After skiing soft glades all day at Jay yesterday, I woke up feeling like I got hit by a truck but was looking forward to doing it all over again. Unfortunately the snow report revealed that all the glades and a lot of other natural trails were roped. Must have been a snow preservation tactic because they were full of snow. Big bummer as I love Burke’s glades almost as much as Jay’s but still had a fun day.

Favorite run of the day was Carriage Road…nice soft and smooth snow mixed perfectly with the pitches and bends of the trail. East Bowl skied similarly but the snow on the flats was so sticky that you pretty much had to start poling at the bridge…long slog out. Powderhorn was also a treat to ski.

Groomers were definitely on the slick side. Willoughby softened up through the day and was probably skiing the best of the trails. Dipper was ok in some spots and a sheet of ice in others. Upper Warren’s was awful.

That was pretty much it for open trails. But with an empty mountain and ski on Mid Burke express, the natural stuff was fun to lap all day. One decent storm will get them back in business, there is still a TON of natural snow on the hill…much more than there ever was in the 4 years I was at LSC.

If anyone is keeping track for the Lodge Food thread, a burger at the hotel bar was $16. Also made sure to stop into the Bear Den for a beer as you never know when it’ll be the last time. It’s the best ski area bar in the Northeast and if you disagree, you’re wrong 🙂

Not sure of future plans at this point…we’ll see how the weather shakes out early next week. I’m too spoiled by this season to go ski hardpack and groomers anywhere except Wachusett.