Mount Greylock Conditions

I'm starting this as a place to throw up some of my pics that didn't get used in the blog piece. These are all from the Mount Greylock Ski Club but if anybody has something from the Thunderbolt or the other trails (maybe somebody's participating in the race) I'd love to see them.

Bottom station on the rope tow. The engines inside the building of course

Top ramp and top tower


It's hard to see against all the branches in the background


The heart of the place is the rope tow









The great thing about your kids falling off the rope tow is that they will learn to ski the tress as they get back on the trail



A bit of skiing history right here

It was pretty cool to be using tow grippers that belonged to original club members going back to the 1930s and 40s

Great pics!  I discovered Mt Greylock last fall.  Visited the Thunderbolt Museum after meeting someone heavily involved in the Thunderbolt Ski Runners.  Very neat history.

The Thunderbolt Race is on March 4 for 2017.

https://thunderboltskirunners.org/press-release-2017-race-announcement/

THE 82nd ANNIVERSARY THUNDERBOLT SKI RACE

NEW FOR 2017: RETURN SPECTATOR-FRIENDLY DOWNHILL FORMAT AND THE GREYLOCK CUP CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

On Saturday March 4, 2017, approximately one hundred intrepid backcountry skiers and snowboarders will ascend to the summit of Mount Greylock and then come schussing down the historic Thunderbolt Ski Trail. The Expert-Class A trail runs nearly two miles through the heavily forested slopes of Mount Greylock and presents the competitors with challenging drops, turns and terrain. With enough natural snow, the Thunderbolt Ski Runners will host the 82nd Anniversary Thunderbolt Ski Race. This year marks a return to the traditional downhill format, this spectator-friendly event is free for everyone who wishes to watch the race at the foot of the mountain near Greylock Glen in the town of Adams. After the race, everyone is encouraged to attend Thunderfest, for the awards ceremony. Thunderfest, presented by ProAdams, is a free winter festival in downtown Adams where guests can enjoy live music, warm food, and cold beverages.

The Thunderbolt Ski Trail was originally cleared down the precipitous east slope of Massachusetts’ highest point in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It quickly became known for the annual world-class race that attracted top skiers, including Olympians, from across the country and Europe. Even Nazi Germany sent a team to compete in 1938. With the advent of ski areas, the trail fell into disrepair in the 1950s until 2008 when a group of backcountry ski and snowboard enthusiasts formed the Thunderbolt Ski Runners. These hardy men and women took it upon themselves to restore the historic ski trail and revive the race. The run is 1.6 miles in length with a vertical drop of 2,050 feet and grades as steep as 35 degrees. The fastest known time down the trail is 2 minutes 8.6 seconds, set by Norwegian Olympian, Per Klippgen in 1948.

Modern racers reach the summit under their own power using climbing skins or snowshoes. At stake are three medals each in the following categories: Alpine, Telemark, Snowboard, The Ascent, Women’s Overall, Women’s Ascent. A King and Queen of the Mountain will be crowned for the fastest overall time. New for 2017 is the team category and the awarding of the first annual Greylock Cup. The Ski Runners is reviving the tradition where established skiing, outing, and college clubs competed for club honors. The club with the fastest cumulative time will be awarded the Greylock Cup.

I've been fascinated by this place for a few years now. Thanks for the posts Brownski. It looks more rad than I imagined.

The vert surrounding the place looks pretty substantial. If you were a local I think it would be fun to maintain a few glades for a touring circuit from the ski hill.

RA
It looked like a lot of the woods above the place were skiable (and some had tracks). The guy that showed me around said a lot of members use it as a jumping off point to tour also. There's another ccc trail that starts right next to the.club (not the thunderbolt) . Also they've turned the motor shed from another rope tow that never got finished into an overnight cabin. I've been interested in the place for years and only got up there now; there's a lot more to it then I realized. Looking forward to exploring more in the future.

Greylock is an interesting place with lots of history. Over by the bottom of the thunderbolt is an old abandoned ski area that never opened, lift towers are still in place but the trails are all grown in.