Skiing Berkshire East
December 23rd, 2024
Runs: 7
Distance: 6.99 miles
Elevation: 6,243 feet
Max Speed: 29.6 mph
Avg. Speed: 15.0 mph
Moving Time: 27 minutes, 6 seconds
Total Time: 1 hour, 13 minutes, 49 seconds
I was feeling good after my sunrise hike and now it was time for some more cold skiing! Temps were not yet in double-digits, but the sun was up and the mountain was in a cloud of snowmaking. I easily got my lift ticket and brought my stuff up to the lodge, which was more bare-bones than I had ancitipated (I think I was expecting something more like Catamount's lodge since they're owned by the same people). Instead of booting up at the car or paying for lockers or having hooks, they just had a small bag room with some shelves, which truly was fine! I bet it would get hectic on a busy day, but it was fine on this day!
Mountain Conditions: "It is looking like another great weekend of skiing and we anticipate the following trails to be open: Green Circle (Easier) - Little Mohawk, Bobcat, Top Notch, Outback, Lower Mohawk, Riva Ridge; Blue Square (More Difficult) - War Dance, Chief, Lower Competition, Deer Run, Ralicki's Run; Black Diamond (Most Difficult) - Upper Competition. Berkshire East is now open 7 days a week and night skiing hours begin on Thursday December 26th! Please remember we are closed Christmas Day. The Crazy Horse Bar & Grill is open Saturday from 11am - 8pm and Sunday 11am - 6pm with a new winter menu. The West Lodge is open 9:00am - 4:30pm. Waffle Haus will be opne 10:00am - 4:00 pm.
Runs 1-4:
Run 1: T-Bar Express Quad - Outback - Deer Run - Competition
[1.31 mi; 6:00; 1,043 ft; 21.6 mph max; 13.1 mph avg]
Run 2: T-Bar Express Quad - Outback - Deer Run - War Dance
[1.22 mi; 4:01; 1,020 ft; 29.2 mph max; 18.1 mph avg]
Run 3: T-Bar Express Quad - Riva Ridge - Outback - Deer Run - War Dance - Little Mohawk - Exhibition - Danny's Run
[1.34 mi; 5:07; 1,024 ft; 26.2 mph max; 15.7 mph avg]
Run 4: T-Bar Express Quad - Mohawk - Big Chief - Lower Mohawk
[0.94 mi; 3:38; 1,037 ft; 29.6 mph max; 15.6 mph avg]
Once lifts started spinning I headed out to the only running lift, the T-Bar Express Quad. Similar to yesterday, only a handful of runs were open, so my plan was basically to ski them all and lap the ones I like! The lift ride was nice and I only had to share it once. My first run down was sighed as the easiest, and it was delightful! I ended the run on Competition, which actively had snowmaking operations going, which was surprising for my tired legs. I turned earlier only War Dance on my second run, which was a much more fun way to get down - I got some nice turns in and nobody was there!
I flirted with hitting the only open black on my third run, but I got to the headwall and decided "eh no thanks" and continued down a similar, lovely route. This time, I turned onto Little Mohawk off of War Dance and stumbled into some more snowmaking operations.
The four run before a warming break was down Mohawk - Big Chief - Lower Mohawk, which was more narrow and plenty fun. At this point, my nose was about to fall off and my toes were numb - time for a break!
Runs 5-7:
Run 5: T-Bar Express Quad - Mohawk - Big Chief
[0.77 mi; 3:05; 1,027 ft; 27.9 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]
Run 6: T-Bar Express Quad - Outback - Deer Run - War Dance - Little Mohawk - Exhibition
[1.27 mi; 4:24; 1,030 ft; 27.0 mph max; 17.3 mph avg]
Run 7: Top Notch Double - Danny's Run
[0.15 mi; 0:51; 62 ft; 20.0 mph max; 10.5 mph avg]
The next batch of runs were mostly repeats. Crowds were increasing and I was losing steam (emotional steam, my body shocking felt great minus the cold). I was skiing strong, but ready to continue my voyage home. That's something I really like about the Indy Pass and the concentration of mountains in New England - I could ski for just over an hour and not feel bad about wasting money! I did get a surprise seventh run when I bottomed out at the base of the Top Notch Double, where I could either walk back to the lodge or ridge what might be the world's oldest wooden chair and follow Danny's Run back (I went with option #2).
Something I really enjoyed about the past couple of days was getting to sample the mountains in the early season. Now when I return later on, when hopefully much more terrain is open, I already have a slight lay of the land and hopefully won't feel as overwhelmed!
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