# Awesome powder day at Stratton 2-22



## frapcap (Feb 23, 2015)

Our morning started like it should have- up at 4:40am and out the door by 5. That was, until my skiing buddy realized that he left his Ski VT passes at his house. Half an hour delayed, we made the trek up. RT 30 was its usual pain in the ass if you're not on the road early enough. We followed a dozen or so 'orange plates' and had a good idea of what kind of day it would be. We took the back way in and got one of the last parallel parking spots in the Sunbowl. We booted up, had our traditional shot of whiskey to celebrate safe travels, and went to redeem our passes....along with everyone else!






We also saw this dude with a fanny pack
http://scontent-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/1505491_10101779127656135_3286681250752264296_n.jpg?oh=c282cc74bac7392d9035239135560485&oe=554F0E0D[img]


After a 15 minute wait (the staff was very quick considering the HUGE crowd, we got in another line to get in our first run. 
We rode up the Sunrise Express and upon seeing the line at Shooting Star, opted to start our day sooner than later and hopped into the Eclipse glades and were quickly rewarded with choosing our lines however we saw fit. 
No photos of that one- too excited and preoccupied whooping because it didn't seem to dawn on anyone else that you could ski in there. 
After waiting for a while, our next run was up the Shooting Star and down via the Kidderbrook Ravine. WOW. Gobs of snow, with very few folks steering their skis through it. There is a cool little 'snow island' in there where the ravine cuts left and right, but the little cliff it makes at the point and the soft snow below it made for a fantastic run. We thought this would be the best run of the day. Far from it!

Our next couple of runs lapped the Shooting Star and we hit Vertigo, Diamond in the Rough, and Why Not. They were all phenomenal; each one being better than the last. On our next ride up, we were talking with an old timer who pointed us into some unmarked trees. A small chute entrance just to the right of the lift runs you into some well pruned trees between Upper Tamarack and Franks Fall Line. Aside from this guys trails and ours, it was untouched and FULL of snow.
[IMG]http://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10929583_10101779127725995_3156327698349816141_n.jpg?oh=4f9741e3288e2e1b9085ba463dc6138f&oe=5593D18C&__gda__=1430921945_c1cf5e02d4b3a6fa39398f58841452a5
















After 2-3 laps in there, and a run on the roped off lift line, we hit Moondance and then decided to give Test Pilot a try. 
We popped in WAY too early off Kidderbrook, expecting that it wouldn't be marked. What we skied was full of snow, but very, very tight. Obviously in the wrong place, but a little bushwhacking never hurt anyone.

We finally found our way into Test Pilot proper. Shoot, why didn't we go here sooner?!? It had a fantastic gentle pitch with plenty of trees and lines to pick. It felt like most folks moved left to right _across_ the glade vs. going down and picking a line around the trees. Regardless, it left us with a lot of options to really enjoy the snow that they left behind! A face shot here, accidental air there, an all around good time. At one point another guy was catching his breath with me and said "fuckin' fun right?!" 










After two runs in there, we decided to check out the Snow Bowl. 
Right after a break around 1:45pm. 
We grabbed a picnic table, hydrated, ate, and relaxed a moment. I reflected on how quickly the 6 pack lifts and crowds could bump up the mountain. 





The crowds were insane at the beginning of the day, but around 11:30-12, just about every lift became ski on. After our break, we popped into West Pilot, where I was skiing just past the boundary rope. On the way back in, I ended up clothes lining myself. D'OH. Not bad, but certainly wasn't pleasant. That particular glade was the only skied out one we came across. Lots of families and kids in there. It also felt like the branches weren't cut as consistently high as the other glades. It bred confidence to haul ass, but I felt like I was constantly ducking and avoiding a random, stray, unexpected twig to the face. At some point while riding the lift, a younger guy was telling us how he "had skied every tree run" on the mountain today. I pointed at a set of trees and said "how about those?" He said, 'no, they aren't on the map, why would I go in there?' Poor bastard...

We kept searching for trees and ended up in some good stuff just beyond a roped off World Cup. We skipped World Cup and hopped into the woods that bordered it. More deep snow.
This photo is looking up at the way in.





The bottom of the glade deposited us right in front of the Snow Bowl life. We took a well deserved rest on the SUPER SLOW lift and I couldn't help but think that there wasn't any way that we couldn't ski trees from the top to bottom. With the goal in mind, we set out on Get My Drift and found a way into some trees between that and the lift line, popped out on a traverse, picked up the trees again between Upper Slalom and the lift line, popped out on another traverse, and into the trees again between Lower Slalom and the liftline. We found some old t bar lift looking thing and enjoyed that pitch and the trees to the right of it. We only found a few tracks here and there. 
That run was seriously the best snow we found on the mountain. No one bothered with it. 










Beverage brake half way down. 





That last run was around 3:45pm and we were exhausted. We decided to take the AmEx and URSA to the top and take our first run of the day down an actual trail. We did Bear Down, which had some weird bumps with no rhythm at all on them. Disappointed, I decided that despite our exhaustion, needed to end the day on a high note. We hit Eclipse ALL the way down and were rewarded with finding fresh lines. At one point, I ended up going through a thigh deep spot. The snow was bottomless. After being stunned at what just happened, we contemplated another run, but being that it was around 4:15pm, we opted to call it an outstanding day and went back to the car for some beers. 

All in all, this was one of the top days I have ever had. I wish that I had got into trees years ago when I used to ski Stratton frequently. Rest assured this won't be my last trip there- pending that the trees have base!! The crowd was insane in the beginning, but eventually left us with ski on conditions, the sun shining, and bottomless powder in the trees.


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## deadheadskier (Feb 23, 2015)

Very nice.  Stratton's trees deliver!


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## Quietman (Feb 23, 2015)

frapcap said:


> Beverage brake half way down.



Great trip report, and very nice pics.  I especially like your beer break one and my avitar agrees. This year has to be tops for tree skiing in NE.  No thaws to make them unskiable until the next storm.  Spring tree skiing looking to be epic also!!  I may have to try Stratton some time.  I had kind of grouped it with Deer Valley but I had a great day in the woods there a few years back cause most skiers there stick to the groomers. I had 20+ visits to Crotched this year and have been in the woods 90% of the time. Life is good this year, especially if you're a skier and can tolerate cold weather.


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## frapcap (Feb 24, 2015)

^ Its pretty fantastic beer- especially for the price. Ever been to the brewery in Pottsville? Its a very cool place. 

You're absolutely on par with the conditions this year and your observations about the typical Stratton skier. If I said something about the woods on the chair lift, I'd just get a blank stare from the other passengers.


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## C-Rex (Feb 24, 2015)

Nice report!  It was definitely one of those days to remember!  I think we found your track where you went in to soon on Test Pilot.  We followed a pair of tracks in and my friend got stuck, burying her board thigh deep.  I only avoided getting stuck by sticking to one set of tracks we saw.

I also agree about Eclipse.  It's like no one bothered with it.  Great snow well into the afternoon. 

Next time we'll have to meet up for a beer!


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## amf (Feb 24, 2015)

Sometimes you really appreciate those old slow lifts!


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## frapcap (Feb 24, 2015)

C-Rex said:


> Nice report!  It was definitely one of those days to remember!  I think we found your track where you went in to soon on Test Pilot.  We followed a pair of tracks in and my friend got stuck, burying her board thigh deep.  I only avoided getting stuck by sticking to one set of tracks we saw.
> 
> I also agree about Eclipse.  It's like no one bothered with it.  Great snow well into the afternoon.
> 
> Next time we'll have to meet up for a beer!



Definitely. Its a bummer that we didn't spot you, but with all of those people there, it wasn't completely unexpected. 

Sorry you two followed in our stupid footsteps! 
We made a similar mistake somwehere near Gentle Ben and Big Ben. There was a sign saying "natural terrain" so we wandered in and were greeted with a bunch of knee deep snow. After a turn or two, it got very flat and we resorted to some cross country skiing to get out of there. Won't make that mistake again!


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## Glenn (Feb 24, 2015)

Great TR! Amazing how it emptied out just before lunch. The snow was outstanding Sunday.


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## mriceyman (Feb 24, 2015)

My buddy almost followed your tracks into TP also.. I gave him a nooooooooo as i passed him to go to the real entrance.. He was like i saw tracks so i figured it was good lol


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