and steep enough that the bp is sketchy but that isn't good skiing it's shi#ty and not really any fun.

Dude. Ski the slides at Whiteface or ski Paradise at Mad River Glen, then get back to me.

Or ski some of the side country at Jay..  There are so many no fall lines here that are equally as dangerous as out West.

Or the top of Stowe where an avalanche took a skier out and off a cliff for 500 feet a few years back.

raisingarizona wrote

I wouldn't get too focused on the labeling. It's a little silly imo. If it's got a good pitch and there is pow than sweet! Out west at places like Jackson a true double diamond is something that in inverse conditions will make ya think, maybe even in it's prime. You think about the possible serious injuries that can happen from being off line. I can't think of anything on the east coast that does that unless it's boiler plate and steep enough that the bp is sketchy but that isn't good skiing it's shi#ty and not really any fun.

Agree, it's totally silly. That's what I'm talking about. There are a few on the EC but not many.

Ooh.. And I forgot Tuckerman Ravine..

Yes you have to hike it but, thousands of skiers make this Haj every spring. No fall zone for sure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjTmE4nMjJ4

campgottagopee wrote

Glade Runner wrote

What is that supposed to mean?  Have you been to Plattekill?

IMO there would only be a handful of true "double black" trails on the EC and I doubt if Platekill has one. Not hating on the place because Greek (i think) has one too and it embarrassing.

I've already stated I haven't skied there.

I only said that to focus on the 3 trails side by side that are labeled that.



Greek has nothing that even comes close to these trails.  Greek is full of runouts.  I wasn't trying to act like they were 'core' or something.  But, they sure were a hell of a lot of fun ripping down on 18 inches of powder with fresh tracks.  I'm not even sure what is a double black at Greek.  Didn't Hercules get changed?  Either way I'm not saying it's the steepest trails around but, even at Whiteface your X3 argument doesn't really hold well because the bottom half of the mountain doesn't have the sustained pitch.  I'm sure the upper half is very comparable and probably even more steep.  But, from what I remember the trails off the top there were twisty with real steeps followed by less steeps.  While they are a lot of fun in their own right, the trails I was talking about at Plattekill are straight, steady pitch the entire length.  I can't remember ever ripping down steep powder trails at the speed I did there.  But, if they are hard pack, there's really nothing stopping someone if they go down if they are up to speed (unless they are bumped up).  I also thought a couple of trails at Sugarbush reminded me of the same steepness/length as the ones at Plattekill.  In one way I want others to discover Plattekill like I did but, in another way I want to keep it a secret.  It also helps that Plattekill is only an hour and a half drive opposed to maybe 5 for Whiteface for me.  

I guess this may have gotten off topic.  I have had a lot of fun at Belleayre as well.  There seems to be a lot of glades in between trails that probably pick up snow from snowmaking and I haven't ever gotten any crap from ski patrol for entering a clearly closed glade there.  The far side that requires some hiking also has some nice natural woods that don't seem to get tracked out all to fast as well.

Skiray wrote

Dude. Ski the slides at Whiteface or ski Paradise at Mad River Glen, then get back to me.

Or ski some of the side country at Jay..  There are so many no fall lines here that are equally as dangerous as out West.

Or the top of Stowe where an avalanche took a skier out and off a cliff for 500 feet a few years back.

I got to do Paradise last year.  That was super steep.  I can't wait to go back there every year now that I have discovered the place.  My buddy fell and lost a ski and he wasn't even going fast.  It was a long hike back up to get it.  I'm still waiting to hit the slides.  Hoping to make it this year.  Seems every time we go they are closed.  And even if they are open we get told they are closed, like they want to keep out of towners out of there.  I'm making that my mission this year to hit the slides and hopefully Tuckermans at the end of the season for the first time as well.

Mount Washington, Smugglers Notch (the actual notch, not the ski area), and Katahdin all have real deal consequence lines. I have skied Paradise and I don't think of it as being scary. Those are exceptions and not really lift served in bounds skiing. The Slides look fun but scary?  Not really, it's a good pitch but it's not like skiing 45 plus degree slopes.

 

"I guess this may have gotten off topic.  I have had a lot of fun at Belleayre as well.  There seems to be a lot of glades in between trails that probably pick up snow from snowmaking and I haven't ever gotten any crap from ski patrol for entering a clearly closed glade there.  The far side that requires some hiking also has some nice natural woods that don't seem to get tracked out all to fast as well."



That was basically my experience in the early 90's. The trees in between runs were well spaced for the snow that season and there wasn't anyone to tell me that I couldn't ski in there.

I don't know anything about Belle.  (There, I mentioned Belle in the Belle thread!)

As for the rest of the off topic discussion, I'm with Nick Cage on this one.  Yes, there are gnarly backcountry lines to be hiked, and a couple of sidecountry/off map things, in the East....but I wouldn't put much of what has been mentioned in the same category as stuff you can find out West.  I've done all the Slides, hit Paradise at MRG, hiked the Chin at Stowe.  While tough and technical, for an expert who belongs in those places they are not what I'd consider sphincter tightening.  I don't have a lot of Western ski experience, but I sure as heck tightened my sphincter in the Lake Chutes at Breck, and the East Wall at A Basin was a lot steeper (and more 'no-fall') than anything I've skied in the East.

Skyward and Rumor trump Plattekill for sustained steep, but beyond those two trails Plattekill stacks up well.  The comparison to Lies was fitting.  I agree there aren't many places as top to bottom sustained as Plattekill's trails.

Maybe I forget what extreme is like. We skied many years ago some side country and back country in the Swiss Alps and that was pretty crazy stuff when I think about it. My wife had only been skiing 5 or 6 years at that time and this one area our friends took us down - off the Eggishorn was balls out the hardest and steepest run we ever did. So, there will always be harder runs - the East doesn't have all the elevation as out West but, I can that I at least enjoy making turns off stuff in the EC then the Rockies at elevation.

I'm not knocking the East, by any means.  Heck, the Egan bros cut their teeth here and still stomp $hit at Sugarbush......it's just hard for the mountains here to compete, size and geology-wise!

JTG4eva! wrote

I don't know anything about Belle.  (There, I mentioned Belle in the Belle thread!)

As for the rest of the off topic discussion, I'm with Nick Cage on this one.  Yes, there are gnarly backcountry lines to be hiked, and a couple of sidecountry/off map things, in the East....but I wouldn't put much of what has been mentioned in the same category as stuff you can find out West.  I've done all the Slides, hit Paradise at MRG, hiked the Chin at Stowe.  While tough and technical, for an expert who belongs in those places they are not what I'd consider sphincter tightening.  I don't have a lot of Western ski experience, but I sure as heck tightened my sphincter in the Lake Chutes at Breck, and the East Wall at A Basin was a lot steeper (and more 'no-fall') than anything I've skied in the East.

Skyward and Rumor trump Plattekill for sustained steep, but beyond those two trails Plattekill stacks up well.  The comparison to Lies was fitting.  I agree there aren't many places as top to bottom sustained as Plattekill's trails.

Upper and lower Skyward looks like it is around 1600 vertical but, Rumor is just under 600.  That was from the link Harvey posted.  It's been a few years since I was at Whiteface but, I'm real familiar with Rumor at Gore.  Even that is super steep but, it mellows out after the cut in below the headwall.  I'm sure overall steeper but, 400 less vertical than the Platty runs.  I have got to get out west some day.

Well I can tell you lift line is pretty freaking amazing too at Mad River! The Ayers brothers ski this comp...



It would be nice if Whiteface would be included on Ski the East.

Ya, I would never want to get into a east vs. west discussion. That was never my point. There is plenty of thin cover somewhat steep terrain at eastern ski areas that is challenging. I joined this forum because I miss that stuff....sort of. As I get older it's not all about getting rad and finding the scariest thing possible to ski down, I just love me some powder skiing and good long sustained lines to enjoy it on.

If I was living out east now I would want to be skiing at the most uncrowded place and with the most sustained pitch so I could ski more fresh. I hardly go skiing if there is only man made snow. We have been open since Friday, I have a seasons pass and I haven't been out yet since there is no natural. Good trees would be on that list as well. Well I don't want to say anymore about mountain x just because it should remain somewhat overlooked and kept what it is.

Skiray wrote

It would be nice if Whiteface would be included on Ski the East.

Slides would be awesome for this type of comp, but the snow is just too unreliable (and 100-150 competitors would destroy anything that was there). They've been having issues with the places they have been going.

It would almost be better if the STEFT events were like the Maverick's surf contests where they don't have a set date, they just wait for good conditions and say "It's on. Get here."

Glade Runner wrote

I have had a lot of fun at Belleayre as well.  There seems to be a lot of glades in between trails that probably pick up snow from snowmaking and I haven't ever gotten any crap from ski patrol for entering a clearly closed glade there.  The far side that requires some hiking also has some nice natural woods that don't seem to get tracked out all to fast as well.

This ^^ with emphasis on not getting crap from ski patrol for entering the woods: marked, unmarked, or closed. The only time someone yelled at me was when I did a run on Highmount and traversed back through the trees to the very bottom of Dot Nebel (instead of hiking/driving back on the road) -- but that was back when Highmount was private property, so I'd guess that it's fine now.

Back to your regularly scheduled thread hijack...

Season Pass Holder at Belle here. THey are opening a new glade on the Deer Run side, it looks like where the "old" deer run used to be before they cut it. The glades are pretty small but decently fun when there is real snow on the ground. Lots of people poach the Highmount runs after a dump too, but you need another buddy with a car to make that happen.

According to the Belleayre website they will open  Dreamcatcher Glades on the west side of the mountain off Deer Run trail.
They are showing it on the trail map and this could be really good provided they get some good natural snowfall.

olddogbmxer wrote

According to the Belleayre website they will open  Dreamcatcher Glades on the west side of the mountain off Deer Run trail.
They are showing it on the trail map and this could be really good provided they get some good natural snowfall.

Agreed. This was a poached route when snow was falling already, so it is nice that it is official!