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You have heard it said that if you can ski in the East – you can ski
anywhere. Well these trails certainly support that claim. I would
stretch that proclamation further to say that if you can ski in
Vermont, you are in the upper echelon of the hard core. The Green
Mountain State has big mountains, though not as high in elevation as
the West, the fall line and natural elements inherent to our terrain
present their own challenges. You will notice that the majority of our
top ten are natural snow trails, without the modernity of snowmaking
and machine grooming. Most of these trails represent skiing in its
essence, arguably the way it was meant to be. These trails, in my
experience and humble opinion, make for bragging rights and “tales at
the bar”. My top 10:
[IMG]familyskitrips.com/images/StoweQuadGoat.jpg[/IMG]1.
Goat at Stowe is a heart-thumping, narrow, twisty run with
precipitous drops that just keep coming at you for 1,800 vertical
feet. This trail, along with the very steep Star (#4), is part of
Stowe’s famous Front Four. In my opinion, National and Liftline no
longer qualify as they have been altered over the years to accommodate
the masses, and therefore have lost their competitive edge.
2. Rumble at Sugarbush requires the dodging of trees,
negotiating of bumps, stumps and jumps. For the timid, the name Rumble
can be quite literal. This trail is part of the formidable Castlerock
area, which is anything but glamorous. Legend has it that when
installing the Castlerock chair, a bulldozer went "out of control"
mowing down several hundred feet of trees as it dropped down the steep
mountain. It was too steep to remove by winch, so a trail was cut to
extricate the dozer from below. I don't know if that is true, but it
does make for a fascinating story, and a terrifying trail.
3. Robin’s Run represents the little sister of the double black
diamond triplets at Smugglers Notch. If Stowe has its Front
Four, Smugglers has three (#3, #5, #7) which share the same incredible
pitch in varying degrees of steeps, knolls and cliffs. Robin’s is much
too narrow with at least three cliffs. It generally has thin cover
with exposed rocks and stumps making it all the more interesting. When
it first officially opened, forcing the locals to share their secret,
there was a 200-centimeter ski length minimum, to keep out those who
did not belong here.
[IMG]familyskitrips.com/images/StoweQuad.jpg[/IMG]4. Star
at Stowe initiates you from the very beginning, with a barrier
fence to filter out the ill prepared. Following the initial drop of
several hundred feet of super steep pitch, Star continues on as a knee
grinding, back pounding run with numerous twists, turns and plenty of
moguls.
5. Madonna Liftline at Smuggs’ is under the lift - obviously,
making it very intimidating for the Madonna chair spectator factor.
When it is open top to bottom it is 2,100 vertical feet of pure
adrenaline. There are three cliff bands where you must choose your
jump turns carefully, to avoid those pesky lift towers.
6. Castlerock Liftline at Sugarbush is waiting when you finish
neighboring Rumble (#2), or should I say – when Rumble finishes you.
Logic dictates that the most difficult route down the mountain would
be the most direct, that being straight under the lift. This Liftline
has several cliff bans, posing the ultimate question: “how much air is
enough air?”
7. Freefall, the third of the trio at Smugglers’, is so
steep that mini-avalanches occur with each jump turn. This
wind-whipped 50 degree trail doesn’t usually open until mid-February,
because the snow doesn’t readily adhere to such a steep pitch. This is
no fall terrain, unless you are interested in a “free-fall”. The good
news is there is always tons of snow at the bottom of your descent.
8. Giant Killer at Pico says it all in its name. This is the
only trail on the east side off the summit of Pico The steep pitch
with big, firm (usually icy) moguls presents a fierce combination.
This trail has snow making which makes it and its future sibling (#9)
unique on this list.
9. Ovation, located to the right of Killington’s popular
Superstar as you ride the quad, is wide open and very steep and just
keeps getting steeper as it descends into the Killington Basin. The
avalanche affect can occur with each turn. Honorable mention goes to
Devil’s Fiddle for its very steep initial drop off, located to skiers’
right of the legendary Outer Limits, which gets all the publicity as
the steepest mogul slope in New England.
10. Mad River Glen makes the list, not for any one particular
trail, but for all of its au natural skiing without modern grooming
and snowmaking. The conditions here are completely at the whim of
Mother Nature, which can make the ski experience very challenging.
Hence the slogan, “Ski it if you can”. But if I had to pick one most
difficult trail at Mad River, it would have to be Paradise for its
steep, twisty glades. Wear your wool pants and be prepared for an
adventure.
