For the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend, I had to work both Saturday and Monday. I dreaded the crowd potential of any ski area during a holiday weekend. I decided this would be a perfect weekend to explore trails off the beaten path. Way off the beaten path. Such as old ski areas that are no longer in operation, or Lost Ski Areas.
For Sunday, I choose local Sea View Ski Area in Rowley, MA. I had previously made a summer hiking trip to the lost area to explore it. I thought some fun and exciting turns could be had down the narrow trail that is currently a leg of the Bay Circuit Trail. So I embarked on a solo expedition to the Lost Ski Area formerly known as Sea View; know commonly referred to as Prospect Hill.
Hiking up the trail took no more than 15 minutes. From the bottom, the trail begins on a fairly flat and modest incline. Halfway up, two slightly steeper sections required more strenuous efforts. However, a base to summit non-stop hike was fairly easy the first time up.
Arriving at the summit, I realized I was skiing ungroomed natural snow on a fairly narrow trail without any warm up runs. "This should be interesting," I commented to myself. I clicked in to my bindings with a loud "CLICK!" resonating throughout the quiet forest. If only the major ski areas were that quiet!
I made some easy turns and slipped into a rhythm, swooshing through the light surface snow and occasionally digging down to the hard pack below. Cover was surprisingly good, with only three easily avoidable rocks showing. Turns were best on the second quarter of the run as I descended down the steepest pitch. About half way down, two log water bars covered with snow made for excellent jumps. And then the run evened out into a run out for a few feet.
I hiked up the lookers left trail next, but found it was not easily skiable with several blow downs. At one point, I got on my hands and knees to get under a tree covering the trail. I made tracks again on the right trail, finding a better rhythm and starting to feel warmed up.
For my third run, I once again hiked up the skiers left trail. Slightly winded by the time I accessed the summit, I decided to hike over to the Cell Towers and see if the access road was skiable. I found that the access road and summit are around the towers had been plowed to the grass with Cat Tracks all around. I clicked in, once again disturbing the serene quiet of the summit... and headed back down the right trail once again.
While not as easy as boarding a high speed lift and skiing groomed runs, earning your turns sure has its fun points! Recently I began to wonder how they did it back in the early nineteen hundreds. When they hiked mountains like Cannon and Stowe for two or three runs at best. But having done my own investigation into the earn your turns philosophy, it makes no difference if you are hiking Tuckerman Ravine or a local Lost Ski Area: there is a certain satisfaction and different kind of fun involved in this style of skiing. The snow is natural, the area is being reclaimed or already is untouched by human hands, and there are fewer people around. By the end of the hike, you gain a more fun and complete appreciation for every turn, let alone every run.
And after three runs, your tired enough to call it a day and happy to do so. I will most definitely be earning more turns in the near future!