How to Ski Real East Coast Glades...

[Liam]

OK, this is a POV video by our Buddy Andrew ripping the trees and hucks at Berkshire East on Dec 27.



I think Even Bushwacka will appreciate the 'bushwacking' and skiing skills of Andrew.  IMHO, he's one of the best glades-rippers I have skied with ever.

  The video really takes off at the 4:20 minute mark (before that is some fun footage of guys hitting 'Avalanche' an in bounds, on the map woods and Huck run) as it showcases some of our best expert glades (including the cliff drop run between Mohawk and Roy's way, plus the Light Run).. 

BTW-Andrew does not use rockered skis-he's on 161cm Shamans (and he's 6'1, maybe 180lbs)-and this is new heavy snow (15 inches) on bare ground (i.e-no base).  He grew up racing at B'East, skied on the Castleton College Ski Team and continues to free ski with a pretty race style (pmts-ers, take heart, he no skidder! In fact, he'd say the carvy shamans allow him to navigate the tightest of spaces with very little pivot--or none at all).

This maybe the best showcase of the great Berkshire East and some very strong woods skiing skills.  And, as I always get a kick out of pointing out:  This is Western Massachusetts and not Northern, VT.

I understand that I am featured in a future installment, I'll post that up when it becomes available so you can all have a chuckle! 

[LivingProof]

Liam,

Some fun skiing to watch!
 
I am curious as to the snow cover level in your glades and how someone can trust what's hidden just the cover. That snowfall had to be, or close to, being on bare ground. Are the areas generally clear of limbs, stumps etc? I know that last year in Tahoe, upon arrival, there was no snow on some very large rock areas, but, in two days, the locals would ski where I thought nobody should go. Sure, I'm just getting old and hyper-conservative, but, I'd wait for more coverage.

[Gary]

Not where I'd get my greatest pleasure skiing but I admire guys that love it and do it well.
G

[Liam]

Yeah, Gary-I really love that sort of terrain, but I am not really that great at skiing it (I'm more in the 'use every trick you got to get through it while making a few nice turns here and there' than the 'flow at speed through the thickets' group). 

LP-You bring up a good point, and it's something I've thought about before.  My Answers:

1. In this case, the snow was perfect new basebuilding snow--very dense, heavy snow (about one degree off of being rain) and a lot of it.

2. You know, the west gets those huge snow totals, but as I have often noted, Big western ski areas need those kind of numbers to be skiable...You ever seen Snowbird in the Summer???  It's hard to believe it's skiable with a 100 inch base (and you'll core shot skis at Alta/ Snowbird real easy if you don't watch the wind)-Big boulders and super steep slopes need a lot of snow.  Most of the east is just the opposite, leaves, roots and logs ad baby head rocks get covered with one or two snow storms (or one good heavy storm)...The East gets a lot lest snow, but it also needs a lot less snow to bring the off piste to life.  Plus, these glades and many like them throughout the east see a lot of local summer time grooming and deadfall/ brush clearing.

3. YOu have accept that a day in the woods will put nicks and scratches in your skis-it's the price of playing...there are tools to fix these, and if you own more than one ski, and one ski is an off-piste specialist, you learn to get along with a few dents on a day of skiing.  I haven't core shot a ski in years, but P-Tex and a base grind are fairly common in my ski season. 

[bushwacka]

great glade, good snow. looks fun.

no POV video should be 20 minutes long though. No one's attention span is that long.

[Liam]

You're right there, Bush, but it's his first video and I think he hasn't mastered the fine art of editing---I scrolled through it myself to find different spots I like.

Oh, welcome back....I hear the North Country has been real good as well.

[bushwacka]

If he is a window's user I can send him adobe Premier.

the entire east is doing really well, bud

I am going to try to get down and use understuding as an excuse to do so.

[dan.boisvert]

Looks like a great day, Liam!  I'm bummed that my schedule has conspired against me since that storm hit.  Hopefully Saturday I'll actually be able to get out..

[Liam]

Dan, I won't be back on the hill until Sunday...but if you come out I'd be sure to ski with you.

[Liam]

Well, I only did one short foray into the woods today...coverage is still god, but the surfaces have really firmed up.  I actually finally spent a good long day on the groomed and spent some time working with new NSP candidates on ski and toboggan skills. 

Get this-I actually made them practice both wedges AND Phatom Moves this afternoon: How many here can say that  ? Wedges and side-slip transition for sled running and Phantom moves for general skiing improvement (they had trouble in both categories and for similar reasons..).


Anyway, watching the above video makes me wistful for the next storm cycles---though Iwas glad to finally do a little real carving  today!

[midwif]

If I were a toboggan "passenger" , I am pretty damn sure
I would be glad the driver wasn't carving turns !

[Liam]

All to true, Midwif.  But a lot of guys/ gals join patrol with good ems skills, and a great volunteer attitude, but often fairly primitive ski skills.  On our patrol (which prides itself as a very atypically strong skiing patrol), we not only strive to get everyone up to a base level of competency between the handles, but we try to help them learn the skills to make their free skiing a lot more fun ('cause, hey, that's the real reason to volunteer at a ski area!).