Schuss Forest; Schuss!!

By:  Greg
December 31, 2012


When the blackout dates arrive for season-pass holders, that can only mean one thing: it’s time to schuss forest (if it’s ready). This Christmas Week, skiers in the northeast have been gifted some of the best December snow conditions seen in recent memories, and this snow has also given an early blanket of coverage to our hardwood forests. Indeed, for almost two weeks there have been nearly daily fallings of snow, and it has been piling up over stumps and streams and other hazards. Looking to avoid some crowds, and check out some new zones we have had our eye on for a few years, we grabbed our GPS, and headed off into the woods. All involved were happy to schwack their way into some new territory and hopefully schuss forest; schuss!

Following some rough outline of a “plan” we had concocted the night before, we skinned several miles up an old logging road though bitter cold air, and then turned into the thicket on as much of a guess as it was a choice. We pushed and pulled our way through the forest until it opened up a little bit. Then it opened up a little bit more; then a-lotta-bit more. Smiles started to grow broader commensurate with the girth of the trees.

Hey ladies and gents: where you going?
where you going?!

where you going?

I got no response. Then I remembered: none of us knew where we were going. Indeed, the day was as much about the exploration, and wandering around in the woods as it was about the skiing.

Despite the low bar we had set in order to describe the day a success, as it turned out, our “Spidey Senses” were pretty finely tuned, and we happened upon some of the nicest forests to schuss I’ve seen in a few years.

The weatherman went first with his face wrapped up like a thug. Stylin’ bro!
styling Lionel Hutz

Then came the Curmudgeon.
the curmudgeon returns!

It’s hard to be the Curmudgeon when you pop a roller into a pocket of pow like this:
the curmudgeon smiles
We see that smile on your face… don’t try to hide it Curmudgeon.

The glades were skiing excellently. There were still a few stumps and downfall to contend with, but it was nothing that a little sitting-back couldn’t get you over. When we got down to where the forest changed to a schwacky-nightmare, the decision was unanimous: we needed to take another lap! Skins were re-applied, and we went out to see if we could find a new zone.

Continue Reading: 1 2 Next »

Read about the author:   Greg

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8 Comments

  1. Roger K
    wrote on December 31st, 2012 at 12:07 pm  
    1

    This weekend did not suck.

    Respond to this comment/comment thread
    • Greg
      wrote on December 31st, 2012 at 12:10 pm  
      2

      nope.

  2. icelanticskier
    wrote on January 1st, 2013 at 6:15 pm  
    3

    hmmmm, vermonts version of no blog zone;)

    private skinner my a$$. lol!!!

    nice woods wanderings, gang.

    rog

    Respond to this comment/comment thread
    • Greg
      wrote on January 2nd, 2013 at 4:56 pm  
      4

      ha! well, the note could have been a lot meaner, and we all agreed the author had a point.

      coulda used some super light fishscale gear in hear rog to speed up our wanderingz!

  3. road trip / Gary
    wrote on January 5th, 2013 at 10:35 pm  
    5

    I don’t think that note said not to come back…… great find! Love the pics…. The snow was pleasantly adhering to the branches for added ambiance. :)

    Respond to this comment/comment thread
  4. Anonymous
    wrote on January 7th, 2013 at 8:23 am  
    6

    hey rog, did you ever consider that it could actually be private property, and in that case I think it is called trespassing. because it is the case with the spot these guys were at. I am friends with the landowner!

    Respond to this comment/comment thread
  5. Butch Chamberlain
    wrote on January 8th, 2013 at 8:40 am  
    7

    Private land in Vermont can be an issue. Sometimes syrup goes further than honey in this state. Vermont has, in some places, large tracks of great bc stuff but one has to be ever vigilant about where these places are. I believe that note was just a nice way of saying we really don’t want hordes of people using this area. And also the aforementioned sentiment, they didn’t say don’t return, they just don’t want a lot of traffic on the land. And unless you can figure out where this place is, then it shouldn’t be problem. We don’t live free or die in Vermont, we just try to live.

    Respond to this comment/comment thread
  6. Anonymous
    wrote on January 8th, 2013 at 4:02 pm  
    8

    true, but it usually goes something like this, for every person that skis a great spot in the woods they go back with at least three of their friends, and those three friends, each take three more people and so it goes, getting skied by exponentially more people, but what are you gonna do, it’s hard to do anything about the way this unfolds. That is what seems to happen to so many of the place I ski in vt that used to be quiet. Hopefully greg and co will keep this one in only each others company.

    Respond to this comment/comment thread
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