Less than a month after some disappointing events at Blue Mountain, two of us decided to head up for a day trip to test out some new equipment. The good news was that with it being just the two of us, we were pretty self-sufficient.
Things were a bit windy; to the point that Camelback had actually decided to shutdown for the day.
The Mountain
Aside from the weather, not a lot had changed in the week and a half. One decision that felt weird when I was there last was turning Barb’s Way into a terrain trail with a couple of jumps and a rail. It seemed really odd, given that it was green and the most viable path to the bottom for beginners. I was delighted to see Barb’s Way was now free of freestyle features. It was nice to see such things; it is another win for their mountain management side.
With just the two of us, we managed to hit every trail to try the new equipment out. This did expose a few problems; while the weather was nice and cold, and it was mid-week, things were still icy and chunky in places. It’s fairly typical of the North East, so we’re used to it. However, I can’t help but wonder if the lifts running for 12 hours means they can’t do as much trail management and grooming.
They did add a new snowcat this year, so they’re looking to improve this area.
Personal
The trip took me back almost twenty-five years, to the days when my dad (The Old Man) and I used to take day trips up to Jack Frost and Big Boulder. There’s clearly a lot different now, I snowboard, we didn’t complain about how much our metal skis weighed, and instead of trying to keep up with him it was me waiting for him.
I’ve always said that riding down the mountain gives me a zen-like clarity on things. This wasn’t that exactly, but it was similar; with a bit of nostalgia added to the mix.
We finished the day with some Cold Snap and lunch. While the staff was much better, the fact that the only one we really interacted with was the bartender I’m not quite ready to pull back on the ‘needs improvement’ thoughts from December, but this does leave me hopeful that things will improve over at Blue Mountain.