Skiing Berkshire East
Saturday, February 1st, 2025
Runs: 10
Distance: 9.50 miles
Elevation: 7,411 feet
Max Speed: 31.5 mph
Avg. Speed: 12.0 mph
Moving Time: 42 minutes, 16 seconds
Total Time: 2 hours, 41 minute, 48 seconds
After a long week of yet another health crisis (a shit ton of surprise tonsil stones that led to a tonsil infection maybe?? two urgent care visits, a couple oral steroids, and a z-pack, and I'm feeling MUCH better), it was time to meet Gen at Berkshire East for her first and my second visit! She was wrapping up a work-road-trip where she hit a few Indy mountains in New York, and I was thrilled to be able to join her. I was especially excited to explore Berkshire East with more runs open! We were both in the parking lot at 7:45am, got our tickets just before 8:00am, and then headed into the lodge to suit up. It was cloudy but clearing, trees were freshly crystalized, and it was in the low 20s.
Conditions Outlook
Weather - Cloudy skies this morning will clear early and give way to a mostly sunny day with a high temperature of 29 degrees. Snow accumulation of 1-3" is in the forecast for Sunday evening.
Surface Conditions - We received between 1-2" of wet snow overnight as temperatures dipped below freezing. Crusty snow with some icy spoots; grooming in progress.
Trail Status - 30 trails are expected to be open.
Night Skiing - Saturday from 4-9pm.
Runs 1-3
Run 1: Summit Quad - Outback - Roundabout
[1.59 mi; 6:49; 1,010 ft; 29.9 mph max; 14.0 mph avg]
Run 2: Top Notch Double - Danny's Run
[0.20 mi; 1:58; 85 ft; 17.8 mph max; 6.1 mph avg]
Run 3: Summit Quad - Thunder
[1.59 mi; 6:24; 1,020 ft; 31.2 mph max; 14.9 mph avg]
We were out the lodge just before 8:30 to learn that the T-Bar Express Quad "won't be open anytime soon." We think it was becasue of the ice - they had to smack the ice off of every chair - we felt bad for them. I just wish they would update that on the website! We got in the reasonable line for the Summit Quad, which opened around 8:40am. This lift had the fancy gate-conveyor belt situation, which was exciting!
Our first run was down the long Outback - Roundabout run, which was visually lovely but very shaky on the legs. The groomer tracks FROZE the second the cats passed over it seemed. It was fun to continue onto Roundabout, though, since it was closed last time I visited. Conditions were consistently frozen the whole time, which I guess is fine! Tragically, we bottomed out at Wilderness Quad, which was also not yet running. We skated over to the Top Notch Double for a surprise Run #2 down Danny's Run.
Back in the Summit Quad line, which was much shorter now, we took the ride up and followed "Thunder" down, which would have been lovely, but due to the frozen cords my legs felt like they were sitting on that vibrating fitness board television infomercials used to sell. On the bright side, the run went under the mountain coaster, which was super fun!! After this run, Gen went inside to add a layer, and I sunbaithed on a lovely adirondack chair outside.
Runs 4-5
Run 4: Summit Quad - Riva Ridge - Outback - Hemlock - Little Spruce - Roundabout
[1.30 mi; 5:32; 1,014 ft; 27.3 mph max; 14.1 mph avg]
Run 5: Top Notch Double - Danny's Run
[0.20 mi; 1:58; 85 ft; 17.8 mph max; 6.1 mph avg]
Gen was warm and we were back! The ride up the Summit Quad was actually beautiful - fully in the ice-covered trees with a lovely view behind. This time, we headed down Riva Ridge to get our classic pole-picture and then worked our way back to Outback, and then hit the upper half of Hemlock, which was simply a sheet of ice. I'm getting much better at skiing ice, but it does NOT make me feel comfortable! The bottom half of Hemlock still had whales on it and was closed, so we turned onto Little Spruce and followed Roundabout down to... the double! We bottomed out again as the Wilderness Quad was still closed. Tragic.
We followed Danny's Run back to the main area to find a ridiculously long line for the Summit Quad, so we decided to take a breakfast break.
Runs 6-8
Run 6: Summit Quad - Riva Ridge - Outback - Exhibition - Danny's Run
[1.25 mi; 5:24; 1,007 ft; 22.5 mph max; 13.9 mph avg]
Run 7: T Bar Express Quad - Riva Ridge - UMass - War Dance
[0.87 mi; 4:51; 1,020 ft; 27.7 mph max; 10.7 mph avg]
Run 8: Summit Quad - Ralicki's Run - Riva's Ridge - Deer Run - War Dance - Little Mohawk - Exhibition
[1.05 mi; 4:39; 994 ft; 24.5 mph max; 13.5 mph avg]
Now back at the main lifts, we went back up the Summit Quad and worked our way down to Exhibition - actively making sure we didn't bottom out and have to take that lovely double again. Exhibition was a nice, wide run that was an absolute sheet of ice. I think I did hit one 10-square-foot patch of snow, which was thrilling!
The most thrilling part was getting back to the main area to see the T Bar Express Quad was running! We hopped right in line and ZOOMED up the mountain - it really does make a difference. I keep saying I want to start timing lift times just to compare. We decided to hit our sole black run for the day, the appropriately named "UMass," after our alma mater. It was steep but not ungodly, but it was a SHEET of ice. I caught myself getting scared at one point as I flew/slid down, but I made it down unscathed. I pulled over after the run crossed Deer Run and I saw a cloud of dust flying down... it was Gen. One ski was off, one pole... no, two poles were now off... oh now the ski is running away... yikes! As a good friend, I tried to hard to get a video, but I wasn't fast enough. Thankfully, she came to stop at the Deer Run crossing and a bunch of skiers helped her get her stuff. She got back up, and immediately made a "well that sums up my time at UMass" joke, which was such a relief because 1) I was worried she could have torn something and 2) I had at least 30 UMass jokes on deck. The rest of the run was icy but fine, leading into War Dance - one of my favorites. I would really like to tackle this again on a day with better conditions, because I do think I'm good enough to ski steeps like this well, but I just haven't been blessed with decent conditions.
Back down low, there was now a line for the express quad so we went back to the Summit Quad. We wiggled our way down Ralicki's Run (a nice, steeper shortcut to Riva's Ridge - I was a big fan!) down to War Dance, following the route I did in December. Tragically, Gen hit a death cookie on War Dance and did a full 360, didn't fall, but then did fall. She was so close to nailing it! After that, I proposed we head down to the Wilderness Quad, which was now running, and hit Roundabout for a redemption run. It was a good idea!
Runs 9-10
Run 9: Wilderness Quad - Exhibition - Little Spruce - Roundabout
[0.83 mi; 3:52; 623 ft; 22.7 mph max; 12.8 mph avg]
Run 10: Wilderness Quad - Exhibition - Katie's Run - War Dance
[0.64 mi; 2:45; 636 ft; 26.5 mph max; 14.1 mph avg]
Our last two runs for the day were off of the Wilderness Quad, which was slow but had no lines, so no complaints! We watched the multiple levels of ski school running random drills around, over, and through poles and little feathers sticking out of the ground. For Run #9 we swooped around to Exhibition and then cut through Little Spruce to Roundabout, which was full of more death cookies that nearly got me. Oy. Back at the Wilderness Quad Gen decided she was on "three more skip the last," which I was on board with.
To get back to the main area, we followed Exhibition to Katie's Run and back down War Dance, which was skiing like UMass now. Down at the lift line, I gave Gen a look and asked how she was feeling. We both were done skiing down sheets of ice and very happy calling it there - we both said we had more in us, but we wouldn't have a good time. We headed inside to change our clothes and start an early trip home, which I was not mad about since tomorrow is Magic Mountian!
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