Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Breakout on Mansfield
this was my breakout weekend on mansfield.
day 1: started the day with 2 laps off of chinclip doing tree runs in {radioedit} out to the {radioedit} road. then took the forerunner quad up to then dropped into the {radioedit}. this run was awesome, a first descent for me and it was all i could hope for. narrow, rolling, twisty tight. although it wa all packed out from a stampede of locals, the run reminded me of a boardercross park. all packed powder, no ice, one exposed dirt spot about the size of a dinner plate, at a spot where you'd expect one develop. all in all, the conditions were n-i-c-e for this outtatowner! being somewhere the first time is always sweet. we caught a ride back to the resort and finished the day with a few groomers with some friends, then hit the bar for a couple of beers. lots of smiles amongst the 3 of us who did the run.
after showering up and having dinner at pie in the sky, i hit rimrock bar with some folks with the group, and as luck would have it, we ran into JD and sean around 10pm. We had a beer, a quick look at a map, JD confirmed and refined my plan, and at that moment, the moon and stars seemed to align: the next days itinerary was set. i knew i was in for a good time. we rolled out of there wth a buzz and plan of attack for the next day.
day 2: did some high speed cruisers off the quad and the gondi, concentrating on the 10 foot swath of snow collecting on the sides of gondolier, perry, etc. a nice warmup. we looked at each other, nods all around. and we were ready.
we then rode the {radioedit} to the top and ducked into the bootpath up to {radioedit}. at the top of the bootpath, which was partially focked and more difficult, thanks to some snowboarder who heelside slippped the entire trail, crushing the existing bootpath, :( we reached {radioedit} trail. did a quick look around. we saw some abandoned backpacks, and snowshoe tracks going away, but never saw anyone. we spent a few mins enjoying the views and just being "up there". on a bluebird day, i never get over the view from where we stood. i hope that view always feels the same. it has to be the finest in VT, and probably a top 5 in the northeast. a little more walking, sinking up to our ballz at times, we found the goal, the entrance to {radioedit}. bingo. woo hoo...
so me and two ski buddies, we strap in, and start wiggling and giggling down the trail. then it opened up into a natural halfpipe, steeply pitched but rideable up and down the sides. although we were probably the 100th people in here, it was still *really* nice. although it was a mix of powder and packed powder and tracked up, it was really nice to ride. we stopped breifly in an open field. there was a group of 5 there, the only people we saw all day, they were digging a snow pit. i stopped had quick chat with them. wasn't a class, just some locals out messing around. cool. we decided to chill for 10-15 mins and enjoy the moment, we passed around some cookies, grabbed a drink. smiled, then moved on down the hill. the skiiers were making nice turns, i was was laughing, shooting ahead, stopping to catch a breath, letting them pass, shooting ahead, working the sides. wash rinse repeat. chris hit a small exposed frozen waterfall completely by surprise but he handled it nicely, then we all shot off, straightlining it riding/carving up the sides, then off down the ravine. we come to a choke point, about 2 foot wide. had a kind of cliff on the left (that someone had launched off of, but the landing had since become a little too packed down for this old man's knees to huck, maybe next time, hmmm) and a rock on the right. i shot the gap at speed then carved up the sides to bleed it, then stopped to watch the two skiers rip thru it. so nice. we carried on down the ravine trying to memorize the terrain, and visualize other options for next time. so many ways to work it, so many variations poss. indeed, other tracks were coming in all directions. its obvious this place was worked over like a cheap ho in bangkok, by pros. ;)
we carried on... chris came up to a big drop where the trail breaks left, and waited thereto make sure we did not scream off the drop by acident. we then rode the down, then shot out on {radioedit} and rode it on home. jesus tap-dancing christ, what an epic day. finished the day on some groomers just giggling about the run we just did. big smiles. everywhere. oh the smiles.
this lasted awhile. lots of high fiving at dinner. lots of clinking pint glasses. lots of "epic day bro". lots of questions from others "where were you guys all day". simply answered, "uh we just ducked into the trees for a while". My wife knew, in case we didn't show for dinner. but that's it. :D hehe
that night, while we ate and slept, at least 6 inches, or more, fell and freshened up everything. :D
day 3: since the bus was leaving the mtn at 1:30 for the ride home, we had to keep things simple. groomers to warm up, then we dropped into the {radioedit} for fresh tracks. unfortunately we only had them for about half the run. we brought 3 too many people into this and this slowed us down. next thing i know, i'm stopped waiting for folks to catch up, and a skiier and rider zip past letting out a holler. damn it. there goes my freshies. but the conditions were really sweet. the rolling terrain was covered in about 6-7" of fresh onto packed pow base. you still had the rollers to navigate but the powder made it a softer ride. however, due to the dry powder, it made it fast as shit! i caught up to the locals, the skiier and rider, 3 more times, then just like that they were gone. i wanted to try and ride on the "6" of that snowboarder so bad. but that would have left everyone else to fend for themselves. cain't do that. and i was actually stating to wear down from the previous day's riding so, i was getting sloppy, i prolly would of hit a tree trying to keep up with that dude. the upside is, i now had no chance of getting lost back there since we could follow their tracks out. i realized this as the pitch got less and it got flatter and the trail a little less easy to follow. i'm pretty sure i could have found my way out, but we were truckin through there and it opens up, i could have zoomed off anywhere. so, that was the bonus of losing the freshies to them. but being first down the {radioedit} for 1/2 then 3rd for the second half ain't bad for a poser from joisey. next time, no groups >3 ppl are coming along.
so, we finished the day at the backyard tavern for a couple of beers, and then dropped by the VK for some food for the busride home. everyone loved the food, JD. the bbq pork wrap was great. kudos to you and erin for the great fare.. at some point jd asks were you on the {radioedit} today? did you get passed by two locals halfway down. lol. a small town, indeed.
to wrap up. this was my best weekend at mansfield. sitting back at my desk, i can't think of a better place to be, than back there. soon, i hope.
day 1: started the day with 2 laps off of chinclip doing tree runs in {radioedit} out to the {radioedit} road. then took the forerunner quad up to then dropped into the {radioedit}. this run was awesome, a first descent for me and it was all i could hope for. narrow, rolling, twisty tight. although it wa all packed out from a stampede of locals, the run reminded me of a boardercross park. all packed powder, no ice, one exposed dirt spot about the size of a dinner plate, at a spot where you'd expect one develop. all in all, the conditions were n-i-c-e for this outtatowner! being somewhere the first time is always sweet. we caught a ride back to the resort and finished the day with a few groomers with some friends, then hit the bar for a couple of beers. lots of smiles amongst the 3 of us who did the run.
after showering up and having dinner at pie in the sky, i hit rimrock bar with some folks with the group, and as luck would have it, we ran into JD and sean around 10pm. We had a beer, a quick look at a map, JD confirmed and refined my plan, and at that moment, the moon and stars seemed to align: the next days itinerary was set. i knew i was in for a good time. we rolled out of there wth a buzz and plan of attack for the next day.
day 2: did some high speed cruisers off the quad and the gondi, concentrating on the 10 foot swath of snow collecting on the sides of gondolier, perry, etc. a nice warmup. we looked at each other, nods all around. and we were ready.
we then rode the {radioedit} to the top and ducked into the bootpath up to {radioedit}. at the top of the bootpath, which was partially focked and more difficult, thanks to some snowboarder who heelside slippped the entire trail, crushing the existing bootpath, :( we reached {radioedit} trail. did a quick look around. we saw some abandoned backpacks, and snowshoe tracks going away, but never saw anyone. we spent a few mins enjoying the views and just being "up there". on a bluebird day, i never get over the view from where we stood. i hope that view always feels the same. it has to be the finest in VT, and probably a top 5 in the northeast. a little more walking, sinking up to our ballz at times, we found the goal, the entrance to {radioedit}. bingo. woo hoo...
so me and two ski buddies, we strap in, and start wiggling and giggling down the trail. then it opened up into a natural halfpipe, steeply pitched but rideable up and down the sides. although we were probably the 100th people in here, it was still *really* nice. although it was a mix of powder and packed powder and tracked up, it was really nice to ride. we stopped breifly in an open field. there was a group of 5 there, the only people we saw all day, they were digging a snow pit. i stopped had quick chat with them. wasn't a class, just some locals out messing around. cool. we decided to chill for 10-15 mins and enjoy the moment, we passed around some cookies, grabbed a drink. smiled, then moved on down the hill. the skiiers were making nice turns, i was was laughing, shooting ahead, stopping to catch a breath, letting them pass, shooting ahead, working the sides. wash rinse repeat. chris hit a small exposed frozen waterfall completely by surprise but he handled it nicely, then we all shot off, straightlining it riding/carving up the sides, then off down the ravine. we come to a choke point, about 2 foot wide. had a kind of cliff on the left (that someone had launched off of, but the landing had since become a little too packed down for this old man's knees to huck, maybe next time, hmmm) and a rock on the right. i shot the gap at speed then carved up the sides to bleed it, then stopped to watch the two skiers rip thru it. so nice. we carried on down the ravine trying to memorize the terrain, and visualize other options for next time. so many ways to work it, so many variations poss. indeed, other tracks were coming in all directions. its obvious this place was worked over like a cheap ho in bangkok, by pros. ;)
we carried on... chris came up to a big drop where the trail breaks left, and waited thereto make sure we did not scream off the drop by acident. we then rode the down, then shot out on {radioedit} and rode it on home. jesus tap-dancing christ, what an epic day. finished the day on some groomers just giggling about the run we just did. big smiles. everywhere. oh the smiles.
this lasted awhile. lots of high fiving at dinner. lots of clinking pint glasses. lots of "epic day bro". lots of questions from others "where were you guys all day". simply answered, "uh we just ducked into the trees for a while". My wife knew, in case we didn't show for dinner. but that's it. :D hehe
that night, while we ate and slept, at least 6 inches, or more, fell and freshened up everything. :D
day 3: since the bus was leaving the mtn at 1:30 for the ride home, we had to keep things simple. groomers to warm up, then we dropped into the {radioedit} for fresh tracks. unfortunately we only had them for about half the run. we brought 3 too many people into this and this slowed us down. next thing i know, i'm stopped waiting for folks to catch up, and a skiier and rider zip past letting out a holler. damn it. there goes my freshies. but the conditions were really sweet. the rolling terrain was covered in about 6-7" of fresh onto packed pow base. you still had the rollers to navigate but the powder made it a softer ride. however, due to the dry powder, it made it fast as shit! i caught up to the locals, the skiier and rider, 3 more times, then just like that they were gone. i wanted to try and ride on the "6" of that snowboarder so bad. but that would have left everyone else to fend for themselves. cain't do that. and i was actually stating to wear down from the previous day's riding so, i was getting sloppy, i prolly would of hit a tree trying to keep up with that dude. the upside is, i now had no chance of getting lost back there since we could follow their tracks out. i realized this as the pitch got less and it got flatter and the trail a little less easy to follow. i'm pretty sure i could have found my way out, but we were truckin through there and it opens up, i could have zoomed off anywhere. so, that was the bonus of losing the freshies to them. but being first down the {radioedit} for 1/2 then 3rd for the second half ain't bad for a poser from joisey. next time, no groups >3 ppl are coming along.
so, we finished the day at the backyard tavern for a couple of beers, and then dropped by the VK for some food for the busride home. everyone loved the food, JD. the bbq pork wrap was great. kudos to you and erin for the great fare.. at some point jd asks were you on the {radioedit} today? did you get passed by two locals halfway down. lol. a small town, indeed.
to wrap up. this was my best weekend at mansfield. sitting back at my desk, i can't think of a better place to be, than back there. soon, i hope.
