Mount Snow – Drive up and 1st day

Spring boarding with winter temps. I was really hoping for mid 40’s but tonight will be below freezing!

We took the back road to VT….119 all the way. It was nice to take a trip on a two lane road with frost heaves. Our home away from home is the Snow Goose Inn….my better 1/2 picked it out. Reviews were good and it’s not party condo style hearing the neighbor four doors over. However, so far it’s a bit if a bust. The driveway, steps and walks were all caked in ice, the heat was not working…inn keeper is looking into it, and its the only inn I ever visited with wall to wall carpet…..well….gray with dirt.

After we checked ourselves in and unloaded we visited Mount Snow. I was here once before….many year ago with my brother Mick. We had big plans on renting him a mountain bike but he decided to sleep off the night before in the parking lot, so I decided to cheap skate it. I pushed my bike up what is now Nitro Express….after two heart attacks and twenty five minutes of huffing and buffing I made the top of the chair lift…..I rested for a few minutes and the trip down took a little under two minutes. At the bottom my breaks were gone but I was still in-tacked. One run was enough for me.

Anyhow, back to this trip. We strolled around for a few minutes…..visited the main lodge and drove by the 1/2 pipe….nice, but not for me.

Back at the inn we helped ourselves to wine and cheese with the inn keeper and some newly weds from CT. The wine was in a carafe……which is always suspect….but I needed something to take the edge off. Cheese and crackers were…..well cheese and crackers.

It’s the North Pole! Way too late for XMass lights.

Dinner next door at The Last Chair was good.

News flash. The inn keepers husband fiddled with a valve on the heater and I think we may survive the night.

The bonus at The Last Chair is the arcade. GMan and JMan were right at home.

I was drinking and driving! Not really….but I was mobile with my beer.

The heat came on. For a while there I felt like I was on vacation in Ireland. Sur it will be grand….here’s another blanket….who needs heat!

Hmmm. Apparently the heat came on with a vengeance. At 1:30am Jess was wondering around with her iPhone flash light trying to find that same valve.

Breakfast was great. Mount Snow here we come.

View from the top.

The Saint Patricks Day $17 special brought out the crowds, but the lines move fast. Conditions are great and we managed several runs before lunch. JMan Riglets lesson went great. We’re off to the mini park in a bit.

GMan in line.

The Blue Bird lift was broken. Apparently something went on its gear box and everyone needed to be belayed off. However, there are many other ways of making it to the top.

Here’s Jess and the boys on the way to top. We’ll not really. Jess is sporting a rather cool bag. New lodge side style.

And here the whole gang.

The boys in our Saint Patrick Day attire.