Skiing Lost Valley
Friday, February 14th, 2025
Runs: 13
Distance: 4.22 miles
Elevation: 3,369 feet
Max Speed: 24.8 mph
Avg. Speed: 11.0 mph
Moving Time: 24 minutes, 3 seconds
Total Time: 1 hour, 24 seconds, 11 seconds
Day one of February vacation! Tragically, I had a horribly unproductive week leading up to this, as I apparently got the flu last weekend... Thankfully, my fever officially broke Wednesday night so I was feeling MUCH better Friday morning. Instead of risking it and going to work, I texted Gen and we opted to get vacation started early! Instead of skiing at Lost Valley from 6pm-close, we were on the road before noon! The drive up was nice and easy, and stopping at Lost Valley was actually perfect! It was cold and windy, but we were excited to explore this little area. We got our wickets and tickets (YAY), booted up inside, dropped our bags in the basement, and got right to it!
Trail Conditions
Suface Conditions: Machine Groomed
Open Trails: 22
Open Lifts: 4
Night Skiing: Yes
Weekday Hours: Fri: 3p-9p
Mountain Report: All Trails have been groomed and are in stellar shape! Come get some this Friday! Less wind and short lift rides at Lost Valley! U.S. Ice Cross Time Trials Friday 6:30pm on Squirrel Run. Live band in the pub 6:30p-9:30p. Nordic & Snowshoe Trails are open! Come out and play!
Runs 1-7
Run 1: Chair #1 - Rabbit Run - Foxhole - Lower Foxhole
[0.41 mi; 2:03; 259 ft; 20.2 mph max; 12.0 mph avg]
Run 2: Chair #2 - Squirrel Run
[0.43 mi; 2:20; 253 ft; 21.5 mph max; 11.0 mph avg]
Run 3: Chair #2 - Beaver - Foxhole - Lower Foxhole
[0.26 mi; 1:17; 246 ft; 20.4 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]
Run 4: Chair #2 - Fisher - Porcupine
[0.25 mi; 1:37; 279 ft; 24.3 mph max; 9.2 mph avg]
Run 5: Chair #2 - Skunk - Foxhole - Porcupine
[0.31 mi; 2:31; 246 ft; 19.0 mph max; 7.3 mph avg]
Run 6: Chair #2 - Skunk - Foxhole - Porcupine
[0.32 mi; 2:01; 240 ft; 22.7 mph max; 9.6 mph avg]
Run 7: Chair #2 - Chipmunk - Foxhole - Porcupine
[0.37 mi; 1:44; 259 ft; 20.0 mph max; 12.8 mph avg]
It had been windy recently without snow so the trails were covered in twigs and pinecones, but the snow was good! We started our adventure on the right side of the map and planned to work our way left throughout the evening. Our first run was up the old Chair #1 (installed 1965!) and then we followed Rabbit Run to Foxhole to Lower Foxhole, which was pretty and easy. Run #2 was around the far right side of the map down Squirrel Run, which had an Ice Cross course paralleling it, which was just a shiny sheet of ice (we never knew Ice Cross existed!). Next up was Beaver, followed by Fisher. Beaver was short and narrow, and Fisher was just the steep below Chair #2. It was actually fun to get a little bit of steep in, even if it was only for a few dozen feet! Runs #5 and #6 were both down Skunk (I got a photo with the trail sign, as a stinky person), since it had a couple different entrances. Finally, to round out the Chair #2 area, we hit Chipmunk all the way down. This pod was easy and fun, albeit short. There were many kids in the 10-14 age range about having an absolute blast, and so were Gen and I! It was especially fun to watch the sun set through the trees as we lapped the lift.
Something we noticed about the chairs was that they were FAST. Not as in high-speed fast, but you had to MOVE when it was your turn. They were close together and you'd be getting on them, ready or not! While initially stressful, we grew to love this.
Runs 8-11
Run 8: Chair #1 - Deer Run - Bobcat
[0.31 mi; 1:35; 253 ft; 21.4 mph max; 11.7 mph avg]
Run 9: Chair #1 - Pine Grove - Big Buck
[0.24 mi; 1:16; 253 ft; 23.8 mph max 11.2 mph avg]
Run 10: Chair #3 - Bull Moose
[0.21 mi; 1:31; 259 ft; 21.9 mph max; 8.2 mph avg]
Run 11: Chair #3 - Logging Road
[0.35 mi; 1:37; 249 ft; 24.3 mph max; 12.8 mph avg]
Our next pod of runs was in the Chair #1/#3 area (both terminate at the same top area). Run #8 was down the beautiful Deer Run, basically a wide trail lined with sporatic tall pines, followed by Bobcat, which was our favorite run of the night. Just a lovely, wide, skiable slope. We stopped at the top to admire the sunset colors, which were subtle but beautiful. Run #9 had another favorite, Pine Grove, which was basically the same as Deer Run but the trees were slightly closer together (but by no means close). We followed Pine Grove down our first black of the night, Big Buck, which was basically the same as Bobcat, just icier. Run #10 brought us to Chair #3 (for no good reason, we just made that call and decided it was dumb when we were skating over considering #1 and #3 go to the same spot...). The lift stopped right near the top because the lifty had to turn on the night skiing lights, and then we went down the Chair #1 lift line called Bull Moose, which was steep and fun. The bottom pitch actually was steeper than I was ready for! Coyote, the Chair #3 lift line looked a bit icy and dicey, so we decided we didn't need to ski every trail. Instead, we followed Logging Road, which was narrow and fun! We also considered hitting Lynx or Raccoon, but they looked just as rough, and we watched a skier slide all the way down Lynx, which was then closed by patrol soon after. Made the right call!
Runs 12-13
Run 12: Chair #3 - Logging Road
[0.34 mi; 1:30; 256 ft; 24.8 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]
Run 13: Chair #3 - Pine Grove - Bobcat
[0.38 mi; 1:57; 256 ft; 22.2 mph max; 11.8 mph avg]
At this point we were ready to call three more skip the last! We chose to hit our two favorite runs as repeats to wrap things up. Logging Road again was just as fun, but the lower bit wasn't well lit which made things... exciting! Our last run was back through Pine Grove and down Bobcat, which was just fast and fun. It felt especially magical on Pine Grove with the lights on!
From here, we wanted to stay for a snack and drink but I was still recovering from the flu and we wanted to get to the AirBnb in Roxbury so we could put on comfy clothes. We made great time, stopping at the Hannaford's in Rumford and easily checking in to start our vacation! The rest of the night included watching the Hoarder's channel on the TV and snacking a bunch. We fell asleep before Sarah & Alec made it, but we were excited because tomorrow was Saddleback!
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