TheOctopus
01-03-2004, 12:07 PM
Figured some of you might be amused by this particular sickness that I have:
With Mrs. Octopus out of town this weekend, what better way to pass away a Friday night than skiing? In Ohio. I figured it was the perfect time to check out the local ski scene. It had been 60 degrees and raining all day, and I envisioned a lovely wet-snow surface for sliding. Plus, the Ohio State Buckeyes were playing in the Fiesta Bowl, and the whole rest of the state would be watching the game, so I could have the ski area to myself. No need to rush, either -- my destination for night skiing was open until 3AM. So, after working until 7 and a liesurely pasta dinner, I set out for the other ski area named "Mad River." How would this one compare?
It was 50 minutes door-to-door, including getting lost once, but finally I was guided in by the glow on the horizon given off by the high-wattage lightning. Without that, I'd have never found it. We're working with like 300 vertical feet here -- the "mountain" doesn't exactly block out the horizon. I shelled out $26 for a ticket, booted up, checked in on the game score (21-7, good guys), and hit the slopes at exactly 10:30.
First impressions were favorable. The base area was actually tidy, and well laid-out with a surprisingly nice cafeteria and lounge, which was complete with a large roaring fire (excessive, since it was still every bit of 60 degrees outside!). The place has massive uphill lift capacity, but the lifts are laid out well. If there were any crowds (which there certainly were not tonight), there would be minimal bottle-necking.
The lifts were the slowest I've ever ridden, but no matter, I was soon on top for the first run. Another pleasant surprise was that the place was not a flat as I feared; there was actually some pitch here (although the Practice Slope at MRG looks like the Headwall compared to what I was looking at here). There were even a few glades to ski (although they were closed due to a serious lack of snow -- i.e., the surface in there was fast, wet grass). Farmers here in the 19th century planted osage orange trees to mark the bounradies between their lands, and these trees were everywhere. Imagine the gnarled trees in the Wizard of Oz -- these trees would make great Ents, and looked like they'd be fun skiing.
So I took in the view, and pushed off. The surface was nice, especially for man-made snow -- it hadn't gotten all glacial yet. It was now that I understood the need for the massive uphill lift capactity, for in no time I was back at the bottom. We're talking 30 seconds max, here. Hmmm....
A few more runs off the main quad chair and then it was time to go exploring. I decided to work my way from looker's left to right, and ski every inch of the mountain's 20 trails. Again, there were nice surprises here. The trails were far more interesting than I expected. I had imagined uber-wide boulevards cut straight down the mountain. Most of them, though, had a few twists and turns, and several had camber to them, and rolls and drops. At maximum speed, there was fun to be had.
Another surprise was how good many of the other skiers were. Unsurprisingly, the place was populated by teenagers (who apparently are more dedicated to skiing than Ohio State football), a number of whom were good, especially the snowboarders. There were a lot of people who could properly edge and carve a pretty firm surface, which most on-piste skiers in New England seem to have extreme difficulty doing. I was genuinely impressed.
I finished the night out in the terrain park, and decided to pack it in when I realized that catching big air with a firm landing at 12:40AM was really pretty stupid. Back in Columbus 43 miuntes later (after playing with the new Passat on a dead-flat and straight U.S. 33 -- ya hoo!)
The verdict? Well, Mad River Mountain sure ain't MRG, but it doesn't totally suck, either. Definitely fun for a few hours, and I'll have to bring Mrs. O there to work on some tele skiing drills (that'll be more of a novelty than my much gawked-at R.exs with Freeride bindings were!). It's still sliding on snow, and sliding on snow is a heckuva lot of fun! And hey, you can't ski Tucks at 1AM (I await one of you to prove me wrong).
With Mrs. Octopus out of town this weekend, what better way to pass away a Friday night than skiing? In Ohio. I figured it was the perfect time to check out the local ski scene. It had been 60 degrees and raining all day, and I envisioned a lovely wet-snow surface for sliding. Plus, the Ohio State Buckeyes were playing in the Fiesta Bowl, and the whole rest of the state would be watching the game, so I could have the ski area to myself. No need to rush, either -- my destination for night skiing was open until 3AM. So, after working until 7 and a liesurely pasta dinner, I set out for the other ski area named "Mad River." How would this one compare?
It was 50 minutes door-to-door, including getting lost once, but finally I was guided in by the glow on the horizon given off by the high-wattage lightning. Without that, I'd have never found it. We're working with like 300 vertical feet here -- the "mountain" doesn't exactly block out the horizon. I shelled out $26 for a ticket, booted up, checked in on the game score (21-7, good guys), and hit the slopes at exactly 10:30.
First impressions were favorable. The base area was actually tidy, and well laid-out with a surprisingly nice cafeteria and lounge, which was complete with a large roaring fire (excessive, since it was still every bit of 60 degrees outside!). The place has massive uphill lift capacity, but the lifts are laid out well. If there were any crowds (which there certainly were not tonight), there would be minimal bottle-necking.
The lifts were the slowest I've ever ridden, but no matter, I was soon on top for the first run. Another pleasant surprise was that the place was not a flat as I feared; there was actually some pitch here (although the Practice Slope at MRG looks like the Headwall compared to what I was looking at here). There were even a few glades to ski (although they were closed due to a serious lack of snow -- i.e., the surface in there was fast, wet grass). Farmers here in the 19th century planted osage orange trees to mark the bounradies between their lands, and these trees were everywhere. Imagine the gnarled trees in the Wizard of Oz -- these trees would make great Ents, and looked like they'd be fun skiing.
So I took in the view, and pushed off. The surface was nice, especially for man-made snow -- it hadn't gotten all glacial yet. It was now that I understood the need for the massive uphill lift capactity, for in no time I was back at the bottom. We're talking 30 seconds max, here. Hmmm....
A few more runs off the main quad chair and then it was time to go exploring. I decided to work my way from looker's left to right, and ski every inch of the mountain's 20 trails. Again, there were nice surprises here. The trails were far more interesting than I expected. I had imagined uber-wide boulevards cut straight down the mountain. Most of them, though, had a few twists and turns, and several had camber to them, and rolls and drops. At maximum speed, there was fun to be had.
Another surprise was how good many of the other skiers were. Unsurprisingly, the place was populated by teenagers (who apparently are more dedicated to skiing than Ohio State football), a number of whom were good, especially the snowboarders. There were a lot of people who could properly edge and carve a pretty firm surface, which most on-piste skiers in New England seem to have extreme difficulty doing. I was genuinely impressed.
I finished the night out in the terrain park, and decided to pack it in when I realized that catching big air with a firm landing at 12:40AM was really pretty stupid. Back in Columbus 43 miuntes later (after playing with the new Passat on a dead-flat and straight U.S. 33 -- ya hoo!)
The verdict? Well, Mad River Mountain sure ain't MRG, but it doesn't totally suck, either. Definitely fun for a few hours, and I'll have to bring Mrs. O there to work on some tele skiing drills (that'll be more of a novelty than my much gawked-at R.exs with Freeride bindings were!). It's still sliding on snow, and sliding on snow is a heckuva lot of fun! And hey, you can't ski Tucks at 1AM (I await one of you to prove me wrong).