# Powder Ridge, CT 1-27-2015



## deadheadskier (Jan 27, 2015)

So, as much as the allure of slaying Satan's Stairwell at Ski Sundown was strong, I called an audible and headed to Powder Ridge for a few hours late afternoon into evening.   I'm staying in a hotel about 10 miles from Powder Ridge and probably closer to 40 miles from Sundown.  With the roads still being a little challenging, I opted to stay close to "home."  This especially when I discovered that they would be opening at 4PM.  How could I pass up the chance of skiing 15" of blower at this mighty Ridge??


I give Powder Ridge props for even opening at all.  The travel ban in central CT was only lifted at 2PM.  So, to gather up the staff to make it happen in a couple of hours was pretty cool in my book.  When I pulled in, I was a bit disappointed to see a groomer out on the hill.  I asked a guy whom later I discovered was the owner if they were grooming everything?  He said just the main two runs, but powder would remain elsewhere.  The grooming was actually a blessing in disguise I would soon find out.

The owner was operating the resort via walkie talkie while operating the bar.  As I was booting up, he asked his two guests to watch the bar as he wanted to take a quick spin on the snowmobile.  Next thing I know I saw him racing up the hill.  I'm about the fifth person up the lift and then I see him booking it down one of the ungroomed trails, hooting and hollering the way down.  Guess the guy likes to have a good time.  After his joy ride he went back to manning the bar for the rest of the time I was there. 

So, for my first run I took the same trail he did:






I managed to make a few decent turns on this very green pitched blue trail and was thankful at the bottom to have his snowmobile tracks to follow to the lift.  The rest of the time I spent on their terrain park trail.  For what it was, the terrain park was actually pretty good with several decent size jumps.  No major gaps, but not credit card air booters either.   This is where the grooming really helped.  They groomed down the center, but not the jumps or landings or sides of the trails.  So, you could build up enough speed to actually make some full on face shot powder turns.  Or you could launch yourself off the jumps into the Pow without fear of lost life or limb.  I had a spectacular double eject Tomahawk crash on one of such attempts.  Wish I had video. 

Those turns in the 15" or so of snow they had very well might end up being the deepest turns I make all season in the East. :lol:   They certainly were the deepest turns I had made to date. 

From 4 to 5 it was basically me and a handful of other people.   Eventually a few dozen cars were in the lot and there was a crowd of 50-60 people having a great time in the new snow. 

Grabbed a Sunset picture looking west from the top







So, a pleasant few hours experiencing a little slice of New England skiing I'm likely not to repeat, but also won't forget.   Only complaint I could make of the place other then the pitch (which they can do nothing about) is they are in dire need of additional lights on some of their trails; especially the terrain park trail. 100 yard long dark stretches in a couple places that makes it probably a bit sketchy for some. 

And that concludes my Manitoba Mauler Blizzard skiing experience.


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## Edd (Jan 27, 2015)

Nice report! 15", dang.  Way to turn a work trip into a pow day.


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## gmcunni (Jan 27, 2015)

wonder what snowlover was doing today.


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## Cornhead (Jan 27, 2015)

Nice job of making lemonade, you can only play the cards you're dealt, nice play.


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## marcski (Jan 28, 2015)

Looks like you got a score off your audible. 

Is that an an old T-bar top terminal in your sunset photo?


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## deadheadskier (Jan 28, 2015)

I'm not sure.  It was directly behind the triple chair they were spinning.  Surprised they haven't cleared a small view up there.  I bet it would be a real selling point for a summer wedding business.


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## powhunter (Jan 28, 2015)

Wow wish I knew you were in the area. Legit powder moguls at Mt Southington last night


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## deadheadskier (Jan 28, 2015)

Would've reached out but figured you were slaying the Stairwell at the institution


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## bdfreetuna (Jan 28, 2015)

Must be nice! Nah just kidding well played getting some turns on that fresh. Now if that mountain could get their sh*t in gear and add some vert and pitch we'd be in business!


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## bheemsoth (Jan 28, 2015)

Thanks for the report. I live only ~5 minutes away, but have actually never been there.


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## deadheadskier (Jan 28, 2015)

Very flat.   You all have some nice looking short BC hits down there.  I spied a couple of chutes in between the cliffs above that rest area on 91 North in a think it was Meriden?    Wonder if anyone has skied them.  Looks like you could park right in the rest area and hike up.


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## shadyjay (Jan 28, 2015)

Ahhh... good ole' Powder Ridge, where I spent most of my days/nights from 1991 until 2003, first as a skier, then as an employee.

That old terminal in the sunset shot is the old bullwheel from the double chair that we replaced with a triple.  You would get off the double and drop down a steep ramp, while the chair continued, crossed the trail, and then encountered the bullwheel.  IIRC, the present setup today has the bullwheel at the top of the ramp, like most chairs throughout New England, though at Sugarbush we still have a handful of the former.  

Nice to see finally this season that the 'Ridge is 100% open.  I know that they're still having "reopening" issues but when every other area in CT has been 100% open for the past several weeks, it shouldn't be that difficult for the Ridge to be there as well.... or at least have more than 2 "top 2 bottom" trails open.  We're only talking 500' vertical here, after all.

Never dropped down any of the "chutes" behind the rest stop in Middletown.  You could also hike up from the parking area at the start of 691 in Middlefield at the Mattabasett trailhead.


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## Abubob (Jan 29, 2015)

A lot of those chutes in the Meriden area are scree fields. It would take a lot to fill them in enough to be skiable. Nice job getting the good at old Powder Hill. It's one of the places I learned to ski and even taught there for one season back in the late 70's. My favorite place there was the bar. It was at the base of far skiers left. There was a loft there where the instructors would hang out and play darts.


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## deadheadskier (Jan 29, 2015)

Plenty of snow to ski those chutes now for sure.  The bar in the current lodge is pretty sad .  Basically a temporary bar


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## ALLSKIING (Jan 29, 2015)

Nice work Ryan!


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