3.23.2013 The Thunderbolt Ski Trail

The snowfall in Western Massachusetts hasn't been as heavy as it's been in Kiev lately, but there was still a pretty decent amount of snow on the ground.  It is about two month to the day since Kyle and I made our last trip to Mt. Greylock to ski The Thunderbolt.  

There was actually enough base to cover all of the rocks and grass and then there was about a foot of powder on top of it.  We skinned up The Thunderbolt all of the way until the Big Bend, there we took a side trail to avoid needing to bootpack up the steep section.  This detour added a little bit of distance to the hike up; however, we got some good views of spots to ski in the woods.  Only two skiers and one boarder rode past us on the skin up and two other skiers with a dog hung close with us for most of the way until the detour.  

Skinning up the start of the trail.

Crossing the road that cars can drive up in the summer, we were able to skin up the remainder of the trail right to the door of the lodge.  A few snowmobilers were hanging out in the lodge, but no other skiers were in sight.  One of the guys was nice enough to take our photo before heading back out.

Steez and stoke factors both high.

Cruising down the start of The Thunderbolt from the intersection with the auto road.

Dropping....

Looks like this could be the last good weekend for backcountry skiing before it warms up too much and the cover gets thin.  Who knows, maybe we'll get slammed with another foot of snow and The Thunderbolt will live on a little bit longer into Spring.

Mount Greylock, The Thunderbolt Ski Run

There is barely any snow on the ground as we leave New York and enter Massachusetts.  We can just go for a hike if the snow situation doesn't work out, Kyle and I agree.  Leaving the snowshoes in the car, we set off on foot from the parking area off of Gould Road at 8:35.  The goal of the day is to hike up to the summit of Mt. Greylock and ski/ride down The Thunderbolt Trail, which was cut in 1934 by the 107th Company of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Leaving the car and starting off on foot.

Getting hot, ditching layers.

Hiking up past The Steps we encounter two hikers with a dog and engage in conversation.  The guy tells us that he is sorry for the bad news, but we'll probably have to end up hiking down most of the trail due to the snow conditions.  We'll see about that.  Two skiers passed us just as we began hiking and said the snow at the bottom was the best on the entire run, and even that was marginal.

Looking down "The Steps".

A dozen wind turbines in the distance.

After two hours of consistent upwards movement we make it to the summit, home of The Thunderbolt Ski Shelter and The Veterans War Memorial Tower.  Stopping in the shelter, a surprisingly nice cabin with plenty of benches and four wood stoves, we are greeted by four other hikers and their dogs.  Drink coffee, eat turkey chili, off we go.  It started snowing and the wind picked up just as we entered the shelter.  Looks like the conditions are getting better.

Kyle dropping in The Big Bend.

More steep and rocky terrain on The Big Bend.

Instead of following The Thunderbolt the entire way down and dealing with some uphill sections that would not be pleasant on a snowboard or unwaxed skis, we use some beta given from the hikers on the way up and take a right at the "four corners" onto a trail marked for mountain bikes.  This is supposed to run parallel to The Thunderbolt while avoiding any need to go uphill.

Heading down, the trail narrows.

 

We take a break to explore the old lift towers from the failed attempt to establish a ski resort in the 1970s.  Signs point us in the direction towards Gould Road and I only need to unstrap my snowboard a couple times on long flat sections traversing back left across the mountain.

Checking out the lifts and stretching out our legs.

Part snow, part grass, part mud.

 

A little wet and muddy.

Following snowmobile tracks back to the road outlet.

Looking back up at the summit.

The conditions weren't ideal by any means, but we got a taste of The Thunderbolt and will definitely be back for more when there is enough snow to cover all the logs, rocks, and stumps.

Back at the car, packing up.