Skiing Catamount Mountain

Skiing Catamount Mountain

December 29th, 2024

Runs: 5

Distance: 5.04 miles

Elevation: 3,576 feet

Max Speed: 26.6 mph

Avg. Speed: 11.8 mph

Moving Time: 25 minutes, 5 seconds

Total Time: 1 hour, 8 minutes, 24 seconds

Time for my great pilgrimage back to New England! The weather forecast was looking warm with an unclear amount of rain, but I decided to bite the bullet and make a reservation at Catamount - somewhere I had already been. I had a nice drive up and was one of the first 20-ish cars in the parking lot, ready for the 8:30am lift start time.

Mountain Report: Sunday, December 29th. You may have looked at the weather and seen the little rainy cloud image shown for today's weather. We did too, but we're here to tell you, things are actually looking good for today! Despite that daunting rain clouds, the forecast is only showing a short peroid of rain in the morning and then just cloudy skies and warm temps for the rest of the day, all the way through night skiing. With temps staying above freezing last night, there's a good chance of soft snow and great conditions today.

Runs 1-2:

Run 1: Catamount Quad - Cat's Meow - Colonel's Caper - Holiday

[0.65 mi; 3:22; 374 ft; 21.9 mph max; 11.6 mph avg]

Run 2: Catamount Quad - On Stage

[0.45 mi; 3:25; 404 ft; 25.9 mph max; 7.8 mph avg]

I realize that I've been spoiled by Jay Peak, which runs like a well-oiled machine (and is super communicative with condition updates). The Catamount website said five lifts would be spinning at 8:30am, but only the Catamount Quad started right away. There was also race training, so I got started a few minutes after 8:30am once all the racers made their way up the practice slope. My first run was a route I hadn't done before, Cat's Meow - Colonel's Caper - Holiday, which was fine. Cat's Meow was a cat track and the rest of the run was more like spring skiing, which was fun to remember how to ski! I tried to get to the Meadow's Triple, which was supposed to be open, but it was closed to everyone except ski school.

I scooted my way back to the Catamount Quad for a quick run down On Stage. At this point, the high speed quad was not spinning, but the Glades Triple was, so I took that up to near the top.

Runs 3-5:

Run 3: Glade Triple - Ridge Run Ext - Ridge Run - Upper Promenade - Lower Promenade - Homeward Bound

[1.48 mi; 7:03; 945 ft; 24.1 mph max; 12.6 mph avg]

Run 4: Glade Triple - Upper Sidewinder - Lower Sidewinder

[1.01 mi; 4:07; 922 ft; 26.6 mph max; 14.8 mph avg]

Run 5: Glade Triple - Ridge Run Ext - Ridge Run - Upper Promenade - Lower Promenade - Homeward Bound

[1.46 mi; 7:07; 932 ft; 25.0 mph max; 12.3 mph avg]

It was now raining, which wasn't too bad. My first run was the long route, following the Ridge Run Ext to Ridge Run, the Promenades, and finally Homeward Bound. It was a nice gentle run, but the snow felt so different than the hard pack/ice I've skied on so far this season! The big thing I noticed were my edges catching complete randomly. I also noticed that when that would happen, I was sitting back in my boots... classic!

Second run was down Sidewinder, which is a super fun run. I attacked it with more confidence, and then fell right at the end. I think again, a combo of sitting back slightly and slushy snow had my brain confused. I'll blame the rain for some, too!

My fifth and final run was another long lap from Ridge Run to Promenade. I emotionally wanted to get some more, but the mountain was only getting busier and the rain was only getting harder. I headed back to the car, checked the weather again, and saw the rain should be ending in a half hour. I made the wild decision to change and drive to a trailhead and get a hike in - more on that soon!

Map of Catamount Mountain (2024-2025)

Skiing Catamount Mountain

Last day of vacation! I woke up early after a night of a lot of wine, but I was determined to get one more day of skiing in before I had to snap back to reality.  I made it to Catamount around 8:15 - lifts were scheduled to open at 8:30, but people were already heading up - apparently it was a big ski race day. The parking lot was busier than I was ready for, but besides the lodge, crowds were nonexistant. Tragically, I dropped my Indy Pass somewhere in the parking lot and still have not found it, but thankfully the fail-safe is that you can redeem an Indy with just a license, so I was all set. I booted up at the car, and soon enough was on the Ridge Quad for my first run of the day!

Run 1: Ridge-Run - Upper Promenade - Lower Promenade - Homeward Bound

1.48 miles, 6:58, 1,047 feet, 29.6 mph max, 12.8 mph avg.

Starting off with something I know! I spent the majority of Ridge-Run questioning if I had ever skied before in my life, but eventually settled into it. I've noticed that I start every day sitting back in my heels, which is a habit I need to break. All was smooth sailing for this run, minus hitting the ski school crowd at the end of Homeward Bound, which caused me to stop and have to skate back to the lift.

Run 2: Ridge-Run - Upper Promenade - Upper Bobcat - Lower Promenade - Homeward Bound

1.38 miles, 5:06, 1,017 feet, 31.4 mph max, 16.2 mph avg.

I was feeling good after hitting the Ridge-Run for the second time, so in order to spice things up I hit Upper Bobcat on the later descent, which was quick and just a bit steeper, a nice way to dip my toes in. 

Run 3: Catamount

0.34 miles, 1:28, 397 feet, 23.8 mph max, 14 mph avg.

Instead of skating all the way back to the Ridge Quad, I side-stepped up to the shorter Catamount Quad. I ALMOST made it before the little kid ski team, but they beat me. After the parade of children were up, the lifties jokingly (I hope) asked if I wanted help putting the bar down or if they should slow the lift down for me - I took it as "haha you know what you were doing poor guy got caught behind the kids" - but in hindsight, I guess they might have been able to see right through me! Either way, I took Catamount down which was super wide, and according to Strava, pretty steep (by my standards). I enjoyed being able to take big turns and the snow was super soft here.

Run 4: Ridge-Run - Upper Promenade - Mountain View - Holiday

1.25 miles, 5:02, 1,017 feet, 32.2 mph max, 15 mph avg.

Okay back up the Ridge Quad, I decided to play with some new trails once I hit the top of the Meadows Triple. I turned onto the, unfortunately, shaded Mountain View, which was pretty slick, which then merged onto Holiday, which was pretty rough. Lots of frozen chunks of hard snow/ice made for an interesting experience. I did not enjoy it much. Did not go back.

Run 5: Upper Sidewinder - Lower Sidewinder

1.27 miles, 8:10, 1,066 feet, 28.9 mph max, 9.3 mph avg.

Now back to one we know! The upper area of the Ridge Quad was starting to get busy as the ski racing was starting up, but crowds thinned out at The Chute. Sidewinder was in good shape with a few icy spots. Today was definitely a busier day than Thursday, so I did get caught behind people relatively frequently, but nothing too frustrating. I also had to pay attention to all of the parents hiking uphill to watch the race up top. Data for this one is a little wonky becuase I walked to the car to grab my mittens - it was chilly!

Run 6: Upper Sidewinder - Lower Sidewinder

1.11 miles, 4:10, 1,040 feet, 28.5 mph max, 15.9 mph avg.

Another round on this run! I rode the chair with a group I decided to call "the misfits" - two NYC-ers and one local who had been on the slopes since 7:30am (he "knows a guy"), and me. The three of them started chit-chatting, but I minded my own business. Apparently there's a few ski shuttles that run out of the city to Catamount, Belleayre, and another mountain... maybe Hunter? Either way, he said it was about $150 for bus and lift, which really isn't that bad if you need to escape the city. The run was status quo, yay!

Run 7: Upper Sidewinder - Shawenon

0.78 miles, 3:06, 981 feet, 35.6 mph max, 15 mph avg.

OH BOY. Okay, so the Glade Triple was up and running now, which was nice becuase I could go back to not sitting with people. I decided I would tackle Shawenon again, now that I know how steep it is, and my goal would be to ski it with more control this time. I was achieving that mission up until the headwall... when I started going down I quickly learned that it was basically a sheet of ice. I did NOT fall, I DID cry, and at one point I had the "stomach drop" feeling that you get on a rollercoaster. Terrifying. There were also a few people on the trail who had fallen, which added to the stress. Eventually, I was able to slow down and pull myself together. Yikes. Maybe next year I'll get it!

Run 8: Upper Sidewinder - Lower Sidewinder - Fisher's Fluke - Lower Sidewinder

0.98 miles, 3:42, 974 feet, 24.1 mph max, 15.9 mph avg.

Officially on the other side of that pseudo-disaster, I still wanted something new, but I was not about to head down the ice luge again. I went for the Sidewinder, but with the Fisher's Fluke short-cute, which was lovely! A little steeper than Sidewinder, but short. I rode this all the way down, took the skis off, went on one last hunt for my missing Indy Pass, did not succeed, and started my long journey home. 

Total stats: 8.59 miles, 37:11 moving, 7,536 feet, 29.3mph average max, 14.3 average moving.

Catamount Mountain Ski Map (2024)

Skiing Catamount Mountain

Clearly, I’ve been bit by the skiing bug. I have to be in New Jersey by 4:30pm, so just for funsies, I glanced at the Indy map and noticed Catamount Mountain wasn’t too far off the pike. I went back and forth on whether or not I wanted to go, but the more I looked at the map and read reviews, the more I was sold. I reserved my pass, paid the $5 for the RFID card, and decided for an extra level of torture, I would also find something to hike for sunrise (more about that in another post). I made it to the mountain a bit before 9:00am (lifts started spinning at 8:30am), noticed there were a lot of cars, but no one on the lifts, and started my scavenger hunt. I decided the least stressful way for me to get set up was to leave all my gear in the car and just go for a walking tour to get my bearings. There are two main lodges, the older and smaller Berkshire lodge, and the pseudo-luxurious Catamount Lodge. There were no bag cubbies in sight, so I decided I would boot-up in the car. I found the ticket window, redeemed my Indy, found a paper map, and got everything set up in the parking lot. I had a small hobble to the ski area, and a slightly longer hobble to the Meadows Triple (it looked like maybe I could have ridden the magic carpet up, but the ski school was in FULL swing and I was not about to get in the middle of 30 speed-hungry nuggets). 

Mountain Report

Thursday, February 22, 2024 at 7:15am

        The President's Week rolls on here at Catamount with another fun day on the mountain shaping up. Conditions are the best of the season right now, so come join us!

        On Thursday, February 22, 2024, Catamount will be open from 8:30am-8pm with up to 34 trails open and 6 lifts in operation. We'll start the day with the following lifts scheduled: The Ridge Quad, Catamount Quad, Meadows Triple, and all 3 Learning Area Carpets.

        Thursday's forecast is calling for mostly cloudy skies and a high around 40 degrees.

        Snowmaking is currently on pause until temperature return on Friday night.

Run 1: Upper Promenade to Lower Promenade

0.66 miles, 2:45, 561 feet, 28.6 mph max, 14.4 mph avg.

I took the Meadows Triple, and then turned a wide left to get on the Upper Promenade, which started as a relatively flat trail, followed by a few steeper sections (I used steeper in comparison to flat, this trail really did not get very steep). I had some “wait do I actually know what I’m doing? have I ever skied before?” moments, but thankfully I made it down in one piece.

Run 2: Upper Promenade to Lower Promenade to Homeward Bound

0.81 miles, 5:03, 574 feet, 21.1 mph max, 13.0 mph avg.

Okay now I was going to actually focus on technique - going for wide turns, leading with the outside big toe and knees. Slower, but better! I was extremely grateful for the lack of crowds - getting up early has it perks! When I neared the bottom, I saw what could be described as a swarm of nuggets fighting their way into the lift line. I decided I was ready for the big lift, because I was not emotionally ready to deal with that many children (I am still on break for a few more days!). 

Run 3: Ridge-Run to Upper Promenade to Lower Promenade to Homeward Bound

1.50 miles, 6:55, 984 feet, 30 mph max, 13 mph avg.

Up the Ridge Quad I go! I was lucky enough to be totally solo on my lift rides so far. Atop the summit area, I turned a wide left to follow the Ridge-Run, which was a lovely, relatively flat with a few dips, trail that offered some nice views when double-black trails would veer off on the left. This trail opens up at the top of the Meadows Triple, and then I followed the Promenades back down.

Run 4: Ridge-Run to Walter’s Way to Esplanade

1.20 miles, 5:04, 981 feet, 30.1 mph max, 14.3 mph avg.

Okay, I was feeling good with my green runs and was feeling ready to tackle a blue. I decided to repeat most of my last run, but instead of following the Promenades, I would turn onto Walter’s Way, which was a nice step up. I shared the Ridge Quad for my first and only time with a really friendly library/business teacher who was also on break. Walter’s Way was definitely steeper, but short. My biggest challenge on this trail was fighting the wind that was trying to blow me over! The Esplanade was a more mellow connection back to the Meadows Triple.

Run 5: Mountain View to Colonel’s Caper to Homeward Bound

0.69 miles, 3:21, 581 feet, 28.8 mph max, 12.3 mph avg.

I enjoyed Walter’s Way, so I decided I would take the Meadows Triple up again and go down the other side this time. Unfortunately, on my way into the lift line, I knocked a fence over and couldn’t get it back up for the lift of me. I apologized profusely - humiliating! Walter’s Run and Mountain View were basically mirror-images of each other. Once I turned onto Colonel’s Caper, I slowed down to re-engage my turns. After this run, I tightened my calf buckle and strap, which helped keep my feet where they were supposed to be.

Run 6: Upper Sidewinder to Lower Sidewinder

1.13 miles, 4:26,  997 feet, 30.5 mph max, 15.3 mph avg.

Time for a longer blue! The Sidewinders were a definitely step up from Walter’s Way and Mountain view, but thankfully I’ve gotten better at slowing down and taking my time. It’s clear why they named this trail Sidewinder, there are MANY turns, and many of them are sharp, and all are after/during a steep section. Overall, I think I handled it well. The very end was tough - a steep leads into the flat loading area, but the snow down there was just slush, which made breaking… interesting.

Run 7: Upper Sidewinder to Lower Sidewinder

1.14 miles, 4:40, 991 feet, 32.0 mph max, 14.6 mph avg.

Okay, now I knew what the trail entailed, so I allowed myself to move a bit more continuously. I also bucked my feet straps an extra click on here (it helped) - I found myself relaxing into my heels which is a no-no. I went a little faster than planned on one of the steeps, let out a small-but-mighty “woo,” pretended like the women skinning up didn’t hear me (she did, she giggled), and continued on my merry way. I passed a few people on this run, which is also just good practice.

Run 8: Upper Sidewinder to Shawenon

0.88 miles, 3:45, 1,001 feet, 35.9 mph max, 14.0 mph avg.

AH. What a finale. I knew I wanted to do something different this time, and I let the kid in front of my decide which I would be. He turned onto The Chute, so Shawenon it was for me! Turns out, Shawenon is the steepest trail I’ve ever been on. It was equally exhilarating and terrifying. I definitely hit a new speed record, for better or for worse! I wanted to slow down at one point, but I knew if I tried I would absolutely fall, so I let my skis do their job and waited to start turning when it mellowed out. I truly think I handled it well. I also yelled, a lot, loudly, but that’s okay! When I got back to the lift I saw lines were increasing, plus I had just hit the 2-hour mark, so I decided it was time for lunch and apres.

Now I’m sitting here with a delicious, cheesy, greasy, double cheeseburger and a Berkshire Lavender Lemonade Hard Seltzer, typing away with all of the lodge moms. I’m really happy I’ve been pushing myself out of my comfort zone recently. 

Catamount Mountain Map (2024)