Adventures in Sidecountry Part I: Burke (Ski the East... Bowl)

Birch Glades at Burke

Sidecountry, slackcountry, cross country, backcountry, upcountry and no country for old men.  Whether you like lift accessed glades, hiking a little beyond the chair, or hiking alot to get to that distant slide, we're all looking for the same thing: fresh powder.

After a late week storm that brought close to a foot of snow to the Vermont Northcountry, I decided to go back to the motherland for some lift-assisted backcountry skiing.  I didn't leave disappointed.

Open Glade in the East Bowl

Saturday dawned with clear skies and one plowed lane on I-91 North.  I made the trek up from Rio Blanco and Gered's ski chalet to Burke, stopping to meet up with Brad from Killington and "Big Red" Justin from Whiteface and Utah fame.

If you look to the far left of the Burke Trail Map, you'll see an area with only a few trails which appear to run sideways across the map.  This is the East Bowl.   We spent the majority of our day pushing, prodding and snooping for fresh snow there, and we found the goods.

Despite the fact that most of the piste runs were tracked out by noon, the minimal amount of hiking it took to get to the East Bowl seriously cut down the amount of traffic through there.  In fact, one of our last runs of the day was one of the best, with an untouched stash tucked neatly away in the corner of the Bowl.  After nearly two days of skiing, Burke still had untouched powder hidden in its numerous glades.  Various drops, rocks, and open glades add to the fun.  Plus, with the trail that runs across the bottom of the bowl, it is virtually impossible to get lost.

Although we were using the lift, the day felt very backcountry given the amount of untouched lines that we found.  And after a full day of skiing, we retired to Trout River Brewery in Lyndonville for pizza and brews.

Here's a video of our adventures: