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Pico Mountain Sunday, March 26, 2017 | |
Submitted on March 27, 2017 by newenglandskier13 ( 720) | ||
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Session | Full Day |
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Ticket Type | Discount from Ski Area |
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Lift Lines | 0 minutes |
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Trail Conditions | 75% open; Packed Powder, Variable Conditions |
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Glades | Great cover! Some rain crust, but some powder as well |
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Moguls | Lots of moguls everywhere! All trails off Outpost had moguls |
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Terrain Park(s) | Park set up on Gold Rush |
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Run of the Day | Upper Pike Glades to Mid Pike Glades to Lower KA to C Slope to Pike |
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Food and Beverage | None had at ski area, but had an excellent burger at The Fort in Lebanon |
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Comments | Even though it wasn't a powder day, yesterday was one of the best days this season! I had pre-purchased tickets to come up and try Pico for the first time today. After Saturday's ice event I expected the entire mountain to be an ice sheet and that anything ungroomed would be untouchable. My suspicions seemed to be confirmed when I arrived and multiple trails were closed because of ice. As I rode up the Summit Express the ice glinted in the sun. When I reached the summit and pointed my skis down Forty Niner I was in for a pleasant surprise! Perfect corduroy made for great skiing on a perfectly pitched blue cruiser with amazing views of the peaks of Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire. I soon decided to head up Little Pico and see how A Slope was. While hard, the moguls were edgable and it was a very enjoyable run. There was very good cover, so decided to give the glades a try. In Upper Pike Glades I discovered the best surprise of the day. After a few turns in rain crust I reached a section of soft, seemingly untouched powder! I found more in Mid Pike Glades and Upper KA Glades. Temperatures were in the upper twenties and thirties during the day and wind was not a factor. It was clear in the morning, but got cloudier as the day went on and there was a bit of drizzle at the very end of the day. All lifts were running except for Knomes Knoll and Outpost, but I did hike up and take a few runs on Outpost. Most trails were open. Trails that were closed were closed because of ice, not because of lack of cover. Crowds were never an issue and I never had to wait more than a chair or two. After my first experience at Pico I know that I will be returning as soon as I can. It's a well designed mountain with something for everyone. There is classic New England terrain and lots of vertical, but also modern amenities (i.e. high speed lifts, extensive snowmaking, hotel, condos). One thing I noted when I first arrived was the design of the main lodge. The bottom level is for those who brought their own food, the middle level is for cafeteria food, and the upper level has a restaurant. There is additional seating in a nearby building which also has rentals and the retail shop. The lodge was spacious and there were always empty tables, even at noon. The Bonanza area is a novice area which is separated from the main area. There is a modern rope tow and a 75' vertical double chair. The chair moves at a very slow speed (200 fpm??) and is low to the ground and there are three slopes down. The triple (first triple in Vermont) to the top of Knomes Knoll wasn't open, so I was not able to ski the upper trails on Knomes Knoll, but they seemed to be good for the novice skier who has graduated from Bonanza. There is also good intermediate terrain on Knomes Knoll. The Outpost Double wasn't spinning due to icy trails, but I hiked up twice and skied Pipeline and Wrangler. Outpost seems like a great place for experts to ski steep, ungroomed trails and hardwood glades. The trails get steeper as you move west and all trails had well-sized natural moguls. On Little Pico there is a little bit of everything. Off the backside there is a long, narrow green circle (Bushwhacker) which leads back to the other lifts. There is good intermediate terrain which consists of a number of narrow, classic trails in the area of C Slope. There are also a number of hardwood glades in the same area. B Slope is a wide, steep black diamond where they hold races. A Slope is a fun double black which starts out very steep, then mellows out lower down. The main mountain is served by two high speed quads and there are all varieties of trails. Off the Golden Express there is great upper level novice and mid level intermediate terrain. From the summit Express there are great upper level intermediate cruisers and fun black diamonds. Upper Giant Killer and the poma line were closed, but they looked very, very steep and a lot of fun. There are many great glades, both hardwood and softwood and most wooded areas are skiable. It's a very fun mountain to ski and I will definitely be back. |
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URL | http://snowjournal.com/discussion/1207/pico-3-26-2017 |
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Report Rating | 2
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