Road Trip!

Every March, when the snow is usually the deepest and crowds are beginning to thin, Marilyn and I load five or six pairs of skis in the car and go in search of the best snow we can find in the East.

The End Of The Earth, Part I
La Charlevoix, one of the trails at Le Massif in Quebec is so steep, it looks like you could fall head-first into the St. Lawrence River. Those bright red fences remind you that a fall on terrain this steep is dangerous.

Here’s my day-by-day diary of what we found in the spring of 2006. The trip was so much fun that I'm already looking forward to my 2007 adventure!

DAY 1:
Sugarbush (1-800-537-8427; www.sugarbush.com  ) in Warren, Vermont.

Sugarbush has gotten over a foot of snow in the last couple of nights, and conditions are gorgeous.

We got up early and were waiting in line as they opened the Gatehouse Quad. Good thing, too. The winds are howling and, lots of lifts were on wind hold, meaning unusually long lift lines as the morning wore on. So we got in a few early runs on almost-empty trails, took a long lunch break back at the condo when everyone else showed up, headed back out while everyone else was eating their lunch. Great warmup day.

Sugarbush is normally an area where you never feel crowded—even on a busy Saturday. They spread any crowd across a huge network of lifts and two separate base areas. And it’s one of the few areas that truly delivers on the promise of offering something for everyone from the steeps and trees of Castlerock to the wonderful cruising trails on both Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen.

DAY 2:
Mad River Glen (802-496-3551; www.madriverglen.com  ) in Fayston, Vermont.

The wind is our friend. It never bothers the old, slow, low lifts at Mad River Glen. Instead, it fill in the powder in the trees and create beautiful soft snow conditions on the left sides of the trails as you ski down.

No Snowboards Allowed
Skiers at play under Mad River’s iconic single chair. Don’t let the “Ski It If You Can” hype fool you. Mad River has plenty of natural snow and terrain for everyone.

Mad River Glen scares people away with their “Ski It If You Can” slogan, but the truth is, their groomed intermediate terrain is as peaceful and pleasant as their steeps and trees are savage.

Marilyn hammers the groomers all day, while I go exploring in the woods on my Phantom powder skis—the first time they’ve seen action all year. We both ski ourselves to big smiles and utter exhaustion. Hard to image any better.

DAY 3: Sugarbush:

What a morning! Soft groomed snow, no wind, no crowds. We only had a couple of hours to ski before hitting the road, but what a blast!

  Sweet Sugar
What a morning we had at Sugarbush.

The Heaven’s Gate lift lived up to its name! We took a long, winding warmup run down Jester, then skied hard on the groomed steeps of Organgrinder until our legs (still a little toasted from yesterday) couldn’t take any more. Wonderful morning!

DAY 4:
Mont Sainte Anne (1-800-463-1568; www.mont-sainte-anne.com ) in Beaupre, Quebec.

C’est Magnifique! The long drive yesterday afternoon was worth it!

All the snow that didn’t fall on New England this season fell on Quebec. Snowbanks 10 feet high along the road! Take the Gondola to the top and look in any direction: the ground is hidden under six feet of snow. This is the way winter should be!

Mont Sainte Anne reminds me of Sugarbush — three distinct areas to ski (Sud, Ouest and Nord) and something for everyone. There are long, gentle green circles from the top, and some absolutely fearsome steep and bumped double diamonds.

We spend most of our time on the steeper blue squares and groomed single black diamonds with tantalizing names like La Premire Neige, Le Gross Vallon, and La Montmorency. Some of the blue square trails here are steeper than many black diamonds back home. Another wonderful day on the snow, and a comfortable condo to relax in..

DAY 5:
Le Massif (1-877-536-2774; www.lemassif.com/en  ) in Petite Riviere Saint Francois, Quebec.

Once or twice a season you get a day that’s perfect.

No matter what happens for the rest of the season, today will be one of the best of the 2005/06 season. The slopes weren’t at all crowded, the groomed snow was deep and soft, the sun was shining in a brilliant blue sky, we were skiing with new friends Jean-Maurice and Justine—good skiers both.   

The End Of The Earth, Part II
Sometimes you feel as if you'll slide into the St. Lawrence River if you fall
(All photos by Tim Jones)

But the real star of the day was Le Massif. This is an upside-down mountain – you park at the top, ski down before taking your first chairlift ride. The base at Le Massif is only 100 feet above sea level. The St. Lawrence River runs close below you -- so close you sometimes feel like you’ll slide into the river if you fall. The views at Le Massif are of mountains and the water. Incomparable!

This is not a mountain for beginners. The blue squares are perfectly groomed, but steep or narrow in some spots. Trails like La Batture and L’Archipel wind through the woods. After Marilyn and Justine had called it a day, Jean-Maurice and I headed for the serious stuff: LaPhenome and L’Ecore are serious single black diamonds.

La Charlevoix, a double-black is probably the longest, steepest groomed trail I have ever skied — 42 degrees in long sections. They run world class downhills here. With the river below you, and different vistas at every twist and turn, it was magnificent.

Just don’t fall. Even with the fencing to keep you from sliding into the woods, you could get seriously hurt.

DAY 6:
Mont Sainte Anne

Another great day, marred only slightly by lowering clouds and flat light. Both La Crete and La Super S (another double-diamond super-steep ) are perfectly groomed.

DAY 7:
Stoneham (1-800.463.6888; www.ski-stoneham.com  ) in Stoneham, Quebec

Rain. The first rain they’ve seen in months. Snow’s terrific, but no visibility.

This is the first time we’ve visited this wonderful mountain just north of Quebec City. One whole face of the mountain is devoted to terrain parks and a half pipe, so I can imagine the place rocks at night. Marilyn was smart—she stayed in the lodge and read her book. I took three runs with the rain coming down harder each run.

Saw just enough of the mountain to tell me I have to come back. Guess I've already figured out part of one of my next road trips.