Living in New England it is rare to get that perfect ski day, where you have blue bird skies, perfect snow conditions and moderate temperatures. Today was one of those blue bird days you dream about combined with perfect snow conditions, but it was really cold, with temperatures at -10 f without wind chill. I read on the Burke Mountain website that they groomed East Bowl last night for the first time this season. I’ve only skied East Bowl un-groomed and it is one of my favorite trails at Burke. I arrived to Burke for first chair and did one run on the lower mountain. My fingertips and toes were freezing, more so then they have been all season.
First Time Skiing A Groomed East Bowl
I knew I wasn’t going to last long out there, so I took the Mid Burke Express up to the summit and headed straight into East Bowl. Because it was so cold, there was almost no one at the mountain and there were no tracks yet on the run up the East Bowl. I started making my descent and couldn’t believe how amazing this trail is when freshly groomed. I bombed down the whole mountain in constant glee. I was only person on the entire trail and the feeling of having it untouched and all to myself was quite surreal.
The Cold Was Too Much For Me
By time I made it to the mid mountain area I was so cold that my legs felt like they were being stabbed with pins and needles and I had no feeling in my fingers. Although the trail conditions were amazing, it was just told cold for me. I headed back to base lodge to try warm up before heading home. Once I took off my gloves my fingers started to instantly burn in pain as they began to thaw out. It took me about 20 minutes to recover before making my way back home.
Links
- Check out Stoked! Jan’s Ski Blog for more of his skating off-season adventures.
- Visit skiburke.com for more information.
- You can also follow Burke Mountain on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- Follow Jan Welch on Instagram.
About “Stoked! Jan’s Ski Blog”
I’ve spent my entire life living in cities, where I was able to urban, distance and aggressive skate all year long. In December of 2017 I moved to rural Vermont and found myself in the dead of winter, with snow all around me. Winters in Vermont are long and harsh, making skating nearly impossible 4-5 months out of the year. I live 2.5 hours from the nearest city and an hour from the nearest trails, making skating even in the summer much less frequent then I was used to.
Something needed to supplement my skating during the off season, so I took up skiing on January 2nd of 2019. From the moment I put on skis, I was hooked! Skiing gives me the exact same feeling I get from urban skating. Through skiing I am able to replicate the feel of carving around on city streets and playing on whatever obstacles catch your eye. This blog chronicles my stoke on skiing during my skating off season.
– Jan Eric Welch (Founder of bigwheelblading.com)
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