Skiing last great refuge

And then there were three...Mad River Glen is now one of only three ski areas in North American that do not allow snowboards (there used to be four until Taos, NM gave way). The others are the upscale Deer Valley, Utah and skier oriented Alta. As the only holdout in the northeast, Mad River Glen in many ways is the last refuge of old school skiing.

But the character of Mad River is much more than just a snowboard ban. The lack of boards is just an ingredient in the overall formula of Mad River's mission- preserve the sport of skiing for the true enthusiast, without all the bells and whistles of the 21st century "resort model." By resort model, I mean the economic model of many of today's ski areas are "improvements" such as high-speed quad lifts, a mountain village with trendy shops and eateries, valet parking and other slope-side amenities. Those luxuries go by the way side for Mad River, where the skis on the snow are king. The theory behind Mad River is that true skiing enthusiasts don't want a shopping mall at their mountain, they want to be out in the cold, freezing their butts off in an icy wind, for a chance to ski some amazing terrain covered in mother nature's snow.

Now don't get me wrong, snowmaking has its place. It is a great invention, allowing the ski season to be lengthened, providing early season training for racers and helping some ski areas survive through lean winters where there is little natural snow. It is now almost a must in the mid-Atlantic and Poconos. But snowmaking has a downside too; its expensive to operate, noisy, more often that not produces snow that ices up quickly and widens trails due to the fact that it kills the trees that line the trails. So you cannot blow snow on a narrow trail like the Antelope and keep that a narrow trail.

The ski areas that have added snowmaking, such as Sugarbush North (formerly Glen Ellen) have created wide cruising boulevards that boarders like, but they are relatively boring for skiers. What keeps bringing skiers to Mad River is the undulating terrain, the nooks and crannies, cliffs and natural features of the mountain. The twin tip freestyle skiers at Mad River don't need snowcat constructed humps or metal rails to grind, when they have natural rock outcrops, cliffs and frozen waterfalls to jump. Just underneath the single chair is a natural terrain park, known as the lift line, on which you can see some of the best freestyle skiing around. On a good day at Mad River- which regulars will tell you is any time after a snowfall, you're going to be challenged and have a blast at the same time. A high speed lift is not needed, because your legs won't be able to handle that many repeated trips down the mountain's 2100 ft vertical. For a leg burner try taking the Catamount trail off the single chair into the Lynx, which spills into the Beaver, and off-canter double fall line with bumps all the way down. Or ski the Fall Line into Grand Canyon.

On a powder day you may not see many people on the trails...where is everyone? The answer lies in the woods, where Mad River skiers have their favorite stashes of powder long after the freshies on the trail map have been skied off. The truth is there is no substitute for the silky smooth ride you're going to get on powder and packed powder at Mad River. This is what works for Mad River: a band of loyal skiing enthusiasts, families, children, telemark skiers, anyone who wants the traditional skiing experience without all the bells and whistle of the 21st century. When all is said and done, most of us are on the mountain to escape job, internet, TV, traffic and modern conveniences to commune with the mountain.