# The Balsams Wilderness - February 12 and 13, 2011



## snowmonster (Feb 14, 2011)

*Date(s) Skied: *Feb. 12 and 13, 2011

*Resort or Ski Area: *The Balsams Wilderness

*Conditions: *Trails: packed powder; Glades: powder; Temps: between -6F and 27F; mostly cloudy; snow showers on Saturday and Sunday afternoon; 1 inch accumulation

*Trip Report: *The Balsams is a gem. Every northeast skier owes himself (or herself) a visit to this place. Do the whole deal and ski and stay at this place. It is worth it.

This is a trip report in two halves. The first part will be about the skiing at Balsams Wilderness and the second will be a description of the overnight stay at the Balsams Grand Resort. 

On Saturday, we got to the ski area at around 11 am after checking into the resort. Although we had to park at the overflow parking lot, distance-wise it was about 300 yards to the front door. There was a national ski orienteering meet going on so the base lodge had a number of people. However, it was not crowded at all. I asked around among the locals for the glades on the mountain and I was pointed to several on map glades -- and a few that weren't on it. 

The blue and green trails were well manicured. They had rolls and dips to keep things interesting. Magalloway and Androscoggin are good blue runs. The black trails are either narrow (Notch) or ungroomed (Metallak and skiers' left on Coos). In terms of challenge, this place is a mellow mountain. I kept comparing the Balsams to Wachusett -- except that, at the Balsams, the trails are narrower and windier, the mountain is a little bit steeper, the snow is softer (not a patch of ice or hardpack in 2 days of skiing) and the crowds are considerably thinner. 

The best part of the experience was the glades. There are basically 2 glades on the map: off Connecticut and Magalloway/Cascade. They have little signs at the entrances that say GLADES with 2 diamonds. However, there are glades right by the triple chairlift (the double was not running when I was there and it didn't have to), off Metallak and, oddly, signed glades which aren't on the map. Then, there are the off-map glades that I got to. At any rate, it looks like not too many people go in the glades so, although you'll find tracks in them, if you go hunting to the sides, you will be rewarded with deep and untouched lines. I spent most of my time in the glades and it was great! It's amazing to make turns in silence. I got greedy sometimes and ventured off the beaten path in the glades. Though the trees got back at me with twigs in the face, it was a great adventure. For the most part, the glades were moderately pitched with lots of room for a variety of turns. The only one that was a real challenge was the "off-map" stuff which featured drops.

The food at the ski lodge was a good foretaste of what was to come. We stopped at around 2 for the day's special: mac and cheese with ham. Little snowmonster said it was the best plate of mac and cheese she ever had! There was even a kiosk serving free snowcones with hot maple syrup!

Day 2, was basically a repeat of Day 1 except that with a new inch of snow, things were fluffier all around. We got there at 1030 (after a great breakfast buffet and checking out of the resort). Even at that hour, we still found untracked cord on the west side trails. The star of the day was Magalloway glades. It looked like nobody was there the whole day and everything was soft and unmarked. The Sunday crowd was thinner and so it was ski on to the chairlift. 

We were supposed to stop skiing at 2 pm but, with snow falling and the glades begging to be marked up, I kept skiing up to 330. It was hard to leave this place. I'll definitely be back!

Welcome to The Balsams Wilderness:






Obligatory view of the lodge from the chairlift:





Is that Canada?





Trail map at the top:





Well-spaced glades off Connecticut:





Tighter off-map:





A glade not on the map but well-marked on the trail:









Pretty deep in there.


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## snowmonster (Feb 14, 2011)

Part II: The Balsams Grand Resort

After skiing, we headed back to the resort and immediately headed for the ice skating rink, which is a small area with its own changing hut. We then had cocktails and prepared for dinner. 

There are signs around the place saying that gentlemen had to be in jackets after 6pm. I happily obliged, of course, and wore my red ski tie too. The dinner was great. It was a buffet and there were separate tables for appetizers, main dishes (e.g., chicken piccata with rice pilaf, turkey tips marsala, shrimp and scallops in a puff pastry). The carving station featured an entire leg of beef. You read that right, the entire hindquarters. The dessert station featured a number of cakes, including a chef preparing bananas foster. It was not a question of quantity trumping quality because the food tasted pretty good. (They have a culinary school on the premises.) After dinner, there was a fireworks display, a band in one of the bars and a comedian/juggler at the Switzerland of America ballroom. We watched the fireworks but skipped the shows. Instead, we toured the place (had to see the Ballot Room where they cast the first votes in the country), played chess in the game room then shot a round in the Billiards Room. 

The next morning, we got up for a heroic breakfast spread -- omelet station, popovers, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, blueberry pancakes, sole florentine, eggs benedict, hot and cold cereals, muffine, croissants and so much more. I was hoping for an early start but ended up lingering over breakfast then wandered over to the Sun Room for another cup of coffee with the morning paper.

The food, accomodations and activities were included in the fee that we paid. Even if I don't factor in the skiing, it was a great deal because I pretty much ate my way through the place. The two words that kept coming to my mind to describe the place were: civilized and proper. For contrast, next week, I'll probably be doing some bc skiing and living in a sleeping bag inside my car. 

Sometime back, Skiing published a list of things every skier must do. One of those was: stay at a luxury hotel while skiing. I'm glad I can cross that off my list without breaking the bank. 

The hotel from across the lake:





The new wing of the hotel:





The library:





The Sun Room:





The John Dix sitting room:





First in the Nation: The Ballot Room





Post-dinner fireworks!


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## billski (Feb 14, 2011)

you had it much better than I.  Congrats!  Quality sure trumps quantity.  It's a shame it's so far away, but then again, it wouldn't be what it is if it was closer.


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## thetrailboss (Feb 14, 2011)

Nice snowmonster!!!!!


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## snowmonster (Feb 14, 2011)

I guess I lucked out this time, billski. I looked at a map and it seems to be as far north as Saddleback, Sugarloaf and Jay. In fact, it looks like Saddleback is a good drive away. 

TB, it's the power of the tie.


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## riverc0il (Feb 14, 2011)

Nice TR!



snowmonster said:


> I guess I lucked out this time, billski. I looked at a map and it seems to be as far north as Saddleback, Sugarloaf and Jay. In fact, it looks like Saddleback is a good drive away.


It is amazing just how far out of the way Saddleback is. Jay is closer to Boston than Balsams and a heck of a lot more interstate drive time. Loaf is not much further than Balsams and a heck of a lot more mountain. Same with Saddleback, just a tiny bit longer of a drive than the Loaf. Balsams does provide a unique experience and I am glad to have sampled it earlier this year. I think its probably best done with a stay at the resort. That would be a long haul just for the mountain alone.


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## drjeff (Feb 14, 2011)

Everyone at some point owes it to themself to splurge a little and spend the night (or a few) at The Balsams!  It oesn'tmatter what season of the year, the take care of you in a big way!  And FYI Snowmonster, if you ever go back and spend the night again there, as soon as they valet/bellman opens your car door and inds out that you're a repeat guest, youget a nice little bottle of pure maple syrup as a small thank you for deciding to come back!


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## salsgang (Feb 14, 2011)

Very nice! Thank you for sharing. Looks like a great total experience.


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## snoseek (Feb 15, 2011)

As a side not try this place in the summer. They have a long list of summer activities in a quiet setting. The hiking is excellent right from the hotel. The fishing in the area is also top notch

From what I could see that culinary school is the best program going in the states, CIA, JW none of those grads come close to having the skills the kids out of that program have.


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## Vortex (Feb 15, 2011)

They owe you a free stay with that write up. Well done. Easy to draw a mental picture.


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## mlctvt (Feb 15, 2011)

We spent New Years Eve there about 8-10 years ago. Very nice old style grand hotel!   I remember wandering around the public places such as the library and  sitting in the library with the newspaper and a cocktail. The hotel was in very good shape for such an old place. Unfortunately we didn’t get to ski at that time.

My wife thought it was way too stuffy, the food abundant but too plain for the price point so I doubt we’ve ever return.


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## snowmonster (Feb 15, 2011)

I'm glad that people enjoyed the TR. It was fun writing it because it made me relive the weekend. While the experience may not be for everyone, if you decide that you want to have a luxury ski vacation, then you might want to consider this place.

For the record, snoseek turned me on to the Balsams. We were sitting on a chairlift in Loveland and he told me about the culinary school and how the food was top notch. He also told me to hit it when conditions are good. He was right on both scores! I'll be sure to ask for my bottle of maple syrup when I visit next. Hopefully in summer.


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