mattchuck2
11-18-2008, 04:33 PM
If anyone gets Ski Magazine (they send it to me from time to time for free), there's a "Weekends" special feature on Gore this month. In case you're wondering which month I'm talking about, it's the one with "The Ultimate Guide to Vail" on the cover.
The first day, they recommend driving up, checking in at either the Fern Lodge in Chestertown or the Alpine lodge in North Creek (it was probably written before the Copperfield was slated to reopen). Then they say that you should go to barVino (haven't been, but I doubt the author has either), or the Black Mountain (solid choice).
The second day, they suggest strating out with a warmup run on Fox Lair to Wild Air, then going Fairview to Twister, then Topridge, then Uncas (finally) to the Straightbrook quad. They tell you to ski Rumor (ok), Lies(ok) and Upper Darby (? - Must be one of the 20 days a year it's open . . . and even so, there have to be better options). Then "wind your way down Upper Steilhang" (haha . . . only thing I'll say is that I don't ski that trail for a groomer run, if you catch my drift).
After lunch at the Saddle Lodge (ok, I guess?), they tell you to go to the Burnt Ridge area. "Test out Sagamore, a long black diamond, and then hit Cirque Glades, a true experts-only area that offers a taste of the backcountry", the article says. How would they know that?!?!!? Basically, they seem to be taking press releases and disguising it as analysis. Couldn't the guy just wait a year, and then form his own opinion of the terrain?
Anyway, the second day, they tell you to hit Hawkeye, Chatiemac and Straightbrook Glades (after "warm up with a cruiser on Showcase"). Then they tell you to "get up some speed on Hullaballoo, a groomed black diamond". When does that happen? 3 times a year? Hullaballoo is a good trail because they don't groom it. Then they tell you to finish with a "thriller" down Upper Darby (this guy really loves this trail), "following Lower Cloud to the base".
It's this kind of "analysis" that makes me wonder if the guy even went to Gore for the article. It seems like he did a bunch of internet research on hotels and restaurants, then for the skiing portions of the article, just looked at the trail map. The whole time, he didn't mention very many great trails (trails that set Gore apart from other mountains). High Pines glades, Darkside Glades, Chatiemac Glades, and Lower Steilhang weren't mentioned at all (I guess I should be happy?). He never told people to go to the North Chair (where I assume most of Ski Magazine's readership would enjoy going), and [i]he thinks that Lower Cloud is a good option for the first timer at Gore. Maybe next time they can leave the writing to someone who actually skis the mountain.
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The first day, they recommend driving up, checking in at either the Fern Lodge in Chestertown or the Alpine lodge in North Creek (it was probably written before the Copperfield was slated to reopen). Then they say that you should go to barVino (haven't been, but I doubt the author has either), or the Black Mountain (solid choice).
The second day, they suggest strating out with a warmup run on Fox Lair to Wild Air, then going Fairview to Twister, then Topridge, then Uncas (finally) to the Straightbrook quad. They tell you to ski Rumor (ok), Lies(ok) and Upper Darby (? - Must be one of the 20 days a year it's open . . . and even so, there have to be better options). Then "wind your way down Upper Steilhang" (haha . . . only thing I'll say is that I don't ski that trail for a groomer run, if you catch my drift).
After lunch at the Saddle Lodge (ok, I guess?), they tell you to go to the Burnt Ridge area. "Test out Sagamore, a long black diamond, and then hit Cirque Glades, a true experts-only area that offers a taste of the backcountry", the article says. How would they know that?!?!!? Basically, they seem to be taking press releases and disguising it as analysis. Couldn't the guy just wait a year, and then form his own opinion of the terrain?
Anyway, the second day, they tell you to hit Hawkeye, Chatiemac and Straightbrook Glades (after "warm up with a cruiser on Showcase"). Then they tell you to "get up some speed on Hullaballoo, a groomed black diamond". When does that happen? 3 times a year? Hullaballoo is a good trail because they don't groom it. Then they tell you to finish with a "thriller" down Upper Darby (this guy really loves this trail), "following Lower Cloud to the base".
It's this kind of "analysis" that makes me wonder if the guy even went to Gore for the article. It seems like he did a bunch of internet research on hotels and restaurants, then for the skiing portions of the article, just looked at the trail map. The whole time, he didn't mention very many great trails (trails that set Gore apart from other mountains). High Pines glades, Darkside Glades, Chatiemac Glades, and Lower Steilhang weren't mentioned at all (I guess I should be happy?). He never told people to go to the North Chair (where I assume most of Ski Magazine's readership would enjoy going), and [i]he thinks that Lower Cloud is a good option for the first timer at Gore. Maybe next time they can leave the writing to someone who actually skis the mountain.
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