McCauley Mtn 3/9/12

I was feeling like I needed more winter. Snow was in the forecast for Old Forge and the lift tickets at McCauley Mtn are $12 on Fridays. Snowmonkey and I got there around noon and had a great afternoon on this sweet little mountain.





Natural trails were thin, but skiable and fun.



Trails like Olympic and Helmers boasted big steep bumps with a double fall line. I think they blow snow on these, but don't ever groom them due to their pitch and fall lines.

It snowed most of the day, though only a few inches accumulated while we were there. As we were heading out at 4pm, the snow picked up significantly. My dog needed a walk, and I just happened to have my xc gear in the car. The xc trail was right off the parking lot for McCauley. I took a quick glance at the trail map sign and kicked and glided into the wintry woodland trail.




Not sure of the scale of the map and how large the loops were, I decided to take the shortest loop, but then ventured onto the more exciting blue trails. Once I got in there, I found numerous intersections and felt somewhat geographically confused. I realized I had no idea where I was going and daylight was fading as it began to snow even heavier. So I decided to keep making left turns until I get back to the main trail with my tracks so I can follow them back.  Would've been more fun with a trail map in my pocket. I realized I should've taken a picture of the map sign with my Iphone before going in, then I could've skied longer more confidently.

Fun way to kick off the weekend.

The terrain looks fun and those old-school trail signs (like Big Dipper in the pic) make a great statement: "No McSkiing to be found here."

Short vert but sweet terrain. This place has a lot of character. Lift ticket is $20 M-Th, $12 on Fridays and $30 on weekends. Great value any day!

Looks like fun. thanks for the report. Does your phone have gps? That could have helped letting you know your location.

yes, my phone would've helped get me back had I gotten very lost, but my battery was low and GPS apps use a lot of juice. I was just planning on doing a 20 minutes loop...but went a little longer because it was so good. I tried to get Snowmonkey to come out and join me, then we could've stayed out and gotten "lost" for a bit, but she was waiting for me, so I didn't want to be too long.