Riding the Thunderbolt

Jan 11,2010 Snow on the ground,it was go time!!

Mt Greylock's Thunderbolt Trail was cut by the CCC in the 1930's for downhill ski racing. It was named after a roller coaster in Revere Mass. The Eastern Downhill Championships of 1936 were held on the Thunderbolt with an estimated 5,000 spectators watching the race.

I've always wanted to ski the Thunderbolt and I did so some years back. I had a good time but the slopes were very overgrown and brushy. Thanks to the efforts of the Thunderbolt Ski Runners the trail is back in great shape. The one thing that hasn't changed is that you need to earn your turns. It was a 2 hour skin up the Bellows Pipe Trail from the end of Gould Rd to the summit of Mt Greylock. After a quick warm up in the Thunderbolt Ski Shelter we were ready for the Vertical Drop: 2,050 ft, that the Thunderbolt had to offer!
I find it amazing that this is almost twice the vertical of the largest of the MA resorts and is larger than most of the VT ski areas as well.


We savored our run down in perfect snow,with only a few rock hazards. Near the bottom of the run we cut hard to the right and passed through the aborted Greylock Glen Resort back to Gould Farm.

I can't imagine how crazy it must have been to schuss this hill back in the day with the equipment they had available. Even on today's gear you better watch your step! It's no Okemo I can tell you. But then again that's the charm.

--Skidmarks

Bruce Trail --Out with the New, in with the Old!!!

A trip down the Bruce Trail a 1930's CCC Mansfield Original

The Bruce Trail plunges 2,000 feet down the south side of Mount Mansfield, ending on the trails of the Stowe Mountain Resort Cross-Country Ski Center. It is a legendary down-mountain ski run cut in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Together with the Teardrop Trail, the Bruce Trail endures as a crown jewel in the CCC’s network of down-mountain trails. A ski down the Bruce will make it clear why early skiers traveled so far for this prize.© Copyright Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Classic Ski and Snowboard Tours in Vermont and New York Published by Appalachian Mountain Club Books. All Rights Reserved.

January 31, 2009--Sandy and I decide to climb and ski the Bruce Trail via a climb up the Toll Rd. We start our tour at the Mt Mansfield Touring Center. After picking up the the Stowe Derby Trail we connect with the Toll Rd and follow it up to below Mansfield's Nose at 3850.We ski down to the Octagon for lunch and make our way to the top of the Bruce Trail.

As advertised the trail is only 12-15ft wide! The snow is soft and the trail is in great shape with zero rocks or stumps. We take our time skiing this classic trail in near perfect conditions. The trail snakes and bends it's way down the mountain. I ask myself why everyone isn't doing this?

Sandy crashes and breaks her pole 2/3 of the way down(note to self, bring extra pole).It's hard for me to ski with only one pole! But I think it would have been much harder on 30's style equipment.

We ski out to the XC trails, only 1.5 flat miles back to the touring center. If I was on a Snowboard I'd be hating life!! Reason number 10 to free one's heels!!

Happy New Year