On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 08:32:07 -0400, Geoff Devine <[log in to unmask]> 
wrote:

>Lower Bear Claw is jammed with
>tourons so I don't think I skied it more than a couple times all winter.
>They finally started blowing snow on Fiddle again though not edge to edge.
>The Fiddle quad ran a few times last winter.  The morons put Bear's ssA 
and
>Centerpiece on the map.
>
>They keep closing Bear earlier and earlier.  OL is now skiable for a good 
>2 to 3 weeks after they halt the lifts and is the best spring poach on the
>mountian.

With all the traffic on lower Bear Claw, it often turned into a bump 
run...but not a true one.  More like ice, skid, slam.  Skiers left always 
skied the best.  IMO, making Wildfire a terrain park was one of their 
worst moves ever.  I used to think that was the best intermediate to 
advanced bump run on the mountain.  Just steep enough to get going but a 
fun hero bump pitch that allowed anyone to ski zipper line.  I love OL but 
sometimes the bumps just get so big and with its pitch, I find it hard to 
zipper-line down it for more than 20 yards at a time.  

Snowmaking on Devils Fiddle helped but I think the sides (especially 
skiers right) are the best/most interesting parts of that trail.  I'm glad 
I got to taste Bears ssA and the OL woods before they were put on the 
map.  Bears ssA kicked my ssA the first time I skied it...the top portion 
before the cliff was probably the narrowest thing I've ever skied (if you 
can call it skiing).  I could even get my skis fully across it without 
ending up with my face in pine needles or bark.  Sure was a fun run though 
with the right snow.  Overall, Killington's messing with Bear Mtn has been 
its biggest mistake yet, IMO.  That place was always a regulars hangout 
with several great trails and woods shoots when the conditions were 
right.  Its low elevation and aspects do hurt during low snow periods, 
however.

-Scott

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