Mad River Glen; Ski It If You Can!

[JaySkisBig]

I was up at Mad River Glen on the weekend and once again they showed me what the BEST in eastern skiing was. I gulped the Kool-Aid they were serving and left wearing a white robe. (David Koresh, eat your heart out). Although I try to enjoy every ski experience, this experience was by far the best I've had in a long time. (Funny how I say this EVERY time I go there.) This place is designed to break, blowout and implode body parts. Their blue-square intermediate runs would be a black diamond anywhere else if not maybe even Double Black! As a matter of fact, they don't feed into the cheesy marketing hype that all the little mole-hills do. If you look at their trail map, they don't use the Double Diamond designation even though most of the mountain is that intense.

 

 

Especially today in our lawsuit happy culture where ambulance chasing slip and fall attorneys reign supreme and can eventually run for President of the US (John Edwards), I am shocked that this place exists. I have hiked and skied Tuckerman's Ravine. Mt Washington for those that aren't in the know; braved the peak where the highest surface wind speed in the world was recorded (the anemometer was spun until it reached 231mph/372kph) and the best way to describe MRG is lift serviced Tuckerman's. Not for the wind, but for their relentless terrain and ridiculous annual average snowfall for mid Vermont. MRG receives about 250" of snowfall annually. That's over 20 feet! The snow is incredible and the terrain is even better. How many places have 6-8 foot drop-offs on posted trails? Not many to say the least. How many eastern areas have 10-20 foot cliffs that are inbounds? Even less. How many have a frozen waterfall through their signature trail? Besides here, I have yet to see one that wasn't a backcountry trip. Beyond the fabulous terrain is also the culture of skiing Mad River. People don't wear the latest ski fashion. This is not Vail. People don't make three turns then brag about their accomplishments on the hill. This is not Hunter Mtn. (Yeah, Hunta, how you doin... fuhgettaboudit). This is for hardcore skiers. People that like to push the limits of their physical ability and (not to sound too corny) people that enjoy being at one with the mountain. To truly appreciate MRG, you must understand that skiing can almost be a spiritual experience. To more fully understand the culture, let me explain a bit more about it.

 

 

The founder and original investor of Stowe, Roland Palmedo, had a vision. He wanted a ski area where sport not profit would be the prevailing concern. Roland believed that "

[Johnny Law]

MRG is the shit ....paradise on a pow day=$$$$$. I like the concept of co-op but they have to be real careful one fucked up year and the whole thing falls apart. It would be interesting to see Magic go the co-op route though they require more blowing capacity.

 

[JaySkisBig]

I really can't see Magic Mountain operating as a coop for many reasons. They are another great mountain when they have snowfall, but being in southern Vermont kills them as they just don't get enough natural. I love skiing there. Especially with their 'Everything is in-bounds" ski policy. But in addition to their added expenses of having to make more snow, they just don't have the same following as Mad River. I hope Magic Mountain stays open as it is really good and fun skiing. I hope it doesn't close as did so many places already.

[zaldon]

their is a teacher at my school with a mad river glen sticker on their car

[JaySkisBig]

If you are interested in learning more about the mountain, then talk to your teacher about it. Anyone that sports the sticker is usually quite happy to talk about it. I've never skied a place like it.

[JaySkisBig]

Stowe has a different kind of ski experience. Mansfield is a great mountain. They too get higher than average snowfall and have all the ammenities including a gondola and great snowmaking. This comes at a price. If you are willing to shell out $84 to ski/ride on a Saturday, then enjoy it, but even with expensive tix liftlines can still be long.

 

Check out these numbers... awesome!!!!

 

Snowfall at Stowe:

Last 24 Hours: 17-21"

Last 48 Hours: 21-26"

Last 7 Days: 27-36"

Season Total: 246"

[Ski]

Mad River Glen is great but Stowe is my favorite in the east..

I'll take Sugarbush over both. MRG is a blast, especially after a few days of Okemo groomers, but can be a pain in the ass. Castlerock is crazier than most things at MRG, plus you have 5x the skiable acres as MRG. But it's all about the experience you've had. I've had people tell me how icy Okemo is and how empty Mount Snow was And I bet Doug's real reason for liking Stowe is because that girl let him feel her up on the gondola.

[Papasteeze]

well MRG is now on my "Haven't been there, I wanna do that" list.

 

I am going to copy and paste your report to get some more feedback. Thanks for the stoke!