Official: Stowe EC mini TR and Pic thread

**Vinman** · 03-06-2005, 07:09 PM

What a great Weekend. It was the best turnout yet for the brief history of EC mini's. My estimate for how many there there is about 25. I'm not going to take the time to name them all as they should all be posting some TRs, pics and vids in the next few days.

Day 1 3/5/05
My TR starts with an early morning rally call to hit the quad at 7:30. Basom and Mildbill stayed at my place. First meeting time for the mini was not until 9:00. We met Sequioashan at the quad as well. Our goal for this early session was a narrow couloir above the quad. It turned out to be a bluebird day. Sunny skis and not a cloud with temps in the 20s. After bootpacking up and rooting around for the entrance a bit we found what we were looking for, untouched pow from last week's storm plus a healthy amount of wind blown on top. Since Basom had the head cam he went first and killed it in true Basom style (head cam footie to come). I went second, Bill third and Sequioashan hit clean up. After we exited the chute we skied some nice untracked and some cut up pow. It was a run I will remember for a long time.
View at the top

Basom at the entrance

Mild One Dropping In

MildBill spatulating

Sequioashan gettin' some

Basom in deep

After that we headed for the 9:00 am meet up at the gondi lodge. The masses assembled and we headed off for the gondi. Our first run as a group was out towards the benches. It became apparent very quickly that a group of this size (~20-25) would not work well in the trees and on traverses. If you think traverses out west can get hairy come east. Obviously less exposure, but tree lined, bumped out, scaped out, icy patched ribbon of carnage where a mistake means tagging a tree or rock overhang at speed is how I would describe this particular traverse. At this point we got separated into maybe 2-3 smaller groups and went our separate ways.

The group I was in consisted of Mildbill, Basom, Raps, dickie(not sure of screenie) and shmerham. On our second run we hiked the chin to ski hourglass. The hike was worth it. The wind had been nuking from the backside of the mtn and depositing snow in the hourglass. We were treated boot top to knee deep pow and cut up soft snow in and below the hourglass. I think Raps got some good stills and tbone may have some vid to share. After the inital decent we decided to head towards hellbrook on a short traverse that ended up being an epic bushwack riddled with tree wells and submerged branches to get snaged on. At one point mildbill and I were in the same tree well (I'll let bill tell that story, his version is funnier). But the slog ended up being worth the effort as were treated spots of knee deep light pow. As we got lower the snow got heavier, but it was creamy good and there were no complaints. The rest of the day was creamy tree shot after creamy tree shot.

After the skiing was done we met up in one the bars at the resort where we met Stowevibe(Julie) who was our hook up for the 1/2 price vouchers and copies of Soul Purpose. Thanks Stowevibe. Most of us met up at the rusty nail after that for some food and beers. At which point I invited the maggots over to my house to share vids and pics from the day as well as some beers.

Day 2
Our initial plan of an 8:00 quad meet up did not fly everyone had too many beers and was too tired from the day before. We ended up meeting at 9:00 again. After a quick woods run we went back to pick up and late comers and found Skijunky. At this point it was decided the goal for the day today was the rockgarden and it had to be soon. Weather was moving and and vis up high was deminishing quickly. After a bookpack and a scramble over thinly covered rocks we were in. We found a few good lines but this area can be pretty thin and more snow would reveal many more line possibilities. Just after we got out of the bigger rocks it started to snow.

Skijunky and Sequoiashan scoping some lines

Train07 in the garden(told you I got a good one)

Skijunky airing out the garden.

After this it was more laps in the trees until I could no longer function and my legs were fried. All in all this was a great time and with all the pow we were able to find this should have been posted as a prerequisite for coming to the EC mini.

All I can say is WOW I have met and skied with more maggots in the past week Both UT and EC that ever before. Thanks for making the effort to come to Stowe I had a great time and hope to ski with a bunch of you again.

A final thanks to Gravitylover for scoring the Stowe tix and Soul Purpose hookup. This was probably one of the main reaons for the numbers we had.

**schuss** · 03-06-2005, 07:33 PM

definitely a fun time all around, stowe is a burly mountain. Highlights- hourglass, the chute the 2nd day with bill, and basom recounting his helmet cam footage. If I missed anyone for stickers, sorry, just pm me.

**Raps** · 03-06-2005, 07:34 PM

Vinman - it looks like we both were posting seperate TRs as well as T-bone, at the same time......since yours says official, i'll just post my TR here as well......

I got to Stowe on Thursday after a good dumping so Thursday and Friday were pretty epic. But Saturday when all the Maggots showed up was definately the highlight. A good sized group of us hiked up the Chin to the hourglass and after some solid bushwacking we found some nice deep EC pow. Thanks to Bason, Vinman, Mildbill et all for showing me the goods. Also thanks to gravitylover for the vouchers, schuss for the stickers and all who were there. It was good meeting all of you. It was my first summit of many I hope. Here are some of the pics i took saturday morn.......if any of you else took some pics feel free to keep this pic TR goin....

Here is a view of where we hiked up to...

Here is powpow(i think thats your forum name) and Basom at the windy top

Here are some of our lines off the top....

Heres sequoiashan gettin some

Vinman in good form

Closeup of the same pic...

Vinman checkin out the line with Basom below

Powpow gettin some pow

And finally, Vinman hockin up a loogie - mildbill lookin on

**crashnburn'd** · 03-06-2005, 07:53 PM

Nice guys, I skied slop in 60 degree weather here...

**Mtn Man** · 03-06-2005, 08:54 PM

Nice pics!!!!! Skijunky went big on that huck, nice soft landing there too.

Great intro to the Stowe goods, big thanks to the locals for sharing the goods, both BC and trees. First time for me there and won't be my last. Definitely had a blast, just wish I didn't herb it in the RG after the hike on Sunday. Must remember the fats......

Props go to gravitylover and stowevibe, thanks for the tix and swag. Great meeting all the new mags and catching up with the old. Give a holla if in the Kmart area.

B)

**ak_powder_monkey** · 03-06-2005, 09:03 PM

so ummm, thats not the east coast, it looks not icy enough..

Some was gotten I take it good job

**splat** · 03-06-2005, 09:21 PM

Hey Guys, looks good.

Did Ski Junky limb some trees?

Wouldn't an EC Summit be without base and Bill.

**powder11** · 03-06-2005, 09:28 PM

awesome pics, glad to see you guys are tearing it up, but geez, Bill, you look so fat in those pictures. lay off the twinkies man.

**Plakespear** · 03-06-2005, 09:33 PM

Sweet. Next year I'll have to remain healthy and join youse guys.

**Franz Klammer** · 03-06-2005, 11:02 PM

Nice stuff, guys. I should have stayed for Sunday, to get myself on one of those pictures. Needless to say, it was great to meet all the mags and I was really bummed that I couldn't stay any longer.

And yes, Vinman, you're still my hero for maneouvering those BROs in the woods.

**Vinman** · 03-07-2005, 05:43 AM

One more of Basom looking peaceful on my living room floor

Pointing.......

**train07** · 03-07-2005, 06:32 AM

Oh yeah, I frkn killed that line...didn't I vinman

...I'll write more later..need to get to work...thnks.

**Steven S. Dallas** · 03-07-2005, 06:47 AM

Let me get this straight- Bill looks fat and basom passed out on your floor? What is the world coming to?

**Mit** · 03-07-2005, 06:55 AM

Thanks again Vin, for all the hospitality. I'm really glad I got my lazy ass out off the bed and drove up to your place Saturday night. The helmet cam footage/ commentary was priceless..." and this is where I ate shit again...oh wait now I'm getting up..oh oh now I'm on the ground again...".

Also wanted to say thanks to all those who played tour guide..even those who admited they didn't know where they were going (mtn. man and rusty I'm talking about you

)

Anyways it was a great time and thanks to all (and I never realized that so much of Soul Purpose was shot at Jay Peak)

**SkiJunky05** · 03-07-2005, 07:16 AM

Well, the weekend felt damn short for me. Work kept me away Friday afternoon and left me inside handing demos to gapers at the Bush all day Saturday.

However, I was pretty sure this group at Stowe was enjoying a beautiful day and that conditions were alright.

I'm bummed I didn't get to meet more of you and didn't get to partake in the evening festivities on Saturday. That said, it was great skiing with people on Sunday. Weather moved in, but we managed to find our way around well enough.
*I've been cautioned by the Stowe mafia that some of my trip reports have been too specific in regards to BC lines. Hence, my TR for Sunday will use the required generic label*

Pulled into the parking lot. Got on a lift at a mountain that could have been any of many. Skied down a run that varied in angle and forced me to link turns. Met up with a good group of mags/minions. Rode a lift up a hill, skied down. Some groomer was involved, some trees, and some ice. Oh, and some moguls. Next run we took a lift up and walked into the Mount Mansfield Backcountry, hiked across the Mount Mansfield Backcountry to the top of the Mount Mansfield Backcountry. Creating a continuous line through the Mount Mansfield Backcountry was a delicate procedure, but fun. We exited the Mount Mansfield Backcountry. We may have taken more runs, we may not have. I can't say more. I woke up with a decapitated horse head on my bed and all my shoes were filled with cement.

It was very cool getting out and cruising around the mountain in a group. I look forward to future meetings and getting to know more of this community.

I need to find a slightly bigger cliff with a little more time in the air so I can finally stick a full "Y M C A". If you look at the sequence, I touch down right after "C". Next time, I'll stick that YMCA and ride it out into the road, switch.

**sequoiashan** · 03-07-2005, 07:55 AM

Was a great weekend, a tired drag my ass around the mountain after a good week of powder assaults (I'll post pics from earlier in the week if I can figure it out) but all in all a great time had. The warmup run on sat was perfect, however a bit flailed on my part but next time. Then on to meet the Maggots followed by a run that started with a funky highway of a traverse (don't want the Stowe mafia after me too) that proved once again the big group theory. You just can't go into the woods with a big group and expect to come back all together, smiling or unshaken.And as Vin's pics revealed there may have been good reason for the tilted gondi car. Can't wait to get that group together for a powder day, maybe soon.

**road trip** · 03-07-2005, 08:15 AM

Wow! Looks like an awesome time!

Vinman - now don't hold back here - was Bill able keep his hands off your dog this time??

**shmerham** · 03-07-2005, 11:16 AM

Some groomer was involved, some trees, and some ice.

I know exactly where you're talking about. You're so busted.

Tiring but fun weekend. Since my whole body is sore, my messed up back, comparitively feels pretty ok right now.

Highlights:

-Seeing some familiar faces as well as some new ones.

-Skiing in the east and being REALLY challenged

-Basom's mad pointing steeze

-Bushwack from hell: couple treewells, losing a pole twice and the ensuing mission to retrieve them, Mildbill's slough burying one of my poles completely out of sight... and the ensuing mission to find it, trying to turn my heavy mid fats through wet, heavy glop found at the lower elevations... and the ensuing mission to dig myself out after every fall. Major props to the crew for sticking with me. Felt waaaaaaaaaay bad and completely gaperish for holding everyone back.

-Guiding courtesy of Monsieur Basom, Monsieur Mildbill, and Monsieur Vinman. We ski big peak and they show us many good line. They are good guides, no?

-Discount lifts, lodging, and free nachos. Thanks Gravitylover and Stowevibe

-KevGlove hookup: Thanks Splat and Gravitylover. So far so good. They only saw some mild bushwacking, but they survived that fine. I haven't tried using them to work with barbed wire yet. That's next up.

-The video watching session at Vinman's. Thanks Vinman and Mrs Vinman and Vinman's scary dogs

**snowsprite** · 03-07-2005, 12:51 PM

Sorry I didn't get to ski w/ you guys...though I did meet some of you at the gondie and chatted w/ Train in the lodge for a while. We got a late start, and Sat night wasn't sure where you guys were hanging out so I ended up hanging w/ Mtn Man.

It was a great place, and I hope to return to Stowe again. Have a monster bruise to show for it, but all the more reason to want to go back. I like a feisty mountain!

My kid really loved the place too and he did not want to leave. He did his damndest all day to try to convince us that we would be "snowed in" today and he needed to see more of the mountain. As a consolation we took him to Ben & Jerry's but he was still a bit miffed that we plucked him from the slopes and took him home.

Many thanks to all who organized. Hope we can pull one off next year (and that I can actually hang out w/ some maggots next time!

)
Sprite

**I do have some nice pics of Stowe to post and will link them here once I get my act together.

**basom** · 03-07-2005, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by SkiJunky05

*I've been cautioned by the Stowe mafia that some of my trip reports have been too specific in regards to BC lines. Hence, my TR for Sunday will use the required generic label*

Pulled into the parking lot. Got on a lift at a mountain that could have been any of many. Skied down a run that varied in angle and forced me to link turns. Met up with a good group of mags/minions. Rode a lift up a hill, skied down. Some groomer was involved, some trees, and some ice. Oh, and some moguls. Next run we took a lift up and walked into the Mount Mansfield Backcountry, hiked across the Mount Mansfield Backcountry to the top of the Mount Mansfield Backcountry. Creating a continuous line through the Mount Mansfield Backcountry was a delicate procedure, but fun. We exited the Mount Mansfield Backcountry. We may have taken more runs, we may not have. I can't say more. I woke up with a decapitated horse head on my bed and all my shoes were filled with cement.

i don't think we were skiing on the same mountain.

the footage from the day skijunky missed is uploading right now. there are no descriptions of where or when this happened. i think it was at Mt. Tom, or possibly Gunstock. my memory has been erased it seems.

**schuss** · 03-07-2005, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by basom

i don't think we were skiing on the same mountain.

the footage from the day skijunky missed is uploading right now. there are no descriptions of where or when this happened. i think it was at Mt. Tom, or possibly Gunstock. my memory has been erased it seems.

please tell me you added a commentary track.

**basom** · 03-07-2005, 03:17 PM

no talking.
no plans.
no commentary.

* i could be talked into possibly a "crash" version with vocalized thought processes, if i end up gettign drunk and feel like recording it. but i doubt it. good thing you got it live.*

**basom** · 03-07-2005, 03:20 PM

right click save as *its pretty beefy, don't be angry, head cam doesnt come out so good with higher compression*

east coast miniature summit helmet style video