# let's talk about off map and sidecountry skiing at stowe...



## KustyTheKlown (Feb 2, 2017)

i don't get to ski stowe as often as i like ($), and every time i go i am totally blown away by how top notch it is in every way, but especially terrain. there is so much there, and i feel like i only know a pretty small amount of it. 

on sunday i skied the kitchen wall area for the first time and don't know how i've always missed it for so many years. it's right in your face and the resort boundary line on the map clearly indicates that area is game on. 

i also hiked out from the gondola for the first time. i intended to ski hellbrook (from the traverse, not from the top of chin), but i fucked up a little, dropping too early into what was the middle of profanity, taking a break at taft lodge, and then winding up on the long trail back to chin clip woods and the traverse to angel food (which i've skied many times). was a little bummed to waste the hike and not ski hellbrook. is the "bottom" of profanity any different from the white blazed long trail back to chin clip?

so, what else is out there

i know the bruce starts from the very top of toll road but i don't really know anything about it, other than that it ends at the cross country center

i've heard of the "hazelton zone" and "the planets" but don't know exactly what and where they are?

and pretty much any in bounds tree skiing anywhere past the mountain triple is totally unknown to me

ive skied the back bowls but only via smuggs

what say you?


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## bdfreetuna (Feb 2, 2017)

Scroll down..

http://www.epicski.com/a/unofficial-guide-to-stowe


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## SkiFanE (Feb 2, 2017)

I can't help you much - haven't been in 20 yrs but the woods is what we loved about it. Seems you could drop in anywhere and come out just fine. In Maine - woods are so damn thickety and weedy - it's nearly impossible unless it's been trimmed. Whatever vegetation they have really helps. Someone told me once it's because people go in and trim - but seemed too widespread for humans to do. This winter at SR it's so much thicker in the woods this year since they weren't skied last year - amazing how fast that crap grows. So unless someone is trimming every summer at Stowe I - it must be the vegetation. Was always my favorite NE mountain - gosh those years are fuzzy so can't remember exactly why - but was always our first choice (tix were normal priced back then).


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## Not Sure (Feb 2, 2017)

Been a while but remember going around a big wooden fence off Octogon and down a steep chute into a nice gladed area . Not sure if it's still there but was really fun.


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## Tin (Feb 2, 2017)

bdfreetuna said:


> Scroll down..
> 
> http://www.epicski.com/a/unofficial-guide-to-stowe



What kind of douche writes an article like that? Christ

DHS is the man on Stowe. I used to enjoy a couple things in the downburst area but have not been there since it happened. No mention of...


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## bdfreetuna (Feb 2, 2017)

Tin said:


> What kind of douche writes an article like that?



He's a rebel.

Now based on my own experience if you go left at the top of Chin Clip through the woods you get to a variety of woods. There are some tight lines up top, it mostly all opens up into woods. I guess this is Angel Food depending on where exactly you are. You might have to walk back to the lift depending how far you go.

Most of the stuff at Stowe is pretty well known, in the days of the internet it's pointless to try and keep things that are pretty obvious a secret. Might as well share the love, and if you want freshies, get up early on a powder day.


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## KustyTheKlown (Feb 2, 2017)

really great link thanks tuna. but he keeps quiet about all the gondy side bc


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## KustyTheKlown (Feb 2, 2017)

I was in the downburst area Sunday and skied something that had a homemade sign, don't remember what it said, but it was in French


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## deadheadskier (Feb 2, 2017)

bdfreetuna said:


> Most of the stuff at Stowe is pretty well known, in the days of the internet it's pointless to try and keep things that are pretty obvious a secret. Might as well share the love, and if you want freshies, get up early on a powder day.



Disagree. Tons of stuff at Stowe that I have never seen mentioned publicly and I'm not going to be the first to do so

I'm all about private messaging certain stash information, but never in public.  

Sent from my XT1565 using AlpineZone mobile app


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## bdfreetuna (Feb 2, 2017)

I should say most of the stuff on the EpicSki link seems pretty well known. Most of that involves obvious or semi-obvious entrances into the woods off marked trails.

This is sidecountry. Hike to or hitch-a-ride-back stuff I couldn't tell you a lot about anyway.

YouTube has a lot of it public anyway, and gives an accurate visual idea of what's actually involved. That's why I say our attitudes towards sharing are pretty irrelevant as all this stuff is in the public domain anyway.

If you have secret stashes beyond what can be found on EpicSki or YouTube by all means hang on to them.


I also think it helps people be safe entering backcountry when we share at least some reasonable and safer options. And the more people you send into Angel Food the less people will find your secret stash anyway.


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## deadheadskier (Feb 2, 2017)

Fair enough. I didn't look at your link.  Stowe has put so much on the map now it's kind of a shame.  Before the big trail count expansion from the original 48 the only thing labeled on map was Tres Amigos and Nosedive woods.  

I think Wildcat has a great approach to tree skiing. They shade areas where tree skiing is, but the entrances aren't marked. It's not a big mountain, but even with 40ish days there in the past five years, I'm still finding stuff. 

OP check your private messages

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## tnt1234 (Feb 2, 2017)

Bruce trail is a must do - good skiing, nice windy trail, not particularly steep, or technical, just a great fun trail....but the best part is, after you cruise along the x-country trails (stay out of the tracks!) you end up at the Matterhorn.

With foresight - park your car at Matterhorn in AM, take shuttle to mountain.  Catch last quad, Bruce trail to happy hour at Matterhorn....boom.

Also, no big secret, but river bed is a great, well know trail.  Wouldn't be surprised if they put it on the map someday.  Also not tight or technical, but a couple of little waterfalls, and cool twists and turns.  Right side of chin clip, just below a cross over trail...forget the name, but hard to miss.

Kitchen wall is great, isn't it?  I think there is a way to enter that area from above the traditional traverse, but I've never done it.


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## KustyTheKlown (Feb 2, 2017)

yea I watched some snowboarders drop from between the nose and chin into the kitchen wall area, gnarly

Dhs - cheers and thanks


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## deadheadskier (Feb 2, 2017)

KustyTheKlown said:


> yea I watched some snowboarders drop from between the nose and chin into the kitchen wall area, gnarly
> 
> Dhs - cheers and thanks


You can do so from either side. Chin side is called Epiphany Bowl.  Nose side, the triangle trail. Both require significant hikes to get too. But you got to know where you're going or you could end up cliffed out on some massive cliffs that can't be dropped.  I haven't done either in 15 years. Not sure I'd attempt either again without a local.  It's easy to forget routes if you don't do them regularly 

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## MadMadWorld (Feb 2, 2017)

tnt1234 said:


> Bruce trail is a must do - good skiing, nice windy trail, not particularly steep, or technical, just a great fun trail....but the best part is, after you cruise along the x-country trails (stay out of the tracks!) you end up at the Matterhorn.
> 
> With foresight - park your car at Matterhorn in AM, take shuttle to mountain.  Catch last quad, Bruce trail to happy hour at Matterhorn....boom.
> 
> ...


Yes there is a way to get to the Kitchen Wall but it requires you to cliff yourself out, remove your skis and promptly throw them off. You will lose them and then have to post a thread on AZ.

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## tnt1234 (Feb 2, 2017)

MadMadWorld said:


> Yes there is a way to get to the Kitchen Wall but it requires you to cliff yourself out, remove your skis and promptly throw them off. You will lose them and then have to post a thread on AZ.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N910V using AlpineZone mobile app



I think I remember that thread from a while ago....wonder if he ever found them....Wasnt someone going to go hunting for them for the guy?


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## Rowsdower (Feb 2, 2017)

tnt1234 said:


> I think I remember that thread from a while ago....wonder if he ever found them....Wasnt someone going to go hunting for them for the guy?



He's still up there, according to legend.


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## deadheadskier (Feb 2, 2017)

Billski was on the job of finding missing kitchen wall ski.  Too my knowledge the ski is still caught in Mansfield's teeth. Never give up!

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## BenedictGomez (Feb 2, 2017)

MadMadWorld said:


> Yes there is a way to get to the Kitchen Wall but it requires you to cliff yourself out, remove your skis and promptly throw them off. You will lose them and then have to post a thread on AZ.



Beat me to it.


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## KD7000 (Feb 3, 2017)

MadMadWorld said:


> Yes there is a way to get to the Kitchen Wall but it requires you to cliff yourself out, remove your skis and promptly throw them off. You will lose them and then have to post a thread on AZ.


Any time someone mentions Kitchen Wall, that's my immediate first thought.


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## Edd (Feb 3, 2017)

MadMadWorld said:


> Yes there is a way to get to the Kitchen Wall but it requires you to cliff yourself out, remove your skis and promptly throw them off. You will lose them and then have to post a thread on AZ.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N910V using AlpineZone mobile app



I'll try this but I don't think I'm going to enjoy it.


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## MadMadWorld (Feb 3, 2017)

Edd said:


> I'll try this but I don't think I'm going to enjoy it.


We will

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## tnt1234 (Feb 3, 2017)

KD7000 said:


> Any time someone mentions Kitchen Wall, that's my immediate first thought.



I've fallen off that traverse before, but never so far down that I couldn't get back up and continue on to the common drop in spot.  I guess I'm just super paranoid about off trail exploring.  I would have chosen to unclip AT THAT POINT and climb back to the traverse and continue on to known territory.  Maybe the snow was too deep?  But you can still traverse under the traverse....every time I'm there now I look down trying to figure out where that guy ended up....

Also, I always wonder what the heck did he do? Just climb out and walk all the way down Perry Merrill?  I mean, you are way the heck up there at kitchen way!  That's a long, lonely walk of shame DOWN the mountain in ski boots....

I wish that guy would come back and give us an update.


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## tnt1234 (Feb 3, 2017)

Some where on the inter webs there is a fantastic trip report of a guy going side country at stowe - maybe to hellsbrook?  He's alone, and his bindings fail, and he's post holing back to the trail network and flinging his skis in front of him, and he takes a tumble, knocks a tooth out, then bindings release, and he can ski down...report ends with him, face completely bloody, not even bothering to clean up, drinking a beer in the bar at the Spruce lodge....

Can't find it - but will keep looking.  Hilarious.


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## SIKSKIER (Feb 3, 2017)

Oh ya.


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## thetrailboss (Feb 3, 2017)

MadMadWorld said:


> Yes there is a way to get to the Kitchen Wall but it requires you to cliff yourself out, remove your skis and promptly throw them off. You will lose them and then have to post a thread on AZ.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N910V using AlpineZone mobile app



Beat me to the punchline.


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## BenedictGomez (Feb 3, 2017)

tnt1234 said:


> I've fallen off that traverse before, but never so far down that I couldn't get back up and continue on to the common drop in spot. * I guess I'm just super paranoid about off trail exploring.*



Well, to be fair, the Kitchen Wall is DEADLY!  LOL



> I steadied myself with outstretched arms against the rock face in front of me and eased out onto the unstable ridge.* If I made it,* this barren stretch of boulders would funnel me into one of Stowe Mountain Resort’s best unmarked glades. *But one wrong twitch on this rocky cliff and I could tumble down a 30-foot embankment with nothing to look forward to but an ocean of ice and jagged granite. *To navigate it successfully, I stood on the toe edge of my snowboard with bent knees, *staring Mount Mansfield in the face.*.......... Technically it doesn’t have a name; it’s not even on the trail map. *Most likely it’s some local ski bum’s name for the deadly ridge I traversed. *



Much like the AZ Kitchen Wall ski-chucking thread, this article never gets old.

http://archive.boston.com/travel/ex...fect_backcountry_line_at_stowes_highest_peak/


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## deadheadskier (Feb 3, 2017)

I assume you mean deadly if accessed from above the lifts.  The lower section accessed from the Gondola is fairly benign IMO.


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## BenedictGomez (Feb 3, 2017)

deadheadskier said:


> *I assume you mean deadly if accessed from above the lifts.*  The lower section accessed from the Gondola is fairly benign IMO.



It was tongue-in-cheek.  I was making fun of how dramatized that reporter wrote his piece.


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## derik_jahn (Mar 13, 2018)

KD7000 said:


> Any time someone mentions Kitchen Wall, that's my immediate first thought.



Hi guys, newbie to the forum here. Been going to Stowe for many years now. I stumbled across this thread and found it funny you guys were talking about the man who tossed his skis off a cliff in the kitchen wall and walked the rest of the way down. I remember reading that exact thread years ago so I decided to google the thread and ended up finding it haha. Enjoy the comments!

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showth...ll-want-to-attempt-to-go-get-them-back-advice


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 13, 2018)

doing my single stowe trip of the year this Saturday, so nice coincidence bumping my old thread

I intend to show some people the kitchen wall and angel food

I have never skied the bruce, but we will have ample shuttle cars, so this may be the time to end the day with it


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## derik_jahn (Mar 13, 2018)

Very lucky! Phenomenal conditions right now and probably even better at the end of the week. I'm headed up soon also but during 3/31-4/5 for some Spring fun. Enjoy the snow.


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## tnt1234 (Mar 13, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> doing my single stowe trip of the year this Saturday, so nice coincidence bumping my old thread
> 
> I intend to show some people the kitchen wall and angel food
> 
> I have never skied the bruce, but we will have ample shuttle cars, so this may be the time to end the day with it


wow - great timing man...enjoy.


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 13, 2018)

tnt1234 said:


> wow - great timing man...enjoy.



yea im really glad this parade of noreasters continues. even tho I was skiing awesome snow in Canada last week, a part of me was quite bummed to miss two banner weekends in the catskills and Vermont

this stowe weekend also involves a special private tasting at hill farmstead for our group and a reservation at hen of the wood waterbury

stowe/magic this weekend, mad river/killington (or pico) next weekend, sugarbush/? the following weekend, whiteface x2 april 5-7

maybe a copper Colorado weekend april 15-17, which would get me to 51 days

life is ok


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 13, 2018)

You live in Brooklyn and ski 51 days in a season. While I don't envy life in any population center, that's an impressive feat.

I won't ask how you afford and manage the logistics of this lifestyle :lol:


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 13, 2018)

bdfreetuna said:


> You live in Brooklyn and ski 51 days in a season. While I don't envy life in any population center, that's an impressive feat.
> 
> I won't ask how you afford and manage the logistics of this lifestyle :lol:



it really isn't so hard. first of all, I live with roommates and pay $1000 a month for rent. that may sound expensive to people who don't live in NYC, but here its extremely cheap. secondly, max pass and a refusal to stray from it except for skiVT 5 pack. thirdly, a willingness to drive thru the night on Fridays and avoid two nights of hotels. fourthly, a willingness to stay in some highly questionable hotels. fifthly, a willingness to sleep in my car if I must. sixthly, credit card miles for trips out west and friends in high (elevation) places with comfy couches in the west. 

I'd move away from NYC in a heartbeat, but I need to pay off my student loans before that is an option. id love to live in beacon, or hudson, or maybe even Saratoga Springs

edit - just in case there was an implication of illegal income - I'm a relatively underpaid lawyer in house at a big bank. I don't work for the investment bank or any of our big dollar departments. I make less than average for a 32 year old NYC lawyer, but I make ok enough money to pay rent and to ski and to not default on my student loans, but not much more. I used to do airbnb when I lived alone in NYC and that got me a solid $10K+ extra income per year. I have never been a pot dealer or anything like that.


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## mbedle (Mar 13, 2018)

KD7000 said:


> Any time someone mentions Kitchen Wall, that's my immediate first thought.



That is all I remember too... Love it. I just replied to a post a year old... lol


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 13, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> edit - just in case there was an implication of illegal income - I have never been a pot dealer or anything like that.



I was going to guess lawyer... but that was a very telling replly... now I'm thinking cocaine dealer.


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 13, 2018)

bdfreetuna said:


> I was going to guess lawyer... but that was a very telling replly... now I'm thinking cocaine dealer.



lol. you got me!


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 13, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> lol. you got me!



Trying to figure out how to do a quick meet up based on your upcoming schedule... :lol:


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## kingslug (Mar 13, 2018)

Well..ill be there saturday as well..wife isnt coming..730 chair..leaving at 2 am...the traffic friday night sucks..adds a solid 1/2 hour..2am..not a soul on the road but us slugs..


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## rocks860 (Mar 13, 2018)

kingslug said:


> Well..ill be there saturday as well..wife isnt coming..730 chair..leaving at 2 am...the traffic friday night sucks..adds a solid 1/2 hour..2am..not a soul on the road but us slugs..



This post reads like some hunter s Thompson literature 


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## kingslug (Mar 13, 2018)

Might have to read some of his stories..


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 13, 2018)

Vegas is the obvious first thing to read. But I really like "the great shark hunt" as an anthology of his journalism. "Campaign trail" is seminal but you need to be able to wade thru lots of very dated politics. Hst was much more than just some drug guy


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 13, 2018)

kingslug said:


> leaving at 2 am...the traffic friday night sucks..adds a solid 1/2 hour



Good God, man! 2:00AM?! 

I wake up at 5:00AM for a day trip to Jay Peak, and that's as bad as it gets. I cannot imagine commutes like that on any kind of recreational basis.


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 13, 2018)

bdfreetuna said:


> Good God, man! 2:00AM?!
> 
> I wake up at 5:00AM for a day trip to Jay Peak, and that's as bad as it gets. I cannot imagine commutes like that on any kind of recreational basis.



i leave between 2 and 4 on friday nights/saturday mornings any time i am skiing alone and dont have someone to split the friday hotel with.

work>whiskey/xanax>intentionally boring docutelevision>sleep by 8>wake at 2/3/4>drive straight to ski

such is the downstate new york life

leaving friday evening actually kind of sucks. if you have to work til at least 5, then an immediate departure means brutal NYC metro area rush hour traffic, and an extra 90-120 minutes in the car. if you're going as far as waterbury/stowe or further, you arent arriving until after 12, and by the time you settle in etc you go to bed at 1 AM to wake up at 7:30 to get out and ski. its not worth the money, especially not alone. at 2 AM you are cruising, just you and the slugs. and the police.


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## kingslug (Mar 13, 2018)

I get up at 4 everyday to spend 10 hours in misery..getting up at 2 to ski is easy. And thankfully its to ski in vt now that im in ct..used to get up early to ski the lesser places..Hunter used to be 3 to 3.5 to get to...stowe is 5..a worthy sacrifice..and now we have our own little slice of heaven to snooze in.


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 13, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> and the police



Well that's why you have a patsy car driving 300 yards ahead of you, they'll get pulled over which leaves you, your 20 kilos with your "Support Our Highway Troopers" sticker to continue unabated.

but seriously, I guess you have to adapt to your situation. You're managing to 4x my season this year and with a less convenient location so that takes dedication.


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 13, 2018)

bdfreetuna said:


> Well that's why you have a patsy car driving 300 yards ahead of you, they'll get pulled over which leaves you, your 20 kilos with your "Support Our Highway Troopers" sticker to continue unabated.
> 
> but seriously, I guess you have to adapt to your situation. You're managing to 4x my season this year and with a less convenient location so that takes dedication.



true story - on the way up to my friends moms house in plattsburgh (a stopover on the way to tremblant), we were doing 75 in a 65 in my friends car on the northway up in the boonie adks. my friend was driving. i was in the backseat packing a bowl. sneaky fucker cop is hiding in the darkness behind an embankment and comes at us for 75! the bowl i was packing was an intentionally disposable throw-away bowl because it was really just for plattsburgh, i dont take glass/flowers over the intl border, so i threw that shit right out the window. cop ended up bagging the guy driving behind us.

moral of the story - better to be the lead car than the follow car


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 13, 2018)

Funny you mention the Northway because that's the one highway I've seen a cop car pace an entire flow of traffic at 90mph.

I find with oils and especially CO2 extractions stuff gets pretty much undetectable anyway


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## BenedictGomez (Mar 13, 2018)

bdfreetuna said:


> I was going to guess lawyer... but *that was a very telling replly..*. *now I'm thinking cocaine dealer.*



Good catch.  You have to read everything a lawyer writes extremely carefully.



bdfreetuna said:


> Funny you mention the Northway because that's the one highway I've seen a cop car pace an entire flow of traffic at 90mph.



I call it the Ski Highway.  Friday nights and Sunday afternoons, early evenings it's loaded with 4WD/AWD vehicles with ski racks/boxes.  I do roughly 75 - 87 whenever it's feasible.  Radar detector has bailed me out numerous times, and has paid for itself several times over.


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## kingslug (Mar 13, 2018)

I go 75 in a 65..never get a ticket..and dont eat gas. I dont understand people who go 85..just asking for a very expensive ticket..and most tyimes we end up stuck behind slower cars at some point


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 13, 2018)

we weren't even going fast. he made a move for us at 75
and tuna, oil pens continued on the cross border journey


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## Jcb890 (Mar 14, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> it really isn't so hard. first of all, I live with roommates and pay $1000 a month for rent. that may sound expensive to people who don't live in NYC, but here its extremely cheap. secondly, max pass and a refusal to stray from it except for skiVT 5 pack. thirdly, a willingness to drive thru the night on Fridays and avoid two nights of hotels. fourthly, a willingness to stay in some highly questionable hotels. fifthly, a willingness to sleep in my car if I must. sixthly, credit card miles for trips out west and friends in high (elevation) places with comfy couches in the west.
> 
> I'd move away from NYC in a heartbeat, but I need to pay off my student loans before that is an option. id love to live in beacon, or hudson, or maybe even Saratoga Springs
> 
> edit - just in case there was an implication of illegal income - I'm a relatively underpaid lawyer in house at a big bank. I don't work for the investment bank or any of our big dollar departments. I make less than average for a 32 year old NYC lawyer, but I make ok enough money to pay rent and to ski and to not default on my student loans, but not much more. I used to do airbnb when I lived alone in NYC and that got me a solid $10K+ extra income per year. I have never been a pot dealer or anything like that.


$1,000/month isn't crazy for rent pretty much anywhere.  In NYC, that is insanely cheap.


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 14, 2018)

yea, in other locales $1000/month may let you live alone in a decent place. i live in a tiny apt in an old converted house that is not in the greatest shape, with 3 roommates (it's a 4 bedroom, adults don't share bedrooms unless they have sex with each other, thankfully)


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## benski (Mar 14, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> it really isn't so hard. first of all, I live with roommates and pay $1000 a month for rent. that may sound expensive to people who don't live in NYC, but here its extremely cheap. secondly, max pass and a refusal to stray from it except for skiVT 5 pack. thirdly, a willingness to drive thru the night on Fridays and avoid two nights of hotels. fourthly, a willingness to stay in some highly questionable hotels. fifthly, a willingness to sleep in my car if I must. sixthly, credit card miles for trips out west and friends in high (elevation) places with comfy couches in the west.



Every thought about the south Bronx. I am not sure how safe it is, but I saw lots of construction there overt the summer, so I am curious whats going on there. It has to be cheeper than Brooklyn but I assume the developers are betting on it being safe for there renters.


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 14, 2018)

benski said:


> Every thought about the south Bronx. I am not sure how safe it is, but I saw lots of construction there overt the summer, so I am curious whats going on there. It has to be cheeper than Brooklyn but I assume the developers are betting on it being safe for there renters.



lots of development there, but no thank you. if anything, i'd move to deeper brooklyn (crown heights, bed stuy, windsor terrace, gravesend, south slope, clinton hill). i'll take my kind of crappy apt to be within walking distance of tons of restaurants, bars, entertainment. i have a girlfriend, but my neighborhood also crawls with single young women, which is nice.


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## benski (Mar 14, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> lots of development there, but no thank you. if anything, i'd move to deeper brooklyn (crown heights, bed stuy, windsor terrace, gravesend, south slope, clinton hill). i'll take my kind of crappy apt to be within walking distance of tons of restaurants, bars, entertainment. i have a girlfriend, but my neighborhood also crawls with single young women, which is nice.



I see that. I need to check out Brooklyn, its quite the schlep from Northern Westchester where I grew up though. I am looking to move out west.


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## BenedictGomez (Mar 14, 2018)

benski said:


> I am looking to move out west.



As is everyone.


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## Jcb890 (Mar 14, 2018)

BenedictGomez said:


> As is everyone.


Nobody is allowed to move out West until I do!


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 14, 2018)

Jcb890 said:


> Nobody is allowed to move out West until I do!



Won't have to, we'll already have a place to crash


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## Jcb890 (Mar 14, 2018)

bdfreetuna said:


> Won't have to, we'll already have a place to crash


Damnit, didn't think of that... how did I miss that?!
Okay, so who's the most well-off person on the board?  Whoever that is needs to buy a nice big house out West we can all come visit/live at.


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## kingslug (Mar 14, 2018)

Too bad if and when we move west we wont make the money to buy another mongo house..
Friend of mine on the other hand did exactly that..except he had millions to play with..


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## Jcb890 (Mar 14, 2018)

kingslug said:


> Too bad if and when we move west we wont make the money to buy another mongo house..
> Friend of mine on the other hand did exactly that..except he had millions to play with..


You'll just have to sell the place you bought up at Stowe 
I'd be happy to be able to move out there mortgage-free.  Then, I wouldn't have to worry about making big bucks in order to make ends meet or have the things we want.


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## kingslug (Mar 14, 2018)

Wouldn't mind simplifying..I'm...tired.


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## mbedle (Mar 14, 2018)

kingslug said:


> Wouldn't mind simplifying..I'm...tired.



I can't tell you how much I have been thinking that. I honestly do not want to wait until I retire to move up north. Sell the farm, buy a condo and never have to spend every weekend spring, summer and fall taking care of the place.


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## kingslug (Mar 14, 2018)

70 hours a week working and commuting..5 hour rides up north..im shot..but not giving up..


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## BenedictGomez (Mar 14, 2018)

kingslug said:


> 70 hours a week working and commuting..5 hour rides up north..im shot..but not giving up..



I moved from Manhattan 5 years ago this month.   I miss........absolutely nothing about it.


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## Hawk (Mar 14, 2018)

Krusty, you should go back up to he Chin and try again for Hell Brook and the surrounding areas.  Just go on line and look at a USGS topo map and in will make more sense.  Only one piece of advice.  don't no go too far skiersleft or you get into those chutes that lead you down to 108.  Some of them cliff out.
Also Bruce trail is good but a little tricky at the botton in the XC area.  I would do a little search on the internet to figure out the last piece.  There is one or two trail choices that make you life easier.


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 14, 2018)

I hope if you do go beyond the obvious choices of Angel Food and Kitchen wall that you give us lots of pics and accurate directions


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## deadheadskier (Mar 14, 2018)

??? Hellbrook proper does lead down to 108.  I suppose you could try and take a high line back to the right and catch the Angel Food traverse back behind the utility barns, but it's really much easier to just take it all the way down to the road.  Then it's about a mile easy skate back to the gondola base

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## Teleskier (Mar 14, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> this stowe weekend also involves a special private tasting at hill farmstead for our group and a reservation at hen of the wood waterbury



Both great choices. I'll be up skiing this weekend as well.


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## ss20 (Mar 14, 2018)

I skied Angle Food and the waterfall today and once those got relatively tracked out I was thinking to myself "Man, if only DHS was here I'd be ripping fresh powder all day"


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## deadheadskier (Mar 14, 2018)

Ha, I'd supply the snorkel on the tour!

TBH I'd be a pretty shitty guide these days.  I probably skied Stowe about 250 days between 95-01.  Since that time maybe 20 days and none in the past five years.  I still do think the mountain offers the best combination of natural snow, terrain and lifts in the East, but I don't know it like I once did.  

Overall, VT is just too busy for my tastes these days. For the most part I'd rather ski Wildcat or Cannon

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## kingslug (Mar 15, 2018)

Check the weather for the weekend..oy..were going to be...crusty..


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## Hawk (Mar 15, 2018)

Where did you hear that???   I was looking at the Sugarbush forecast and tomorrow is mostly cloudy highs 20, tomorrow night is low 10, Saturday is high 15, Sunday is High 17.  What is going to make is crusty?


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## cdskier (Mar 15, 2018)

Hawk said:


> Where did you hear that???   I was looking at the Sugarbush forecast and tomorrow is mostly cloudy highs 20, tomorrow night is low 10, Saturday is high 15, Sunday is High 17.  What is going to make is crusty?



Not quite sure what he's talking about either. Other than a bit of wind, the forecast looks fine. Maybe the "cold" temps will keep some people away, which would be perfectly fine with me!


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## kingslug (Mar 15, 2018)

The windchills for top of mansfield..20 below...makes me crusty.. th he skiing will be off the hook..theyre digging out the top of the spruce lifts..massive drifts..place is buried..just going to be super cold..and prolly somewhat empty..gondi on windhold now..hope not this weekend..cold quad..


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## BenedictGomez (Mar 15, 2018)

It's not going to be crusty at all.  Prolonged cold held in with no place to go for the moment.


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## kingslug (Mar 15, 2018)

Ill be crusty..gettin older..gettin colder


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 15, 2018)

it certainly wont be empty either. the workerbees of the northeast are chomping at the bits to hit this snow.


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## kingslug (Mar 15, 2018)

Why im leaving at 2am...if you see a frozen slug with very unique wood top sheet skis..that be me..


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## cdskier (Mar 15, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> it certainly wont be empty either. the workerbees of the northeast are chomping at the bits to hit this snow.



Yes, but if it is cold, at least some of them will end up spending more time in the lodge than on the slopes! Still will be a busy weekend for sure though.


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## Jcb890 (Mar 15, 2018)

cdskier said:


> Yes, but if it is cold, at least some of them will end up spending more time in the lodge than on the slopes! Still will be a busy weekend for sure though.


I'm always surprised at how many people shy away when the temps drop to the single digits or below.


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## cdskier (Mar 15, 2018)

Jcb890 said:


> I'm always surprised at how many people shy away when the temps drop to the single digits or below.



I drew the line at -20 earlier this year (with windchills forecast to be -50)...but anything above that has never stopped me. In retrospect, there's certainly a part of me that wishes I had gone out on that -20 weekend.


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 15, 2018)

right after xmas and the first full weekend of January were wild cold. both weekends I went up to vt and skied, but said fuck it on the last day of both trips.


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## Hawk (Mar 15, 2018)

cdskier said:


> I drew the line at -20 earlier this year (with windchills forecast to be -50)...but anything above that has never stopped me. In retrospect, there's certainly a part of me that wishes I had gone out on that -20 weekend.


I went out that weekend.  Put everything I owned on.  4 layers on the bottom 5 layers on top.  Mittens with hand warmers.  
Skied 5 runs top to bottom on the Mall.  I thought the bumps would keep me warm.  It worked for 5 runs.  Then I lost my feet and called it a day.  Pretty cold I would say.


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## tumbler (Mar 15, 2018)

Hawk said:


> I went out that weekend.  Put everything I owned on.  4 layers on the bottom 5 layers on top.  Mittens with hand warmers.
> Skied 5 runs top to bottom on the Mall.  I thought the bumps would keep me warm.  It worked for 5 runs.  Then I lost my feet and called it a day.  Pretty cold I would say.



I was out too with everything on plus facemask, first time for that.  2 runs and inside, repeat twice and then to heavy drinking to warm up


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## Jcb890 (Mar 15, 2018)

cdskier said:


> I drew the line at -20 earlier this year (with windchills forecast to be -50)...but anything above that has never stopped me. In retrospect, there's certainly a part of me that wishes I had gone out on that -20 weekend.


That week of brutal cold I went to Stratton when the high was -10 without the wind.  I didn't dress warm enough and got sick.  Went back out though for New Year's Day at Killington which was colder (-15 at base without wind), but had more layers and was OK.


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## raisingarizona (Mar 15, 2018)

cdskier said:


> I drew the line at -20 earlier this year (with windchills forecast to be -50)...but anything above that has never stopped me. In retrospect, there's certainly a part of me that wishes I had gone out on that -20 weekend.



No thanks. Being in that sort of cold just sucks. But I am the guy that lives in sunny Arizona.


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## kingslug (Mar 15, 2018)

And now the 350 dollar sox make sense..


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## lerops (Mar 18, 2018)

BenedictGomez said:


> I moved from Manhattan 5 years ago this month.   I miss........absolutely nothing about it.



Where do you live and work?

I hate Manhattan too, but the commute is killing me so I might have to move back. 


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 18, 2018)

this is how we do it. epic Stowe/mrg weekend with nice sidecountry hits. Ski pic is octopus garden. i dragged three friends around stowe and they were all about ready to die


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## kingslug (Mar 19, 2018)

8 hours at stowe..5 at mrg..im ready to die


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## tnt1234 (Mar 19, 2018)

cdskier said:


> I drew the line at -20 earlier this year (with windchills forecast to be -50)...but anything above that has never stopped me. In retrospect, there's certainly a part of me that wishes I had gone out on that -20 weekend.



Yeah, we skipped teh last day of x-mas trip - I think it was -15 at the base before wind, and it was blowing pretty good.  Kind of regret it, but after two days at -10 at the base before wind, we just didn't have it in us.


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## tnt1234 (Mar 19, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> this is how we do it. epic Stowe/mrg weekend with nice sidecountry hits. Ski pic is octopus garden. i dragged three friends around stowe and they were all about ready to die
> 
> View attachment 23573
> View attachment 23574
> View attachment 23575


Nice!  I'm curious about that #8 run at MRG.  I think we tried to find that las time, but end up wrapping back into Slalom Hill, or something.  I guess we just didn't push out far enough.  Pretty well established line out there?

And how was that stuff out past Paradise?


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 19, 2018)

#8 - you get off the double and hit either the traverse out at the very top as you get off the chair to your right, or you ski down about 100 feet and hit the traverse to partridge. just keep going past slalom hill. best consistent powder of the day. 

past paradise - probably the most exposed and technical run ive ever skied. at top of 'dise continue on teh long trail slightly uphill 5-10 minutes until you come to a clearing. a few normal turns take you to a ~150-200 foot chute no wider than your skis, extremely technical with jump turns required. drops you into some very steep tree skiing which takes you to a set of double mandatory 5-10 footers. one has a tree in the middle of the landing so you need to launch out and turn mid air to clear it. drops you into some very steep tree skiing which takes you to another set of double mandatory 5 footers (pictured above). below that is basically normal steep tree skiing and then it dumps you back on the trail. i would not have skied this without the oodles of fresh snow. these mandatory drops require soft landings.


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## tnt1234 (Mar 19, 2018)

Lol - #8 - that is the entrance at the top of the double that says "this is not a ski trail" right?  We traversed on Partridge, but I guess we didn't go far enough.  Few turns in the woods, then we popped back out onto the trail.

Past paradise sounds extreme.  Nice job.


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 19, 2018)

correct, it's a snowshoe trail


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 19, 2018)

#8 as shown above appears to be what I described as taking a run with MRG employee in my last Trip Report from a week ago or so.

Fun area.

Have never skied that line past Paradise... and now I never will


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## kingslug (Mar 19, 2018)

This is all way over my head..oy..
Cant imagine dropping in there..and coming back out..ever


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## cdskier (Mar 19, 2018)

kingslug said:


> This is all way over my head..oy..
> Cant imagine dropping in there..and coming back out..ever



I'm with you there. The super-tight technical stuff I'll stay away from.

On a somewhat related backcountry topic...I've never seen so many cars/people with skis in my life in the Brandon Gap area on Rt 73 in VT as I did Sunday on my way home. All 3 parking areas towards the top of the gap were packed and cars were parking along the highway.


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 19, 2018)

now that I've skied it, and I am 99% certain that "it" was octupus' garden, I know that (1) I will not go back in there unless I'm with other people who must be very strong skiers - the friends I usually ski with cannot go there, and (2) only after substantial snow - those landings would have been extremely dangerous without adequate cover


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## kingslug (Mar 19, 2018)

Cause if you eat it back there..no one will know..dangerouse..


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 19, 2018)

hence the "will not ski it alone", and I didn't ski it alone. it worked out so perfect. I rode the single chair saying to myself "I want to find octopus garden" and the two dudes on the two chairs directly behind me just happened to be going there. one of those dudes is pictured.


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## kingslug (Mar 19, 2018)

Just wastched some vids of paradise and other areas..sick..the one vid they are ripping everything at full speed..the other..falling all over the place trying to get down..crazy steep.


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## tnt1234 (Mar 19, 2018)

Yeah, I don't mind linking my way down a steep tight chute - it will take me forever, and it won't really be 'skiing' as much as it will be 'sliding with some jumping' but the big airs....no thanks!  Wish I could. But I can't.

Last time in Paradise, tried to 'send it' off the first waterfall - where normally I would do that big hop turn on skier's left and slide down the ice - ended up facing the mountain with my skis spread eagle behind me tracking left and right!  My daughter got a good laugh at that.  Then followed my line and nailed it.


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## tnt1234 (Mar 19, 2018)

kingslug said:


> Just wastched some vids of paradise and other areas..sick..the one vid they are ripping everything at full speed..the other..falling all over the place trying to get down..crazy steep.



Paradise is damn steep - no getting around that....


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 19, 2018)

check out past paradise. makes paradise look like a bunny slope. i have skied one other line in between paradise and octopus, which i accesed from a bit lower down on paradise than i accessed octopus from. its also wild steep and narrow with at least one mandatory air. mrg gets pretty much vertical and cliffed out once you go past paradise.


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## bdfreetuna (Mar 19, 2018)

KustyTheKlown said:


> now that I've skied it, and I am 99% certain that "it" was octupus' garden, I know that (1) I will not go back in there unless I'm with other people who must be very strong skiers - the friends I usually ski with cannot go there, and (2) only after substantial snow - those landings would have been extremely dangerous without adequate cover



afaik the garden isn't exactly just one way down, from your Ski Tracks and the pic it certainly looks like it.

Not the kind of thing I'm going to venture down alone -- and I normally have nobody to ski stuff like that with -- if we ever happen to be there on the same day let's just say you could probably twist my arm ...


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## KustyTheKlown (Mar 19, 2018)

yea its just important to hit these drops with other people. it could go very south very fast alone.


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