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.