Kingdom Trails: Numbers (August 21, 2011)

Cowpath or Bike Trail? 

Four hours. Three thousand feet.  Thirty miles.

Those are the cold hard numbers that can't begin to convey the more meaningful experience of exploration, exhilaration and downright joy that I found on my third trip to Kingdom Trails this year.

Beyond the Minuteman: Whipple Hill (August 2011)

A Fells-ish spot at Whipple.

I was upside down, completely underwater and with my bike on top of me. Despite the thought of being trapped, I found it hard not to laugh at my predicament.

It was the summer of 2008 and I was biking the Nanamocomuck trail with a couple friends who had gotten far enough ahead of me to be out of sight.  “The Nan” was a wild trail, littered with blow downs, running along the Kancamagus Highway.  A long section of the trail ran atop an elevated berm with occasional water crossings. The first few of these crossings were only inches deep.

-Trip Report- North Tri-Pyramid Slide (February 2009)

A glimpse of the slide.

There is a serene beauty that envelops you on a winter night in the mountains: a clear sky, a fresh foot of snow softening your surroundings, and the silence of a hardwood forest asleep for the winter.  These are the peaceful memories that sustain you during a stressful day at the office.  It helps however, when you edit out the “port-a-potty on game day” smell of the inside of your tent.

Beyond the Minuteman: Landlocked Forest Unlocked

Paint Mine Area:  Good place for biking.  Not so good for flying kites.

A short time ago I lived in a world where an evening ride at the Landlocked Forest in Burlington, MA required me to first drive through rush hour traffic on Route 128.  Well I’m happy to say that the world as I knew it has ceased to exist. 

In its place is a better world.   One where you don’t need a car to go mountain biking; where you can ride for hours while avoiding busy roads with drivers who would rather make you a hood ornament than arrive at their destinations thirty seconds later;  and a world where you DON’T have to listen to Metallica on the way to Yoga class.

Welcome to the world just beyond the Minuteman.

Gear Review: 2010/2011 K2 Backlash (Now I See)

I swear I didn't plan this shot.  Really.

It’s really hard to find bad reviews of backcountry products online. When was the last time you ever heard someone tell you that the item they tested was a piece of garbage? 

Maybe bad reviews get buried.  Maybe people are a bunch of liars.  Maybe when there’s nothing nice to say, people don’t say anything at all.   Personally, I think there’s a tendency to rationalize or justify a purchase: especially with large ticket items.

So let me readily admit that my earlier ski reviews are total bullshit.  I was blind and now I see.   I can thank the folks at K2 for my new perspective.

Waterbury Trails: Video of a Group Ride with VMBA (July 16, 2011)

I challenged everyone in the middle to a ride to the death.  Nobody was interested.  Except the dog.

I recently attended the Vermont Mountain Bike Festival in Waterbury, VT and took part in one of the group rides where some local riders gave us a tour of their backyard.  I was impressed.

Kingdom Trails: A Video Essay

This past weekend I spent a day with some friends roaming the byways at Kingdom Trails.  It's hard to describe why this is my favorite place to go biking, so I made a little video to give you a sample of what it is like.

Bedford Isn't The End of the Line: Part II (Taking a Right Turn)

An Ewok threw a rock at me after I took this.

My exploration of the sylvan byways of Metro-West Boston continued with a ride on the Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail in Bedford.

Gear Review: Garmont Radium

If the boot doesn't fit.  Mold it.

Searching for a reasonably priced "do-it-all" boot?  Garmont has the answer.

Wendell State Forest: Getting Hooked on Dual Suspension

It's Wendell, Not Wendal.

Wendell State Forest in Massachusetts is much like her hot sister Leominster.  Rocky, hilly, wild and large.

Why the people of the Commonwealth chose to name her after an annoying Arrested Development song is beyond me. 

The Trailers Are Out! The Trailers Are Out!

In case you hadn't noticed: it's July!  That means there are only six (sometimes four) more months until ski season.

While you've been busy re-learning how to hike downhill, the ski porn industry has been busy cropping, pasting and editing to bring us the 2011 offerings.

As of today, three of the big guns have released their trailers for Fall's films. Warren Miller (but not really Warren Miller), Teton Gravity Research, and Matchstick Productions, all have teasers on the internet.

Warren Miller's: Like There's No Tomorrow

Teton Gravity Research's:  One For The Road

Matchstick Production's: Attack of La Nina: The Bitch is Back

Also, be sure to check out my videos from the 2010-2011 season.  

Now excuse me while I go purchase my plane tickets to Chile for some August skiing. 

Gear Review: First Ascent Hangfire Hoodie

You know that comfortable hooded sweatshirt that's your favorite for lounging around in on a cool fall afternoon.  It’s not your friend.  In fact, it might just try to kill you.

Bedford Isn't The End of the Line

You can get here from downtown Boston using bike trails.  Really.

Okay, so I'm getting a little obsessed with finding "wilderness pathways" in the Boston suburbs.  Maybe it's my mortal fear of road biking around Boston drivers, but my quest to find bike paths linking different parts of the suburbs brings me way too much enjoyment.

Leominster State Forest: In the Diving Bubble

You got your rock wall on my trail.  You got your trail on my rock wall.

Leominster and I go way back. 

Back when my idea of mountain biking was riding the fire road freeways at Blue Hills, I found a place that challenged my idea of where a mountain bike could go.  Every Thursday my buddy Gered and I made runs down the spine jarring, bone bruising, glorified streambeds that Leominster calls trails.

Did I mention that we used to ride there at night?

Gear Review: Marmot Randonnee Bib Shell Pant

I have the legs of a Hobbit.  This is a good thing for balance and playing soccer, but not so good for finding pants that fit. 

The Western Greenway Expands: A Dream Is Born

My mountain biking universe just got a little bigger.  Walnut Street used to signify the edge of my nightly ride in Belmont, but two weekends of volunteer trail work by NEMBA has changed everything.

Gear Review: EMS Mountain Light -20F Sleeping Bag

Did you ever have a “binky” growing up: a tattered old blanket that you turned to for safety and security when your Momma wasn’t around?  Well, I had one. Until it mysteriously went missing one day. (I know it was you, Mom.)  As it turns out, binkies aren’t just for toddlers. 

Gear Review: Sea to Summit Reactor Bag Liner

The first thing you are going to say when you pull one of these out of its stuff sacks is, “No frickin way”… as in, “There is no frickin way this is going to add any warmth to my sleeping bag.” 

-Trip Report- Gulf of Slides: The Sideshow (April 30 - May 1, 2011)

Spring skiing at its best.

Mt. Washington can resemble a Spring circus.  The crowds gather for an annual festival that marks the end of the ski season.  Some people enjoy the show under the big tent: lions, clowns and of course, those candy peanuts.  But the main event isn't the only show in town.  Somewhere near the big tent sits the sideshow: a mystery tent with freaks, thrills and otherworldly experiences waiting to be discovered.  While the sideshow lacks the pomp and circumstance of the main tent, it can still blow your mind.

Basket Pedals Are THE DEVIL!

Just looking at this thing makes me cringe.

Buying mountain bike pedals is a lot like biking a difficult downhill line.  You need to commit, and commit hard, or it's going to eat you up and spit you out.

April is Alive

Can you think of another month with as much going on as April?  After all, April sees the  beginning of the baseball season, basketball and hockey playoffs, Patriot’s Day and of course the Boston Marathon.  Unfortunately, I usually don’t get to witness any of these national holidays.  That’s because April also happens to be the one time of year that I can engage my two favorite pastimes: skiing and mountain biking.  And I’ll be damned if I’m going to plant my ass on the couch just so I can tell you if Beckett’s fastball has lost its pop. 

-Trip Report- Osceola Slide: Bushwhacked (April 2011)

Osceola slide (first slide on the left)

I don't think anybody has ever been gang raped by an evergreen thicket, but after my bushwhack to the Osceola Slide I have an idea of what it might be like.

Nor'Easter Alert!

Put those shorts back in the closet.

Get ready to hear some serious whining from the golfers in your life, as the greens won't be regulation ready for another few weeks.  There's one big storm on the way this Friday, which has the potential to leave over a foot of snow from the Berkshires through the White Mountains, with more to follow next week!

-Trip Report- North Twin III: Third Time Is the Charm (March 2011)

Finally.

The music from my phone alarm pierced the morning air at 5:30am.  I had carefully prepared myself the night before for my "morning-self" and was armed with reasons that I wanted- no, needed to heed the call.  But there he was in my head at 5:30 telling me that I just wanted more sleep:  that today would be a good day to sit on the couch and watch some basketball; that I wouldn't be letting anyone down by not going.  He had a good point.  I mustered as much consciousness as I could gather and concentrated on a single thought:  It'll be worth it.

-Trip Report- North Twin II: Nubble Stubble Boogaloo (March 2011)

Skiing Through the Nubble Stubble

Failure can breed success.  It can also breed more failure.  My second attempt at the North Twin slide met a familiar end, but provided more invaluable lessons.

Winer Storm Wha.....?

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  (In March)

Don't adjust your television sets.  That's right you read that correctly.  It's March 20th and a WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for northern New England. Old man winter is not dead and is instead headed your way tomorrow bringing close to a foot of white gold to the North Country.

Be sure to get the latest updates from our detailed weather page here, and check with the guys at Ski the East to find out which ski resorts got the most snow love.

40 Days and 40 Nights. Without Poo.

People. I have seen the light. I can attest to the holiness of the convenience store camping diet. I was there at the right hand of Andy when NoreasterBC discovered that gummy bears and tuna mac weren't just for lonely bachelors any more. I was there when instant coffee and a box full of sugar packets became something more sacred than Starbucks, MacBook and The New Yorker on a Sunday morning. I was there when beef jerky and whisky became the new goodnight snack and glass of apple juice from Grandma.

What you're wondering now though is how on earth anyone could eat so much S@IT without blowing a gasket 10 miles into the back country and 20 miles from the nearest square of Charmin (and that creepy guy in the bottom of the New Hampshire outhouse). It's as simple as high school chemistry people.

Convenience Store Commissary

One minute and twenty four seconds.  That’s the record.  If you run, know where everything is, have nobody in front of you, and pay with an easy-pay device, you may be able to beat it.  I challenge you to beat it.

I'm talking about the amount of time needed to grab all of the essential winter camping supplies from your local convenience store.

Adventures in Sidecountry Part II: Bolton Valley (Get It While You Can)

View of the Bolton Backcountry from Stowe View 

If you've only skied the lift accessed glades at Bolton Valley you've probably been impressed with the acreage of glade skiing, but unless you've also ventured onto their cross country trails with your backcountry gear you don't even know the half of it.

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.

-Trip Report- North Twin: I Don't Want To Be Right (March 2011)

This is not a slide.  That's okay though. 

Sometimes things have to go wrong for them to go right.  I set out to ski the North Twin Slide.  Instead I discovered a hidden gem, and set the foundation for a successful second attempt.

March Madness: Don't Drink the Kool-Aid

"Dude.  That was epic.  Where'd you find my ski?"

It's finally here!  Like a jerk with his new phone book, skiers are rejoicing the best ski month of the year: March.

March is also the month when you're guaranteed to hear at least one person per day cry about how much they wish winter would end and how living in New England is such a horrible chore.

Before you take a sip of the "I'm soooo sick of winter" Kool-Aid and start thinking that ski season is almost over, there's a few things to consider.

Just In Time for the Weekend!

If you haven't already heard, there's snow on the way for tomorrow.  That little Groundhog must have seen  the rage in Farmer McDonald's eyes when he peeked out on February 2nd.  He'll be buried so deep after this storm that he might want to consider digging out through Mongolia.

Painful Lessons on Thermo-Molding and The Game of Boot Roulette

Bid on the Garmont Radiums..... MAO!

I finally suffered a setback with boot roulette.  After a number of successful boot purchases over Ebay, my luck finally ran out.

Skiing with the Other Half: A Primer on Relationship Maintenance for a Backcountry Skier

Kids want GI Joes.  Not ski couples.

As we dive headlong into the heart of ski season, perhaps you’ve found yourself forgetting what your spouse or significant other looks like.  After all, unless you’re one of those power skiing couples it is unlikely that your better half shares your ridiculous obsession with untracked powder.  For the last several months you’ve been catching only glimpses of them while you run out the door on a Saturday morning on your next adventure.

Even the most understanding of partners has already begun to attend co-dependence meetings, place ads with your likeness on the back of milk cartons, and disappear on week long “book club” outings to Mexico.

It’s time to do some relationship maintenance.  It’s time to share the addiction and do some skiing together.

Jay Peak: Actual Views from the Top

If you've ever skied at Jay, you know there's no such thing as a perfect ski day. There are FANTASTIC ski days at Jay, but there are never perfect days because perfect is a tremendously subjective term. I've had fantastic ski days that my wife felt were horrible (see pic below) to be perfect and thus ruined the perfection by her thrice hourly coco breaks. I've also had fantastic backcountry powder days that were marred by 3 hrs of standing down in Montgomery Center on Rt. 242 waiting to hitch a ride back to the lodge.

Coco anyone?

A few weeks ago I did have a day at Jay that came pretty close to perfection though. -10 degrees. Free room and board at the Tram Haus Lodge. 6 inches of powder the night before. And 0 mph wind from no direction (that's almost the icing on the cake right there). To top it all off, visibility at the Tram summit was about 350 miles in every direction. Now there's something you don't get at Jay more than twice a lifetime.

Welcome Brad!

Please welcome to the Blog our newest contributor: Brad.

You may recognize him from  classic Nor'Easter BC films like "Terrain Trapped on Ascutney" or "Skiing Killington in October".

Brad is our resident expert on all things Maine and our not so secret weapon during ski-offs with rival ski tribes.

Nor'Easter BC Non-Exclusive: Author David Goodman in Hanover

As Gered mentioned with an obvious lack of modesty in yesterday’s post, I cleared my busy schedule last night and made my way to Hanover’s Mountain Goat for a slideshow presentation by backcountry ski guru David Goodman.

Nor'Easter BC Exclusive! David Goodman Speaking in Hanover Tonight

So, maybe this is a shameless plug because we in no way shape or form have an exclusive with David Goodman, author of Nor'Easter BC's favorite guide to stolen powder stashes, Best Backcountry Skiing in the East. However, our crack reporter (aka. biggest loser with nothing better to do tonight) Brad Prescott will be in attendance to winnow bits of pearly wisdom from the original Ski Tour Guru. And maybe even a picture too. When it comes to reclusive New England icons, this guy makes J.D. Salinger look like a Park Avenue socialite. Or used to. I think old J.D. is dead...

Anyway, if you're free at 7 pm, drop on in to the Mountain Goat and try to catch Brad trying to snap a pic of Goodman. If you're not, report back to Nor'Easter BC tomorrow for a picture of Sasquatch himself!

Park City is for POW Lovers

I can't say that there was really any POW on our Park City day, given that it hadn't snowed in a week or two when we got there, and unlike the Deery Valley, people do ski out of bounds and abuse nature's dandruff at the Park. Well, Nor'Easter BC doesn't take this kind of POW abuse lightly. When the average man abuses what nature so gratiously has given, then it's up to the better man to make his own tracks. Uphill. And over the edge.

Nor'Easter BC from Utah: Stein Erikson says "Colorado Be Damned"

A long long time ago I learned one of those harsh eternal truths that define you for the rest of your life. People from Colorado are huge d-bags. They love to bust on our honest, hard working East Coast icecapading way of life. "Why ski the east when it's all ice and tree stumps?" they say. "I'd never ski Vermont, not even on a powder day" they blaspheme. Well, I made a rule on the day I met my first duche from Colorado. I would never ever ski on the powdery slopes of the Rockies until I met a native Coloradoian who had traveled east to earn turns or lift it up a major Vermont ski area. To this day I have not, and likely never will. Glorious 14k footers of the central rockies, thou shalt I never see. 

-Trip Report- Mt. Ascutney: It's a (Terrain) Trap!

It's 4:30.  You've got about a half-hour of daylight left and one headlamp between you and your two friends.  You ran out of water about an hour ago.  You're staring at a 50 degree colouir to the bottom of a drainage that may or may not get you back to your vehicle.  Above you is a steep slope of rock, ice and occasional evergreen bramble.  Somewhere beyond that climb is a trail.  Maybe. You have a decision to make.  Do you climb up and risk running into an un-climbable rock face, or do you slide into the unknown facing a similar un-descendible face?  You've been terrain trapped.

Things you Suck at OTHER than Backcountry Skiing

It sucks to be really really rediculously bad at things you want to be good at, like skiing. If you can't be good at the things you want to be good at, then there's nothing to lose trying new stuff. This is a great personal maxim that has led me into dozens of cool new experiences and awkward situations too. What I like most is the idea that, you never know, maybe the thing you've never tried is something that you are so naturally gifted at that it's been your life calling to do whatever it is. You just never knew it.

-Trip Report- Mt. Monadnock: Chasing My Shadow

Ice coated trees = a crust..... somewhere.

There is a distinct disadvantage to starting off the weekend by attending Crotched Mountain's Midnight Madness.  It totally messes with your internal clock so that you're not exactly jumping out of bed for an alpine start on Saturday.  Or Sunday for that matter.

So when 11:00 am rolls around and you're still organizing your gear for the trip out to the closest mountain, you know you're behind the eight ball for your solo tour.

Epic Jay Peak Bloggers Summit: Day 2

So, there are a lot of great things going on in the world of social ski media these days. I learned or was present for the teaching of a lot of them today. I wont bore you now (boring details to come later for sure), but if there's one thing to take away from this experience, it is that things happening in the ski industry today are pretty epic, and today was certainly an epic day at Jay for the best and brightest North American ski bloggers. The fresh POW this morning on River Quai was epic. The secret back entrance to the Face Chutes was pretty damned epic. And an impromptu drop off of Timbuktu into no-mans-land and down to Rt 242 was freaking epic too. In case you were wondering, epic is the new rad. So start using it before it goes out of style.

Thanks to Tim at Meathead Films for showing this groomer Guru a few new places to get away at Jay. Oh, and thanks to that guy in the private-but-not-pedophile North American Tele and Biking Instructors van for giving us all a lift back to the Jet (best part - the driver changed his name to Jay back in the 80s when he moved to Montgomery Center to weave organic coffee mugs out of his own hair).

**And of course, thanks to Jay Peak Resort for hosting all of us. And teaching us how to curl. No, not the usual which-way-to-the-gym kind of curl. The Canadian kind. Played while drinking Long Trail and hurling a 42 pound stone carved out of Barre grey's finest granite. If that's not globalization I don't know what is!

Jay Peak Bloggers Summit Prelim

Well TeamScrappy and NoreasterBC is way up in the Great White North today to participate in the 1st/2ndish annual Jay Peak Bloggers Summit (triathlete translator: this is a play on words). I'll be in attendance with 20-30 of the country's foremost professional bloggers to learn how my fellow college dropouts (grad school dropout counts too) and I can make some bucks living at home with ma and pa and doing what we all love to do. Whatever that is.

Some thoughts so far:

1. Thanks Jay. Tram Haus Lodge is sweet. And the 6 pack of Long Trail Tram Ale you left in my fridge, even sweeter.

2. Even in a 500 dollar a night ski-side sweet suite, somewhere on my floor people are still smoking pot. That is awesome.

Jay Peak summit was at -10 today with an amazing 0 mph wind out of the nowhere. This means today was pretty much the warmest day I've ever skied at Jay. And here's a once in a lifetime photo to prove it. Just kidding. I need to get the da@ned cord from the car so I can get it off my camera. Maybe later.

Even being the warmest day at Jay on record, I had to ski 2/3rds of my runs today backwards to keep my own wind chill from freezing my big guido nose off. I guess that's why Black Diamond put twin-tips on the Voodoos.

Ok off to learn bloggers make the donuts.

Gear Review: Black Diamond Voodoo

My love affair with Black Diamond skis continues.  I purchased a pair of BD Machine skis from the Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington last year, and this year it was time to add to my quiver by getting a wider snow specific ski. 

Again, it was OGE to the rescue, who hooked me up with a great deal. 

Matched with the Radium boot, I've ridden the Voodoos on several recent in-bounds ski days.

The Voodoo has a wider shovel, and less pronounced sidecut than the Machine.  I purchased a shorter length (175cm) than the Machine for easier turns in the woods and moguls.

As indicated on "The Ski Chart", the relaxed sidecut translates to a larger sidecut radius, but don't let that fool you.  The front shovel is designed for easier turn initiation.  While it lacks sidecut, it still turns easily.

The real magic, however, is made when there's fresh powder.  Folks: these are powder skis.  If you like jumping around on pillows then you'll love these skis.  I had one fresh powder day at Bretton Woods and another at Whiteface where they shined as I floated around on the groomers and in the glades.  But I found Nirvana on truly epic day at Killington during the recent Nor’easter.  I rode these magic carpets around the mountain: from blues to the black diamonds to the double blacks.

Their kryptonite, however, is exactly what you would guess for a relatively light ski: steep ice.  I discovered this as they rubber-bandded while traversing some wind scoured crust at Whiteface.  This is somewhat moderated by the modest sidecut, which keeps more of the ski in contact with the slope.  But alas, they won’t stick to lens glass groomers like Spiderman.  But you should bring your big guns when the hardpack calls anyway.

Gered modeling the Voodoos at the top of Killington.

The verdict: these are great skis.  But don’t take my word for it.  My tele-skiing buddy Gered thought that mine looked so cool he had to go out and get a pair for himself.

That’s right, I got mine first.  And now that its on the internets, it must be true.

Winter Wild Uphill Race Series: Total White (ski) Domination

Gered on Mt. Hunger with the White Skis.

This past weekend marked the start of the 2011 Winter Wild uphill race series at Whaleback Mountain in NH. Winter Wild is in it's second year, and can boast 4 great randonee race locations, a 300 percent growth rate in attendance over last year, and still an outstanding ratio of giveaway prizes to participant (.5:1, and good schwag too).

The race allows any mode of muscle driven transport up and down, with the most popular categories being skate skis, telemark equipment, running shoes with spikes, and the noble donkey (punch). Check it out. Do it. It's pretty great.

TeamScrappy was in attendance for this year's opener and posted a 3rd place finish and record breaking 12:54 time in the telemark category. In a race series dominated by washed up old olympic nordic skiers, the telemark ski is often overlooked in favor of the lighter and snappier skate ski. Well, this year they got their comeuppance. Always expect the Spanish Inquisition. And now, the White Ski.

-Trip Report- Mt. Greylock: Thunderstruck

Few trails are steeped in history like the Thunderbolt on Massachusetts' highest mountain: Mt. Greylock.  Sitting above the town of Adams in Western Mass., the mountain was a mecca for backcountry skiers in the 1930's and 40's. (Except in those pre-lift days they were just known as skiers.)  It remains a popular destination for skiers and boarders: expecially when the Berkshires fill-in with snow.

How Steep Is It?

The Flume a/k/a Certain Death

Have you ever skied Upper Goat on Stowe?  How about Devil’s Fiddle at Killington?  Middle Hardscrabble at Cannon?

How do they compare to the Headwall at Tuckerman’s, or the Flume, or that unnamed slide that keeps catching your attention on your trip through Crawford Notch?

 As I’ve been pondering different glades, slides and balds for skiing this winter, the question inevitably  arises: How steep is it?

Google Earth might just have a tool to help us all find the answer.