First Tracks

First Tracks were actually second tracks.  Someone beat me up the Quad Chairlift and made tracks on East Bowl just before I got there.  East Bowl was recommended to me for a first run due to it's natural snow/conditions only.  After leaving the Quad, a 3-4 minute traverse earned me 4-6 inches of nearly untouched fresh powder.  A poor choice for a first run as I'm not a good powder skier (especially on my GS boards!), and my legs weren't warmed up.  But it was fun none-the-less, and I gleefully took a few falls in the fresh pow.  To the left is a picture of the East Bowl.

Morning Runs

I decided to track the mountain from right to left (looking at the Trail Map).  I hit up some great blue square cruisers 'Upper/Lower Bear Den,' 'Upper/Lower Willoughby,' and Lower Fox's Folly.  These slopes were wide open and perfect groomed packed powder!  Upper parts of the mountain had an inch or two of fresh snow to boot.  This Mountain is a great place for a mountain academy, any of the above mentioned slopes were ideal for top to bottom racing.  For my own purposes, they got my legs warmed up and made for great turning.

The New England Masters were Racing Giant Slalom on 'Upper/Lower Warren's Way' while the Burke Ski Academy were practicing on 'Lower Fox's Folly.'  My only remaining options for the right side of the mountain were the Black Diamond Trails under and just to the right of the Quad.  'The Shoot' was a marvelously thin and narrow slope, about ten feet wide at best.  Quick turns made this trail a blast.  That got me down to 'The 'Upper Fox's Folly' which was groomed up top and natural snow below.  The natural snow was a short lived, but a nice treat.  'Fox's Folly' was roped and not ski-able, so I detoured to 'The Ledges.'

The Ledges were bumped up on natural conditions.  Some light snow made them enjoyable, but their lines were irregular.  Occasional Thin Cover went virtually noticed and easily avoided.  To the right  are pictures looking down up and down 'The Ledges' from it's mid-point.

Afternoon Runs

Next up, I tackled the other side of the mountain.  I tracked down the lazy 'Deer Run' (which doubles as a Toll Road for autos in the summer) to the Thinly Covered 'Upper/Lower Doug's Drop.' So thin was the cover on the first pitch, there was no way of getting around the grass.  So I picked the least grassy area and put the skis straight.  After a quick 10 foot drop, conditions improved and the bumps began.  Very similar to 'The Ledges,' this trail had fairly random bumps not allowing for much rhythm.  Thin Cover kept you awake in places, but overall, after the first pitch, this run was great!

Trying to hit all the Thin Cover Diamonds as soon as possible, I took 'Wilderness' next.  This was to be my Run Of The Day.  Cover was great for almost the whole run, which had the best bump lines on the mountain.  Not a wide trail, but not narrow either, I quickly fell into an enjoyable pace and let go a classic "Whew!!!!"  Great Stuff on 'Wilderness' and I returned there later in the afternoon for seconds.

'Powderhorn' and The Dippers (four total) provided great blue square cruisers.  Parts of Upper Dipper and Big Dipper had great pitches, and if they weren't groomed everyday, would surely constitute expert run status.

For Lower Mountain Bump/Natural Snow trails, there were four on the lower left side of the mountain.  'Lew's Leap' was very thinly covered, but the cut of the trail was different and enjoyable.  Both 'Lower Doug's Drop' and 'McHarg's Cut-Off' are Blue Squares, but were heavily bumped up and really fun.  Good cover and bumps especially on 'Lower Doug's Drop.'  'Mountain Marsh' was another Square that was fairly bumped.

Another great run was 'Boarder Line.'  A great narrow Black Diamond bump run towards the bottom of the mountain.  Fairly thin cover in places, but a plenty of fun to go around.  To the left are pictured half way down 'Boarder Line,' looking both up and down.

Thoughts On Burke

I was really amazed with Burke for a lot of reasons.  Their layout is Fantastic.  They have an isolated beginners area at the base of the mountain completely separate from the main mountain.  This is great because it gives beginners their own space and separates them from the main mountain.  Not that any one on the main mountain skied like a beginner.  Everyone on Burke could hold their own and skied well.  Their blue squares were divided into perfectly groomed cruisers and soft and bumpy natural snow trails, a great combination!  They don't have a huge expert skiing selection; however, their natural snow trails are excellent.

There isn't anything really steep at Burke, and most trails have a similar pitch.  It is the cut of the trail and the condition of the snow that gives each trail it's own character.  Although, the Double Diamond run under the middle section of the Quad, 'Fox's Folly,' looked a bit hairy and brought images of a slightly less steep 'Red Line' from Magic Mountain to mind ('Fox's Folly' was closed and for good reason).  East Bowl provided a very unique experience in feeling like you were skiing out of bounds.

I didn't get to ski trees.  Not so much because the cover was bad (it was doable) but more so because I didn't have a partner or helmet.  Burke has an open tree policy.  Ski what ever you want, but don't be stupid, and be warned...  the woods are not patrolled.  Burke does not mark any trails as "Glades Trails" which is amazing to me.  If they counted their tree trails, their trail count of 34 would increase to around 45 at least.  Any other mountain counts every little trail they can, but not Burke.  Burke has several small connecting trails that go unnamed.  If these were counted as well, Burke could boast well over 50 trails total.

But this is not the way with Burke, no BS trail counts here.  Burke skis way bigger than the map would indicate and gives the advanced skier unlimited options and ways to get around the mountain.  It's only problem is the slow Quad.  I normally enjoy an old, slow ski lift, but even I voiced ascent with locals, racers, and other lift riders that the slow lift is Burke's only short coming.  Hopefully with increased revenue Burke can improve their lift situation.  They don't need a detachable, but just something a bit faster.

The Return Home

For my drive home, I opted to compare the I-93 with the I-91 and I-89 option.  Figuring that I-91 might be faster without a slow drive through The Notch with poor localized weather.  While the mileage is only 10 miles more on I-91, I greatly preferred the Franconia Notch and I-93 for several reasons.  First, I-91 is a rather mountainous highway, which means lots of up and down driving.  Compared to I-93 which offers fairly consistent grades (relative to I-91).  Also, I burned an extra quarter tank of gas on I-91 coming home.  On I-93 I generally use less gas, not more, on the return trip.  Next, compared to Franconia Notch and the White Mountains, the Connecticut River Valley and I-89 are terribly boring roads to drive on (relatively).  And for timing (which I hoped would be the big difference), despite not having to drive through the Notch and driving generally faster, I-91 was almost the same time.

A Great Day at Burke!  Be sure to put Burke on your ski plans if you enjoy Non-Crowded, Cheap, Classic New England Skiing with great people, no lift lines, great snow, great conditions, cheap and good quality food, and great ambiance.  What more is there?!