MRG 1-31-2016

The thing I never have enough of is time. That's especially true during ski season. Even in a year like this, when weather has enforced harsh limits on the northeast's skiers, what really holds me back is time.

Last Saturday, I spent the morning at an athletic event with my older son, quality bonding time to be sure but not skiing. I spent that afternoon waiting for new laundry machines to be delivered, feeling sick that I was letting the weekend slip away. It was all made worse by the knowledge that I already had plane tickets for a quick trip to Florida next weekend to visit my parents. Finally, around five thirty or six, my obligations were satisfied and I hit the road, Champlain ski card in hand.

Intent on squeezing two weeks of skiing into one day, I headed for the best place I could think of for such a challenge, Mad River Glen. I think I parked around ten pm, got my things in order in the bed of my truck and crawled inside my sleeping bag. A couple of amused parking guys wished me good morning as I crawled out around seven and got my coffee thermos from the cab. It was gonna be a good day.




I was booted up and ready to go before the ticket office was ready to punch my card or the lifts were turning. In fact I noticed everybody seemed to be moving slow. A conversation with one of the workers explained why. The night before MRG had celebrated the co-op's twentieth anniversary. Apparently it was a pretty good party. I don't think any of the lifties or patrollers gathering at the bottom on the single chair were actually impaired, just a little quiet maybe.

I waited patiently and pumped one of the patrollers for Intel. Of course he said I should of been there two days ago. Somebody always says that. But he gave me some good insights too. Fall Line and Paradise were an unholy mess. Catamount Bowl, Chute and Canyon were kind of okay but Beaver was rough. I spent the whole morning skiing the named trails under the single and his advice was spot on. I got first chair but it didn't really matter. A couple people had skinned up ahead of us but there were no freshies to be had.

Things were just the way you would expect them to be this year at a mostly natural place like MRG, lots of rock, some thin spots, bumps everywhere. It was awesome. In between, the rough patches there was lots of good snow. As the day wore on, if warmed up-a lot- and I started stripping layers. First my neck gaiter went in my backpack, then the goggles got switched out for sunglasses. I lapped the single all morning without encountering any significant lines; the narrow cruisers, Antelope, Catamount and Bunny, were as much fun as the bumps.

Lynx was closed but I worked my way back under the lift to check out Beaver. It was tough and rough, challenging skiing. I kept scanning the trails below me and saying to myself "well, over here it's more dirt then rock so that'll be ok."










It was overcast most of the day with just a few bits of sunshine now and then. The snow softened up early on and stayed good all day. Overall, I would say it was "spring like". I'm getting tired if saying that but this whole winter has been spring like.

Around lunch the single started getting a line  and I started wearing myself out so I headed over to the "civilized "side of the mountain and skied there the rest of my day. There wasn't much civilized about Patnther or Gazelle. It was as gnarly as the stuff under the single but the glades below were in nice shape. I had water and granola bars in my pack so I didn't have to stop for lunch.

That turned out to be good because one of the guys I rode the lift with told me it was supposed to rain around three. I kept at it as long as my legs would let me, alternating between some of the thinned out trees under Sunnyside Chair and whatever cruisers were open over there.

Once I started crossing my tips like I always do when I'm spent, I packed it in. I grabbed six bucks worth of stickers, dragged my ass back to my car and started the long drive home completely satisfied.

Great report !!!! I was just mention to my wife I wanted to go up there in March..
They really have done a lot with nothing...

You rock, Brownski!

This report is so much fun Brownski. Welcome to the NYSki Nation. You belong here.

Thanks guys. It was a great day.

Impressive effort.  Bonus points for sleeping in the car!

We love Mad River Glen -what a great report and I am sure it will make Eric Friedman proud too.  The conditions don't look to bad and we hope to be there this weekend (if I don't have to go to london again). But certainly the winter break here we will be there for 2 or 3 days.  Our kids have passes there but, have yet to make it up.

You drove up from the NY area to MRG?

Yup. It's a lot of driving I know. Good thing I like to drive; made good time though. Coming across VT 116 in pitch darkness is always a little sketchy but it was okay. I'm thinking about bumping the old thread on driving/skiing music now.

Brownski wrote

I'm thinking about bumping the old thread on driving/skiing music now.

I posted this on FB one Sunday when I was sooooo tired driving home...

https://www.facebook.com/HarveyRoad/posts/1207867372576384

I used all those links again this Sunday too!

Sorry I missed you on 87 Brownski!

Too funny

Before you drive up check the website, sadly to say this is what it says now: "Tuesday February 02, 2016
 DUE TO UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER AND ERODING SNOW PACK WE HAVE SUSPENDED OPERATIONS"

But other than that great place and great report.

I have one last thing to add...

These guys hand out an actual contour map for their trail map. I think that's extremely cool. To me, it's a logical extension of their "ski where you think you can ski" philosophy. That's it. I'm done now.