SallyCat

THANK YOU. That combo is such an easily-avoidable fashion tragedy.

I'm not as bad as Eaf, right? RIGHT!? I'm just hyper-enthusiastic about my new home and excited to try new stuff. I didn't know that skinning/hiking was contentious! I'll probably hate it; I'm pretty lazy. But I also have a car with front-wheel-drive and very little ground clearance, so there may be times when I can't get out in the winter. Would be nice to be able to ski at least a little.

I ride my bike home from work at 10pm; There's nobody on the road, no light pollution, and just the big mountain looming against a bright, starry sky most nights. I kind of want to try night-time mountain biking but I'm scared of startling a bear.

Yeah, but I'd get a good workout, which is something I need in the winter. Plus skiing under a full moon would be cool. I like lifts, too, though. God knows I didn't move up here and adopt some kind of Yankee work ethic. I just need activity to offset the beer calories.

Fewer. 😁

That makes total sense. Thanks! 1,800 vertical feet in total. All good points, plus the added pain of having to change from hiking to ski boots. I think I'll see how much I enjoy the actual skiing, and then go from there. If it's a total thrill to ski empty, ungroomed trails, then it might be worth looking for a used AT set-up. And man, the joy of being able to walk out my door and up the mountain on a snow day is pretty attractive! Oh, man, I've spent enough time in Vermont to know NEVER to walk or snowshoe on ski tracks! No worries, there! Absolutely, I'm going to start real slow, skiing just above the rope tow/t-bar area and getting used to the ungroomed surface and also getting to know the old trails. This little project is really a long-term one for me. I live near a lot of good ski shops where I can get advice, and I know lots of people in my neighborhood who skin-to-ski Ascutney and can help me out. Of course, everyone around here is all kitted-out with at skis and boots; I just wondered if it was totally unfeasible to snowshoe or worth it to start out. Thanks for the great advice!

Fair enough, yeah I didn’t consider the unpatrolled part. I guess I’m wondering how much of a pita carrying a pack with skis would be. Just have to do it and see I guess!

Anybody here skin or hike to ski on any sort of regular basis? How much will I hate my life if I hike-to-ski mount Ascutney? It's literally my backyard, so I'm going to want to give it a try. And they do keep the old trails mown in the green season, so it would be ungroomed but not "backcountry." I know it's fashionable to have a full alpine-touring set-up, but Jaysus who has that kind of money? I'm thinking of getting a $30 pair of snowshoes and putting my skis and boots on a backpack and just walking up that way. I'm just wondering long-term what the advantages are of getting the whole set-up and skinning up. Doesn't seem that much less effort to me.

Killington has the second best bike park for beginner riders that I've been to, and I've been to a bunch of east coast parks. First place is Sunapee, for rank beginners, because they have NO advanced trails, so you don't have to worry about speedy cool-guys/gals coming up behind you all the time. And yet, their trails are interesting enough that you don't get bored (for one day, anyway). Learn at Sunapee then shred at Killington. Killington wins for atmosphere, variety and an incredibly even progression of trails and trail types. And sheer number of trails. The umbrella bar is open when the park is, and there's a lot of other stuff going on (zip lines, etc.,) so there's a lively vibe. .....I'm not sure why I decided to do a comparative bike park analysis just becuase someone mentioned Killington. Knee-jerk reaction and pro-Vermont excitement I guess! Gott go start my shift. I work 6-10 folding towels and rescuing dumb frogs from their daily suicide attempts in the outdoor pool. Not on my watch, dammit.

I love spring skiing and really wanted to go; had a Nor'beaster spring pass, friends were there at least three times a week, etc. I just had a savage amount of family obligation and could barely make time for a quick bike ride. It really, really bummed me out. This winter I've got flexible online work lined up and plan to try to get a Fri-Sun service job in a shop or at a mountain. I WILL make up for missing most of April and May!

Surprised at how gung-ho people are to hike up to get two whole turns.

Spent the day biking at K, but went over to check out Superstar snd the new jump ramp thing. Two guys were on their way up to ski the patches and a bunch of other people said they had skied them earlier today or would later. I’ve never been here in early June before; was surprised.

Ascutney is run by an organization called "Ascutney Outdoors" and only has a rope-tow at the moment. Good video here provides a little overview: http://ascutneyoutdoors.org/ I threw my back out unloading the U-Haul so couldn't ski. I had to meet my bike buyer at Killington anyway, so I went and had a couple beers with friends, sold the bike, and drove back to Brownsville. Everyone said the skiing was good, though. Limited terrain--Superstar and I think four other trails. There was a crazy long line for the lift. Putting my skis and ski gear in storage today. Bike trails open this week.

You are correct, sorry about that. The guy I was talking to said "chair" but those are T bar parts. I just signed up as a volunteer to help get them scraped and painted.

Funny coincidence, I just now had a great convo with someone who fled Vermont in the 1970s for Glenwood springs. He was absolutely dewy-eyed with fond memories of the place and all of the great skiing that was accessible (and affordable, I gather) from GS. He commented on the friendliness of the people there, too. I gather that back then, Vermont was still very "taciturn" in the old New England sort of way, and he found Glenwood Springs and its lovely environs to be a welcome oasis of neighborliness.