Coming up the last stretch of Antelope, I knew the rest was just a kick and glide to the Stark’s Nest. Putting my shoulder into the door, I opened it, kicked my leather boots on the step a few times to knock off the snow and stepped inside to double up my fancy new 40mm Pomoca mohair skins. I shook off my Andean Toque and glanced out the window at my sweet 215 Tua’s resting against the rail, sporting revolutionary bindings (with a heel-throw!) and a state-of-the-art capped top-sheet The snow was gently settling in on Chute, beginning to fill in the nooks and crannies.
I know, I know -- that guy totally still skis Mad River. There’s plenty of him lurking in the hills today. But 18 years ago, he was pretty much the only guy hiking for pre-season turns. The sport of backcountry skiing then was a tiny niche occupied by Dickie Hall and twelve other guys. Now the Rat pull-off is full by 7:30 in the morning on powder days, and sleek people with super-light Dynafit set-ups and blade sun-glasses are storming the mountain in hordes.
Part of it is the gear, for sure. AT equals access, and the stuff has gotten really, really good. No more sacrificing weight or stiffness of boot or compressing springs with every step -- ski-hikers of all varieties have never had it so easy. And so it makes sense that they’d want to ply the frozen waters of the Legendary Stark Mountain, whether a regular pass-holder or weekend warrior hitting any number of closed areas.
The other reason for the increase in uphill traffic at pretty much all of the New England ski areas is snow -- or rather, lack thereof. Yes, I hate to say it, but the New Norm has all of us who enjoy sliding on frozen precipitation a little bit cagey. Last season was great (except for January, which we won’t talk about) -- but if you remember the lean year of 2011/2012, and you happen to enjoy earning your turns on Stark Mountain, then you would have seen a HUGE increase in uphill traffic. While the surrounding hills were brown, MRG’s mountain ops were working their magic by grooming in and preserving the snow that we did have. The upshot: more people were taking to closed areas to get their backcountry jollies.
Who can blame them? Certainly not me. I joined them regularly. Like many, I absolutely depend on Stark Mountain for my gym membership, my therapy, and my adrenaline fix.
While famous for its terrain and schools, Mad River is not necessarily known for being on the cutting edge of the industry. (I’d wager that there are more people skiing MRG in and on gear they bought in the 80s and 90s than at any other ski area around -- which, in my humble opinion, is totally awesome.) Still, with most of the ski resorts in the US developing uphill traffic policies, it was high time for Mad River to address the issue, simply by virtue of the increased number of people doing it. And like most of the neighboring areas in No. VT, they have been batting ideas around for a couple of years now.
To me, common sense reigns in the new list of dos and don’ts. Most importantly: you can still hike Mad River -- though it is not patrolled during off-hours and seasons and not recommended. Additionally, Ops report a growing number of people trailing the groomers in order to suck up the sweet-fresh corduroy. Not my thing personally, but you can see how this would be a safety issue since a skier can very well catch a moving Cat if s/he wants to. There are also growing numbers of people who want to skin while the lifts are turning, and there have multiple close-calls between downhill skiers and uphill skinners on blind corners. A good debate has emerged on whether or not there should be a designated uphill route (yes, please!), or whether or not passes would be required for climbing (they probably should -- you have to buy a pass to snowshoe). But for now, simplicity takes precedence. The antidote to your ski-jones is pretty straight-forward: don’t ski when the lifts are turning, and stay away from the mountain crew so they can work their magic.
The policy was coming, no way around it. There are just too many people trying to get on the hill these days, and it’s high time that Management at Mad River came up with a responsible, common sense plan to deal with it. And I believe they have. There’s the safety thing, and frankly, the liability thing. I count myself among the many BC skiers who do not like to be told where they can and can’t go -- but at the same time, I can’t blame Mad River at all for getting with the times and setting some reasonable ski boundaries. The new uphill traffic policy doesn’t really change anything for the typical skinner, the vast majority of whom are pre-season or post-lift operators who will continue skinning obliviously compliant with the new regs. Heck, snowboards have never been banned from the mountain -- just from the lifts. So whatever you slide-fix, check the glue on your skins, get ready for the next (pre) season, and see you on the hill!
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